The name is of uncertain meaning, it is possibly a feminine form of the Welsh male name, Lleu (bright, light), or composed of the Welsh element, lleu (bright; light) and cu (dear), or derived from the Welsh lleuad (moon).
It is the name of a heroine in the 14th-century Welsh poem by Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen, Marwnad Lleucu Llwyd, it is said to have been written for his deceased lover of the same name.
From the Medieval Italian term, villano, meaning a farmhand, countryman, peasant, ultimately from the Latin villanus, of the same above meaning.
Both its masculine form of Villano and its feminine form of Villana were in common use in Medieval Italy. Its masculine form was born by two 12th-century Italian bishops, and its feminine form was born by Bl. Villana de Botti (1332-1360), an Italian nun and penitent who is currently up for canonization by the Catholic Church.
Both names fell out of use in Italy due to the term later taking on the meaning of a rude or crass person. Villano is however, also an Italian surname. Its gallicized forms of Villain and Villaine appear in sporadic use in France between the 11th-17th centuries.
Villanella is a type of Italian music, which later spun off the Villanelle (derived from pluralized of the former word), which is the name of a type of pastoral poem that became popular in 19th-century England.
Villanelle was used as the name of a character in the 1987 Jeannette Winterson novel, The Passion. It was then used as the name of a character in the Luke Jennings’ thriller novel, Codename Villanelle, which later spun off the BBC series, Killing Eve (2018-2022). Since 2018, the name has appeared in sporadic use in the U.K. being given to 5 baby girls a year.
Theoretically, Villanella could have been a Medieval diminutive form of Villana, and it would then be possible to gallicize the name to Villanelle, but I cannot find any records for either name being used prior to the 21st-century, and Villana’s French form was Villaine, which would more likely to have lend itself to the diminutive form of Villainette.
The name comes directly from the Farsi word کیمیا (kimia), which originally had a connotation of something rare or unique but later came to form the base word and concept of alchemy. It appears in Persian literature, starting in the 10th-century (CE).
Another spelling is Kimya.
Among the Persian diaspora in Western countries, the name is often shortened to Kim.
Alternately, Kimiya can also be a Japanese male name that changes meaning, depending on the kanji used.
The name is composed of the Norwegian words vesle meaning “little” and møy an old slang term for girl which was derived from the Old Norse word mey meaning “girl; virgin.”. It first appeared as a name in the 1895 epic Nynorsk poem by Arne Garborg Haugtussa (Fairy Maid). The Haugtussa is a cycle of poems that recount the exploits of a young psychic Norwegian girl named Gislaug, nicknamed Veslemøy. The name seems to have caught on after the publication of the poems and is relatively common in Norway. Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg later set some of the poetry to music. Its designated name-day is November 1. Common nickname is Mey which is also used as an independent name in Denmark.
Gender: Feminine
Legitimate Baby Names 