Brona

Brona is an anglicized form of Brónach, an Irish female name meaning “sorrow” via Old Irish brón (sorrow, grief, lamentation) which ultimately derives from Proto-Celtic *brugnos (sadness, pain), itself of uncertain origin though it has been linked to a PIE root word. Origin: Proto-Celtic via an uncertain origin Meaning: “sorrow” Usage: Irish (anglicized) Variants: Brónach…

Pluto

Pluto is the the Roman god of the underworld, the Roman counterpart of Hades. Apparently, the Ancient Greeks preferred to call Hades Plouton (“giver of wealth”) because they were afraid of saying his real name aloud. Pluto was also the name of the formerly ninth planet in the Solar System, first discovered in 1930, and…

Efrat

Efrat is a Hebrew female name, a variant of Ephrath which means “fruitful”, derived from the same root word as the name Ephraim. Ephrath is mentioned in the Bible as the name of a place where Rachel died giving birth to her son Benjamin; Ephrath is also the name of one of the wives of…

Stratton

Stratton comes from an English surname, a locational name for someone who came from any of several places called Stratton. It’s made up of Old English straet (road, street) via Latin strāta (paved road); combined with Old English tūn (enclosure, settlement). However, there’s a Stratton in Cornwall in which the first part of the name…

Sohayla

Sohayla is a variant spelling of Suhaila, the Arabic feminine form of Suhail meaning “plain, level” which ultimately relates to an Arabic root word related to easiness. Suhail is the name of a few stars in Arabic astronomy, including the official name of a star (also known as Lambda Velorum) in the southern constellation of…

Cygnus

Cygnus is the name of a constellation lying along the plane of the Milky Way, as well as being featured in Greek mythology, as a disguised Zeus in swan form when he seduced the Spartan queen Leda, fathering their daughter Helen. It’s also the name of several figures in Ovid’s Metamorphosis, all of whom are…

Kailyn

Kailyn is an a modern female name in English, a variant of Kaylyn which is a combination of Kay, which is often used as a nickname for Katherine though it has various other meanings depending on its background; and the suffix -lyn, which could, incidentally, derive from Welsh llyn meaning “lake”. However, the Kailyn spelling…

Davian

Davian seems to be an elaborated form of David which comes from Hebrew meaning “beloved”. Davian is also, interestingly enough, a surname of French origin which may have originated as a pet-form of David, or it could have originated as a variant of Davin, another surname which may have originated as an anglicized form of…

Persida

Persida is the Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, and Romanian form of Persis meaning “Persian woman”, referring to a woman who came from Persia or had a Persian background, as well as also being another name for the country of Persia. Persia was an empire located in what is now Iran; the name is an Ancient Greek form of Old…

Rock

Rock comes from an English surname, a locational name for someone who lived near a notable crag or outcropping though it may also have originated as a variant of atter oake, meaning “at the oak” in Old English, in reference to someone who lived near a large oak tree. It may also have originated as…

Avon

Avon is the name of several rivers in England meaning “river”, which comes from Welsh afon (river) via Proto-Brythonic *aβon (river) via Proto-Celtic *abū (river) ultimately deriving from a PIE root word. Avon is also an English surname, originating as a locational name from any of several places called Avon; and Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, is…

Race

Race comes from an English surname of uncertain meaning and origin. It’s possible that it may have originated as a variant of Welsh Rees, itself a variant spelling of Reese, an anglicized form of Welsh given name Rhys meaning “ardor, enthusiasm”. Race is also a word in English; as a noun it refers to a…

Althea

Althea is a contracted form of Aletheia, the name of daimon (spirit, or personification) of truth and sincerity. In Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Zeus while according to a story in Aesop’s Fables, Aletheia was crafted by the Titan Prometheus. The name, obviously, means “truth” from Ancient Greek alḗtheia (ἀλήθεια) via alēthḗs (true,…

Bentley

Bentley comes from an English surname, a locational name for someone who came from any of several places called Bentley. The name means “bent-grass clearing”, made up of Old English element beonet (bent-grass, in reference to reeds or rushes), which derives from Proto-West Germanic *binut (bent grass) of uncertain origin; combined with lēah (woodland; clearing)…