Category Archives: Romansch Names

Lucas, Luke

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “from Lucania.”
Eng (LOOK); Fre IPA (LUYK)

Both names are derived from the Greek, Λουκας (Loucas), which means, “from Lucania”, the name of a region in Italy.

The name was popularized throughout the Christian world due to the fame and renown of St. Luke, a Christian convert, gentile and doctor. He is credited as being the author of the Acts and the third Gospel in the New Testament.

In the English speaking world, Luke has been in usage since the 12th-century, he is currently the 39th most popular male name in the United States, (2011). His latinate form of Lucas is the 29th most popular male name. Their rankings in other countries are as follows:

For Luke/Luc

  • # 1 (Luke, Malta, 2010)
  • # 5 (Luuk, Netherlands, 2011)
  • # 9 (Ireland, 2010)
  • # 17 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
  • # 24 (New Zealand, 2010)
  • # 33 (Australia, NSW, 2011)
  • # 38 (England/Wales, 2010)
  • # 50 (Lluc, Catalonia, 2010)
  • # 56 (Canada, BC, 2010)
  • # 45 (Scotland, 2010)
  • # 99 (Luc, Netherlands, 2011)
  • # 249 (Netherlands, 2011)
  • # 253 (Luc, France, 2010)

For Luca(s)

  • # 1 (Luka, Croatia, 2009)
  • # 1 (Luca, Malta, 2010)
  • # 1 (Luka, Serbia, 2011)
  • # 1 (Luka, Slovenia, 2010)
  • # 2 (Australia, NSW, 2011)
  • # 2 (France, 2010)
  • # 2 (Luca, German-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
  • # 2 (Monaco, 2009)
  • # 2 (Sweden, 2011)
  • # 3 (Belgium, 2008)
  • # 3 (Denmark, 2011)
  • # 3 (Faroe Islands, 2010)
  • # 3 (Luca, French-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
  • # 3 (Luka, Georgia, 2011)
  • # 3 (Lucas/Lukas, Germany, 2011)
  • # 3 (Luca(s), Liechtenstein, 2010)
  • # 3 (Lukas, Lithuania, 2011)
  • # 4 (Canada, BC, 2010)
  • # 4 (Lukáš, Czech Republic, 2010)
  • # 4 (Luca, Luxembourg, 2010)
  • # 5 (Lucas, Brazil, 2011)
  • # 5 (Lucas, French-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
  • # 5 (Lukáš, Slovakia, 2011)
  • # 6 (Netherlands, 2011)
  • # 9 (Luca, Italian-speaking, Switerland, 2010)
  • # 12 (Luca, Italy, 2009)
  • # 13 (Scotland, 2010)
  • # 17 (Norway, 2011)
  • # 19 (England/Wales, 2010)
  • # 21 (Spain, 2010)
  • # 22 (Luca, Austria, 2010)
  • # 22 (Luca, Belgium, 2008)
  • # 28 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
  • # 32 (Luca, Netherlands, 2011)
  • # 36 (Catalonia, 2010)
  • # 38 (Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2010)
  • # 38 (Łukasz, Poland, 2009)
  • # 70 (Luca, England/Wales, 2010)
  • # 79 (Luca, Australia, NSW, 2011)
  • # 79 (Ireland, 2010)
  • # 95 (Luka, Belgium, 2008)
  • # 96 (Luca, Scotland, 2010)
  • # 100 (Luca, France, 2010)
  • # 112 (Luka, France, 2010)
  • # 182 (Luka, Netherlands, 2011)
  • # 260 (Luca, United States, 2011)
  • # 743 (Luka, United States, 2011)

Other forms of the name include:

  • Luka Лука ლუკა (Albanian/Belarusian/Croatian/Georgian/Macedonian/Old Church Slavonic/Russian/Serbian/Slovene/Ukrainian)
  • GhukasՂուկաս (Armenian)
  • Lucas Лукас لوکا (Belarusian/Dutch/English/Farsi/French/German/Portuguese/Romansch/Scandinavian/Spanish)
  • Lukaz (Breton)
  • Lluc (Catalan)
  • Lukáš (Czech/Slovak)
  • Luuk (Dutch)
  • Luke (English/Dutch)
  • Luuka(s) (Finnish)
  • Luc (French/Galician)
  • Lukas (German/Latvian/Lithuanian/Scandinavian)
  • Loukas Λουκάς (Greek)
  • Lukács (Hungarian)
  • Lúkas (Icelandic)
  • Luca (Italian/Maltese/Romanian/Sardinian)
  • Lucano (Italian: obscure)
  • Luchino (Italian: obscure)
  • Luchetto (Italian: obscure)
  • Lucone (Italian: obscure)
  • Lúcás (Irish-Gaelic)
  • Luch (Piedmontese)
  • Łukasz (Polish)
  • Lücha (Romansch)
  • Łuca (Venetian)
  • Luk (Walon)

An Italian feminine form is Luchina.

In English, Lucky is occasionally used as a pet form.

Sources

  1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Luke
  2. http://www.behindthename.com/php/find.php?name=luke
  3. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/luke?view=uk
  4. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Luke
  5. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp
  6. http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=76

Leo

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “lion.”
Eng (LEE-oh)

The name comes directly from the Latin, leo, meaning, “lion.”

Its usage as a given name became popular among Christians after the ascent of Pope Saint Leo the Great (circ. 4th-century CE). It was borne by 12 other popes thereafter.

Leo was also a popular name among the Byzantine Emperors being borne by six.

Leo is also the name of a constellation as well as the 5th sign in the zodiac.

The highest Leo ever ranked in U.S. naming history was in 1903, coming in as the 37th most popular male name. As of 2011, he was the 167th most popular male name in the United States. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 4 (Finland, 2011)
  • # 4 (Léo, France, 2010)
  • # 14 (Sweden, 2011)
  • # 36 (England/Wales, 2010)
  • # 37 (Croatia, 2009)
  • # 42 (Austria, 2010)
  • # 42 (New Zealand, 2010)
  • # 59 (Scotland, 2010)
  • # 61 (Norway, 2011)
  • # 64 (Catalonia, 2010)
  • # 65 (Australia, NSW, 2011)
  • # 79 (Slovenia, 2010)
  • # 80 (Spain, 2010)
  • # 96 (Ireland, 2010)

Leo is used in about every European country. Other forms of the name include:

  • L”v Лъв (Bulgarian)
  • Leo Лео (Catalan/Croatian/Dutch/English/Estonian/Finnish/German/Italian/Latvian/Portuguese/Romansch/Russian/Scandinavian/Slovene/Spanish)
  • Leoš (Czech)
  • Lev Лев (Czech/Russian)
  • Léo (French)
  • Leó (Hungarian)
  • Lew (Polish)

Gabriel, Gabriella

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Origin: Hebrew גַבְרִיאֵל  Γαβριηλ
Meaning: “strong man of God.”
Eng (GABE-ree-el); (gah-bree-EL-ah); Fre (gah-bree-EL); Germ (GAHP-ree-el); Pol (GAHP-ryel)

The name is derived from the Biblical Hebrew, גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri-el) meaning, “strong man of God.”

In Judeo-Christian religions, it is the name of a powerful archangel, who is often viewed as a messenger of God. He appears several times in the Old and New Testaments.

Among Christians, one of his most important messages was relayed to the Virgin Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. Islamic tradition also believes the same, and in Islam, it was the angel Gabriel who revealed the Qu’ran, (through God), to Mohammed.

In Mormon theology, Gabriel is believed to be the embodiment of Noah in the afterlife.

Gabriel is a fairly common name among Christians, Jews and Muslims, making him an extremely cross-cultural portable name.

Currently, in the United States, his popularity has been rising. He is the 24th most popular male name, (2011). In other countries, his rankings in all his various forms are as follows:

  • # 2 (Gabriel(e), Liechtenstein, 2010)
  • # 3 (Brazil, 2011)
  • # 4 (Romania, 2009)
  • # 6 (Gabriele, Italy, 2009)
  • # 7 (France, 2010)
  • # 9 (Quebec, Canada, 2011)
  • # 19 (Croatia, 2009)
  • # 26 (Belgium, 2008)
  • # 28 (Canada, BC, 2010)
  • # 28 (Mexico, 2010)
  • # 29 (Austria, 2010)
  • # 35 (Spain, 2010)
  • # 40 (Poland, 2009)
  • # 47 (Sweden, 2011)
  • # 48 (Norway, 2011)
  • # 52 (Catalonia, 2010)
  • # 78 (England/Wales, 2010)
  • # 95 (Australia, NSW, 2011)
  • # 124 (Scotland, 2010)
  • # 189 (Djibril, France, 2010)
  • # 313 (Jibril, France, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

  • Jibrail/Jibrīl جبرائيل ጂብሪል (Arabic/Ethiopian)
  • Gabriel გაბრიელი ገብርኤል
    (Armenian/Catalan/Coptic/Czech/Danish/English/Ethiopian/Finnish/French/Georgian/German/Norwegian/Polish/Portuguese/Romanian/Romansch/Spanish/Swedish)
  • Gavrik (Armenian)
  • Cəbrayıl/Cibril (Azeri)
  • Gawryil Гаўрыіл (Belarusian)
  • Džibril/Džebrail (Bosnian)
  • Gavrail Гавраил (Bulgarian)
  • Zheberejil Жәбірейіл (Central Asian)
  • Gabrijel (Croatian/Maltese/Serbian)
  • Gabriël (Dutch)
  • Gaabriel (Estonian)
  • Gabrel (Ethiopian)
  • Kaapo/Kaapro (Finnish)
  • Gabriél Γαβριήλ (Greek)
  • Gavril Γαβριηλ (Greek)
  • Gavriel גַּבְרִיאֵל (Hebrew)
  • Gábriel (Hungarian)
  • Gábor (Hungarian)
  • Gabríel (Icelandic)
  • Jibril (Indonesian)
  • Gaibriéil (Irish-Gaelic)
  • Gabo/Gabbo (Italian)
  • Gabriele (Italian: more common form)
  • Gabriellino (Italian)
  • Gabriello (Italian)
  • Gabrio (Italian)
  • Cibrayîl (Kurdish)
  • Gabrielus (Latin)
  • Gabriels (Latvian)
  • Gabrielius (Lithuanian)
  • Jibrail (Malaysian)
  • Gavriilu Гаврїилъ (Old Church Slavonic)
  • Khabbriele (Puglian)
  • Gabin (Provençal)
  • Gavril Гавриил (Romanian/Russian)
  • Crabiele/Gabilele/Gabriello (Sardinian)
  • Cabbrieli (Sicilian)
  • Gabri’el ܠܒܪܝܐܝܠ (Syrian)
  • Gebrael (Syrian)
  • Cebrâîl (Turkish)
  • Gavrel גַאבְֿרֶעל (Yiddish)

English short form is Gabe.

Its feminine form of Gabriella/Gabriela is also rising in popularity. Currently, Gabriella is the 34th most popular female name in the United States, (2011). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 3 (Gabriela, Bulgaria, 2009)
  • # 5 (Gabrielė, Lithuania, 2011)
  • # 5 (Gabrielle, Philippines, 2011)
  • # 7 (Gabriela, Columbia, 2011)
  • # 8 (Gabriela, Romania, 2009)
  • # 9 (Gabriela, Puerto Rico, 2011)
  • # 10 (Gabriela, Brazil, 2010)
  • # 13 (Gabriela, Poland, Warsaw, 2010)
  • # 19 (Gabriela, Poland, 2009)
  • # 28 (Gabrijela, Croatia, 2009)
  • # 30 (Gabriela, Mexico, 2010)
  • # 30 (Gabrielly, Brazil, 2010)
  • # 36 (Gabriela, Croatia, 2009)
  • # 38 (Gabriela, Chile, 2010)
  • # 64 (Australia, NSW, 2011)
  • # 64 (Gabriela, Spain, 2010)
  • # 67 (Gabrielle, France, 2010)
  • # 72 (Canada, BC, 2010)
  • # 94 (Gabrielle, Canada, BC, 2010)
  • # 119 (Gabrielle, United States, 2011)
  • # 466 (France, 2010)

Other feminine forms include:

  • Gebre’elwa ገብርኤሏ (Amharic/Ethiopian)
  • Gabriela (Bulgarian/Croatian/Czech/German/Polish/Portuguese/Romanian/Scandinavian/Slovak/Spanish)
  • Brielle (Cajun: abbreviated form of Gabrielle)
  • Gabrijela (Croatian/Serbian)
  • Gabriëlle (Dutch)
  • Briella/Briela (English)
  • Gabrielle (French/English)
  • Gabria (Italian)
  • Gabrielina (Italian)
  • Gabriella (Italian/English/Hungarian/Scandinavian: more common form in Italy)
  • Gabrielė (Lithuanian)
  • Gavriila Гавриила (Russian)

Czech diminutives are: Gába, Gabika, Gábina, Gabrina and Gabby.

A Polish diminutive is Gabrysia (gah-BRIH-shah).

English short forms are: Gabby and Ella.

Designated name-days are: February 10/27 (Poland), February 19 (Sweden), March 24 (Czech/Finland/Poland/Slovakia/Sweden), September 29 (France/Germany), December 12 (Hungary)

Raphael

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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.

Alexis, Alexa, Alexia, Alessia

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “defender; helper.”
(uh-LEK-sis)

The name is derived from the Greek male name, Αλεξις (Alexis), which is derived from the Greek element, αλεξω (alexo), meaning, “defender; helper.”

The name was borne by a 3rd-century Greek comic and poet, and by several male saints and five Byzantine emperors.

In its Russian incarnation of Aleksei, it was fairly common among Russian royalty. It was borne by two Russian tsars and by the last Russian crown-prince, Aleksei Romanov.

Currently, in the United States, Alexis ranks in as the 242nd most popular male name, despite this, the name is far more common for females, (even though Alexis is not a legitimate feminine name and should not be considered as such), in fact, it is currently the 26th most popular female name, (2011). In the United States, its usage as a female given name can be traced all the way to the 1940s, when it first entered the U.S. top 1000. Its usage among females is most likely attributed to Canadian actress, Alexis Smith (1921-1993) who was born as Gladys. Its popularity on females, however, might mostly be influenced by the 1980 drama series, Dynasty, in which one of the female leads, played by Joan Collins, was named Alexis.

In other countries, Alexis as a male name is ranked as follows:

  • # 28 (France, 2010)
  • # 38 (Alejo, Argentina, 2009)
  • # 83 (Belgium, 2008)
  • # 90 (Aleix, Spain, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

  • Ales (Basque)
  • Aleksei/Alexei Алексей (Bulgarian/Russian)
  • Aleix (Catalan)
  • Alesiu (Corsican)
  • Aleksej/Alexej (Czech/Slovak)
  • Alexis (Danish/English/German/French/Norwegian/Spanish/Swedish)
  • Aleksi (Finnish)
  • Aleksis (Finnish)
  • Aleixo (Galician/Portuguese)
  • Alexei (German)
  • Alexios Αλεξιος (Greek)
  • Elek (Hungarian)
  • Alessi (Italian: obscure)
  • Alessio (Italian)
  • Alexius (Latin/German)
  • Aleksas (Lithuanian)
  • Aleksy (Polish)
  • Alexie (Romanian)
  • Alexi (Romansch)
  • Aliesch (Romansch)
  • Alessiu (Sicilian)
  • Lezziu (Sicilian)
  • Alejo (Spanish)
  • Aleksej (Slovene)
  • Aleš (Slovene)
  • Oleksiy Олексій (Ukrainian)

Alyosha and Lyosha are common Russian diminutive forms.

Its feminine forms of Alexa and Alexia are also rising in popularity, Alexia is currently the 275th most popular feminine name in the United States, (2011), while Alexa comes in as the 55th most popular female name. I shall go into more details in another post. In the meantime, here are other feminine forms

  • Alexa (English/Hungarian)
  • Alexia (English/German/Greek/French)
  • Alessa (Italian)
  • Alessia (Italian)
  • Alessina (Italian)
  • Aleksja (Polish)
  • Aléxia (Portuguese)
  • Alexina/Alexine (Scottish)

Common short forms are Alex, Lex and Lexie.

Designated name-days are: February 17 (France), March 17 (Greece), July 17 (Germany) and December 12 (Sweden).

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/alexis
  2. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/alexis?view=uk
  3. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/alexa?view=uk
  4. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/alexia?view=uk
  5. Bengt af Klintberg: Namnen i almanackan, 2001
  6. Yáñez Solana, Manuel (1995). El gran libro de los Nombres. M. E. Editores, Madrid
  7. Montes Vicente, José María (2001). El libro de los Santos. Alianza, Madrid
  8. Kustaa Vilkuna: Etunimet, 3. painos 2001, s. 30,

Roman

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning “Roman.”
Eng Masc. (ROH-men) Eng Fem. (roh-MANE); Fre Masc. (hroh-MAHn); Fre Fem. (hroh-MEHN); Pol (ROH-mahn)

The name’s meaning is clear from its very first utterance, most renowned in the State’s through Polish director and film maker, Roman Polanski, it was the name of a Christian martyr who died under Diocletian.

In recent years, the name has had a peak in popularity, it currently ranks in as the 157th most popular male name in the United States (2011), and seems to be rising.

His rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 36 (Romain, Belgium, 2008)
  • # 39 (Romain, France, 2010)
  • # 228 (Roman, France, 2010)
  • # 494 (Netherlands, 2011)

Its designated name-days are: February 23 (Slovakia); February 28/29 (Poland), May 28 (Estonia), August 9 (Czech Republic/Poland), October 6/23 (Poland), November 18 (Poland).

Roman is used in Czech, Estonian, German, Polish, Slovakian and Slovenian.

Other forms of the name are:

  • Roman Роман (Croatian/English/German/Norwegian/Polish/Romansch/Russian/Slovak/Slovene/Swedish/Ukrainian)
  • Romain (French)
  • Romanos (Greek)
  • Román (Hungarian/Spanish)
  • Romano (Italian)
  • Romanello/Romanino (Italian: obscure)
  • Romanus (Latin)
  • Romanas (Lithuanian)
  • Reman (Poitvin)
  • Romans (Poitvin)
  • Rouman (Poivin)

In Polish, Romek is the diminutive form.

Feminine forms are:

  • Romana (Croatian/Czech/Italian/Lithuanian/Polish/Slovak/Slovene)
  • Romaine (English/French)
  • Romane (French)
  • Romána (Hungarian)
  • Romanella (Italian)
  • Romanina (Italian)
  • Romanita (Italian/Spanish)
  • Romina (Italian/Spanish)
  • Romanela (Polish: very obscure)

Hortense

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “garden.”
Eng (HORE-tense); Fre (or-TAWNS)

In the English-speaking world, she is considered being one of the most hated baby names, on par with Bertha and Beulah; but at one time, Hortense was very much-loved in the United States, and she is still favored abroad.

Hortense appeared in the U.S. top 1000 between 1880 and 1941. The highest she ranked within those years was at # 375 in 1903. By 1942, she disappeared from the U.S. top 1000 never to be seen again.

Though the sound in contemporary English may not be so pleasant, Hortense has many redeemable qualities. She is derived from the Roman family name, Hortensius, which is derived from the Latin, hortus, meaning, “garden.” Hence horticulture! Her Latin derivative shares its name with the scientific designation of the hydrangea plant. Hortensia is also the name of a type of pear.

Hortense sounds completely different in French, in fact, it sounds rather pleasant. She appears in the French top 500 coming in as the 335th most popular female name in 2010.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Hortenzie (Czech)
  • Hortense (French/English)
  • Hortensia (German/Latin/Romansch/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Hortenzia (Hungarian/Romanian/Slovak)
  • Ortensia (Italian)
  • Ortenzia (Italian)
  • Ourtense (Poitvin)
  • Hortensja (Polish)

Notable bearers include:

  • Hortensia (circ. 4th-century BCE) the daughter of Quintus Hortensius Hortalus she is known for her gifted speech which she gave before the Roman Triumvirate regarding  the taxation of wealthy Roman women.
  • Hortensia von Moos (1659-1715) a Swiss female doctor known for her early philosophical writings on women. Today she is a symbol of the modern Swiss Women’s Movement.
  • Hortense Mancini (1646-1649), a mistress of King Charles II of England .
  • Hortense de Beauharnais (1783-1837), daughter of Josephine Bonaparte and step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot (1784-1845) a French painter.
  • Hortense Schneider (1833-1920), a famous French soprano.

Gaétan

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German/Polish/Italian/French
Meaning: “from Caieta.”
It (guy-TAH-no); Fre (GAH-eh-TAWn); Pol/Germ (KYE-eh-TAHN)

The name is derived from the Latin place name, Caietanus, meaning,  “from Caieta”. Caieta is now known as Gaeta.

In ancient Greece, this was a town where prisoners were taken to be executed. The town probably got its name from the wet nurse of Zeus in Greek myth.

It was borne by a 16th-century Italian saint, which spurred the popularity of the name throughout Europe. It has been in usage in German speaking countries as well as in Poland in the form of Kajetan and Cajetan, the name Kaj was later spun off from this name, now being more popular than its formal form in Sweden and Denmark.

As of 2010, its French form of Gaétan was the 122nd most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Caitanu (Asturian)
  • Kaitan (Basque)
  • Gaietà (Catalan)
  • Gaitanu (Corsican)
  • Kajetán (Czech/Hungarian/Slovak)
  • Cajetaan (Dutch)
  • Gaétan (French)
  • Gaëtan (French)
  • Gaetano (Galician/Italian)
  • Kayetan (German)
  • Kajetan (German/Polish/Scandinavian)
  • Gaïtános Γαϊτάνος (Greek)
  • Caietanus (Latin)
  • Kajetonas (Lithuanian)
  • Aitano (Neopolitan)
  • Gaitano (Neopolitan)
  • Caetano (Portuguese)
  • Caetan (Romanian)
  • Cajetan (Romansch)
  • Kaetan Каетан (Russian)
  • Gajetànu (Sardinian)
  • Cayetano (Spanish)

Feminine forms are:

  • Gaetana (Italian)
  • Gaétane (French)
  • Gaëtane (French)
  • Kajetana (German/Polish)
  • Kaia (German)
  • Kaja (German/Polish)
  • Caietana (Latin)

Its designated name day is August 7.

Ambrose

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “immortal.”
Eng (AM-broze); Fre (ahm-BWAHZ)

Ambrose is an English version of the Late Latin, Ambrosius, which is a form of the Greek male name Αμβροσιος (Ambrosios), meaning, “immortal.”

The name was borne by a 4th-century Christian saint, a contemporary of St. Augustine of Hippo. He is considered a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of Milan.

As of 2010, its French form of Ambroise was the 391st most popular male name in France.

The designated name-day is December 7.

There is a feminine version as well, Ambrosia, and in Greek mythology, it is borne by the daughter of Atlas and Pleione. It was also the name of the food of the gods eaten on Mount Olympos.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Ambrozi (Albanian)
  • Ambrosiu (Asturian)
  • Anbortsi (Basque)
  • Ambroaz (Breton)
  • Amvrosij Амвросий (Bulgarian/Russian/Ukrainian)
  • Ambròs (Catalan)
  • Ambrosgiu (Corsican)
  • Ambrozije (Croatian)
  • Ambrož (Czech/Slovene)
  • Ambroos (Dutch)
  • Broos (Dutch/Limburgish)
  • Ambroise (French)
  • Ambros (German/Romansch)
  • Ambrosios Αμβροσιος (Greek)
  • אמברוזיוס Ambrwzyws (Hebrew)
  • Ambrus (Hungarian)
  • Ambrósíus (Icelandic)
  • Ambróis (Irish)
  • Bosone (Italian: obscure)
  • Ambrogio/Ambrogino (Italian: more common forms)
  • Ambrosino (Italian: obscure)
  • Ambrosi (Kiswahili)
  • Ambrosius (Late Latin/Danish/Dutch/Finnish/German/Estonian/Norwegian/Swedish)
  • Ambrozijs (Latvian)
  • Ambraziejus (Lithuanian)
  • Ambroeus (Lombard)
  • Ambroży (Polish)
  • Ambrósio (Portuguese)
  • Ambrozie (Romanian)
  • Ambrosi(Romansch)
  • Ambròsu (Sardinian)
  • Ambroggiu (Sicilian)
  • Ambróz (Slovakian)
  • Ambrosio (Spanish/Galician/Italian/Venetian)
  • Emrys (Welsh)

Feminine forms include:

  • Ambroisine/Ambrosine (French)
  • Ambrogia/Ambrogina (Italian)
  • Ambrosina (Italian)
  • Ambrosia (Greek/Italian)
  • Ambrozja (Polish)
  • Ambrozija (Slovene)

Celestine

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Gender: Masculine (English); Feminine (French)
Origin: Latin
Meaning: ” of the sky; of the heavens.”
Eng (sel-es-TINE; SEL-es-tin); Fre Masc (say-les-TEN); Fre Fem (say-les-TEEN)

The name is derived from the Late Latin male name, Caelestinus, meaning, “of the sky; of the heavens.”

In English, the name was anglicized to Celestine while in French, Célestine was always strictly the feminine form, the French masculine form being, Célestin.

The name was borne by five popes.

In the English-speaking world, Celestine was seldom used, if it was ever used it was usually used for females being a borrowing from the French, though Celestine is a common male name among Nigerian Catholics.

As of 2010, Célestin was the 415th most popular male name in France, while its feminine form of Célestine was the 419th most popular female name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Celestin Целестин Целестин (Asturian/Bulgarian/Romanian/Romansch/Russian/Scandinavian/Serbian/Ukrainian)
  • Celestí (Catalan)
  • Celestýn (Czech)
  • Celestijn (Dutch)
  • Celestinus (Dutch)
  • Celestine (English)
  • Célestin (French)
  • Celestino (Galician/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Coelestin (German)
  • Cölestin (German)
  • Zölestin (German)
  • Kelestínos Κελεστίνος (Greek)
  • Celesztin (Hungarian)
  • Caelestinus (Late Latin)
  • Celestinas (Lithuanian)
  • Celestyn (Polish)
  • Celestìnu (Sardinian)
  • Celestín (Slovene)
A famous female bearer was Célestine Galli-Marié (1840–1905), a French mezzo-soprano who created the title role in the opera Carmen
La Celestina, a 15th-century literary piece written by Fernando de Rojas, is considered one of Spain’s greatest pieces of literature.
Celestina is also the name of an 18th-century literary piece written by poet, Charlotte Turner Smith.
Other feminine forms include:
  • Celestina Целестина (Czech/English/Italian/Lithuanian/Portuguese/Romanian/Romansch/Russian/Slovak/Spanish)
  • Célestine (French)
  • Cölestina (German)
  • Zölestina (German)
  • Celesztina (Hungarian)
  • Celestyna (Polish)
  • Kolestina Колестина (Russian)

Celestine is also the name of an order of Benedictine monks and it is also the name of a type of mineral.