Gender: Masculine
Origin: Serbo-Croatian
Danilo has been equated with the Biblical Hebrew Daniel, but is in fact most likely derived from a pre-Christian Slavic source. It is believed to be derived from the element dan (gift) with the diminutive suffix of -ilo attached.
The name is also used in Italy, Spanish-speaking countries and in Brazil, where it is currently the 65th most popular male name.
The name was most famously borne by Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš, Prince of Montenegro (1826-1960).
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Spanish
Spanish (gon-THAH-lo); Latin American Spanish (gon-SAH-lo)
The name is derived from a Visigothic name Gundisalvus which is composed of the elements gund (war) and salv which is of uncertain meaning.
Gonzalo is the root of the common Spanish patronymic Gonzalez.
The name was borne by several Iberian saints, the most notable being Blessed Gonzalo of Amarante (1187-1259), whose devoted has been popular throughout Spain and Portugal, no doubt, leading to the name’s popularity throughout the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
Currently, Gozalo is the 18th most popular male name in Argentina, (2009) and the 27th most popular in Spain, (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Gaulic
(BREN-nus); (BREH-no)
Brennus is a latinized form of a Gaulic name of uncertain meaning. It is believed to possibly be related to a Celtic title for someone of high standing or perhaps related to the Celtic root bren (raven).
The name was borne by two Gaulic chieftans, one who sacked Rome in the 4th-century and another who invaded Northern Greece during the 2nd-century. The former being the most famous of the two.
Currently, its Portuguese form of Breno is the 47th most popular male name in Brazil, (2010).
Other forms (though obsolete) include:
Breno is also the name of a commune in Lombardy, Italy, which got its name from the Gaulic chief.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Mapuche
Meaning: “speedy Southern Caracara.”
(low-TAH-ro)
The name is a hispanifization of the Mapuche name Lef-Traru, a double name composed of the Mapudungan words, lef (speedy; fast) and traru (the word for the Southern Caracara, a type of bird indigenous to Chile).
The name was borne by a famous Mapuche military leader who led an uprising against the Spanish in Chile (1535-1557).
In Chile, Lautaro is seen as the first Chilean military hero and he is often viewed as a symbol of patriotism. However, the name is extremely popular in Argentina and not in Chile.
Lautaro is currently 4th most popular male name in Argentina, (2009). Its popularity in Argentina may be more due to the associations of the Logia Lautaro, an 19th century Revolutionary Latin American society that was formed by patriots against the Spanish royalists.
Either way, whether in Argentina or Chile the name represents strong patriotic sentiments whether the bearers be of European or Indigenous ancestry.
It is also the name of a volcano in Chile.
It is currently borne by Argentine footballer, Lautaro Acosta (b.1988)
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “lion man.”
(lee-AN-der)
The name is from the Greek, Leandros (Λεανδρος), which is composed of the elements, leon (lion) and andros (man).
The name is found in the Byzantine romance Hero & Leander which recounts the star crossed tale of two early Greek lovers. Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower in the European side of the Dardanelles, while Leander lived just across the strait in Abydos. The two fell in love and Leander would swim his way across the Hellespont just to be with Hero. One night, a horrible storm struck the sea and Leander perished. In grief, Hero threw herself from the tower and died.
The name was also borne by a 6th-century Spanish bishop and saint.
Currently, Leander is the 39th most popular male name in Norway, (2010). His popularity in other countries are as follows:
Other forms of the name include:
A feminine version is Leandra, used in Greece, German-speaking countries, Spanish-speaking countries and Portuguese-speaking countries.
John the Baptiste, Titian
Gender: Masuline
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “to dip.”
Fre (bah-TEEST)
The name is derived from the Greek word βαπτω (bapto) meaning, “to dip.” The name was originally bestowed in honour of St. John the Baptiste and is often paired with John and its various cognates.
Currently, its Spanish form of Bautista, is the 19th most popular male name in Argentina, (2009). While Baptiste ranked in as the 30th most popular name in France and the 80th most popular in Belgium, (2009).
Other forms of the name include:
A French feminine form is Baptistine.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian
Originally an Italian diminutive of Antonia, it is now used strictly as an independent given name both in Italy and abroad. It is especially popular in Italian diaspora communities. It is currently the 6th most popular female name in Chile, (2010) and the 21st most popular in Argentina (2009).
Another form of the name is the Croation, and occasionally, Spanish form Antonela.
In fact, Antonela is currently the 80th most popular female name in Croatia, (2010).
The name is borne by Italian-Argentine actress, Antonella Costa (b.1980).
The name is either a Spanish form of Maura or it may come directly from the Spanish word for blackberry.
Currently, Mora is the 42nd most popular female name in Argentina, (2009).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “ash tree.”
(ore-NEL-lah)
The name was created by Italian writer Gabriele d’Annunzio for his 1904 novel La Figlia di Jorio. It is believed to be derived from the Tuscan word for “ash tree.”
It is most famously borne by Italian actress, Ornella Muti (b.1955).
It is currently the 49th most popular female name in Argentina, (2009) and the 316th most popular in France.
A Romanian and Greek form is Ornela.
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “gift of Isis.”
Eng (IZ-ih-DORE-ah)
The name is a feminine form of the Greek male name, Isidoros Ισιδωρος, which is composed of the name of the Egyptian goddess, Isis and the Greek word doron (gift). The name may have been created during the Hellenization of Egypt after the 3rd-century BCE, when Greek and Egyptian pantheon began to be syncrenize.
The name was also borne by several early Christian saints, the most famous being Isidore of Seville, the patron saint of Seville, Spain. This is most likely why the name became so common throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
In the English-speaking world, it was most famously borne by famous dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).
Currently, Isidora is the 3rd most popular female name in Chile, (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Masculine forms include: