- Origin: Twi
- Meaning: “blessing.”
- Gender: feminine
The name comes directly from the Twi word for blessing. Twi is a language spoken in Ghana.
It is also the name of a major radio station in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
Sources
Nhyira
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Category Archives: Virtue Names
Nitara
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: “deeply fixed; deeply rooted; standing firm.”
- Gender: feminine
- (NEE-tah-rah)
The name comes directly from the Sanskrit adjective नितर meaning “deeply fixed, rooted” or “standing firm.”
Sources
Santosh, Santosa
- Origin: Sanskrit संतोष
- Meaning: “satisfaction; contentment.”
- Gender: masculine
- (SAN-tosh, SAN-to-shah)
The name is from the Sanskrit word for “satisfaction; contentment.”
Sentosa Island is the name of an island in Singapore which gets its name from the Malay word of the same etymology.
Other forms include: Santosa, Santhosa & Santhos.
Sources
Prosper
- Origin: English, French
- Gender: masculine
The name is the English form of the Late Latin Prosperus (fortunate, successful). It was borne by a 5th-century French saint who was a follower of St. Augustine of Hippo as well as a 5th-century Italian saint.
The name was also sporadically used among the Puritans.
Other forms include:
- Prósperu (Asturian)
- Pròsper (Catalan)
- Prošper (Croatian)
- Prosperus (Dutch, Late Latin)
- Prosper (Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish)
- Prospero (Italian)
- Prosperino (Italian)
- Prospa (Kiswahili)
- Próspero (Portuguese/Spanish)
It was also borne by French poet, Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon (1674–1762) & French novelist, Prosper Mérimée (1803–1870).
Prospero is the name of one of the protagonists in Shakespeare’s Tempest.
Sources
Pahal
- Origin: Hindi पहल
- Meaning: “respect; initiative.”
- Gender: feminine
- (pah-HAHL)
The name comes directly from the Hindi word पहल meaning “respect; initiative.”
Source
Nuha
- Origin: Arabic نهى
- Meaning: “mind; wisdom; reason; intelligence.”
- Gender: feminine
- (NOO-hah)
The name comes from the Arabic meaning “mind; wisdom” or “the ability to think.” It appears in pre-Islamic North Arabia as the name of a goddess associated with the sun, her South Arabic counterpart being Shams. It has been suggested by some scholars that her name is linked with the Semitic root N-H-Y meaning “the ultimate.”
In Islam, the word appears in a few verses of the Quran, verse 20:54 and verse 20:128.
Other transliterations include: Noha, Nohaa, Nouha & Nuhaa.
Sources
Sabirah
By Miner Kilbourne Kellogg – http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=32851, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66390070
- Origin: Arabic صَابِرة
- Meaning: “patient.”
- Gender: female
- (SAW-bee-ruh)
The name is derived from the Arabic صَابِر (ṣābir) meaning “patient.”
Other forms include: Sabeera, Sabira, Sabra and Sabrah.
Masculine forms are Sabeer, Sabir & Sabr.
Sources
Samiha
A Young Arab Girl by August Alexius Canzi courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Origin: Arabic سميحة
Meaning: generous; forgiving
Gender: feminine
(suh-MEE-huh)
The name is derived from the Arabic verb سامح (smh), which means “to condone; excuse; forgive; overlook; pardon” and can also be translated as to mean “lenient, generous.”
Other transliterations include: Sameeha (Urdu) and Samihah.
A masculine more unusual form is Samih سامح.
Sources
Verity, Veritas
The name is derived from the word for truth and first came into popular use in 16th-century England, most likely being introduced by the Puritans. However, Veritas was the name of a Roman goddess (a Roman counterpart of the Greek Aleithea), so latinate counterparts may have been used for far longer on the Continent, however, I could not find any sources indicating such.
Currently, Verity is the 349th Most Popular Female Name in England & Wales, (2018).
Sources
Harmonia, Harmony
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “harmony”
Gender: Feminine
Harmonia was the name of the Greek goddess of peace and harmony, her Roman counterpart being Concordia.
Harmonia was also the name of a minor in nymph in Greek mythology.
In history, Harmonia was the name of the daughter of Gelo, a 3rd-century Sicilian king. Their story is rather unpleasant to say the least, after her family was slaughtered by their angry subjects, a faithful girl chose to stand in Harmonia’s place and was slaughtered as a result. Harmonia felt so guilty about someone else sacrificing their life for her that she ultimately killed herself.
Harmonia is also the name of a plant species, a species of beetle and butterfly.
Its English counterpart of Harmony has been in use since the 18th-century, being popularized among the Puritans.
Harmony has been in the U.S. top 1000 since 2000 and has steadily risen since then. As of 2016, it was the 191st most popular female name. It is also currently #369 in England & Wales, 2016. Between 2005 and 2010, it was among the top 100 most popular female names in New Zealand, peaking at #70 in 2006.
Other forms of the name include:
- Harmonia (Catalan/Czech/Dutch/Greek/Hungarian/Polish/Portuguese/Romanian)
- Harmonie (French)
- Harmonía/Armonía (Spanish)
- Armonia (Italian)
Sources