Category Archives: German Names

Ptolomy

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ancient columns at kom ombo temple egypt
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  • Origin: Greek Πτολεμαῖος
  • Meaning: “aggressive, warlike.”
  • Gender: Male
  • Eng (PTAHL-e-mee, TAHL-e-mee)

Derived from the ancient Greek male name Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaios), which in turn comes from πτόλεμος (ptólemos), meaning “war” or “battle.”

The word ptólemos is an older Aeolic dialectal form of πόλεμος (pólemos), the standard Classical Greek word for “war,” sharing the same root with the English word, “polemic.”

Ptolemy I Soter (367–283 BCE) was a general of Alexander the Great and later became Pharaoh of Egypt, founding the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323–30 BCE). This dynasty ruled Egypt for nearly three centuries and ended with Cleopatra VII, the most famous bearer of the family’s legacy.

Claudius Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy) (2nd century CE) was the famed Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer of Alexandria, whose Almagest shaped Western astronomy for over a millennium.

According to the Book of 1 Maccabees (135/4 BC), Ptolemy of Jericho betrayed his father-in-law, Simon the High Priest, by murdering him and his two sons while they slept as guests under his roof. This act of treachery is used in Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno, in which the ninth circle of Hell is called Ptolomea after him, a frozen realm reserved for those who betray their guests.

Ptolomy is also the name of an early Christian saint.

In the English-speaking world, Ptolomy has been used on and off since the 18th-century. It appeared in the U.K’s top 500 boys’ names in 2004, ranking in at #906.

A modern bearer is American author, Ptolemy Tompkins. Celebrity couple Gretchen Mol and Tod Williams bestowed this on their son in 2007.

Common English short forms include: Tollie, Tolly, and Tal.

International Variations

  • Butlimus بطليموس (Arabic)
  • Ptghomeos Պտղոմեոս (Armenian)
  • Ptaljemej Пталемей (Belarusian)
  • Ptolemej Птолемей (Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Ukrainian)
  • Ptolemeu, Tolomeu (Catalan)
  • Ptolomeos ⲡⲧⲟⲗⲉⲙⲉⲟⲥ (Coptic)
  • Ptolemy (Another English form)
  • Ptolémée (French)
  • Tolomaes (Gaelic)
  • Ptolomeu (Galician, Occitanian, Romanian)
  • Ptolemäus (German)
  • Ptolemaiosz (Hungarian)
  • Ptólmæos (Icelandic)
  • Tolomeo (Italian, Spanish)
  • Tolommeo (Italian)
  • Ptolomaeus (Latin)
  • Ptolemajs (Latvian)
  • Ptolemėjus (Lithuanian)
  • Ptolomey, Ptolomej Птолемей (Macedonian, Russian)
  • Tolomé (Piedmontese)
  • Ptolomeusz (Polish)
  • Ptolomeu (Portuguese)
  • Ptolemæus (Scandinavian)
  • Ptolomaidh (Scottish-Gaelic)
  • Tulumeu (Sicilian)
  • Ptolomaj (Slovenian)
  • Ptolemeo, Ptolomeo (Spanish)
  • Batlamyus (Turkish)

Female forms include the sensual Ptolemaïs (Πτολεμαΐς) and the Italian, Tolomea.

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Prosper, Prospera

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romantic couple walking in sunflower field
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  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: “prosper.”

The name Prosper comes from the Latin Prosperus, meaning “fortunate,” “successful,” or “prosperous.” It is derived from the Latin verb prōspere, “to cause to thrive, to be favorable,” ultimately from pro- (“forward”) and spēs (“hope”).

Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (c. 390–455) was a Christian writer and theologian who defended the doctrines of Saint Augustine. His influence made Prosper a well-established saint’s name in medieval France, especially in Aquitaine and Provence.

In France, the name was relatively common at the turn of the 20th-century, ranking in at #96 in 1902. In the USA, it never ranked as high but did make it to the Top 1000, peaking at # 886 in 1881.

Several other early Christian saints and bishops also bore the name.

The most famous literary bearer is Prospero, the magician-duke in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611).

The Puritans occasionally used Prosper as well.

The designated name-days include: June 25th (Denmark & France), September 2nd (Croatia), June 23rd (Poland).

International Variations

  • Prósperu (Asturian)
  • Pròsper (Catalan)
  • Prosper (Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian)
  • Prospert (French, rare)
  • Prospero (Italian)
  • Prosperino (Italian)
  • Prosperus (Latin)
  • Próspero (Portuguese, Spanish)

Female Forms

  • Prospera (Italian)
  • Prosperina (Italian)
  • Prospère (French)
  • Prospérine (French)
  • Próspera (Portuguese, Spanish)

Diminutives

  • Prop (English)
  • Sperry (English)
  • Rino (Italian)

Sources

Chariton, Charitina, Charitinë

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  • Origin: Greek Χαρίτων
  • Meaning: “grace; kindness.”

Chariton is an ancient Greek masculine name derived from χάρις (charis), meaning “grace, kindness, favor.”

The name was borne by Saint Chariton the Confessor (4th century), a revered Christian monk and founder of several monasteries in the Judaean Desert. His feast day is observed in the Eastern Orthodox Church on September 28.


Chariton also appears in classical Greek literature as a personal name. It was the name of a 1st-century Greek writer.

International Variations

  • Khariton خاريتون, Խարիտոն, ⲭⲁⲣⲓⲧⲟⲛ, Харитон (Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Coptic, Russian)
  • Hariton ܚܪܝܛܘܢ, Харитина (Assyrian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Macedonian, Romanian, Serbian)
  • Charitón (Czech)
  • Chariton (English, German, French, Polish)
  • Caritón (Galician, Spanish)
  • Kharit’on ხარიტონ (Georgian)
  • Karíton (Icelandic)
  • Caritone (Italian)
  • Charitonas (Lithuanian)
  • Caritão (Portuguese)
  • Kharyton Xaryton (Ukrainian).

Charitine, Charitina

The feminine form of Charitine (Χαριτίνη) is the feminine counterpart, and it was latinized as Charitina. An English pronuncitation would be KARE-e-TEE-nee (Grk), and KARE-e-TEE-nah or KARE-e-TIE-nuh).

Saint Charitine of Rome (also known as Charitina, 4th century) is a virgin martyr honored in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Churches. The feast day and designated name-day is October 8th.

Charitina was later borne by a Medieval Russian Orthodox saint of Lithuania. Very little is known of her hagiography other than her being an indigenous Lithuanian woman who was born pagan but later converted to Christianity.

Female International Variations

  • Haritina خاريتينا / حاريتينا (Arabic, mainly used among Arab-speaking Christians)
  • Kharitine არიტონ, ხარიტინე (Armenian, Georgian)
  • Haritini, Haritina ܚܪܝܛܝܢ (Assyrian)
  • Harycina Харыціна (Belarusian)
  • Haritina Харитина (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Romanian)
  • Charitinë (English, Greek – Classical)
  • Charitine (French, SHAH-HHREE-TEEN)
  • Charitini, Haritini (Greek – Modern)
  • Charitina Харитина (Latin, Lithuanian, Russian)
  • Charytyna (Polish)
  • Kharytyna Харитина (Ukrainian)

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Giselher

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  • Origin: German
  • Meaning: “hostage army.”
  • Gender: Male
  • Germ Pron: (GEE-zehl-hair)

Giselher is an early Old High German masculine name formed from two classic Germanic elements, gisel (pledge) and hari (army).

The best-known figure is King Giselher of Burgundy, a 5th-century ruler who appears in both history and legend. He is immortalized as a character in the Nibelungenlied, the great Middle High German epic, alongside his brothers Gunther and Gernot.

It was also the name of an 11th-century Bishop of Madgeburg who succeeded St. Adalbert.

It is found in records as the name of Teutonic Knights in Estonia, Latvia and Poland. It experienced a minor revival in the early 20th-century but is quite rare in contemporary German-speaking countries.

Its Anglo-Saxon version of Gislhere was borne by an 8th-century Bishop of Selsey.

A more recent bearer was German composer, Giselher Klebe (1925-2009).

Its designated name-day in Austria is September 28th.

Variation & International Variations

  • Gizelher (Croatian, Polish)
  • Giselher (Czech; Estonian; French, pronounced JEEZ-e-LAIR; Polish)
  • Giseler, Gisiler (German)
  • Giselcaro (Italian)
  • Gislaharius (Late Latin)
  • Gizelhers (Latvian)
  • Gislahario (Spanish)

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Herwig

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  • Origin: German
  • Meaning: “army battle.”
  • Gender: Male

The name is composed of the Old German elements, heri (army) and wig (battle).

German Diminutives

  • Erb
  • Wicki, Wiki
  • Wiggerl
  • Wickerl

International Forms

  • Hervik (Danish, Norwegian)
  • Hervig (Nordic)
  • Harvig (Swedish)

The designated name-days are June 14, October 5th and December 5th.

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Neilos, Nilus, Nilo, Nile, Nila

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  • Origin: Greek
  • Meaning: “Nile River.”
  • Eng (NYE-lus); Grk (NAY-lose); It (NEE-lo)

The name ultimately comes from Greek Νεῖλος (Neílos), the ancient Greek name of the River Nile.

In Ancient Egyptian, the river was called jtr-w (Iteru, “Great River”). The Greek form Neílos may reflect a Semitic root n-h-r, meaning “river,” which is also the source of Hebrew nahar and related words.

In Greek mythology, Neilos was personified as the river-god of the Nile, one of the Potamoi (river deities).

The Latinized form Nilus became a well-known monastic name and is borne by several Christian saints, including St. Nilus the Syrian, a disciple of St. John Chrysostom, and St. Nilus of Sinai.

Nil is the Slavic form used for males. In Turkey, the same name arose independently as a female given name of the same etymology.

In Italian, it may also be used as a short form of Danilo.

An Italian feminine form is Nila.

Nile is an English name that was often used in reference to the surname. It may make an interesting modern adaptation for parents looking for a cool but modern saints name.

Other forms include:

  • Nilos, Nylos ܢܝܠܘܣ,Ⲛⲓⲗⲟⲥ, نيلوس (Assyrian, Coptic, Egyptian-Arabic)
  • Nil Ніл Ніл (Belarusian, Catalan, French, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian)
  • Neilos Νείλος (Greek)
  • Nilo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Nilus (English, German, Latin)
  • Nile (English)

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Hiltrud

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  • Origin: German
  • Meaning: “strength in battle.”
  • Gender: Female
  • Approximate Eng (HIL-trood; Germ (HIL-troot)

Hiltrud is a feminine Old High German name formed from hild, “battle,” and drud/þrūð, “strength.”

It was borne by two prominent eighth-century figures: Princess Hiltrud of the Franks, daughter of Charles Martel, who married Duke Odilo of Bavaria and later served as regent for their son Duke Tassilo III, and Saint Hiltrude of Liessies, a Frankish noblewoman venerated in northern France and Belgium.

The name remained in use throughout the medieval German-speaking world and saw a modest revival in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, though it is now rare and considered old-fashioned.

In Austria, the designated name-day is September 27th.

Traditional German diminutives and familiar forms include: Hilde, Hildi, Trude, Trudi, and Trudel.

Hiltrud has also occasionally been used in Scandinavian Countries.

Other forms include:

  • Hiltrude (Dutch, French, Italian)
  • Hiltruda (Catalan, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Chiltrude (French)

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Phyllis, Phillyda

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  • Origin: Greek Φυλλίς
  • Meaning: “leaves; foliage.”
  • Gender: Female

The name appears in Greek mythology. It is connected to a woman who killed herself when her love for Demophon was not returned. She was transformed into an almond or hazelnut tree, depending on the legend. It comes directly from the Greek word, Φυλλίς, meaning, “leaves, foliage,” which shares a root with the words chlorophyll and phyllotaxis. Its Turkish form of Filiz comes from the same root but the meaning slightly changes to “sprout; root.”

It also appears as the name of a minor river god of Bithynia.

It came into widespread use in England in the 16th-century and later spread to the rest of the Anglosphere.

Early Puritan records occasionally include Phyllis/Phillis, reflecting classical learning even among settlers. Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), the first published African-American female poet, is a striking historical bearer.

An 18th-century English short form was Lissie or Lissy.

It frequently appears in Elizabethan and Restoration poetry and drama. Poets such as Ben Jonson and Andrew Marvell used “Phyllis” as a stock name for a beloved in pastoral verse. Later modernists like Ezra Pound continued this tradition. This usage helped keep it familiar to English speakers for centuries.

It marked its presence in baroque operas (e.g., Handel’s Acis and Galatea includes a character named Phyllis) and in folk songs of the British Isles.

Victorian painters of the Pre-Raphaelite school sometimes chose the Phyllis and Demophon story for mythological canvases.

In the United States, it appeared in the Top 100 Female Names between 1915-1958, peaking at #24 in 1929. In the U.K., it came in at #14 in 1914, #4 in New Zealand in 1911, and #29 in 1922 in Canada.

Its Turkish offshoot of Filiz appeared in the Turkish Top 100 between 1980-1996, peaking at #11 between 1980-1982.

Today, the name is considered dated in the English-speaking world.

Phillyda, pronounced /ˈfɪl.ɪ.də/ in English is an alternate form.

Other forms include:

  • Filida Филлида (Bulgarian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian)
  • Fílide, Fil·lis (Catalan)
  • Fyl(l)is (Czech, Polish, Slovak)
  • Phyllis (Dutch, English, German, Classical Greek, Scandinavian)
  • Phillida (English)
  • Phillis (English)
  • Phyllis, Phyllide (French)
  • Fýllis (Greek – Modern)
  • Fillide, Filide (Italian)
  • Phillidis (Latin)
  • Filis, Filija (Latvian, Lithuanian)
  • Fílide, Fílis (Portuguese)
    • Fílide, Filis (Spanish)
    • Filiz (Turkish)
    • Fillida Філліда (Ukrainian)

Sources

Pacificus, Pacifico, Pacifica, Pacifique

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Pacificus is a Late Latin name derived from pax, meaning “peace,” or “peaceful” more specifically.

It’s Italian form of Pacifico was borne by a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and an 18th-century Italian saint. The designated name-day for the latter is September 24th.

Its feminine form of Pacifica has been in use in Italy since at least the 16th-century.

Its French form of Pacifique is a unisex name and experienced some usage in France at the turn of the 20th-century. It appeared in the French Top 1000 Most Popular Male Names between 1901-1909, peaking at #446 in 1909. Today, the name is an obsolete gem.

Today, Pacific, with the nickname Pace, may make an unusual place and nature name for a boy. Though rare, it is the legit English translation of this name.

Forms include

Male

  • Pacific (English)
  • Pacifique (French)
  • Pacificus (German, Late Latin)
  • Pacyfik (Polish)
  • Pacífico (Portuguese, Spanish)

Female

  • Pacifique (French)
  • Pacifica (Italian)
  • Pacyfika (Polish)
  • Pacífica (Portuguese, Spanish)

Sources

Elita

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American actress, Elita Proctor Otis
  • Origin: Possibly Latin
  • Usage: Chechen, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish.

The name is of uncertain origin or meaning, it is more than likely derived from the Latin, elitus (elite).

It has been used across Europe for centuries. It appears in records in France and Strasbourg during the 16th-century, and was not unheard of in 18th-century America. In the latter case, it may have been used among Calvinist families.

The name is also used in Latvia, likely introduced in the mid 18th-century and experienced popularity in the 1960s, peaking at #27 in 1965.

It was borne by American actress, Elita Proctor Otis (1861-1927); Latvian actress, Elita Kļaviņa (b. 1956); Latvian politician, Elita Krūmiņa (b. 1965) and Latvian journalist, Elita Veidemane (b. 1955).

Early French vernacular forms are Élita and Élite.

Sources