Chantilly

Chantilly is the name of a town located in the north of France. The name comes from a Gallo-Roman name, Cantilius, which I’ve seen means “white” combined with a diminutive suffix. Chantilly lace is the name of a type of a delicate kind of bobbin lace that was named after the town, first introduced in…

Cheryl

Cheryl is an English female name of uncertain etymology. It could be an elaborated form of Cherie, which comes from French chérie, a word meaning “darling, sweetheart”, perhaps inspired by the Beryl spelling; it’s also possible Cheryl is a combination of Cherry (meaning “cherry”) and Beryl. It’s also possible that Cheryl may have arisen as a variant…

Branwen

Branwen is the name of a major character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi (a collection of 4 related stories, part of the Mabinogion). Branwen was the sister of Brân the Blessed, a giant and the king of Britain. She is married to the Irish king Matholwch but her half-brother Efnysien is angry he…

Viridis

Viridis is a medieval Italian female name which comes from the Latin word viridis meaning “green” as well as “young, fresh, lively, youthful” < vireō (to be verdant, green; to flourish) via PIE root word *weys- (to raise, increase; to produce, procreate). Viridis can also be used as male name derived from the Latin word….

Ahenobarbus

Ahenobarbus comes from a Roman cognomen meaning “copper beard” or “bronze beard”, made up of Latin aēnus (copper, bronze) < Proto-Italic *aeznos (brazen, made up of bronze) via PIE *áyos (a metal, copper, bronze); and barba (beard), also from a PIE root word. It was the name of several consuls of the late Roman Republic….

Dindrane

Dindrane is the name of Percival’s sister in some versions of the Arthurian Romances; she is also known as Heliabel. The origin of the name is uncertain. The first element could be connected to Welsh dawn “gift, talent, ability” via Proto-Celtic *dānus from a PIE root word; or dwn “brown” or “dark”; while the second…

Harleen

Harleen is an English female name, most familiar to many DC comic fans as the full name of Harley Quinn (Harleen Frances Quinzel), originally created as a henchman for the Joker. Harley Quinn is based on the word Harlequin, referring to a comic servant character of the commedia dell’arte, a clownish and buffoon-like character. The…

Zlata

Zlata is a Slavic female name meaning “gold; golden” via Proto-Slavic *zȏlto (gold) derived from PIE root word *ǵʰelh₃- (to shine, gleam; yellow, green). Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: “gold; golden” Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian Nicknames: Zlatica (Croatian, Serbian) Variants: Male forms:

Crisanta

Crisanta is the Spanish and Galician form of Chrysanthe, an Ancient Greek female name, the feminine form of Chrysanthos meaning “golden flower”, made up of Ancient Greek khruseos χρύσεος (golden, made of gold), which seems to be derived from a Semitic source, either Punic or Phoenician; and anthos ἄνθος (flower), derived from PIE word *h₂endʰ-…

Edison

Edison comes from an English surname, a matronymic name meaning “son of Eda”, Eda being the medieval English diminutive of Edith, made up of Old English elements ead (wealth, fortune) and gyð (war). In some cases it could also be a patronymic surname meaning “son of Edward” or any names beginning with Ed-. I’ve also seen it listed as…

Dwier

Dwier is a variant spelling of Dwyer, an Irish surname, the anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Dubhuidhir meaning “descendant of Duibhuidhir”, the latter a given name made up of dubh (black, dark), which ultimately derives from PIE and odhar (sallow, tawny, dun-colored), deriving from an uncertain etymology. Origin: Proto-Indo-European, uncertain Meaning: “black, dark + dun-colored,…

Mauve

Mauve is the name of a pale purple color. It comes from Old French mauve (mallow) via Latin malva (mallow).  Mallow is the name of a group of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, specifically in the genus Malva, having purple, pink, or white flowers. Origin: unknown Meaning: referring to a pale purple or violet color Usage:…

Brunetta

Brunetta is a creative spin on Bruna, the feminine form of Bruno combined with the -etta suffix. It comes from Proto-Germanic *brūnaz meaning “brown” derived from PIE root word *bʰerH- (brown). I’ve also seen it listed as originating from Proto-Germanic *brunjǭ meaning “breastplate; armor, protection”. Brunetta is also an Italian surname, originating as a nickname from bruno…

Shio

Shio is a Japanese unisex name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used. Shi o Written in hiragana it’s しお. There are other meanings depending on the kanji used. Shio შიო is also a Georgian male name, a transliteration of Old Georgian šioš შიოშ which derives from Persian Siyâvash, the name of…