Category Archives: German Names

Ot(h)mar, Ottmar, Ottomar, Audomar, Omer

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  • Origin: Germanic
  • Meaning: “wealth, fortune; fame.”
  • Gender: Masculine

The root name is the Frankish Audomar, which is composed of the elements aud (wealth, fortune), and mari (fame).

It was borne by an 8th-century saint and monk, an abbot of St. Gall, Switzerland and a 7th-century Frankish saint, after whom the French commune of St-Omer was named.

The designated name-day is September 8th.

Other forms include:

  • Otmar (Alemmanish, Catalan, Czech, German, Polish, Romansh)
  • Eadmær (Anglo-Saxon)
  • Audomarus (Dutch, Late Latin)
  • Odomar (Dutch)
  • Edmar (English, Swedish)
  • Ottomar (Estonian, German, Scandinavian)
  • Audomar (French, Frankish, Polish)
  • Adémar, Adhémar (French)
  • Audomar (French, German)
  • Omer (French)
  • Ottmar (German)
  • Otmár (Hungarian)
  • Ómar (Icelandic)
  • Ademaro (Italian)
  • Ödhmar (Old Norse)
  • Onmé (Picard)
  • Ademar, Adhemar (Portuguese)
  • Ademir (Portuguese – Brazilian)
  • Omeru (Sicilian)
  • Otmaro (Spanish)

French feminine forms which had some use in the 19th-century are Amérine, Omère and Omérine

Sources

Zillah

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  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew צִלָּה
  • Meaning: “shade, shadow; bell.”
  • Gender: Female
  • Eng (ZIL-luh)

The name is Hebrew, either derived from צל (tsel) (shadow) or צלל (tsalal) (to ring like a bell). In Genesis 4:19, it is the name of one of the two wives of Lamech.

Though it never became a widespread Jewish name until recently, it had usage in the Protestant Anglo world since the 16th-century and experienced mild popularity in the mid to late 19th-century. It appeared in the U.S. Top 100 between 1881 and 1886, peaking at #679. It was borne by Zillah Oakes (circ. 1870s), the namesake of the city of Zillah, Washington. It was also borne by New Zealand Politician, Zillah Smith Gill (1859-1937).

In English literature, Lord Byron used it as the name of the wife of Abel in his 1821 play, Cain. It is the name of a servant in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), and the name of the titular heroin in the 1865 operetta by Australian composer, William Wilkins Russell. In recent years, it is the name of a character in Madeleine L’Engle’s, A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978).

It may have occasionally been used as a form or short form of Cecilia.

Other forms include:

  • Sella Σέλλα Селла (Armenian, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Spanish)
  • Zilla (Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Scandinavian, Spanish)
  • Sille, Zille, Selle, Zelle (French)
  • Sela სელა (Georgian, Lithuanian, Portuguese)
  • Tzila, Tsila Цілла (Hebrew, Ukrainian)
  • Cilla (Hungarian, Polish)
  • Cillá (Hungarian)
  • Silla (Latvian)
  • Zila (Portuguese)

Sources

Perpetua

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  • Origin: Late Latin
  • Gender: Female
  • Meaning: “perpetual.”
  • Eng pron (per-PET-choo-ah)

The name is derived from the Latin perpetuus, meaning “continous; perpetual.” It was borne by a 3rd-century Christian matyr and saint, the companion of St. Felicity and it was also the name of the sister of St. Augustine of Hippo.

Perpetua and its various forms have been in sporadic use throughout the Catholic world. In Italy, it became synonymous with a priest’s housekeeper. This is due to the eponymous character in Alessandro Manzoni’s 19th-century novel, “The Betrothed.“

It experienced sporadic use in England in the 1920s after the release of the now lost 1922 film, Perpetua also known as Love’s Boomerang.

It has recently appeared in English literature as the name of minor characters in Bridget Jones’s Diary (Helen Fielding), and in the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling).

It was borne by Scottish landscape painter, Perpetua Pope (1916-2013).

It is the name of Cape Perpetua Oregon which was named for St. Perpetua as well as a typeface.

It’s designated name-day is February 1, March 6th and March 7th.

Forms & Usages

  • Perpetua (Basque, Croatian, Dutch, Galician, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Provençal, Romanian, Spanish)
  • Perpètua (Catalan)
  • Perpétue, Perpétué, Perpetue (French)
  • Perpétua (Hungarian, Portuguese)
  • Perpetuya Перпетуя (Russian)

English short forms include: Perp, Perpie, Perpy, and Petty.

Masculine forms include

  • Perpeta (Basque)
  • Perpetu (Catalan)
  • Perpet (French, Polish)
  • Perpetuo (Italian, Spanish)
  • Perpète (French)
  • Perpetuus (Late Latin)
  • Perpetuüs (German)

Sources

Zubaidah, Zubayda

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  • Origin: Arabic زُبَيْدَة (Arabic)
  • Usage: Arabic-speaking world, most of the Islamic world
  • Gender: Female
  • Meaning: “little butterball.”

The name is derived from the Arabic rootز-ب- د (z-b-d), which pertains to “cream, foam, butter,” along with the Arabic feminine diminutive suffix, roughly translating to “little cream” or “little butter,” having the same sense as “cream of the crop.”

This was the sobriquet of Zubaidah bint Ja’far (766–831), the wife of Harun al-Rashid. Borne as Sukhainah or Amat al-‘Aziz, she was known for her construction of wells and reservoirs along the pilgramage routes to Mecca and is featured in The Thousand and One Nights. Her life was later the inspiration behind the character of Zobeide in the German opera Abu Hassan by Carl Maria von Weber.

The Turkish form of the name, Zübeyde, was borne by an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Ahmed II, who lived from 1728 to 1756. It was also carried by Zübeyde Hanım (1856–1923), the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The name appeared in the Top 100 most popular female names in Turkey between 1980 and 1986, peaking at #70 in 1981

It is also the name of an asteroid.

Other forms include

  • Zübeydə (Azeri)
  • Zubejda (Bosnian)
  • Zobeide (German, literary)
  • Zoubida (Maghrebi Arabic)
  • Zubaida Зөбаида (Tatar)
  • Zübeyde (Turkish)
  • Zubayda (Uzbek)

Sources

Efisio

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  • Origin: Sardinian
  • Meaning: uncertain
  • Gender: masculine

The name is of uncertain origin or meaning, it may derive from the Greek place-name, Ephesus or the Greek elements, εὖ (eu), meaning “good” and φύσις (physis) meaning, “nature.” It was born by a 3rd-century Sardinian saint, the patron of Cagliari on Sardinia.

It is mainly used on Sardinia.

It was borne by Sardinian scientist, Efisio Arru (1927-2000), and Sardinian scientist, Efisio Marini (1835-1900).

Other forms/usage

  • Efisi (Catalan)
  • Ephysius (English, German, Latin)
  • Éphise (French)
  • Ephesius, Ephisius (Latin)
  • Efisio (Italian, Spanish)
  • Efísio (Portuguese)
  • Èfis (Sardinian)

Italian feminine forms are Effisia and Efisia.

Sources

Walburg, Walburga, Walpurga

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Painting by the Master of Meßkirch
  • Origin: Anglo-Saxon
  • Meaning: “powerful fortress.”
  • Gender: feminine

The name was born by an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon female saint who did missionary work in Germany. It is composed of the Anglo-Saxon element, weald (power) and burg (fortress). Her feast day was celebrated on May 1st and the day before is called Walpurgisnacht (St. Walpurgis’ Eve).

In German-speaking countries, the name is most common in Bavaria and Austria, more so at the turn of the 20th-century.

In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, this is the name of the mother of Sirius Black.

The name spread in use across Europe, especially in Nordic and Germanic countries. Other forms include:

  • Wealburh (Anglo-Saxon)
  • Valpurga (Catalan, Italian)
  • Valburga (Czech, Hungarian, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Valborg (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)
  • Walburga (Dutch, German, Polish)
  • Walburg (English)
  • Valba, Valbe (Estonian)
  • Valli (Estonian)
  • Valbjørg (Faroese, Norwegian)
  • Vappu (Finnish)
  • Valpuri (Finnish)
  • Gauburge (French)
  • Walburge, Valpurge (French)
  • Waldeburg (German, archaic)
  • Walpurga (German)
  • Valbjörg (Icelandic)
  • Válbor (Sami)
  • Várbu (Sami)

A common German short form is Wally, while a Swedish nickname is Bojan.

Italian masculine forms are Valburgo, Walburgo, Walpurgo and Valpurgo.

Sources

Ianthe

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  • Origin: Greek Ἰάνθη
  • Meaning: “violet flower.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Eng pron: (i-AN-thee); Grk pron: (ee-AHN-thay)

The name comes directly from the Greek ἴον (ion) meaning “violet” and ἄνθος (anthos). It is borne in Greek mythology by an Oceanid nymph who was responsible for violet flowers and purple tinged clouds. It is also the name of Cretan woman in Greek mythology who marries Iphis after she is turned into a man by Aphrodite.

It was in vogue in 19th-century England, being the nickname for Lady Charlotte Harley, by Lord Byron to whom the poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage is dedicated. It was also used by Percey Bysshe Shelley’s poem, Queen Mab, in which it is the name of a character. Shelley later named his daughter Ianthe. It is also the name of a character in John William Polidori’s 1819 short story, The Vampyre. It was the pen-name of American writer and poet, Emma Catherine Embury (1806-1863).

In recent literature, it is the name of a character in the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.

Other forms/Usages

  • Ianthé (French)
  • Janthe (German, Late Latin)
  • Ianta Ианта (Russian)

Sources

Ephraim

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  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew אֶפְרַיִם
  • Meaning: “fruitful; double fruited; increasing.”
  • Gender: masculine
“Ephraim” Francisco Hayez

The name is borne in the Bible by the son of Joseph and Asenath, who is considered a patriarch, as he is a founder of one of the 12 trubes of Israel. According Genesis 41:52, he is named thus by Joseph because “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

The name was also borne by a few early Christian saints, including St. Ephraim of Syria (4th-century, CE).

Ephraim appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1914, it disappeared for 99 years and reappeared in the charts in 2013. For its first centennial cycle, it peaked at #403 in 1880. As of 2023, it was the 992nd most popular male name.

Its Spanish counterparts of Efraín and Efrén have also appeared in the U.S. Top 1000, Efraín appeared between 1950 and 2014, peaking at #469 in 1981 whilst Efrén appeared between 1966-2007, peaking at #768 in 1990.

Forms/Usages

  • Efrayim ኤፍራይም (Amharic, Modern Hebrew)
  • Yeprem, Jeprem, Eprem Եփրեմ (Armenian)
  • Afrem ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
  • Afri ܐܦܪܝ (Assyrian)
  • Afron ܥܦܪܘܢ (Assyrian)
  • Aprem, Aprim ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
  • Efrim ܐܦܪܝܡ (Assyrian)
  • Ephraim ეფრაიმ (Georgian); Εφραιμ (Greek); ⲉⲫⲣⲁⲓⲙ (Coptic); ܐܦܪܝܡ(Syriac) (Assyrian, Dutch, English, Estonian, German, Greek, Portuguese)
  • Akhrym, Ahrym Акхрым (Belarusian)
  • Yafrym Яфрым (Belarusian)
  • Efraïm (Catalan, Dutch)
  • Efrajim (Czech)
  • Efraim (Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Nordic, Polish, Romanian)
  • Eprami (Finnish)
  • Éphraïm (French)
  • Îvfa (Greenlandic)
  • Eframi (Icelandic)
  • Efraím (Icelandic)
  • Efraimo (Italian)
  • Efrem (Italian, Polish)
  • Effrem (Italian)
  • Efro (Italian)
  • Ephraem (Late Latin)
  • Ephraimus (Late Latin)
  • Ofrem (Russian, Archaic)
  • Yefraim, Jefraim Эфраим (Russian)
  • Yefrem Ефрем (Russian)
  • Jevrem Јеврем (Serbian)
  • Efraín (Spanish)
  • Efrén (Spanish)
  • Ohrim, Okhrim Охрім (Ukrainian)
  • Evron ֶבְֿרוֹן (Yiddish)

Sources

Idalia

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  • Origin: debated, various
  • Meaning: debated, various
  • Gender: feminine
  • Alternate transcriptions: Ἰδαλία
  • Pron: Eng (i-DAH-lee-ah; id-DAHL-yah); Pol (ee-DAHL-yah)

The name can have a few different origins and meanings. It does seem to appear in use in Medieval France, in this case, it may be an elaborated form of a Germanic name, perhaps related to a Frankish element, idal (unknown meaning) or the Old Norse ið, meaning “work.” Alternately, it appears in Greek mythology as an epithet for the goddess Aphrodite. In this case, the etymology is from the name of city on the island of Cyprus called Idalion, in which a temple to Aphrodite existed. The etymology of the city name itself is from the Greek Eidon helios, “I saw the sun.”

The name has had use across Europe. In Poland, it came into use in the 19th-century when Juliusz Słowacki used it as the name of a heroin in his 1866 play, Fantazy. It was thereafter used as the name of a character in the 1909 novel, Trędowata by Helena Mniszkówna.

In Poland, it has appeared in and out of the 200 most popular female names between 2010 and 2022, peaking at #172 in 2021.

In 2023, 160 girls were given this name in the United States.

Other forms/Usages

  • Idalia (Catalan, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Idalie (French)
  • Idalina (Italian)

Italian masculine forms are Idalo and Idalio.

Sources

Mishael, Misael

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Simeone Solomone, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew מישאל
  • Meaning: debated
  • Gender: Masculine
  • Transcriptions: ሚሳኤል (Amharic), Ⲙⲓⲥⲁⲏⲗ (Coptic), Μισαήλ (Greek)
  • ENG: mih-SHILE, mih-SHALE; Heb: (MEE-SHAH-yel); Sp: (mee-SAH-yel)

The name comes from the Hebrew meaning, “who is like God?; who is equal to God?,” “who is asked for?” and according to Hitchcock Bible names, “lent.” The name is borne by three male characters in the Bible, one mentioned in (Exodus 6:22) as one of the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Moses and Aaron and most notably, it is the Hebrew name of Meshach (Dan. 1:11, 19) one of the three youths who refused to worship idols and were thrown in a furnace but miraculously survived.

Misael currently ranks in as the 192nd most popular male name in Mexico (2021) and the 790th most popular male name in the United States (2022).

In the Coptic Church, it is borne by St. Misael the Anchorite (7th-century CE).

Its feminine version of Mishaela is a pop song by Israeli pop singer, Achinoam Nini and has experienced sporadic usage in Israel and the English-speaking world. It is also the name of a character in Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict.

Other forms/Usage

Male

  • Misael (Amharic, Coptic, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Misiel ܡܝܣܝܝܠ (Assyrian – Neo Aramaic)
  • Misayyl ميصائيل (Egyptian-Arabic, used by Copts)
  • Misaël (French)
  • Mischaël (German)
  • Misaele (Italian)
  • Miszael (Polish)
  • Misail Мисаи́л, Mizael Мизаел (Ukrainian, Russian)

An Italian short form is Misa.

Sources