Nana

Nana is both a female and male given name with multiple origins and meanings behind it: Nana is a Japanese female name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: nana 七 “seven”; na 菜 “greens; vegetables” + na “Nara; what?” (菜奈); na 奈 “Nara; what?” + na 々 (used to indicate the repetition of the kanji before it);…

Asaya

Asaya is a Japanese unisex name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: asa 朝 “morning; dynasty; regime” + ya 也 “to be” (朝也); asa 朝 “morning; dynasty; regime” + ya 弥 “all the more; increasingly” (朝弥); asa 麻 “hemp; flax; linen” + ya 矢 “arrow” (麻矢); a 亜 “Asia; rank next. come after” + sa 紗 “silk gauze; gossamer” + ya 弥 “all the more;…

Aeronwy

Aeronwy is a Welsh female name, a combination of Aeron which is either derived from the Welsh word aeron meaning “fruits; berries” or it could be derived from the name of a river derived the name of a Celtic goddess, Agrona, the goddess of war and death in Welsh mythology whose name, fittingly means “battle, slaughter, carnage”; combined…

Maverick

Maverick comes from an English surname. Although I couldn’t find it’s true origin and meaning, it came to refer to unbranded cattle in 19th century America, and later became identified with someone who was independent-minded or considered a rebel, someone who went their own way. This came about because of Samuel Maverick (1803-1870), a Texas lawyer and politician…

Bertha

Bertha is a female given name originating as a short form names beginning with Germanic element beraht meaning “bright, famous”. Berchta (also spelled Perchta) is the name of a Germanic goddess. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Berta (German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene) Berhta (Ancient Germanic) Berthe (French) Bertille (French diminutive of Berthe) Bertina (English)   Male forms:…

Havelock

Havelock comes from an English surname, the medieval English form of Old Norse Hafleikr meaning “sea sport”, made up from Old Norse haf (sea, ocean) and leikr (play; game; sport). Havelock is also the name of a cloth covering a for a cap, a cloth that covers and protects the ears and back of the neck; it was named…

Rossa

Rossa is an Italian word meaning “red”, the feminine singular of rosso (red) which comes from Latin russus (red) derived from a PIE root word. Rossa is the name of several places located in Italy and is also an Italian surname originating from the locational name. Rossa could also be used as a feminine form of Ross, a Scottish…

Dexter

Dexter comes from an English surname, an occupational name originally used for a female dyer though it’s been commonly used as a male given name. Dexter is also a Latin word meaning “right; on the right side” as well as meaning “skillful; adroit” via Latin dextera (right hand) deriving from PIE *deḱs- “right (opposite left) or essentially south”. Nicknames: Dex…

Mellifera

Mellifera is the scientific name for honeybees which comes from Latin meaning “honey-bearing” or “bearing honey”, made up from mel (honey) and -fer (carrying, bearing, bringing), both go which derive from a PIE root. Interesting fact: Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), known as the father of modern taxonomy, was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist. He created the binomial…

Azrael

Azrael is the name of an angel in Jewish and Muslim tradition, he is known as an angel of death who separates the soul from the body at the moment of death; in Islam, he is one of four archangels, along with Jibril (Gabriel), Mikha’il (Michael) and Israfil. The name means “my God is help” made up from Hebrew azar (to…

Liviana

Liviana is an Ancient Roman female name, the feminine form of Livianus which itself comes from Livius, an Ancient Roman family name of uncertain meaning though it’s been linked to Latin lividus meaning “bluish; envious”. Origin: uncertain, possibly Proto-Indo-European Variants: Livia (Ancient Roman, Italian, Romanian, English) Lívia (Portuguese, Hungarian, Slovak) Livie (French, Czech) Liwia (Polish)   Male forms: Livianus…

Lemuel

Lemuel is a male given name meaning “devoted to God” or “dedicated to God”. Origin: Hebrew  

Sevilla

Sevilla is the name of a city in Spain, the capital of Andalusia. It has a long history of colonization of various civilizations, first colonized by the Phoenicians who name dit Spal meaning “valley, plain” in the Phoenician language, from sefela (valley, plain). During Roman rule, the name became Hispalis, than Isbilia when the Moors took over, which eventually…

Joachim

Joachim is a German, French, and Polish male name, a contracted form of Jehoiachin meaning “established by Yahweh”, or Jehoiakim meaning “raised by Yahweh”. It can be pronounced as yo-a-keem in German, yaw-a-kheem in Polish, zhaw-a-keem in French, or jo-a-keem in English. Joachim is also as surname originating from the given name. Origin: Hebrew Variants: Ioachim (Latin) Ioakeim (Greek) Jochim…