Loris

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Italian
It (LOH-rees); Fre (LOH-HREES)

The name was originally an Italian diminutive form of Lorenzo, now widely used as an independent given name, especially in German and French-speaking countries.

As of 2010, it was the 42nd most popular male name in German-speaking, Switzerland, (2010). His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 30 (French-speaking Switzerland, 2010)
# 41 (Italian-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 100 (France, 2009)
# 445 (Germany, 2011)

The name may have been popularized in the German-speaking world via Austrian Poet and Dramatist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874-1929), he often used Loris as a pen-name.

In the French-speaking world, it may have been introduced via the Italian-French fashion designer, Loris Azzaro (1933-2003).

Coincidentally, it is also the name of a genus strepsirrhine primates, and thus, may also be used as a sort of nature name.

Greta

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Scandinavian

The name is derived from a Scandinavian short form of Margaret and has been used as an independent given name since at least the 19th-century.

It is also the name of a river in England and in the English-speaking world, especially within Britain, the name may have been bestowed in reference to the river.

It is also the name of a genus of butterfly.

It was introduced to the English-speaking world, (specifically the United States) via Scandinavian immigrants of the 19th-century. It was further popularized in the 1930s by Swedish actress, Greta Garbo. In fact, the highest Greta ever ranked in the U.S. was in 1932 coming in as the 318th most popular female name. As of 2010, it was the 666th most popular female name in the United States, (2010)

It is the 12th most popular female name in Italian-speaking Switzerland, (2010) and her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 22 (Hungary, 2010)
# 24 (Italy, 2010)
# 39 (Germany, 2011)
# 88 (Sweden, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Grete (Danish/German/Norwegian)
Grethe (Danish)
Greet (Dutch/Luxembourgish)
Greetje (Dutch)
Griet (Dutch)
Greta (English/Estonian/Faroese/Finnish/German/Icelandic/Italian/Polish/Romansch/Scandinavian)
Gretta (English/Romansch)
Gretchen (German)
Gretel (German)
Gréta (Hungarian)
Gryte (Lithuanian)
Greata (Romansch)
Grettina (Romansch)

The name is also borne by famed lawyer and TV host, Greta van Susteran (b.1954)

Elisa

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian

The name could either be a contracted Italian form of Elisabetta or it may be a feminine form of Eliseo, the Italian form of Elisha.

Its French form of Élise was introduced via the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, Elisa Bonaparte (1777-1820).

Currently, Elisa is the 7th most popular female name in Italian-speaking Switzerland, (2010) and the 12th most popular in Italy, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 34 (Belgium, 2009)
# 47 (France, 2009)
# 56 (Austria, 2010)
# 115 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 496 (United States, 2010)

Ben

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Dutch/English/German
(BEN)

The name could either be from a short form of the Biblical male name Benjamin or it could be a Dutch diminutive form of Bernhard.

Currently, Ben is the most popular male name in Germany, (2011). His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 19 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 20 (German-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 28 (Ireland, 2010)
# 34 (Scotland, 2010)
# 60 (Austria, 2010)
# 73 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 198 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 692 (United States, 2010)

Niels, Nils

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Scandinavian

The name has traditionally been attributed as being a Scandinavian form of Nicholas but has also been connected with the Celtic, Niall.

He was a very popular name in Medieval Scandinavia, being the progenitor of the surnames Nilsson, Neilson and Nilson. It was fairly common among Scandinavian royalty and nobility, being worn by King Niels of Denmark (1064-1135).

Currently, Nils and Niels are the 32nd most popular male names in Germany, (2011). Niels rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 37 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 38 (Nils, Sweden, 2010)
# 63 (Belgium, 2009)
# 276 (Nils, Netherlands, 2010)
# 244 (Nils, France, 2009)
# 489 (France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Niels (Faroese/Danish/Dutch/German)
Niilo (Finnish)
Nils (German/Icelandic/Norwegian/Swedish)

A Danish feminine form is Nielsine.

Yannick

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Breton
Fre (yahn-NEEK); Germ (YAHN-neek)

The name is from a Breton diminutive form of Yann, the Breton form of John. Yannick is the francanized form of the Breton, Yanig. It was an extremely common name in French-speaking countries from the 1970s all the way until the 1990s, and is currently becoming extremely trendy in German-speaking countries.

Currently, Yannick is the 27th most popular male name in Germany, tying with the German-spelled Jannik. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 57 (Austria, 2010)
# 208 (Netherlands, 2010)

Max

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: German

The name is a short form of any name beginning with the Max element. It has been used as an independent given name in German-speaking countries and its usage has spread elsewhere.

Its usage as an independent given name may have been popularized by the German-language tale as written by Wilhelm Busch, Max and Moritz (1865).

Currently, Max is the 14th most popular male name in Germany, (2011). His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 6 (Kazakhstan, 2010)
# 17 (Australia, 2010)
# 20 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 23 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 27 (Sweden, 2010)
# 32 (Scotland, 2010)
# 41 (Catalonia, 2010)
# 45 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 49 (Ireland, 2010)
# 51 (Austria, 2010)
# 70 (Norway, 2010)
# 71 (Canada, B.C., 2010)
# 98 (United States, 2010)
# 240 (France, 2009)

Hannes

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: German/Swedish
(HAHN-nes)

The name is a contracted form of Johannes and is exclusively used as an independent given name.

It is currently the 41st most popular male name in Germany, (2011) and the 86th most popular in Sweden, (2010).

It is also used in Finland, the Netherlands and Estonia.

Ronja

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Swedish
Swe/Germ (RONE-yah); Eng (RAHN-yah)

The name can either be a transliteration of the Russian diminutive form of Veronica or it could be from the Hebrew רוֹן (ron) meaning “happiness; joy.”

The name was recently popularized in Northern Europe via the the 1981 Astrid Lindgren childrens’ novel Ronja Rövardotter, known in English as Ronia the Robber’s Daughter. The novel recounts the adventures of a Sami-like Medieval heroine who lives in the forest. Lindgren based the novel on Sami folktales and got many of the names by looking at a map of Lapland. For the name Ronja, she was supposedly inspired by Lake Jaronjaraure.

Currently, its Faroese form of Ranja is the 4th most popular female name on the Faroe Islands, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 25 (Finland, 2010)
# 44 (German-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 62 (Norway, 2010)
# 77 (Germany, 2011)
# 78 (Sweden, 2010)
# 246 (Netherlands, 2010)

Other forms include the English Ronia and the Faroese, Ranja.

Jana

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Sebastiane

The name could be of several different origins and meanings.

It is a German short form of Johanna, now commonly used as an independent given name. It is the Czech and Slovak feminine form of Jan (John) and a South Slavic form of Anne. It is also a Catalan contraction of Joana.

In Roman mythology, it was used as another name for the goddess, Diana. In this case, the actual origins are uncertain, but may have been a pre-Italic, Etruscan appellation.

The name could also be from the Arabic meaning, “paradise” or “garden” and sometimes transliterated as Jannah/Janna.

Currently, Jana is the 13th most popular female name in German-speaking, Switzerland (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 14 (Catalonia, 2010)
# 20 (Austria, 2010)
# 33 (Germany, 2011)
# 49 (Croatia, 2010)
# 68 (Belgium, 2009)
# 85 (Spain, 2010)
# 97 (Slovenia, 2010)
# 400 (Netherlands, 2010)

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Nickname Names

Loris

Greta

Elisa

Ben

Niels, Nils

Yannick

Max

Hannes

Ronja

Jana