Iphigenia, Iphigénie

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “strong born.”
(if-fih-JEN-yah); (EE-FEE-ZHAY-NEE)

Iphigenia is a latinized version of the Greek, Iphigeneia, which is composed of the elements iphios (ιφιος), meaning “strong, stout” and genes, (γενης), meaning “born”

The name is borne in Greek mythology by the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, when Agamemnon had offended Artemis by hunting a deer in her sacred grove, it was decided that it appeasement, Iphigenia had to be sacrificed.

In Homer’s the Illiad, her name is Iphianassa which may be of the same etymological root.

It is also the name of a French opera which is based on the above legend.

In Boccaccio’s the Decameron, it is the name of a beautiful damsel, loved by the unlettered and ignorant Cypriot youth by the name of Cymon.
Through the power of love, however, Cymon becomes a polished and literate nobleman and marries Iphigenia.

This tale was the inspiration of many artists, most notably, Benjamin West, John Everett Millais and Frederic Leighton.

Other forms of the name include: (Note: Keep in mind that some of these forms are not widely used in their home countries)

  • Ifigènia (Catalan)
  • Ífigeneia (Czech)
  • Iphigénie (French)
  • Ifigenia (German/Italian/Polish/Romanian/Scandinavian/Spanish)
  • Iphigenie (German)
  • Ifigeneia Ἰφιγένεια (Greek: Modern)
  • Ifigenija (Lithuanian)
  • Ifigénia (Portuguese: European)
  • Ifigênia (Portuguese: Brazilian)

Its designated name day in France is July 9.

Possible nickname options are Iffy and Genie.

Romola

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Italian
Meaning: “of Rome.”
(ROH-moh-LAH)
The name is a feminine form of Romolo which is an Italian form of the Latin Romulus meaning “of Rome.” The designated name day in Italy is July 7th for both Romola and Romolo. The name is occassionaly used in Great Britain, thanks to the 1862 novel by George Eliot of the same name. It is currently born by English actress Romola Garai (b. 1982).

Damian

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “to tame.”

The name is derived from the Greek Damianos ,which, in turn, is derived from the Greek word, damao, meaning, “to tame.”

The name is borne by the twin brother of St. Cosmo. They were martyred together in 4th century Greek Syria.

The designated feast day is July 1st in the Greek Orthodox calender.

In recent years, Damian has risen increasingly in popularity coming in at # 133 most popular male name in the United States. Its French counterpart of Damien comes in at # 189. The name is also quite popular in Poland. The feminine offshoot is Damiana and there is also the rare French female name of Damienne.

Other forms include:

  • Damyan Дамян (Bulgarian)
  • Damjan Дамјан (Croatian/Serbian/Slovene)
  • Damiaan (Dutch)
  • Damian (English/German/Polish)
  • Damien (French)
  • Damio (Italian)
  • Damiano (Italian)
  • Damianos Δαμιανος (Greek)
  • Damianus (Latin)
  • Damião (Portuguese)
  • Demyan Демьян (Russian/Ukrainian)
  • Damijan (Slovene)
  • Damián (Spanish)

Feminine forms include:

  • Damienne (French)
  • Damia (Greek)
  • Damiana (Italian/Spanish)
  • Damijana (Slovene)

Cosmas, Cosmo

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “order; decency; beauty.”

Cosmas is a transliteration of the Greek, Kosmas.

The name was borne by an early Christian martyr who was killed along with his brother, Damian.

According to legend, the two saints were physicians, therefore they have been considered the patron saints of doctors and pharmacists.

Their feast day is celebrated on July 1st, (in the Greek Orthodox Church).

The name has spun several offshoots. Cosmo and Cosimo are the Italian forms. Cosima is a feminine form that has been occasionaly used in Great Britan. It was borne by the wife of Richard Wagner, Cosima Wagner (1837-1930). It has a few Romanian offshoots Cosmin and Cosmina.

Other forms include:

  • Cosme (Catalan/French/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Kuzma (Croatian)
  • Kosma (Czech)
  • Côme (French)
  • Cosmas (German/Latin)
  • Kosmas Κοσμας (Greek)
  • Kozma (Hungarian)
  • Cosimo (Italian)
  • Cosimino (Italian)
  • Cosma (Italian)
  • Kosma (Polish)
  • Cosmin (Romanian)
  • Kuzma Кузьма (Russian)
  • Gòsamu (Sardinian)

Feminine forms include:

  • Cosima (English/Italian/German)
  • Cosimina (Italian)
  • Cosmina (Romanian)

Thomas

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Aramaic
Meaning: “twin”
(TOM-us)

The Latinized form of the Aramaic Tau’ma which is derived from the word T’oma (תאומא) meaning “twin.” The name was introduced to the world via St. Thomas the Apostle, a character that plays a prominent role in the New Testament. He is best known for his disbelief when he first heard that Christ had resurrected from the dead, hence the saying “doubting Thomas.”

Tau’ma was a nickname given to him to differentiate him from Judas Iscariot, (Thomas’ real name being Judas or Jude). He is also known as Didymos, (the Greek word for twin), and Jude. His evangelization was attributed to the area of Persia and India. Thomas is a very popular name among Indian Christians and Persian Christians. His feast is celebrated on July 3rd. The name was introduced into the English speaking world via the Normans after they had conquered England. Since that time Thomas has been a relatively popular male name.

  • Tomas (Albanian)
  • Touma توما‎, (Arabic)
  • Tovmas (Armenian)
  • Foma (Azeri/Russian)
  • Tomás (Aragonese/Asturian/Spanish)
  • Tomas (Basque)
  • Dammerl (Baverian)
  • Tòmas (Bearnais)
  • Tamaš Тамаш (Belarusian)
  • Toma Тома (Bosnian/Bulgarian/Georgian)
  • Tomaz (Breton)
  • 多馬 Duoma (Chinese Biblical)
  • 湯瑪斯 Tangmasi, 湯瑪士 Tangmashi, 托馬斯 Tuomasi, (Chinese General Translation)
  • Tumasgiu (Corsican)
  • Tomo/Tome (Croatian: occassionally Tomislav is used as a translation, though technically it has no etymological relation to Thomas)
  • Tomáš (Czech)
  • Thomas (Danish/Dutch/English/French/German/Indonesian/Latin/Luxemborgish/Norwegian/Swedish)
  • Maas (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, sometimes used as an independent given name)
  • Toomas (Estonian)
  • Tummas (Faroese)
  • Tuomas/Tuomo (Finnish)
  • Maes (Flemmish)
  • Tomas (Filipino/Tagalog)
  • Theumis (Frisian)
  • Tomé (Galician)
  • Thōmâs Θωμᾶς/Thomás Θωμάς/Didymos Δίδυμος (Greek: Modern)
  • Teom (Hebrew)
  • Tamás (Hungarian)
  • Tómas (Icelandic)
  • Tomás (Irish)
  • Tommasso (Italian)
  • Tommassino (Italian)
  • Tomasiello/Tommasuccio (Italian: obscure)
  • トーマス Tomasu (Japanese)
  • Tomas (Karakalpak: a Turkic language spoken in Uzbekistan)
  • 도마 Doma /Toma (Korean Biblical)
  • 토머스 Tomeoseu/T’omŏsŭ (Korean: General Translation)
  • Thomasê (Kurdish)
  • Toms (Latvian)
  • Tomas (Lithuanian)
  • Томислав, Τоми, Томо, Томас, Τоме (Macedonian)
  • Thoma/Thommen/Oummen/Thommy (Malayalam)
  • Tamihana (Maori)
  • Tumas (Maltese)
  • Tuami (Moroccan-Arabic)
  • Thomé (Occitanian)
  • توماس Tomasp (Persian)
  • Tomasz (Polish: Tomek is a popular diminutive, equivalent to Tommy or Tom)
  • Tomás, Tomé (Portuguese)
  • Tomašis/Tomerdos (Romani: language of the Roma people)
  • Tumasch (Romansch)
  • Tuoms (Saimogaitian: a dialect of Lithuanian)
  • Tomasi (Samoan)
  • Tomasso (Sardinian)
  • Tam/Tòmas (Scottish)
  • Тома Toma (Serbian)
  • Tomáš (Slovakian)
  • Tomaž (Slovene)
  • Tomás (Spanish)
  • Thoma (Swahili)
  • Tāmas தாமஸ்/Tōmā தோமா (Tamil)
  • To-mus โทมัส (Thai)
  • Choma (Ukrainian)
  • Tomaš (Upper Sorbian)
  • Tomaxo (Venetian)
  • Tomos/Twm (Welsh)
  • Teomo (Yiddish)

 

  • Thomasina, Thomasine, Thomazina and Tammy, Tamsin. Popular nicknames include Tom and Tommy.

The Julian Clan

Julius, Julia, Julie, Juliette, Julilla we go into the name Julius lets remained focused on Julus/Iulus, (the names were rendered in Latin as Iulus, Iulius, Iulia and Iulilla). In Roman legend he was sometimes known as Ascanius and some sources have him down as the son of Aeneas and Creusa. He fled with his parents to the area of Rome to escape the raging war between Troy and Greece. In Virgil’s Aeneid, it mentions that Iulus had a role in founding the city of Rome. Other legendary sources, however, proclaim that Iulus was actually the son of Aeneas and Lavinia and that he was born in Lazio Italy, (the region in which Rome is situated), and he grew up to found the little city state of Alba Longa. His grandson was Aeneas Silvus. Supposedly, Julus grandmother was Venus. The origins of Julus/Iulus are not definite, but many sources believe that it is derived from the Greek Ioulos meaning “downy-bearded.” If this meaning is accurate it would suggest that the name was originally used to describe a pubescent boy who shows the first budding signs of facial hair. In that case, the name would be used in reference to someone who looked youthful

Flash forward to the Roman Republic and we have the well known Julius Caesar. He is most notable for his revolutionary move of transforming the Republic into an Empire and thus proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome. Julius Caesar had both a daughter and sister named Julia. His sister was known as Julia while his daughter was known as Julia Caesaris Minor.
In Christian legend, Julia is also borne by the early Martyr Saint Julia of Carthage. Julia was a Carthaginian noble woman but as a little girl, she was kidnapped and sold as a slave to a Roman master. Legend has it that she came from a Christian family, while her master was a follower of the old Roman gods. When her master had taken her to the Isle of Corsica, he tried to force her to participate in a local pagan festival. Julia refused to join in the festivities, however, and since she was not a Roman citizen, she had to die the undignified way of crucifixion. She is now considered the patron saint of Corsica and her feast is held on May 23rd.
Julilla is a Latin diminutive off shoot of the name and might make an interesting twist on both Julia and the currently popular Lily. Julia is a very popular name throughout Europe, while Julie (ZHEW-LEE) is its French counterpart. In most of mainland Europe, though, Julia is pronounced (YOOL-yah); in Spain and South America as (HOO-lee-ah) and in Italy where its rendered as Giulia (JOO-lee-ah).

From the French we get the diminutive spin off of Juliette, now considered a full fledged name in France and the Italian Giulietta, also considered an independent name in its own right. This is where we run into the anglicized Juliet.

Juliet
his particular spelling is an Anglicization of the Italian Giulietta. The name was first introduced into the English speaking world by William Shakespeare for his character in his star-crossed play, Romeo & Juliet (1596). Shakespeare based his play off of an Italian romance which had been translated into English by Arthur Brooke in 1562. The original tale was set in Siena and was written in 1467 by Masiuccio Salernitano who insisted it was based off of a true story. The character names, however, are a little different, they are named Mariotto (a diminutive form of Mario) and Gianozza a diminutive form of Giovanna. In 1530, another Italian author by the name of Luigi da Porto, took the same tale and changed the characters names to Romeo and Giulietta and reset the story in the city of his hometown Verona. It is from this version that Shakespeare’s inspiration had come.

Julian, Julien, Juliane, Juliana, Julienne
Julian is just an offshoot of Julius. Julian and Julien were born by several early Christian saints, as well as Julien the Hospotelier and Julian the Apostate. Juliana was born by several Italian saints throughout the ages, though rendered in its native language as Giuliana. Julienne is a French feminine form of Julien.

Julitta
Probably another ancient diminutive form of Julia, though some sources insist it is a Latin form of Judith, the name was borne by an early Christian martyr, who, when she refused to give up her religion was punished by watching her infant son get bludgeoned.

Júlírós
An Icelandic Smush, the name is appears on the approved list of Icelandic female names. Pronounced as (YOO-lih-ROSE), the name literally means “July Rose.”

Other forms of the name include:

Male Versions

  • Julen (Basque)
  • Jolyon (English)
  • Julien/Jules (French)
  • Julian (German/Polish/English)
  • Gyula (Hungarian)
  • Giulio/Giuliano (Italian)
  • Juliusz (Polish)
  • Iuliu/Iulian (Romanian)
  • Juli (Romansch)
  • Yulian (Russian/Bulgarian)
  • Yuli (Russian)
  • Július (Slovakian)
  • Julij (Slovenian)
  • Julián (Spanish)
  • Julio (Spanish/Portuguese)
  • Yuliy (Ukrainian)

Female Versions

  • Xhulia/Xhuliana (Albanian)
  • Iulia (Bulgarian/Romanian)
  • Yuliana (Bulgarian)
  • Julija (Croatian/Lithuanian/Slovene)
  • Juliana (Dutch/English/German/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Jula/Jule (German)
  • Juli (German)
  • Juliane (German/French)
  • Ioula/Ioulía (Greek Modern)
  • Gillian (English)
  • Julia (English, German, Polish)
  • Juliet (English)
  • Juulia (Estonian)
  • Julie/Julienne (French)
  • Juliette (French)
  • Julina/Juline (German)
  • Juli/Júlia/Julinka/Juliska (Hungarian)
  • Julianna (Hungarian/Polish)
  • Júlía (Icelandic)
  • Iúile (Irish)
  • Giulia/Giuliana/Giulietta (Italian)
  • Julitta (Latin/Dutch/Romansch)
  • Džūliaja (Latvian)
  • Jūlija (Latvian)
  • Julita (Polish)
  • Iuliana (Romanian)
  • Iulscha (Romansch)
  • Geletta (Romansch)
  • Gelgia (Romansch)
  • Uliana (Russian)
  • Yulia (Russian)
  • Julijana (Slovenian)
  • Julieta (Spanish)
  • Yuliya (Ukrainian/Bulgarian)
  • Ulyana (Ukrainian)

Ondine, Undine

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “wave.”
(ahn-DEEN); (un-DEEN)

The name is derived from the Latin unda meaning “wave.”

In early European folklore undines were a sort of water sprite who could gain a soul if they married a mortal and bore a child, the downside was that as soon as they became mortal they would age and die.

The Swiss scientist and alchemist Paracelsus spent a considerable time writing about them.

In 1812, the German writer, Baron Friedirch de la Motte Fouque, made the legend a subject of his famous romantic novel Ondine.

In it Ondine falls in love and marries the local knight Huldebrand. She bears his child, but as soon as the baby is born, she starts to age. Huldebrand has an affair with a lowly local woman and Ondine catches her husband in the act. She lays a curse on Huldebrand that he would die in his sleep. Afterward, Ondine rushes to the town square’s fountain and disappears in the midst of the waters, never to be seen again. The same story was later adapted by E.T.A. Hoffman into an opera.

Ondine and Undine became popular first name choices in both France and Germany. Nicknames include Ondy, Ondinette and Dina.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Ondina (Asturian/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Ondine (French)
  • Undine (German/English)
  • Undina (Icelandic)
  • Undīne (Latvian)
  • Undinė (Lithuanian)
  • Ondyna (Polish: very obscure)

Designated name-days are: April 18 (Lithuania) and November 15 (Latvia)

Vincenza

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Italian
(veen-CHEN-tsah).
This pretty and melodic Italian name is a feminine form of Vincenzo which is derived from the Latin Vincentius. Vincentius is derived from the Latin term vincere meaning “to conquer.” The name is born by St. Vincenza Gerosa (1847) who was the co-foundress of the Sisters of Charity. Her feast is held on June 29. Vincenzina is another popular form.

Ham

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Biblical/Hebrew
Meaning: “hot.”

The name is born in the Old Testament by one of the 3 sons of Noah. Noah cursed Ham after Ham had seen Noah naked while drunk. He is said to be the forefather of the Egyptians and Canaanites.

Other forms include: (NOTE: all these forms exists, but are scarcely used in their home countries)

  • Cham حام (Arabic)
  • Cam (Catalan/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Chám (Czech)
  • Cham (Dutch/Polish)
  • Ham (English/French/German)
  • Haam (Estonian/Finnish)
  • Ham חָם (Hebrew: Modern)
  • Kám (Hungarian)
  • Chamas (Lithuanian)
  • Kam (Norwegian)
  • Xham (Walon)

Nephele

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “cloud”
Νεφέλη
(NEF-eh-LEE)

The name is borne in Greek mythology by the cloud bearing nephelai nymphs. They were the daughters of Oceanus and were responsible for the rain and the water which brought nourishment to the earth and plants. It was believed that it was they themselves who were felling the rain from cloudy pitchers they held in the sky.

It was also borne by the mother of Phrixos & Helle by Athamas. Athamas’ evil second wife, Ino, plotted to have Nephele’s children murdered. Nephele sent for a golden ram who took her children to safety.

A third Nephele found in Greek mythology was the mother of centaurs by Ixion. She was a woman created from a cloud

The Latin name is Nebula.

Other forms that should be noted (Note: These forms exist but are not necessarily in usage)

  • Nèfele (Catalan/Galician/Spanish)
  • Néphélé (French)
  • Nefele (Italian/Polish/Portuguese)
  • Nefelė (Lithuanian)