Raphael

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew רָפָאֵל Ραφαηλ
Meaning: “God is healer.”
Fre (ra-fa-EL); Eng (RAF-ee-el; RAY-fee-əl)

The name is found in Judeo-Christian and Islamic legend as the name of a major archangel. In the Bible, he is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is considered canonical in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican tradition. Due to Raphael’s deliverance of Sarah from the demon Asmodeus (who killed every husband she married before consumation), Raphael has been invoked as a matchmaker by Catholics.

Raphael also appears in the non-canonical Book of Enoch in which he is responsible for binding the fallen angel Azazel

In Islamic tradition, he is known as Israfel/Israfil and it is believed that he will blow the trumpet on Judgement Day.

It is interesting to note that the modern Hebrew word for a medical doctor is דוֹקטוֹר (rophe), compare to the first element of Raphael.

Raphael is currently a trend across Europe, in France, Raphaël is the 11th most popular male name, (2010). His rankings in his various forms are as follows:

# 3 (Liechtenstein, 2010)
# 11 (Rafael, Brazil, 2010)
# 17 (Austria, 2010)
# 40 (Rafał, Warsaw, Poland, 2010)
# 48 (Rafał, Poland, 2009)
# 50 (German-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 54 (Raphaël, Belgium, 2008)
# 55 (Rafael, Spain, 2010)
# 56 (Rafael, Croatia, 2009)
# 63 (Rafael, France, 2010)
# 189 (Rafaël, Netherlands, 2011)
# 274 (Rafael, United States, 2011)
# 668 (United States, 2011)

Its feminine form of Rafaela is currently the 8th most popular female name in Brazil, (2010), while the French form of Raphaëlle ranked in as the 273rd most popular female name in France, (2010).

Other forms of the masculine include:

Rafael (Albanian/Armenian/Catalan/Croatian/Czech/Finnish/Hungarian/Portuguese/Romanian/Romansch/Scandinavian/Slovene/Spanish)
Raphel ሩፋኤል (Amharic/Ethiopian)
Rupha(e)l ራፋኤል (Amharic/Ethiopian)
Israfil اسرافيل, Исрафил (Arabic/Central Asian: used among Muslims)
Rapael რაფაელ (Armenian/Georgian)
Rafail Рафаил Ραφαήλ (Bulgarian/Greek/Macedonian/RomanianRussian/Serbian)
Rafel (Catalan)
Raphael (Coptic/English/German)
Rafaël (Dutch)
Raafael (Estonian)
Raphaël (French)
Raiféal (Gaelic)
Raffaele (Italian)
Raffaello (Italian)
Raffaelino (Italian)
Îsrafîl (Kurdish)
Rafla (Lebanese/Syrian: used among Christians)
Rafaelis (Lithuanian)
Rapolas (Lithuanian)
Rafel (Maltese)
Rafał (Polish)
Arrafieli (Sardinian)
Rafiele (Sardinian)
İsrafil (Turkish)
Rafayil Рафаї́л (Ukrainian)

Common diminiutives are: Raf (Dutch); Rafe (English); Ralph (English); Rafinha (Brazilian-Portuguese); Rafa (Spanish).

Feminine forms include:

Rafaela (Croatian/Macedonian/Portuguese/Romansch/Slovene/Spanish)
Raphaëlle (French)
Raphaela (German)
Raphaele (German)
Raffaella (Italian)
Raffaellina (Italian)

The name was also notably borne by Raphael, or Raffaello Sanzio (1483–1520), an Italian master painter.

Achilles

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Male
Origin: Greek
Meaning “pain.”
Eng (uh-KEELZ); (ah-KEEL-leez); Fre (ah-SHEEL); It (ah-KIL-le)

The name of the great Pythian hero of the Trojan war, Achilles was invincible save for the one spot on his heel that was vulnerable to killing him. Achilles was timelessly struck down after a poisoned arrow pierced his heel. Some legends state that his mother, Thetis, had dipped him in the river Styx to render her child immortal. However, since she was holding him by one heel, the waters were unable to pass through her hands onto the area to which she held him.

Achilles’ Heels is a term used to describe a person’s weakness. In anatomy, Achilles Tendon is used to describe a tendon of the posterior leg.

As of 2009, Achille was the 204th most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

Akili (Albanian)
Akiles (Basque)
Ahilej (Bosnian, Serbo-Croatian)
Akilles (Breton)
Aquil·les (Catalan)
Achilles (Czech/English/Polish)
Akhilleus (Finnish/Scandinavian: very obscure)
Achille (French/Italian)
Achilleus Αχιλλευς (Greek)
Akhilleusz (Hungarian: obscure)
Ahillejs (Latvian)
Achilas (Lithuanian)
Akille (Maltese)
Akilles (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish)
Ahile (Romanian)
Achilli (Sicilian)
Ahil (Slovene)
Aquiles (Spanish/Galician/Portuguese)

Ange

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: French
Meaning: “angel.”
(AWnzh)

The name comes directly from the French word for angel, and has been used as a given name since at least the 8th-century C.E.

It is techinically an epicène name, that is, one among the several names found within the French lexicon which has always been gender neutral. However, Ange by itself is more often given to males, while for females, it is usually paired with a feminine name, such as Marie-Ange.

The name was borne by a few medieval saints. One of the most notable being St. Angelus of Jerusalem (1185-1220), a Christian convert of Jewish ancestry who left his native Palestine to join a friary in Sicily. He was eventually martyred by Berenger, a local knight, who killed him in anger after the saint rebuked him for living in an incestuous relationship.

Ange was a very common name among the early Acadians (Cajuns), of Louisiana and French-Canadians.

As of 2009, Ange was the 264th most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

Àngel (Catalan)
Angelus (English/German/Late Latin)
Angel (French/Romansch)
Angeli(n) (French)
Angely (French)
Angelo (Italian)
Anġlu (Maltese)
Àncilu (Sicilian)
Ángel (Spanish)

For a more comprehensive list, see Angela.

Virgil

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: unknown
Eng (VUR-jəl); Fre (vare-ZHEEL)

The name was borne by famous Latin poet, Publius Vergilius Maro (70–19 BCE), the author of the Aenead, credited for being one of Rome’s most epic poems.

Dante used Virgil as the guide in his Inferno and part of Purgatorio.

The origins of the name are unclear, Virgil itself is derived from the Latin, Virgilius/Vergilius, a Roman family name of uncertain meaning.

At one time, Virgil was one of the most popular male names in the United States. The highest he ranked was in 1907 coming in as the 93rd most popular male name. As of 2010, Virgil no longer appears in the U.S. top 1000

As of 2009, its French counterpart of Virgile was the 333rd most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

Virgiliu (Albanian/Romanian/Sicilian)
Virchilio (Aragonese)
Virxiliu (Asturian)
Virgili (Catalan/Lombard/Occitanian)
Virgilije Вергилиј (Croatian/Macedonian/Serbian/Slovene)
Virgilius (Dutch/Latin)
Vergil (English/German/Plattdeutsch/Ripoarisch/Scandinavian)
Virgil (English/Romanian)
Vergíliu (Extramaduran)
Virgile (French)
Virgjili (Frulian)
Feirgil/Veirgil (Gaelic)
Virxilio (Galician)
Virgill (Icelandic)
Virgilio (Italian/Spanish)
Vergilius (Latin)
Vergīlijs (Latvian)
Virgilijus (Lithuanian)
Virġilju (Maltese)
Bergílio (Mirandese)
Wergiliusz (Polish)
Virgílio (Portuguese)
Vergėlėjos (Samogaitian)
Vergílius (Slovak)
Fyrsil (Welsh)

The name was also borne by an 8th-century Irish saint and missionary, Virgil of Salzburg.

George

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek Γεωργιος
Meaning: “farmer.”
Eng (JORJ)

The name is an English and Romanian form of the Greek, Georgios Γεωργιος, which is derived from the Greek γεωργος (georgos) meaning, “farmer; earth worker.”

The name was borne by a 4th-century Christian saint and martyr, a Roman soldier of Greek ancestry who refused to sacrifice to pagan gods as demanded by the Roman Emperor at the time. He was popularized in the Western Christian Church after the Crusades, when soldiers brought the story back to Western Europe. The saints’ story was embellished and his story appears in the Golden Legend.

The most famous legend was that during the saint’s life, he managed to rescue a maiden who was about to be sacrificed to a dragon by slaying it with his lance. This legend has been the subject of art for centuries.

Though revered as the patron saint of England, the name itself did not catch on in until the 18th-century, following the accession of George I of England. The name has been borne by several kings throughout Europe. It was also borne by the first president of the United States, George Washington.

In Medieval times, English troops would chant “by George“, as a invocation to the saint to protect them in battle.

Between 1880 and 1937, George remained in the U.S. top 10. As of 2010, he only ranked in as the 164th most popular male name. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 1 (Georgi, Bulgaria, 2007)
# 1 (Georgios, Greece, 2010)
# 2 (Giorgi, Georgia, 2011)
# 5 (Yegor, Belarus, 2011)
# 9 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 12 (Yegor, Russia, 2011)
# 16 (Jorge, Spain, 2010)
# 19 (Jiří, Czech Republic, 2010)
# 20 (Romania, 2009)
# 22 (Jordi, Catalonia, 2010)
# 27 (Jure, Slovenia, 2010)
# 42 (Jorge, Chile, 2010)
# 53 (Juraj, Croatia, 2010)
# 69 (Jure, Croatia, 2010)
# 73 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 75 (Jurij, Slovenia, 2010)
# 76 (Jørgen, Norway, 2010)
# 78 (Jorge, Mexico, 2010)
# 80 (Joris, Netherlands, 2010)
# 82 (Jordi, Spain, 2010)
# 84 (Jurica, Croatia, 2010)
# 100 (Scotland, 2010)
# 168 (Jorge, United States, 2010)
# 233 (Joris, France, 2009)
# 420 (Jordi, Netherlands, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Gjergj (Albanian)
Jorgo (Albanian)
Giorgis ጊዮርጊስ (Amharic)
Jurj(us) جرج جرجس (Arabic)
George جورج (Arabic/English/Romanian)
Khodor خضر (Arabic)
Chorche (Aragonese)
Gev(or) Գեվ Գեվոր (Armenian)
Gevorg Գեվորգ (Armenian)
Kevork Գեւորգ (Armenian)
Xurde (Asturian)
Gorka (Basque)
Jury Юры (Belarusian)
Yegor Егор (Belarusian/Russian)
Jord (Breton)
Jorj (Breton)
Georgi Георги (Bulgarian)
Jordi (Catalan)
Juraj (Croatian/Slovak/Slovene)
Jurica (Croatian)
Jure (Croatian/Slovene)
Jiří (Czech)
Jørgen (Danish/Norwegian)
Joris (Dutch/Frisian)
Sjors (Dutch)
Georg (Faroese/Estonian/German/Icelandic/Romansch/Scandinavian)
Jurjen (Frisian)
Jüri (Estonian/Volapuk)
Jørundur (Faroese)
Jokora (Finnish)
Jori (Finnish)
Jyr(k)i (Finnish)
Yrjänä (Finnish)
Yrjö (Finnish)
Georges (French)
Xurxo (Galician)
Giorgi გიორგი (Georgian/Monegasque)
Jörgen (German/Swedish)
Jörg (German/Swedish)
Jürgen (German)
Jürg (German)
Georgios Γεώργιος (Greek)
Joorut (Greenlandic)
Juulut (Greenlandic)
Keoki (Hawaiian)
György (Hungarian)
Seoirse (Irish-Gaelic)
Giorgio (Italian/Venetian)
Georgius (Latin)
Jur(g)is (Latvian)
Jurgis (Lithuanian)
Gjoko Ѓок (Macedonian)
Gjorgje Ѓорѓе (Macedonian)
Gjorgji Ѓорѓи (Macedonian)
Gheevargees ഗീവര്‍ഗീസ് ( (Malayalam)
Gheevarugees ഗീവറുഗീസ് ( (Malayalam)
Varghees വര്‍ഗീസ്‌ (Malayalam)
Verghese വെര്‍ഗീസ് (Malayalam)
Varughese വറുഗീസ് (Malayalam)
Ġorġ (Maltese)
Jore (Norman)
Jørn (Norwegian)
Ørjan (Norwegian)
Jordi (Occitanian/Provençal)
Jerzy (Polish)
Jorge (Portuguese/Spanish)
Gheorghe (Romanian)
Georgy Георгий (Russian/Ukrainian)
Yuri Юрий (Russian)
Deòrsa (Scottish)
Seòrsa (Scottish)
Đorđe Ђорђе (Serbian)
Đorđo Ђорђо (Serbian)
Đurađ Ђурађ(Serbian)
Jurij (Slovene)
Göran (Swedish)
Örjan (Swedish)
Gewarges ܓܝܘܪܓܣ(Syriac)
Gorges ܓܪܓܣ (Syriac)
Yorgo (Turkish)
Heorhiy Георгій (Ukrainian)
Yur Юр (Ukrainian)
Sior (Welsh)

In ancient Greece, Georgos may have also been used as an epithet for Zeus.

As for its feminine forms, I shall save that for a separate post 🙂

Joseph, Josephine

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew יוֹסֵף
Meaning: “He shall add; God shall add.”
Eng (JOH-sef)

The name is derived from the Biblical Hebrew male name, יוֹסֵף (Yosef).

In the Old Testament, the name is borne by the first son of Rachel and the eleventh son of Jacob. After being sold off as a slave by his brothers, Joseph ended up in Egypt, later becoming an important advisor to the pharoah.

In the New Testament, it is borne by the husband of the Virgin Mary. Known as St. Joseph among Catholics, he is a particularly revered saint among Italian Catholics, considered the patron saint of stepfathers and carpenters.

Another important character with this name in the New Testament, is Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Christ and also the man who provided a burial spot for Jesus after his death.

The name has always been very prevalent throughout Europe and the Middle East.

In the United States, its popularity can be due to several factors: it was common among both various Christian and Jewish immigrants. The name is even very common among Muslim families.

Currently, Joseph is the 20th most popular male name in the United States, (2010). In fact, Joseph has never ranked outside of the Top 20. Common English nicknames are Joe and Joey. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 1 (Yusif, Azerbaijan, 2012)
# 1 (Yusuf, Turkey, 2010)
# 2 (Yusuf, Tajikistan, 2009)
# 2 (Youssef, Tunisia)
# 3 (Yousef, Arab-World, 2011)
# 4 (José, Equitorial Guinea, 2011)
# 5 (Joosep, Estonia, 2011)
# 5 (Isle of Man, 2009)
# 5 (Yousouf, Israel, among Muslim and Christian boys, 2010)
# 5 (José, Philippines, 2011)
# 5 (Jose, Puerto Rico, 2010)
# 7 (Youssef, Morocco)
# 8 (Josip, Croatia, 2010)
# 8 (Yosef, Israel, among Druze boys, 2004)
# 9 (Yosef, Israel, among Jewish boys, 2010)
# 14 (Giuseppe, Italy, 2010)
# 15 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 16 (Joseph/Giuseppe, Malta, 2010)
# 29 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 36 (New Zealand, 2010)
# 37 (Ireland, 2010)
# 41 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 41 (József, Hungary, 2010)
# 43 (José, Spain, 2010)
# 44 (Scotland, 2010)
# 51 (José, United States, 2010)
# 62 (Josef, Sweden, 2010)
# 68 (Josip, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2010)
# 68 (Josep, Catalonia, 2010)
# 71 (José, Catalonia, 2010)
# 74 (Canada, BC, 2010)
# 149 (France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Josef (Afrikaans)
Isuf (Albanian)
Jozef/Jozif (Albanian: Zef is a diminutive form)
Sepp (Alsatian)
Hovsep Հովսեփ (Armenian)
Yūsuf/Youssef/Yussef يوسف, (Arabic)
Yusif/Yusuf/Usub (Azeri)
Joseba/Josepe (Basque)
Joseph ДЖО́ЗЕФ (Belarusian/English/German/French)
Josip (Bosnian/Croatian: Joso, Jozo and Joško are diminutive forms)
Jusuf (Bosnian)
Yosif Йосиф (Bulgarian)
Josep (Catalan, Pep is a common diminutive form)
Ghjaseppu (Corsican)
Jozèf (Creole/Haitian)
Josef (Czech)
Joep (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
Joop (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name)
Joost (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
Jozef (Dutch)
Joseph (English/French/German)
Joséphin (French: obscure)
Joosep (Estonian)
Jósef (Faroese)
Jooseppi (Finnish)
Juuso (Finnish)
Bepùt/Bepi/Bepo (Fruilian)
Xosé (Galician)
Ioseb იოსებ (Georgian)
Ioses/Joses Ιωσης (Greek: Biblical)
Iōséph Ἰωσήφ/Iosepos, Iosipos Ιώσηπος (Greek: Modern)
Yosef יוסף (Hebrew)
Isuppu (Hindi)
József (Hungarian: Jóska is the diminutive form)
Yusuf/Yusup/Ucup (Indonesian)
Giuseppe (Italian: diminutive forms are Beppe, Peppe and Peppino)
Giuseppino (Italian)
Pino (Italian: diminutive form now used as an independent given name)
Seosamh (Irish-Gaelic)
Ujöp (Ladino)
Iosephus/Josephus (Latin)
Jāzeps (Latvian)
Gioxeppe (Ligurian)
Joep (Limburgish)
Juozapas (Lithuanian)
Juozas (Lithuanian)
Giüsèpp (Lombard: Pèpp and Bèpp are diminutive forms)
Ousep/Ousef/Yosef (Malayalam)
Ouseppachen/Kochaappu (Malayalam)
Ġużeppi (Maltese: Ġużi, Ġuż, Peppi, Pepp, Żeppi and Żepp are diminutives)
Hohepa (Maori)
Jupp (Moselfrench)
Josef (Norwegian)
Josèp (Occitanian)
Iosifu Іѡсифъ (Old Church Slavonic)
Yūsuf/Youssef/Yussef يوسف, (Persian)
Joosef (Plattdeutsch)
Józef (Polish)
Gèseppe (Puglian)
Jüppes/Jüppke (Ripoarisch)
Iosif (Romanian)
Gisep (Romansch)
Iosif/Osip Иосиф (Russian)
Jisepu (Sardinian)
Josif Јосиф (Serbian)
Seòsaidh (Scots-Gaelic)
Giuseppi (Sicilian)
U’Seppi (Sicilian)
Zefel/ Zeflik (Silesian)
Jozef (Slovakian)
Jožef/Jože (Slovene)
Sefer (Swabian)
José (Spanish/Portuguese: Pepe and Pepito are the diminutive forms)
Yusup/Usup/Ucup (Sudanese)
Yoseppu (Tamil)
Yusuf (Turkish)
Yosyp (Ukrainian)
Josep (Valencian)
Juxepe (Venetian: diminutives are Bepi and Bepin)
Joseff (Welsh)
Yissl/Jayzl/Yussel (Yiddish)

Bavarian diminutive forms are Pepi, Perperl, Sepp, Seppi, Seppl and Söpp.

Other German diminutives include: Seb, Seffi and Beppal is a Swiss-German diminutive form.

A Rheinish diminutive is Jupp.

Czech diminutives are: Pepík, Pepek, Pepan and Pepin.

Dutch short forms are Jef, Zef and Jos.

A common Hebrew short form is Yosi.

Italian diminutives and its dialectical forms include: Scepp (Calabrian); Pepp’, Pè, Peppiniéllo, Peppì, Peppinié (Campanese); Gioxe, Bepi, Bepin (Ligurian); Gepe and Pinin (Piedmontese); Seppud, Bapèpp, Peppo, Peppin, G’sip, Giusè, Pinucc, Peppon, ‘Mbà Peppe and P’pen (Puglian); Peppe and Pippo (Sicilian); Bepi and Beppe (Tuscan) and Bepìn and Bepo (Venetian).

Standard Italian diminutives are: Bepi, Beppe, Beppino, Geppetto, Geppino, Peppe, Peppenuzzo, Peppi, Peppino, Peppinello, Peppiniello, Peppinetto, Peppo, Peppuccio, Pino Pinello, Pinuccio, Peppone, Pippo Puccio and Seppe.

Portuguese diminutives include: Zé, Zézinho, Zéca and Zécinha.

Slovakian diminutives are: Jožko, Jojo and Dodo.

Slovene short forms are: Pepe, Pepi and Pepc.

A common Spanish compound name is José Maria

Its more common feminine form of Josephine became prevalent throughout Europe at the end of the 18th-century and at the beginning of the 19th-century, due to the popularity of Josephine Bonaparte, (1763-1814), the wife of Napoleon.

Originally, Joséphine was a French diminutive form of Josèphe. Joséphine became the standard form around the same time Josephine Bonaparte became famous and has remained the more common French feminine form of Joseph, since.

Currently, in the United States, she is the 186th most popular female name, (2010). In the Netherlands, she was the 153rd most popular female name, (2010).

Other feminine forms include:

Jozefina (Albanian)
Josepa (Catalan: diminutive is Pepa)
Josipa (Croatian)
Josefa (Czech/Portuguese/Spanish)
Josefina (Czech)
Jozefien (Dutch)
Joetta (English)
Josephina/Josephine (English)
Josefiina (Finnish)
Josée (French)
Josèphe (French)
Joséphine (French)
Josette (French)
Josefine (German/Danish)
Josepha (German)
Iosiphina Ιωσηφίνα (Greek: Modern)
Jozefa (Hungarian/Slovene)
Jósefína (Icelandic)
Seosaimhín (Irish-Gaelic)
Giosetta (Italian)
Giuseppa/Giuseppina (Italian)
Iosephina (Latin)
Ġużeppa (Maltese: Ġuża is the diminutive form)
Józefa (Polish)
Józefina (Polish)
Jožefina/Jožefa/Joža (Slovene)
Jožica (Slovene: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name)
Josefa/Josefina (Spanish)
Josefin/Josefine (Swedish)
Yosipa/Osipa/Yuzefa (Ukrainian)

Croatian diminutive form is Pepica.

Czech diminutives are: Pepa, Pepca, Pepicka, Pepina, Pepka, Jóža, Jožka and Jóžin.

Common English short forms for Josephine include: Fifi, Jo, Jody, Jojo, Josie and Posey.

Common French diminutive forms are Fifi and Fifette.

German diminutives are Pepa.

Italian diminutives are: Giusy, Pina, Pinuccia, Pinella and Pippa.

Slovene diminutive form is Pepca

Marie-Josée is a common French compound form.

Designated name-days are March 19 and May 1.

Edward

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Anglo-Saxon
Meaning: “wealthy guardian.”
Eng (ED-werd; ED-word)

The name is composed of the Anglo-Saxon elements, ead (rich; waelthy) and weard (guard). Due to the popularity of St. Edward the Confessor, the name was one of the few Anglo-Saxon names to have survived the Norman Conquest and to have spread to non-Anglo-Saxon countries.

The name has remained common in the British Royal Family.

As of 2010, Edward was the 43rd most popular male name in England/Wales. His rankings in other countries, in his various forms, are as follows:

# 3 (Eetu, Finland, 2011)
# 20 (Duarte, Portugal, 2010)
# 21 (Eduard, Romania, 2009)
# 28 (Edoardo, Italy, 2010)
# 61 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 72 (New Zealand, 2010)
# 79 (Eduardo, Spain, 2010)
# 94 (Eduard, Catalonia, 2010)
# 97 (Edvard, Norway, 2010)
# 136 (United States, 2010)
# 153 (Eduardo, United States, 2010)
# 169 (Scotland, 2010)
# 226 (Édouard, France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Eduard Էդվարդ Эдуард ედუარდ Эдуард Едуард (Afrikaans/Albanian/Armenian/Belarusian/Bosnian/Catalan/Croatian/Czech/Dutch/Estonian/Georgian/German/Romanian/Romansch/Russian/Slovak/Ukrainian)
Ēadƿeard (Anglo-Saxon)
Idward إدوارد (Arabic: used primarily among Christians)
Edorta (Basque)
Edvard Эдвард Эдвард Едвард (Belarusian/Czech/Faroese/Finnish/Russian/Scandinavian/Serbian/Slovene)
Edouarzh (Breton)
Eduardu (Corsican/Sardinian)
Edward (English/German/Polish)
Eetu (Finnish)
Eetvartti (Finnish)
Etuate (Fijian)
Édouard (French)
Edo (Frisian)
Edzard (Frisian)
Eide (Frisian/Plattdeutsch)
Eido (Frisian)
Eduardos Εδουάρδος (Greek)
Ekewaka (Hawaiian)
Eduárd (Hungarian)
Edvárd (Hungarian)
Eðvarð(ur) (Icelandic)
Játvarður (Icelandic)
Éadbhard (Irish)
Éamonn (Irish)
Edoardo (Italian)
Eduardo (Italian/Spanish/Portuguese)
Odoardo (Italian: Tuscan)
Eduards (Latvian)
Edvards (Latvian)
Eduardas (Lithuanian)
Edvardas (Lithuanian)
Eruera (Maori)
Dwardu (Maltese)
Duarte (Portuguese)
Eideard (Scottish)
Eudard (Scottish)

Common diminutives include:

Edi (Albanian/Bosnian/Croatian/Slovene/Spanish)
Ed (Dutch/English/German/Scandinavian)
Eddie (English/German/Scandinavian)
Ned (English)
Ted (English)
Teddy (English)
Edek (Polish)
Dadu (Portuguese)
Du (Portuguese)
Edu (Portuguese)
Lalo (Spanish)

In recent years, especially in the United States, the name has possibly risen in popularity due to the Twilight Series, in which one of the protagonists is named Edward.

There are a few feminine forms, namely the Spanish and Italian, Eduarda, which I shall save for another post.

Leah

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: debated
Eng (LEE-uh); Heb (LAY-ah)

The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of the sister of Rachel and the first wife of Jacob.

In Jewish tradition, Leah is considered a matriarch and among Christians, she is believed to be the direct ancestor of Jesus.

Its exact meaning and origins are debated. Many scholars believe that it is from the Hebrew לְאָה (le’ah), meaning, “weary.” Other sources have suggested that it is from an Akkadian source meaning, “lady; mistress.”

In the English speaking world and on the continent, it was not common outside the Jewish community until after the Protestant Reformation.

Currently, Leah ranks in as the 24th most popular female name, (2010) and this is the highest the name has ranked in U.S. naming history. She is quite popular in other countries, her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 1 (Lea, Faroe Islands, 2010)
# 1 (Léa, Monaco, 2009)
# 1 (Lea, Romansch-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 2 (Léa, French-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 2 (Lea, Liechtenstein, 2010)
# 3 (Léa, France, 2009)
# 3 (Lea, Luxembourg, 2009)
# 5 (Lea, Austria, 2010)
# 5 (Lea, German-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 5 (Léa, Belgium, 2010)
# 5 (Lea/Leah, Germany, 2011)
# 9 (Lea, Malta, 2010)
# 14 (Leah, Norway, 2010)
# 15 (Leah, Ireland, 2010)
# 17 (Lea, Croatia, 2009)
# 20 (Leah, Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 25 (Leah, Scotland, 2010)
# 39 (Lea, Slovenia, 2010)
# 46 (Lea, Denmark, 2010)
# 49 (Lea, Sweden, 2010)
# 50 (Leah, England/Wales, 2010)
# 55 (Leia, Sweden, 2010)
# 56 (Leah, Canada, BC, 2010)
# 59 (Lia, Slovenia, 2010)
# 63 (Leah, New Zealand, 2010)
# 89 (Lea, Norway, 2010)
# 95 (Lia, Hungary, 2010)
# 96 (Leah, Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 299 (Lia, France, 2009)
# 320 (Leia, France, 2009)
# 356 (Lia, Netherlands, 2010)
# 386 (Leah, Netherlands, 2010)
# 418 (Lea, Netherlands, 2010)
# 566 (Lea, United States, 2010)
# 830 (Leia, United States, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Lia (Catalan/Czech/Hungarian/Italian/Portuguese/Biblical Latin/Slovene)
Lea (Czech/Dutch/Estonian/Finnish/German/Hungarian/Icelandic/Norwegian/Polish/Romansch/Scandinavian/Slovak/Slovene/Spanish/Turkish)
Leah (English/Ethiopian/German/Scandinavian)
Leea (Finnish)
Leija (Finnish)
Leja (Finnish)
Lessu (Finnish)
Léa (French)
Leaette/Liette (French: originally a diminutive form, used as an independent given name, especially among French Huguenots).
Lía (Galician/Spanish)
Leia Λεια (Greek: Biblical)
Léá (Irish-Gaelic)
Lija/Liya Лия (Russian)
Lejá (Sami)

Common Czech diminutives include:

Leana
Leí
Leonka
Leoša
Leuška
Leúšik
Lienka
Liuška

The designated name-days are: January 5 (Estonia/Finland), March 22 (France), April 29 (Slovak), June 26 (Sweden).

Eva, Eve

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “life.”
Eng (EEV); (EE-vuh); Germ/Sp/Pol (EV-ah)

The name is borne in the Bible and in the Quran by the first woman created by God. She and her husband were expelled from the Garden of Eden after eating from the Tree of Knowledge.

The name is believed to be derived from the Hebrew roots חַוָּה, Ḥavvāh, from the Hebrew root ḥāyâ meaning “life” and the Semitic element, ḥyw “to live.” Both the Hebrew word chavah meaning “to live” and chayah meaning “to breath” share the same root.

Despite Eve’s fall from Grace in the Bible, the name was always in usage among Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. In England, its usage can be traced back to the 12th-century. Its Latinate form of Eva, has always been a classic in continental Europe, especially in Germany, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

As of 2010, Eva was the most popular female name in the Faroe Islanda and in Slovenia. Eve, Eva and all her various forms’ rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 3 (Iceland, 2010)
# 4 (French-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 5 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 7 (Ieva, Lithuania, 2010)
# 10 (Armenia, 2010)
# 10 (Evie, England/Wales, 2010)
# 14 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 15 (France, 2009)
# 17 (Scotland, 2010)
# 20 (Belgium, 2009)
# 24 (New Zealand, 2010)
# 26 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 29 (Croatia, 2010)
# 31 (Evie, Scotland, 2010)
# 33 (Evie, Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 37 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 44 (Eevi, Finland among Finnish-speakers, 2010)
# 44 (Ireland, 2010)
# 46 (Austria, 2010)
# 47 (Canada, BC, 2010)
# 48 (Spain, 2010)
# 55 (Catalonia, 2010)
# 55 (Éabha, Ireland, 2010)
# 56 (Eve, Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 59 (Eve, Ireland, 2010)
# 86 (Norway, 2010)
# 91 (United States, 2010)
# 92 (Eve, England/Wales, 2010)
# 99 (Eve, Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 201 (Eve, France, 2009)
# 589 (Eve, United States, 2010)
# 705 (Evie, United States, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Eva Ева ევა
(Afrikaans/Albanian/Armenian/Basque/Belarusian/Bosnian/Catalan/Croatian/Czech/Dutch/Faroese/French/Frisian/Galician/Georgian/German/Icelandic/Italian/Portuguese/Romansch/Spanish/Scandinavian)
Evis (Albanian)
Mahalet/Mahlet (Amharic)
Hawa حواء Хауа (Arabic)
Yeva (Armenian)
Həvva (Azeri)
Yeva Ева Эва (Belarusian/Russian/Ukrainian)
Yevga Евга (Belarusian)
Hava (Bosnian)
Evy (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish: initially a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)
Eveke (Dutch: initially a diminutive form, used as an independent given name, EV-eh-ke)
Eve (English/Estonian/Walon)
Evie (English)
Hawat/Hewa (Egyptian/Coptic)
Eeva (Estonian/Finnish)
Eevi (Estonian/Finnish)
Evi (Estonian)
Ivi/Iivi (Estonian)
Iivika (Estonian)
Ève (French)
Eefje, Eefke (Frisian)
Hawwa ሕይዋን (Ge-ez)
Eua Ευα (Greek)
Chava חַוָה (Hebrew: Modern: KHAH-vah, gutteral CH sound)
Éva (Hungarian: AY-vaw, diminutive form is Évike)
Hawa (Indonesian/Malayalam)
Éabha (Irish-Gaelic)
Ieva (Latvian/Lithuanian: YEH-vah)
Evuzus (Malaysian)
Aaue (Manx)
Èva (Occitanian)
Ewa (Polish: EH-vah, diminutive forms are Ewka, Ewunia and Ewusia)
Evá (Sami)
Evelia (Spanish)
Evita (Spanish)
Eba (Tagalog)
Havva (Turkish)
Efa (Welsh)

Italian masculine form is Evo.

Traditionally, in most European countries, the name-day for Adam and Eve is December 24.

Leila, Layla

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic לילה‎ ليلى
Meaning: “night.”
(LAY-la)

The name is derived from the Arabic and has a variety of different meanings depending on its spelling, the most popular etymology is that it is from a Semitic root, l-y-l, meaning, “night” and shares the same etymology as the name Lilith.

The name has always been popular in the Middle East and is found in the 7th-century romantic poem, Qays & Layla also known as Layla & Majnun (written by Persian poet, Nizami Ganjavi). The legend trickled down to throughout the Middle East, Near East, Central Asia and South Eastern Europe, making the name a long time classic in all those regions.

It was introduced into the English-speaking world via Lord Byron in which the name appears in two of his works, The Gaiour (1813) and Don Juan (1819). It was further popularized in the 1970s when the name was the subject of two songs, one being the famous Eric Clapton song and the other being “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos.

Her Bosnian form of Lejla is the 7th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 3 (Leyla, Azerbaijan, 2010)
# 36 (Layla, Australia, 2010)
# 37 (Layla, United States, 2010)
# 44 (Layla, England/Wales, 2010)
# 50 (Layla, Ireland, 2010)
# 50 (Layla, Scotland, 2010)
# 71 (Leila, Hungary, 2010)
# 76 (Layla, Canada, BC, 2010)
# 95 (Laila, England/Wales, 2010)
# 138 (Laila, United States, 2010)
# 143 (Leila, France, 2009)
# 204 (Leila, United States, 2010)
# 304 (Layla, Netherlands, 2010)
# 478 (Laila, Netherlands, 2010)
# 747 (Leyla, United States, 2010)

The name is also common in Iran, Israel, the Balkans and in the Turkic world.

In the Middle East, the name was popularized by a 7th-century poet by the name of Qays, whose lady love was named Layla. His story became a popular Medieval Arabic romance.

Other forms of the name include:

Lejla Лейла (Albanian/Bosnian/Dagestani/Kazakh/Maltese/Tatar)
Laïla (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
Leïla (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
Leyli Լեյլի (Armenian)
Leyla (Azeri/English/Kurdish/Turkish)
Lajla Лайла (Chechen)
Leila ლეილა (Circassian/English/Ethiopian/French/Georgian/Hungarian)
Laila (Dutch/English/Estonian/Finnish/Hindi/German/Latvian/Scandinavian/Urdu)
Layla (English/Italian/Uzbek)
Lejli Лейли (Kazakh)
Ljajlim Ляйлим (Kazakh)

Laila can also be a Sami form of Helga.

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Maltese Names

Raphael

Achilles

Ange

Virgil

George

Joseph, Josephine

Edward

Leah

Eva, Eve

Leila, Layla