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.
The name is an old traditional Hungarian name, derived from the word bot meaning “mace; or stick.” It was a relatively rare name until recently, as of 2022, it was the 11th most popular male name in Hungary.
Its designated name-days in Hungary are March 28, May 16 and July 28.
Common Hungarian diminutive forms are: Boti, Botika, Botus, Tondi.
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.
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.
Both come from the Greek, θεός (theos) meaning “god” and δόσις (dosis) meaning “giving.” Both the male and female form were borne by several Christian saints and Medieval rulers. In the English-speaking world, a notable bearer was Theodosia Alston Burr (1783-1813), the daughter of Aaron Burr and an American socialite who mysteriously disappeared in a ship-wreck. Her fate has been a source of speculation for two centuries, but she most likely died in the wreck. She is also the subject of the Broadway opera song from Hamilton, My Theodosia.
It’s female version has experienced usage in the English-speaking world since the 15th-century. It has spun off several diminutive off-shoots, which later became independent names, such as Docie/Dosey, Doshie, Dosha, Docia and Theda.
Theodosia appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female Names between 1880-1895, it peaked at number #547 in 1880. It’s offshoot of Doshie appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1905 and peaked at #640 in 1884 whereas Doshia peaked at #582 in 1881 and Docia at #317 in 1880.
Theda (THEE-dah) was the name of silent film actress, Theda Bara (born Theodosia Burr Goodman, 1885-1955). Theda appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1948 and peaked at #350 in 1916. Theda Bara may have helped sustain the usage of the name in the United States, but it seems to have been common enough long before she graced the silver screen.
In the 1988 movie For Keeps, starring Molly Ringwald, a teen couple are faced with an unexpected pregnancy, in which they name their daughter Theodosia, short form Thea, it is a last minute decision decided by the father who gets the name from his deceased grandmother of the same name.
It is the name of the main character of the R. L. LaFevers 2007 children’s novel, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, which spun off a tv series.
Its pronunciation in the English-speaking world fluctuates depending on the region and personal preference, from THEE-oh-DOH-see-uh, to THEE-oh-DOH-shuh and THEE-oh-DOH-zhuh, the sky’s the limits.
Its masculine form has always been prevalent in eastern Christian countries but did not pick up the same momentum in the English-speaking world as its feminine counterpart did.
Female forms
Tayodosiya ታዮዶሲዮስ (Amharic)
Thudusya ثيودوسيا (Arabic, used by Arab Christians)
Tully is the English form of the Roman family name, Tullius, which is derived from the praenomen, Tullus, of an unknown meaning. It is likely Etruscan and its meaning has been lost. Other suggestions include that it is from the Latin, tullius (spout of water; gush of blood) or the Latin term, tollere, meaning “to lift,” allegedly referring to the act of a Roman father lifting their newborn son and claiming him.
A notable bearer is Marcus Tullius Cicero.
It was also borne by several male and female saints.
Alternately, Tully has been used on females occasionally, mainly as a diminutive form of Petula.
Male forms
Tulli (Catalan)
Tullie (French, this is a unisex name in France, though it is rare)
The name is of uncertain origin or meaning, it has been suggested to be from an Old Roman gens name, Velius, possibly meaning “concealed.” It may have also been taken from the name of an Ancient Roman city in Salerno, which possibly has the same meaning as above, and has also been suggested to be a contracted form of Evelia or Evelina. It is mainly used in Lazio and Tuscany. It was further popularized in Italy by the 1923 novel by Bruno Cicognani, La Velia.
It is also the name of a genus of aquatic insect in the family veliidae.
It appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Popular Female Names between 1929 and 1930, peaking at #836 in 1929.
There are also the masculine forms of Velio, Velino (Italian), Velius (Latin) and the Bulgarian, Velian Велиян.
The name is derived from a Magyar clan name, Csana, with the Hungarian diminutive suffix of -d added. Csana itself is of unknown etymology.
The name was borne by an 11th-century Hungarian ruler, a nephew of Stephan I of Hungary, also known as Cenad in Romanian, who was known for defeating his former ally Ajtony, and being given the county of what is now known as Csanád County in Hungary & Cenad County in Romania. He is recorded in the 13th-century Gesta Ungarorum and the the 14th-century, Long Life of St Gerard.
In post-modern Hungary, the name had been relatively rare prior to the 1990s but exploded in popularity by the 2000s. It appeared in the Top 100 Most Popular Male Names in Hungary between 2003-2018, peaking at #53 in 2007.
The designated name-days in Hungary are April 12, May 28, September 6 & December 5.
Other Hungarian forms include: Csana, Csani & Csankó.
The name comes directly from the Greek word φαιδρός meaning, “bright.”
It is borne in Greek mythology by the sister of Ariadne and the wife of Theseus. There are several versions of her tragic tale, one is that Aphrodite drove Phaedra to fall madly in love with the latter’s step-son, Hippolytus who rejects Phaedra, and in retaliation, Phaedra claims that Hippolytus attempted to rape her. Theseus who was granted 3 wishes by Poseidon wishes his own’s son death by having Poseidon summon 3 bulls from the sea who subsequently dragged Hippolytus to death. In another version of the tale, Phaedra falls in love with Hippolytus of her own free-will but he rejects her, and the story follows the same sequence of events as above.
The story was retold by Ovid and Senece the Younger and later became the popular subject of plays throughout Europe.
In England and France, the name became more widespread after its use in Jean Racine’s 1677 play, Phèdre and later Algernon Charles Swinborn’s1866 play, Phaedra. Friedrich Schiller also wrote a play and recently it was the subject of the opera written by German playwrite, Hans Werner Henze.
It is also another name for the plant, Bernardia, as well as the name of a genus of butterfly and an asteroid.
In France, Phèdre is a unisex name as it is a translation of both Phaedra & Phaedrus.
Phaedra appeared in the Top 100 Most Popular Female Names in Belgium, ranking in at #87 in 1997.
The name is an old Hungarian name of uncertain meaning, but likely derives from the Hungarian word, magocska, meaning, “seed, kernal.”
It is borne in Hungarian legend by Magor, the twin brother of Hunor. According to the tale, Hunor and Magor were the progenitors of the Hungarian people. They were the sons of Nimrod and were born and raised in Scythia. One day, while they were out hunting, the two boys spotted a white stag, they followed the stag across the sea of Azov. They ended up in what is now modern day Hungary. There they were welcomed by the local King Dula and were given his daughters in marriage. It is said that Attila the Hun, King Almos and Arpad were their descendants. In Hungary, Magor’s designated name day is September 10 & October 8.
