Gender: Masculine
Origin: Danish/German
Meaning: “Thor’s bear.”
The name is derived from the Old Norse, Þórbjörn, which is composed of the elements, Þór (Thor) and björn (bear).
Currently, Torben is the 177th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Frisian
Meaning: “sword.”
(EN-no)
The name is derived from a Frisian element, agin, meaning (sword).
It was borne by at least three Frisian princes.
Currently, Enno is the 249th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
A feminine form is Enna.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Germ/Swe (HEN-ning)
The name is from a Northern German diminutive form of Henrik or Johannes and has been used as an indepedent given name in both Germany and Scandinavia since at least the 19th-century. It seems to have been the popular nickname of choice for Johannes in Medieval Pomerania, Silesia and Holstein, appearing several times in documents from the 13th-century onward.
It is currently 239th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Other older forms are the Silesian and Sorbian Hannig and Hennig.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “warrior of Thor.”
Germ/Nor/Swe (TOR-reh)
The name is believed to be a contracted form of the Old Norse, Þórir, which is composed of the elements, Þór (Thor) and verr (warrior; man). It has also been suggested that the latter element may actually be from *wihar (priest), hence it may actually mean “priest of Thor.”
The name can be traced all the way back to a 10th-century Rune of Uppland, Sweden. Inscribed is the following epithet to a man named Tore:
“Ingrid and Ingegerd erected this stone in memory of Tore, their father.” (Uppland, 996 CE).
Currently, Tore is the 252nd most popular male name in Germany, (2011). Another spelling is Thore.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English/German/Scandinavian
Germ (EE-nah); Eng (I-nah)
The name is a contracted form of any female given name ending in -ina.
In the United States, the name was fairly prevalent at the beginning of the 20th-century, the highest she ever ranked was in 1881 coming in as the 151st most popular female name.
Currently, Ina is the 192nd most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
Coincidentally, the name could also be an Anglo-Saxon male name meaning, “fire.” It was borne by an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon king.
Common German double names include Ina-Maria and Ina-Alice.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: German/Persian
Eng (AY-vah); Germ/Per (AH-vah)
This vintagy, two syllable name has risen way up to the US top 10, coming in at # 5 most popular female name in the United States, (2010).
The name was relatively rare before 2000, and came out of nowhere, thanks, no doubt, to such Hollywood trendsetters as Heather Locklear and Reese Witherspoon, both of whom used the name for their daughters in the late 1990s. Both actresses named their daughters in honour of actress, Ava Gardner (1922-1990), whose full name was Ava Lavinia Gardner.
The name has several different origins and meanings, the beloved English counterpart is probably derived from a medieval Frankish name, which was borne in the 9th-century by a saint and the daughter of King Pepin II. In this case, it might be derived from the Germanic element avi meaning “desired.” Other sources have related it to the Frisian awa (water) or from the old Saxon, aval (power).
Another notable bearer is Ava of Melk (1060-1127), a Medieval poetess credited as being the first German language writer. Its recent popularity in German-speaking countries may in part be in tribute to her millennial anniversary and in part to Hollywood.
The name is also a popular Persian female name and is commonly used in Iran and throughout Central Asia. It can either be related to the Persian meaning, “sound, voice” or it may be connected with the Avestan word meaning “first.”
In Ireland and Scotland, it is sometimes used as an anglicized form of Aoife.
Its rankings in other countries are as follows:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Frisian
(KEH-noh)
The name is from a Medieval Frisian diminutive form of Konrad.
It was borne by two East Frisian princes, Keno I of Brock (1310-1376) and his grandson, Keno II of Brock (1380-1417).
Currently, Keno is the 310th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Gender: Male
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “rest”
(ROCK-ko); (ROCK)
The name is derived from the Germanic hroc meaning rest.
It was borne by a 14th-century saint whose cult is still very popular in Italy. He was known for his care and selflessness toward the plague victims. He would nurse them when nobody else would.
Legend has it that he himself contracted the deadly disease. He chose to go out into the woods and die, however, thanks to a loyal dog that visited him and nursed him back to health each day, he was able to live and go on to help more victims. As a result, he is the patron saint against dog bites and of dogs.
The name is also borne by actor Rock Hudson, Rocky Balboa, Rocco DiSpirito, and singer Madonna has used this name for her own child.
Currently, Rocco is the 341st most popular male name in Germany, (2011) and the 389th most popular male name in the United States, (2010).
Other forms include:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “clear; bright; brilliant.”
Eng (kluh-RIS-sah); Germ (klah-HRIS-sah)
The name is possibly a modern English form of Clarice, which is an Anglo-French form of the Latin Claritia, a derivative of Clara.
Clarice was introduced into the English-speaking world through the Normans and was a fairly popular female name in Medieval England. It fell out of usage during the Reformation, and was revived in the 18th-century in the form of Clarissa. This may have been due to the eponymous novel by Samuel Richardson (1748), a tragic novel which recounts the unfortunate circumstances of a nouveau-riche girl by the name of Clarissa Harlowe.
It was borne by Clara Barton, née Clarissa Harlowe Barton, (1821-1912), foundress of the American Red Cross.
It is also borne by Clarissa Eden, Countess of Avon (b.1920) and American poet, Clarissa Pinkola Estés (b.1945).
In the early 90s, the name was brought to the spotlight via the Nickelodean sit-com, Clarissa Explains It All.
In Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway (1925), it is the first name of the heroine.
Currently, Clarissa is the 396th most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “cheerful; happy.”
Eng (uh-LAY-grah); (uh-LEG-rah); It (ahl-LAY-grah)
Allegra first appeared in Medieval Italy and was used as an auspicious name. It was especially common among Italian-Jewish families and more common in Central and Northern Italy.
It was introduced into the English-speaking world through Clara Allegra Byron (1817-1822), the short lived daughter of Lord Byron and Claire Clairmont. It was also borne by Anne Allegra Longfellow (1855-1934), the daughter of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who is mentioned in the 1860 poem The Children’s Hour.
It is currently borne by Allegra Versace (b.1986), heiress to the Versace fashion house.
Allegra is also the Romansch word for hello and is used by Romansch-speakers as a given name.
Another Italian form is Allegrina. A Spanish and Ladino cognate is Alegría.
Allegra is the 413th most popular female name in Germany, (2011).