Gender: Feminine
Origin: Norwegian/Estonian
(ah-MEEL-deh)
The name is derived from the old German Armhild, which was a variation of Irmhild, made up of the elements, irm meaning “armour” and hild meaning “battle” hence “armour battle.”
The name is also occasionally used in South America.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
(HAY-zul)
The name comes directly from the English word for the plant or shrub which is classified in the birch family and produces the flavorful nut known as hazelnut.
The word itself is derived from the Anglo-saxon Haesel. Like many popular floral names, Hazel first came into usage in the 19th-century. The word hazel is also used to describe a type of eye colour that is a mixture of green and brown.
The highest she has ranked in the U.S. top 1000 is in 1897 when she came in at # 18. Hazel completely fell out of the top 1000 in 1975 and reappeared in 1998 coming in at # 940. She currently rests at # 343 and seems to be rising. In Ireland she is quite popular, coming in at # 87 in 2007.
It was the name of a popular sitcom of the 1960s.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “laurel.”
Eng (LORE-uh); It/Span (LOW-rah).
The name first came into usage during the 9th century in Spain, due to the cult of Saint Laura of Cordova, (864).
She was a widow who decided to become a nun, but was put in a vat of molten lead and was boiled to death by her Moorish captors.
Laure de Noves, was the object of the poet, Petrarch’s affection (1308-1348). The Italian poet refers to her as Laura in his writings.
Laura, illustrated by her virtues and well-celebrated in my verse, appeared to me for the first time during my youth in 1327, on April 6, in the Church of Saint Claire in Avignon, in the first hour of the day; and in the same city, in the same month, on the same sixth day at the same first hour in the year of 1348, withdrew from life, while I was at Verona, unconscious of my loss…. Her chaste and lovely body was interred on the evening of the same day in the church of the Minorites: her soul, as I believe, returned to heaven, whence it came. (Petrarch)
Laure de Noves was the wife of Hugh de Sade, (the ancestor of the Marquis de Sade in which the name Laure appears often in the Sade family tree), who ultimately dies from the plague. She was the symbol of unrequited love and was transformed into a Beatrice type character after her death in many of Petrarch’s poems.
The name has always been relatively common in the English speaking world. Laura currently comes in at # 215 of the U.S. top 1000. In other countries her rankings are as follows:
Other forms include:
Diminutive forms of Laura include Laurie, Lori, Lorie and Lauretta (Italian); Laurita (Spanish) and Laurette (French).
Masculine forms are the Italian Lauro and the late Latin Laurus.
The Laura form is used in most Romance speaking countries including Italy, Romania and is used among Portuguese speakers. It is also used throughout Central Europe such as the German speaking countries, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The name is borne by former first lady of the United States Laura Bush, children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder, Laura Esquival author of Like Water for Chocolate. British designer and clothing brand Laura Ashley. Actress Laura Linney.
It is also the name of a river that runs through the Ukraine and Romania and the name of a village in Gliwice County, Poland.
Coincidentally, in Greek Lavra and Laura was a term used in the Eastern Orthodox church to describe a cluster of cells or caves, designed for monastic hermits. In this case, the name is derived from the Greek meaning an “alley” or “passage way.”
(Pictured above: Laure de Noves).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hungarian
Meaning “sunbeam.”
(NAHP-shoo-GAR)
A name that has recently become popular in Hungary, pre-Christian Magyar word names, such as this, have been almost exclusively used on children since the fall of the Soviet Era, possibly a nod to Hungarian culture, language and pride.
The name comes directly from the Hungarian word describing a sunbeam.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Finnish
(OH-nare-vah) Pronunciaton can be heard here: http://www.forvo.com/word/onerva)
The name is derived from the Finnish word describing the “aftermath” of plants or “hay.”
The designated name-day is August 14.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Persian
Meaning: “butterfly.”
The name comes directly from the Farsi meaning “butterfly.” Parvana is the Pashtun version. Farvaneh is an older Persian form.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Serbian
Meaning “active”
(rah-DOY-kah)
The name is a popular one in Serbia, though technically it comes from the same root as the word radost, which appears in all the Southern Slavic languages. The masculine form is Radoje (rah-DOY-yeh).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Icelandic
Meaning: “sea goddess”
(SY-dees)
The name is made up of the Norse elements sae meaning “sea” and dis meaning “goddess.”
As of 2008, approximately 147 women in Iceland bore this as a first name, and 33 had it as a middle name.
The name is also in usage on the Faroe Islands.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Slovenian
Meaning: “dawn.”
(ZAR-yah)
The name is derived from an old Slavonic name Zarya, which was the name of an ancient Slavonic goddess of the dawn.
Zarja is also the word for dawn in Slovenian.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “hope”
(VEEL-tay)
The name is derived from the Lithuanian word viltis, meaning “hope.”
It is a direct translation of the Latin saint’s name Spes.
It is currently the 8th most popular female name in Lithuania (2008)