Malo

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Breton
Meaning: “pledge of light; light pledge.”
Fre (MAH-loh)

The name is composed of the Breton elements, mac’h (pledge; warrant) and luh (light).

The name was borne by one of the founding saints of Brittany, many legends have been attributed to him over the centuries, but what is known for sure is that he was Welshman who was the favorite desciple of St. Brendan the Navigator. The place of Saint-Malo in France was named for him as was Saint-Maclou.

As of 2010, Malo was the 101st most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Maloù (Breton)
  • Maclovi (Catalan)
  • Macléo (French)
  • Maclou (French/Picard)
  • Maclov (French)
  • Malo (French/Welsh)
  • Malou (French)
  • Maclovio (Italian)
  • Macuto (Italian)
  • Maclovius (Latin)
  • Machutus (Latin)
  • Mâlo (Norman)
  • Macoult (Poitvin)

Wassim

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic  وسیم
Meaning: “handsome.”
(WAH-SEEM)

The name is derived from the Arabic meaning, “handsome.”

As of 2010, Wassim was the 102nd most popular male name in France.

A variation transcription is Wasim.

Feminine form is Wassima.

Nathanael, Nathaniel

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew, Biblical
Meaning: “God has given.”
Eng (nay-THAN-yel; nah-THAN-yel)

The name is derived from the Hebrew male name, Netan’el (נְתַנְאֵל), meaning, “God has given.”

In the New Testament, the name is often attributed as being the true name of St. Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles.

In the English-speaking world, the name was not very common until after the Protestant Reformation, where the name seems to have been particularly common among the early Protestant settlers of North America. It was borne by famous American novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, (1804-1864).

Currently, Nathaniel is the 84th most popular name given to boys in the United States, (2011). His rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 86 (Canada, BC, 2010)
  • # 103 (Nathanaël, France, 2010)
  • # 580 (Nathanael, United States, 2011)

Other forms of the name include:

  • Natanail Натанаил (Bulgarian)
  • Natanael Натанаило (Croatian/Polish/Portuguese/Serbian/Slovak/Spanish)
  • Nathanael (Czech/Dutch/English/German/Scandinavian)
  • Nathanaël (French)
  • Natanaele/Nataniele (Italian)

An obscure French feminine form is Nathanaëlle.

Common English short forms are Nat, Nate and occasionally Thaniel.

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/php/find.php?name=nathaniel
  2. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/nathaniel?view=uk

Sufian

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: debated
(SOOF-yahn)

The name could either be derived from the Arabic ṣafā (صَفا) meaning, “pure” or the Arabic,    ṣūf (صُوف), meaning, “wool.”

The name was borne by Abu Sufyan, originally a staunch opponent to the Prophet Mohammed, he later became a devout Muslim. It was also borne by Sufyan ath-Thawri ibn Said (716–778), a notable Islamic scholar who is credited for putting together many of the hadiths.

A modern notable bearer is American musician, Sufjan Stevens (b.1975).

As of 2010, its Maghrebin form of Sofiane was the 106th most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Sufyan (Albanian/Arabic)
  • Sofiane (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
  • Sufian (Arabic/Persian)
  • Süfyan (Azeri/Kurdish/Turkish)
  • Sufjan Суфьян (Bosnian/Bulgarian/Central Asian)
  • Sufyaan (Somalian)

Nell

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
(NEL)

The name was originally a diminutive form of Eleanor; one theory suggest that it is a corruption of a term of endearment, mine El, becoming Nel.

The name was borne by Nell Gwyn (1650-1687), the mistress of Charles II of England. Nell Gwyn is a sort of folk heroin, often glamorized as the embodiment of Restoration England and considered one of Britain’s first female actors.

The name has been used as an independent given name since at least the 19th-century as Nell was at one time the 144th most popular female name in the United States, (1886).

As of 2011, Nell does not appear in the U.S. top 1000 but she is the 394th most popular female name in France, (2010).

Gwendolen

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: “white ring; white moon.”
(GWEN-doh-len)

The name is composed of the Welsh elements, gwen (white; blessed; fair) and dolen (ring; wreath; bow; brow; hair; moon).

The name first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 1135 Historia Regum Britanniae in the form of Guendoloena as the name of a Welsh queen. He used the name again in the Vita Merlini in which it is the name of Merlin’s wife.

The name, however, did not come into common usage until the 18th-century.

It is also the name of a heroin in George Eliot’s novel, Daniel Deronda.

As of 2010, its French form of Gwendoline was the 415th most popular female name in France, while Gwendolyn ranks in as the 571st most popular female name in the United States, (2011).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Guendolen (English)
  • Guendoloena (English)
  • Gwendolen (English/Welsh)
  • Gwendolyn (English)
  • Gwendoline (French)
  • Guendalina (Italian)
Common short forms are Gwen, Gwendy and Wendy.

Clotilde

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: French
Meaning: “famous in battle.”
(klo-TEELD)

The name is derived from the Frankish name Chlotichilda, which is composed of the elements, hlud meaning “famous” and hild meaning “battle.”

The name was borne by a Frankish queen and saint who is known for converting her husband and the Franks to Christianity.

As of 2010, Clotilde was the 430th most popular female name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Klotildis (Dutch/Frisian)
  • Clotilde (English/French/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Clothilde (French)
  • Chlothilde/Klothilde (German)
  • Chrodechild (German: archaic)
  • Klotild (Hungarian)
  • Chrodigildis/Clotildis (Late Latin)
  • Klotylda (Polish)
  • Clotilda (Swedish)

In France, the designated name-day is June 4.

Sources

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotilde
  2. http://www.behindthename.com/php/related.php?name=clotilde

Sakina

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic  سكينة Сакина
Meaning: “calm; peace; tranquility.”
(sah-KEE-nah)

The term sakina is derived from the Arabic, sukun, meaning, (calm; tranquility; serenity; peace of mind). The term appears in the Qu’ran as the name of an attribute that fell upon Mohammed and his followers from Allah when they entered Mecca unarmed.

Sakina shares the same etymological root with the Hebrew abstract feminine noun, shekinah שכינה‎, which means “dwelling; settling” but in Judaism is used to describe the presence of God in the world.

In Arabic Sakina appears in various forms such as Sukina and Sukayna.

The name was borne by the daughter of Hussein and the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed, Sukayna bint Hussein. She is revered as a great saint among Shi’a Muslims, known in her life time for her devotion, piety and charity, she was the favorite daughter of Hussein.

As of 2010, Sakina was the 444th most popular female name in France while its Maghrebin form of Soukaina came in lower at # 487.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Soukaina (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
  • Sukaina/Sukayna (Arabic)
  • Sukina (Arabic)