Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “frost; hoar frost; snow; rime.”
(SAHR-mah; sahr-MEE-teh)
The name is derived from a poetic Latvian sarma, which is a poetic word for “frost; hoar frost; snow; rime.” The designated name-day is December 5. As of 2008, 509 women in Latvia bore the name Sarma, while 3 bore the name Sarmite.
The masculine form is Sarmis.
Gender: feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “quick.”
(RYE-tah: trilled R).
The name is derived from the Latvian words raiti or raits meaning “quick.” Its designated name-day is December 3rd. In 2008, approximately 279 women bore this name in Latvia.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: beauteous; fair; beautiful.”
(DYE-leh).
The name is derived from the Latvian adjective daiļš meaning “beauteous; fair; beautiful.” Its designated name-day is December 3rd. In 2008, only 27 women in Latvia bore this name.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “snowflake; snowbird”
(SNYED-zeh).
The name comes directly from the Latvian word for snowflake, it is also the word for the snowbird. Its designated name-day is December 2nd. As of 2008, approximately 201 women bore this name.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “aureate; to have a gold like colour.”
(zel-TOOT-eh).
The name is derived from the Latvian word Zeltīts meaning “aureate” or “to have a gold like colour.” Its designated name-day is November 21.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “gull; seagull.”
Lat (KYE-yah).
The name comes directly from the Latvian word for sea-gull, coincidentally, it is also used in Finland as a form of Katherine. As of 2008, there were 97 registered Kaijas in Latvia. Its designated name-day in Latvia is November 12.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “sparkle.”
(DZAIRK-steh; dzairk-STEE-teh).
Both names are derived from the Latvian word dzirkstīt, meaning “sparkle.”
Dzirkstīte first appeared in Riga in 1933 and was officially added to the Latvian name calendar in 1925. Though never widely popular, it has retained a distinctive folkloric charm. As of 2008, Latvian population records listed 61 women named Dzirkstīte.
Dzirkste was first registered in Riga in 1933 and added to the official Latvian name calendar in 1964. Its diminutive form Dzirkstīte entered the calendar earlier, in 1925, and was likewise first recorded in Riga in 1933. Though neither name became widespread, Dzirkstīte remained more common. As of 2008, Latvian population data recorded 2 women named Dzirkste and 61 named Dzirkstīte.
The designated name-day is November 16.
A short form is Dzika.
Source
Updated on 11/16/2025
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “little she-bear; she-cub; little female bear.”
Eng (ERS-uh-LAH)
The name is of Latin origin but is suggested that is may be a latinization of the old Germanic female name Yrsa meaning “bear” and was popularized by a medieval Christian saint said to be martyred in Cologne. Not much is known about the saint, other that she was martyred under Huns along with 11,000 other virgins, which is now believed to be a misprint from the written source of the legend. What is known for sure is that there was a basilica built in honour of a virgin Christian martyr in Cologne and from this arose several different legends referring to a St. Ursula and St. Cordula. According to the legend, St. Ursula was a British princess who was sent by her father to Germany to marry a prince, along with her, were sent 11,000 maidens, however, her ship was taken off course due to a storm and instead ended up in France where she then decided to do a pan-European Christian pilgramage before meeting her future husband. She made a pilgramage to Rome where she tried to pursuade the pope to do a pilgramage with her and her 11,ooo companions. When she reached cologne she and her companions were massacred by the Huns.
The legend is based off of a 4th century inscription written in the Basilica which was built in the saint’s honour. It is believed that the 11,ooo handmaidens was confused with a female martyr named Undecimilia, Undecimila or Xemilia and that the abbreviation XI.M.V was misread as a number. The same saint has also been referred to under the names Pinnosa or Vinnosa. The name was quite prevalent in Great Britain before the Reformation and went out of usage afterwards. The name is also borne by Swiss actress Ursula Andress (b. 1936). It has also appeared in popular culture as the name of the evil sea-witch in Disney’s the Little Mermaid and as the name of the wife of Nigellus Phineas Black in the Harry Potter Series.
In Poland, the name is associated with a great piece of Polish Literature written by Jan Kochanowski. Known as Laments (Treny) 1580, they are a series of 19 elegies which talk about the author’s grief after the death of his two and half year old daughter Orszola (Urzula) which he refers to as the Slavic Sappho.
Other forms of the name are (divided alphabetically by nationality):
There are a few male equivalents which include:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “blue; azure.”
The name comes directly from the Latvian word zilgme meaning “blue; azure blue.” Its designated name-day is October 6.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “iridescence.”
(zye-GOH-nis).
The name is derived from the Latvian zaigojums meaning “iridescence.” Its designated name-day is October 4. Zaiga is the feminine form.