Zia

Gender: Masculine / Feminine

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: “Light, splendor, glow.”

Pronunciation: (ZEE-uh)

Nicknames: Zi

Detail: According to the Holy Quran it means the “light of true knowledge”.

Variations:

• Zia
• Ziya

Ziad

Gender: Masculine

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: “Growth.”

Pronunciation: (ZEE-ahd)

Detail: Means “growth” in Arabic.

Varients:

• Ziad
• Ziyad

Oxana

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 5^th century saint.

Female Variations:

• Aksinya (Russian)
• Ksenia (Polish)
• Ksenija (Slovene, Croatian)
• Oksana (Ukrainian, Russian)
• Oxana (Ukrainian, Russian)
• Senja (Finnish)
• Xena (Modern)
• Xene (Greek)
• Xenia (Greek)
• Zena (English)
• Zenia (English)

Zulema

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: “Peace.”

Pronunciation: (zoo-LEE-mah)

Nicknames: Zu, Zuli, Zulily, Zuma, Ema

Zosimus

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:

• Sosimo (Spanish)
• Zosimo (Spanish)
• Zosimos (Ancient Greek)
• Zosimus (Ancient Greek)

Female Variations:

• Zosime (Ancient Greek) [ZOH-suh-mee]
  • Nicknames: Zosi, Zoe

Zilla

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: “Shadow.”

Pronunciation: (ZILL-ah)

Nicknames: Zilly

Detail: In the bible, this is the name of Lamech’s second wife.

Zinnia

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Latin

Meaning: “Zinn’s flower.”

Pronunciation: (ZIN-ee-ah)

Nicknames: Zia, Zinn, Zini, Nia

Detail: The zinnia, a flower from the aster family, is named after botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn.

Zemina

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Slavic

Meaning: “The one who belongs to the Earth.”

Pronunciation: (zeh-MEE-nah)

Nicknames: Zemi, Mina

Detail: The Lithuanian Earth Goddess.

Zafrira

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: “Morning wind.”

Pronunciation: (za-FREE-rah)

Nicknames: Zafa, Zafi

Zorya

A girl plays with a tame wolf in the village of Nadbiarezha

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Ukrainian

Meaning: “Rising star.”

Pronunciation: (ZOHR-yah)

Nicknames: Zori, Zor, Zora, Zoro

Detail: The future of our universe rests in the hands of three young women, the Zorya. The most important task of these heavenly Slavic stunners is to guard over the doomsday dog who tries to eat the constellation Ursa Minor (the little bear). If the dog ever breaks free from the chain, the universe will end.

In ancient Slavic mythology, the Zorya are the guardian goddesses of sky and light. There was the morning star (Utrennyaya); the evening star (Vechernyaya); and the midnight Zorya (Polunochnaya).

Griselda

The Young Shepherdess (1885) William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Gender: Feminine

Origin: German

Meaning: “Dark battle; stone; grey warrior maiden.”

Pronunciation: (grih-ZEL-dah) Griselda

Nicknames: Zelda, Gris, Grisi, Grey, Grizzly, Grace, Elda

Detail: In medieval European lore, Griselda was the wife of nobleman who tolerated any annoyance or grief he caused her. She is known in several literary works, including the Canterbury Tales and the Decameron, as “Patient Griselda.”

In the Clerk’s Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Lord Walter, an Italian Nobleman takes the Shepherd girl Griselda as his wife.

Griselda Marchbanks personally examines Harry Potter in his O.W.L.s.

Variations:

• Gricelda
• Gricely
• Griselde
• Grisella
• Griselle
• Griselly
• Grishelda
• Grishilde
• Grisleys
• Grizelda
• Gryselde
• Gryzelde
• Selda
• Zelda