Names Categorized "rare English"

Azure is an English given name and surname derived from the word for the vivid blue color of the sky. The color word traces its etymology through Old French azur, Medieval Latin lazurium, Arabic lāzaward, and ultimately...

Balfour is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from a Scottish surname that originated as a locational name. The surname is derived from various places in Scotland called Balfour, which themselves come from...

Barnabas is a name of Greek origin that derives from an Aramaic byname. In the New Testament book of Acts, Barnabas was the name given to a man originally called Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus who became a companion of the...

Barret is a variant of the surname Barrett used as a given name. Barrett is of Norman origin, introduced to England and Ireland after the Norman Conquest, and its meaning is often interpreted as "warlike" or "troublesome...

Beaumont is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from the French surname Beaumont, which means "beautiful mountain" (from Old French beu, bel 'beautiful' + mont 'mountain'). The surname originally referred t...

Beauregard is a masculine given name of French origin, derived from the surname Beauregard, which means "beautiful aspect" or "beautiful gaze," from the Old French elements bel (beautiful) and regard (regard, aspect). Th...

Berry is an English given name derived from the word for the small fruit, ultimately from Old English berie. This usage as a personal name emerged only in the 20th century, likely influenced by the natural-world trend in...

Bethney is an English feminine given name, a variant spelling of Bethany. Like its parent name, Bethney derives from the biblical town of Bethany, which in the New Testament is notable as the home of Lazarus, Mary, and M...

Betony is a rare English feminine given name derived from the common name of a group of flowering plants, most notably Stachys officinalis (also known as Stachys betonica). This herb has been valued since antiquity for i...

Bevis is a masculine given name of English origin, transferred from a surname that likely derives from the French town of Beauvais in Normandy. The name entered England after the Norman Conquest and is classified as a ha...

Blondie is an English feminine given name that originated as a nickname for a person with blond hair. It is famously associated with the title character of Chic Young's long-running comic strip Blondie, which debuted in...

Etymology and Color OriginBlue is an English given name derived directly from the word for the color blue. The color term entered English through Norman French bleu, from a Frankish root, replacing the native Old English...

Blythe is a predominantly feminine given name derived from an Old English surname meaning "cheerful," "joyful," or "pleasant." The surname itself traces back to the Old English word bliþe (sometimes spelled blīthe), whic...

Boniface is a given name derived from the Late Latin Bonifatius, meaning “good fate” (from Latin bonum “good” and fatum “fate, destiny”). The name was borne by nine popes and numerous saints, most notably Saint Boniface...

Braidy is a modern English variant of Brady, a name with deep Irish roots. The original surname Brady comes from the Irish Ó Brádaigh, meaning 'descendant of Brádach.' The personal name Brádach is derived from the Old Ir...

Braith is a masculine first name of uncertain origin, likely derived from the Welsh words brith or braith, meaning "speckled" or "dappled." This etymology connects it to similar Welsh names and elements, such as the nick...

Brand is an English masculine given name derived from a surname, itself a variant of Brant. The ultimate root of this name is the Old Norse Brandr, which was originally a byname meaning “fire, torch, sword.” The name thu...

Branda is a feminine given name of English origin, possibly a variant of Brandy or a feminine form of Brand. The name Brandy itself derives from the English word for the alcoholic drink, which ultimately comes from Dutch...

Briony is a variant of the name Bryony, derived from the name of a type of Eurasian vine, Bryonia, formerly used in herbal medicine. The ultimate etymology traces to Greek βρύω (bryo) meaning "to swell".The plant genus B...

Britannia is an English given name derived directly from the Latin name of the island of Britain, which has been in occasional use since the 18th century. This name is also the accustomed designation for the Roman female...

Brittania is a variant spelling of Britannia, the ancient Latin name for the island of Great Britain and, by extension, its Roman province. Sporadic use as an English feminine given name dates to the 18th century, reflec...

Bronte is a unisex given name of English origin, derived from the surname Brontë. The surname has Irish roots, being an Anglicized form of Ó Proinntigh, meaning "descendant of Proinnteach." The personal name Proinnteach...

Bryanne is a feminine given name of English origin. It is a modern variant of Breanne and ultimately the feminine form of the masculine name Brian. The name emerged primarily in the late 20th century as part of a trend o...

Brynne is a feminine given name in English-speaking countries, most notably in the United States and Canada. It is a variant spelling of Brynn, which itself is a feminine form of Bryn, a unisex name derived from the Wels...

Bryony is a feminine given name derived from the common name of a genus of Eurasian vines, Bryonia. The plant name ultimately traces back to the Greek word βρύω (bryo), meaning "to swell", a reference to its former use a...

Burgundy is a given name, primarily used for girls in English-speaking contexts, that draws its meaning from three interconnected sources: the historical region of Burgundy in France, the wine produced there, and the dee...

Byrne is an English given name and surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Broin, meaning "descendant of Bran," where Bran means "ravens" in Irish. The name is closely associated with the powerful Leinster-bas...

Caelan is a modern English unisex name with two distinct linguistic origins. As a masculine name, it is an Anglicized form of the Irish name Caolán, which means "slender" (from Irish caol) combined with the diminutive su...

Caetlin is a contemporary English variant of Caitlin, which itself is an anglicized form of the Irish name Caitlín. This lineage traces back through Old French to the Greek name Katherine, whose etymology is rich and deb...

Caileigh is a feminine given name of English origin, serving as a creative spelling variant of Kayleigh. The name's etymology traces back to the invented name Kaylee, which combines the phonetic elements kay and lee. Lik...

Cailin is a modern American feminine name that originated as a variant of Kaylyn. Kaylyn itself is a contemporary coinage blending the popular phonetic elements kay (often drawn from names like Caitlin or Kelly) and lyn...

Calanthe is a feminine given name derived from the genus of orchids known as Calanthe, which are commonly called Christmas orchids. The name ultimately comes from the Greek words καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and ἄνθ...

Calanthia is an elaborated feminine name derived from Calanthe. The root name Calanthe comes from the genus of orchids, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower," composed of the Greek elements kalos ("beautiful") and anthos...

Callista is a feminine given name derived from the Greek word kallístē, meaning "most beautiful." It is a variant of Calista, which itself is the feminine form of Callistus, a Late Latin name from Greek Kallistos ("most...

Camellia is a feminine given name taken directly from the name of the flowering shrub—the Camellia genus. The shrub itself was named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the Jesuit botanist and missionary Georg Josef Kamel (1661...

Capricia is an elaborated feminine form of Caprice, an English word name meaning "impulse" or "whim," derived from Italian capriccio. While Caprice entered English via French as a term for a sudden, unpredictable change...

Careen is a feminine given name of English origin, serving as a variant of Carreen. The name Carreen was famously coined by Margaret Mitchell for her novel Gone with the Wind (1936), where it is a blend of Caroline and I...

Etymology and OriginCaris is a variant of the Welsh name Carys, which itself is derived from the Welsh word caru meaning "love." While Carys has been in use since the mid-20th century, Caris emerged as an alternative spe...

Carlisa is a modern English feminine name, formed as a combination of Carla and Lisa. It belongs to a tradition of blending names to create hybrid forms, often to honor multiple relatives or to produce a unique, melodiou...

EtymologyCarreen is a literary name coined by Margaret Mitchell for her 1936 novel Gone with the Wind. It is a combination of Caroline and Irene, two names well known in the English-speaking world. Caroline is the French...

Carver is an English surname that has seen occasional use as a given name, particularly in the United States. As an occupational surname, it originally denoted a wood carver or sculptor, deriving from Middle English carv...

Cassarah is a modern invented name primarily used in English-speaking contexts. It was inspired by the title of the 1956 hit song Que Sera, Sera, performed by Doris Day. The song's title, meaning "what will be, will be",...

Cate is a feminine given name and a variant of Kate, typically considered a short form of Katherine and its various spellings. It is of English usage and has Latin, French, and Welsh origins.Etymology and HistoryThe name...

Catherin is a variant of the widely used feminine name Katherine, which itself has a rich and debated etymology. The name ultimately traces back to the Greek Aikaterine (Αἰκατερίνη), whose origin may lie in Hekaterine (Ἑ...

EtymologyCatherina is a variant of Katherine, a name with a complex and debated etymology. Katherine ultimately derives from the Greek name Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine), whose origin is uncertain. It may have evolved from Ἑκα...

Cayley is a modern feminine given name, a variant of Kaylee. It shares the same phonetic construction: the element kay combined with lee, a trendy syllabic pattern that contributed to the name's rise in the late 20th cen...

Ceara is a feminine given name used in English-speaking countries, primarily as a variant of the Irish name Ciara. The name Ciara itself derives from the Spanish word sierra, meaning "mountain range" — specifically, a ra...

Cearra is a modern English feminine name, a variant of Ciara 2. The name Ciara itself is a variant spelling of Sierra, which is derived from the Spanish word meaning "mountain range" (specifically one with jagged peaks)....

Cedar is a female given name of English origin, derived directly from the English word for the coniferous tree. The tree name itself traces back through Old French and Latin to Greek κέδρος (kedros). While the term "ceda...

Celandine is a rare feminine given name of English origin, taken directly from the name of a flower. The term 'celandine' refers to two distinct but unrelated plants: the greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) and the les...

Celestia is a feminine name derived from the Late Latin Caelestius, itself a variant of Caelestis, meaning "of the sky, heavenly" from Latin caelum "heaven, sky." Unlike the masculine Caelestius, which carries historical...

Celinda is a feminine given name predominantly used in English-speaking countries. It is likely a blend of the names Celia and Linda. Celia, a name introduced to the English-speaking public at large through Shakespeare's...

Chalice is a feminine given name derived directly from the English word chalice, meaning "goblet" or "drinking cup," which ultimately comes from Latin calix (cup), borrowed from Ancient Greek κύλιξ (kylix). As a name, it...

Charis is an Ancient Greek feminine name derived from the word χάρις (charis), meaning "grace, kindness." It is the feminine form of the masculine name Chares, which was borne by a 4th-century BC Athenian general and by...

Charnette is a feminine given name of English origin, likely an invented name created in the 20th century.

Cherice is a feminine given name of English origin, considered a variant of Charisse. Charisse is derived from a French surname of uncertain meaning, later popularized as a given name in honor of the American actress and...

Chesley is a unisex given name and surname of English origin. As a given name, it derives from a surname that itself originated as a place name, which in Old English is thought to mean “camp meadow,” combining with a com...

Chevonne is a variant of Shavonne, itself an Anglicized form of the Irish name Siobhán. Siobhán is the Irish equivalent of Jeanne, the modern French form of Jehanne, an Old French feminine variant of Iohannes, ultimately...

Chile is a relatively rare English masculine given name, considered a variant of Kyle. The name Kyle itself derives from a Scottish surname originating from various place names in Ayrshire and elsewhere, ultimately from...

Christabel is a feminine given name of English origin, formed by combining the name Christina with the suffix bel (inspired by Latin bella, meaning "beautiful"). The name thus carries the overall meaning of "beautiful Ch...