Gender: Feminine
Origin: Czech
Meaning: “love”
(lee-BYEH-nah).
The name is derived from the Slavic element ljub meaning “love.” Its designated name-day in the Czech Republic is November 6th. Other forms of the name include the Bulgarian Lyubina and the Serbo-Croat Ljubina. Czech diminutive forms are Líba, Libuška and Libby.
Origin: Bulgarian/Czech/Serbo-Croatian/Slovakian/Slovenian
Meaning “broken glory.”
The name is composed of the Old Slavonic elements pribi meaning “pierced, broken” and slav “glory.” It was borne by several medieval Slavic princes. There is another Serbian male form which is Prvoslav. There are the obscure Polish forms, Przybysław and Przybysława (thanks to Magdalena for providing the info for the Polish forms).
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Serbo-Croat/Slovakian/Slovene/Bulgarian
Meaning: “good health; pleasant health; favorable health.”
(ZDRAH-vo-MEEL)
The name is composed of the Old Slavonic elements zdravo meaning “health” and mil meaning “favor, pleasant.” Its designated name-day is October 22. Diminutive form is Zdravko which is often used as an independent given name.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: French
Meaning: “noble”
Eng (AD-eh-LINE); Fr (ah-de-LEEN)
The name was a Medieval French diminutive form of Adéle which is from the Germanic Adela meaning “noble.” The name fell out of usage as a diminutive form and has been used as an independent given name in its own right since the late Middle Ages. The name enjoyed a trend in English speaking countries during the 18th and 19th-century. It has since then been creeping back into widespread usage. In 1999, Adeline stood at # 924 in the Top 1000 Female Names, it has risen all the way up to #361 in 2008. The name was borne by Blessed Adeline (b. 1125) a French nun known for her piety. It was also the nickname of Adelina Patti (born Adela Juana Maria Patti 1843). She was a famous opera singer of Italian descent. Other forms of the name excluding Adele are:
Popular English nicknames include: Addie, Adele, and Del. In France, the designated name-day is October 20.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Czech/Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian
Meaning: “lover of beauty.”
(krah-soh-MEE-lah).
The name is composed of the Old Slavonic elements kras meaning “beauty” and mil meaning “love; favour; grace.” In Czech and Slovak, the name is associated with Pysna Princezna a beloved Czechoslovak fairy tale written by Bozena Nemcova, the story was adapted into a classic Czech film in the 1950s. The protagonist princess is named Krasomila. The designated name-day is October 10.
The name is a feminine form of Radko, which is a derivative of the old Slavonic rad meaning “care; joy.” Its designated name day in the Czech Republic is September 14th. The name was borne by Bulgarian-Norwegian jazz singer, Radka Toneff (1952-1982).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Bulgarian
Meaning: “good.”
(doh-BREE-nah).
Do you like Sabrina, but find it just a tad bit too dated? Or perhaps the Sabrina the Teenage Witch associations nag at you. Then you might want to consider this Balkan beauty.
Dobrina is a common Bulgarian female name derived from the word dobra meaning “good.”
It is also the name of a tiny village, made up of 200 something inhabitants, in northeastern Bulgaria.
In Bulgaria, Dobrina’s name day is celebrated on the 27th of July.
Its diminutive forms are Dobrinka, Dobra and Dobri.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “of Magdala.”
We have the exotic and sophisticated Magdalena, the French classic Madeleine and the English trend setter Madeline. The origins of these names go all the way back to the Bible, the New Testament to be exact. It is derived from a title given to the famous Catholic saint, Mary Magdalen, also known as Mary of Magdala. Magdala, being the town that the former prostitute turned follower of Christ, hailed from, a town on the sea, near Galilee, its meaning being “tower.”
In the Middle Ages, St. Mary Magdalen was a beloved saint, making the name popular in virtually every European country, evolving into myriad different forms. The cult of St. Mary Magdalen was especially popular in France, where she was known as La Madeleine (lah mah-deh-LEN). In fact, tradition holds that, after the death of Christ, Mary Magdalen travelled to France, where she converted many of the early inhabitants to the new faith. She is considered one of France’s patron saints and it is believed that her bones were buried in France. La Madeleine gave her name to several communes in France as well as a river. It is even the name of a famous French pastry.
While you are out rushing to work, standing in line, getting your daily fix of Starbucks, you may notice that at the front counter there are packages of a soft little sponge-like cookie. These are madeleines or petit madeleines. They are a popular snack in France, made from lemon and butter, and are known for their distinctive shell shape. Legend has it that they acquired their name from the lady who invented them, Madeleine Paulmier. They are a delightful little treat, and I recommend that the next time you are at Starbucks, you should try them yourself.
Likewise, Madeleine has been a very popular choice in Great Britain and currently ranks in as the 80th most popular feminine name in Britain and Wales for 2007, while in its home country of France, it comes in rather low. It was the 454th most popular feminine name in France for 2006.
Let us not forget the fun and sweet version of Madeline (MAD-eh-LINE), Madeline seems to be specifically a North American version of the French form. Originally pronounced (MAD-eh-LIN), its preferred pronunciation has switched over to the former in the last decade, no doubt due to the popular children’s series of books of the same name.
Madeline has been quite popular the last few years, she ranked in at a whopping 61 in the 2007 most popular feminine names in the United States. She has also made her mark in other non-British English speaking countries, such as Canada and Australia. In Canada she came in at 85, while in Australia 93.
There is also the trendified corrupted form of Madelyn, which currently comes in at # 104, however, it is advisable to use the French spelling if you prefer the (Mad-eh-lin) pronunciation, which seems to be the goal of the parents of the Madelyns.
Nicknames include Maddie, Leine and Lynn. The name is borne by Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Madeleine Albright, and author Madeleine L’Engle.
Let us now move on to its Eastern European alternative of Magdalena (MAHG-dah-LAY-nah). This form is used in Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Poland. It is especially popular in both Poland and the Czech Republic where it is often shortened to Magda, and occasionally Lenka. There are the Czech spin offs of Alenka and Madlenka, used as an independent name.
Magdalena might be appealing to English speaking parents who love the nickname Maggie but really dislike Margaret. On top of that, it can be shortened to appealing and trendy Laney or even Lena.
Other popular offshoots include the English corrupted form of Madelaine (MAD-eh-LANE): given to the daughter of David Duchovny and Téa Leoni. The dated German forms of Marlene (Eng mar-LEEN; Germ mahr-LEH-neh) & Marla and the Polish Marlena.The designated name day for all of these names is July 22.
French diminutives are Mado and Madelon. Polish diminutive forms are: Madzia, Magda, Magdunia, Magdusia and Magdeczka. Hungarian diminutives are, Duci
There are a few Italian masculine forms and that includes, Maddaleno, Magdalo and Maido.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Slavonic
Meaning: “dawn.”
(ZOH-rah).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Bulgarian
Meaning: “dahlia”
(gare-GEE-nah)
The name is derived from the Bulgarian word for the dahlia flower.
The dahlia is planted in Spring and starts blooming in June throughout the summer months.