Gender: Feminine
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: “Eastern; where sun rises; Dawn.”
Pronunciation: (0h-STAHR-uh)
Nicknames: Ossie, Ozzie, Star
Detail: Ostara, may come from the word “east”, meaning dawn.
Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility. Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: “eastre.”
Variations:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: “Fighter/soldier for God.”
Pronunciation: (vee-YOH-nah)
Nicknames: Vi, Vija, Jona
Details: Formed from the combination of the Germanic/Norse vi meaning “holy, fighter” and from the Germanic jona, feminine form of John, derived from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning “god is gracious”.
For those of us who like Fiona, this could make a very unusual, alternative choice.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Wide shining.”
Pronunciation: (pah-SIH-fah-ee)
Nicknames: Pasi, Posy, Phae, Fae
Detail: In Greek myth, Pasiphae is the daughter of Helios and Perse, and wife of King Minos. When Minos had the misfortune of insulting Poseidon, the god kindled a passionate love in Pasiphae for a bull. She had Daedalus design a construction so that she could mate with the bull, and thus she became the mother of the Minotaur.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Love of God.”
Pronunciation: (ahm-uh-DAY-us)
Nicknames: Amo, Amadeo, Deo
Detail: Derived from Latin amare “to love” and Deus “God”.
A famous bearer was the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
1 True Love refers to God
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old English
Meaning: “Blessed spear.”
Pronunciation: (ED-gahr)
Nicknames: Ed, Eddy
Detail: Derived from the Old English elements ead “rich, blessed” and gar “spear”.
This was the name of a 10th-century English king who is regarded as a saint.
Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Small island.”
Pronunciation: (nee-SAH-kee)
Nicknames: Saki
Detail: From Edgar Allan Poe’s Al Aaraaf, there is an angel named Nesace, who is Beauty personified.
Variations:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “The highest.”
Pronunciation: (soh-PRAT-uh)
Nicknames: So, Sopi, Sopa,
Possibly derived from the Latin supra meaning “high”.
Little is known of Soprata and her sister Eustolia, however they were revered as saints since the 7th century.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Good harvest.”
Pronunciation: (yoo-STOH-lee-uh)
Nicknames: Euli, Eulia, Eusie, Sto, Stolie, Story, Lottie, Lia
From the Greek name Eustachys meaning “good harvest”. Male version is Eustolios. This is related to the name Eustace.
Little is known of Eustolia and her sister Soprata, however they were revered as saints since the 7th century.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Hospitality.”
Pronunciation: (ahks-AH-nah)
Nicknames: Ox, Oxi, Oka, Xana, Xani
Ukrainian form of the Greek Xenia, meaning “hospitality “.
Xenia was a 5th century saint.
Female Variations:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Norse
Meaning: “Holy, blessed.”
Pronunciation: (OL-gah); (AWL-gah)
Nicknames: Oli, Ola, Olgi, Olya
Details: Russian form of Helga. From the from Old Norse name Helgi, derived from heilagr meaning “holy, blessed”.
The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of Igor I.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Little bear.”
Pronunciation: (UR-suh-lah)
Nicknames: Ursa, Sula, Ulla
Deatail: Saint Ursula is a Chistian saint.
In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Ursula is a waiting-gentlewoman attendant on Leonato’s daughter, Hero.
In the Harry Potter series, Ursula Black is the wife of Phineas Nigellus Black, a former Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Religious.”
Pronunciation: (soh-LEHM-nee-ah)
Nicknames: Sol, Solle, Soli, Sola, Soleil (soh-LAY, French for “sun”)
Detail: Derived from the Latin sollemnis “religious”.
This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a saint after she was killed by her master.
Variations:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Good order.”
Pronunciation: (yoo-NOH-mee-ah)
Nicknames: Nomi, Gnomes, Eumi, Mia
Detail: Eunomia was the goddess of law and legislation.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Able to survive.”
Pronunciation: (ZOH-suh-muhs) Listen
Nicknames: Zo, Zosi
Detail: A Greek name derived from zosimos meaning “viable” or “likely to survive”.
This was the name of several early saints and a pope.
Male Variations:
Female Variations:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Fortune, Luck.”
Pronunciation: (for-TOON-nah)
Nicknames: Tuna, Tuni, Fora
Detail: The goddess Fortuna controls the destiny of every human being. She is the goddess who permits the fertilization of humans, animals and plants.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Russian from Greek
Meaning: “God is gracious.”
Pronunciation: (ee-VAH-nuh)
Nicknames: Iva, Ivi, Ina, Vana
Feminine form of Ivan, derived from Greek Ioannes “God is gracious”.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “One from Ephesus.”
Pronunciation: (eh-FEE-zee-oh); (eh-FEE-zhoh)
Nicknames: Fiso, Efo
Detail: From the Latin byname Ephesius, which originally belonged to a person who was from the city of Ephesus, in Ionia.
This was the name of a saint martyred on Sardinia in the 4th century
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Honor.”
Pronunciation: (ON-er)
Nicknames: Nonie, Noor, Nora, Nori
From the Latin Honorius which meant “honor”.
Names of several saints, Honorina and Honorius.
Female Variations:
Male Variations:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Fruit tree.”
Pronunciation: (pah-MOH-nah)
Nicknames: Pomme (French word for apple), Pomy, Poppy, Mona
Detail: From the Latin pomus “fruit tree”. This was the name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
In the Harry Potter series Pomona Sprout the professor of Herbology.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Fortunate.”
Pronunciation: (yoo-TEE-kee-uh)
Nicknames: Eut, Tyki, Yuki
Detail: The Greek personification and Goddess of Happiness. In Roman mythology her equivalent was Felicitas.
The Character of Names 