Daphne

Daphne is the name of a naiad (a female nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, rivers, streams, brooks, and any type of fresh water) in Greek mythology. One day she caught the eye of the god Apollo and he pursued her in spite of her rejections. Just as he was about to catch her, Daphne called…

Xenon

Xenon is an Ancient Greek male name meaning “foreigner, guest” from Ancient Greek xenos (foreigner; stranger, guest) which seems likely to be derived from a Pre-Greek origin. Xenon is also the name of a chemical element. Origin: Ancient Greek Female forms: Xeno (Ancient Greek) Xena (English) Xenia (Greek, Ancient Greek) Zena (English) Zeena (English) Zenia (English…

Sidero

Sidero is the name of a figure in Greek mythology, the second wife of Salmoneus, a king, and the stepmother to his daughter Tyro, whom she apparently mistreated. Sidero was later killed by Tyro’s twin sons Pelias and Neleus (fathered by the god Poseidon); she was killed in a temple of Hera‘s which earned her the undying hatred of Pelias, the uncle of Jason of Argonaut…

Amos

Amos comes from Hebrew meaning “carried (by God)” which comes from a Hebrew verb meaning “to carry, load; burden”. It’s also a surname which could be derived from the given name, but it also has another origin as an English surname derived from Old French Amis, originally a nickname meaning “friend” which comes from Latin amicus (friend), a…

Iamos

Iamos is the name of a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Evadne (the daugher of the sea god Poseidon), and Apollo. Evadne was ashamed of her pregnancy and so, when her son was born, she left him exposed to the elements, lying on a bed of violets, where he survived by being fed honey by two snakes before…

Perrine

Perrine is the French feminine form of Perrin, a French diminutive of Pierre, the French form of Peter meaning “stone, rock” from Ancinet Greek petros (stone, rock) derived from an unknown source. Perrine is also a French surname derived from the given name. Origin: Ancient Greek Variants: Perine (French)   Male forms: Perrin (French)  

Kati

Kati (pr. kah-tee) is a variant spelling of Káti, an Old Norse male name meaning “merry, cheerful” from Old Norse kátr (jolly, merry, cheerful, glad). Kati is also a Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian short form of Katariina (Finnish, Estonian) and Katalin (Hungarian, Basque) which both derive from Katherine, the English form of Greek Aikaterine though the etymology behind the name is not certain. It could be derived from…

Kaija

Kaija (pr. kai-ya) is a Finnish female name, a diminutive of Katariina, the Finnish and Estonian form of Katherine, the English form of Greek Aikaterine though the etymology behind the name is not certain. It could be derived from another Greek name, Hekaterine from hekateros meaning “each of the two” or from Hecate, the name of the Greek goddess of witchcraft, the underworld, and crossroads, from hekas possibly…

Galatea

Galatea is the name of a few figures in Greek mythology, the most well-known being the story of Pygmalion and Galatea. In this story, Pygmalion is a sculptor who fell in love with his own ivory sculpture of a beautiful woman. He prayed to Aphrodite who turned the statue into a living person and the two married and…

Briseis

Briseis is the name of a character in the Iliad, who was captured by Greek forces and became Achilles’s slave and concubine. Her real name was Hippodameia though she was known as Briseis because her father’s name was Briseus, a sort of patronymic name giving her as the daughter of Briseus. When Agamemnon was forced to give up his own concubine Chryseis he demanded Briseis from Achilles, which caused Achilles to withdraw…

Myron

Myron is an Ancient Greek male name which means “myrrh, perfume, sweet oil” which seems to be derived from a Semitic root meaning “bitter”. It’s also a surname either derived from the given name or as a short form of Greek Myronakis or Myronidis, both patrynonic surnames. Origin: Ancient Greek, Semitic Variants: Miron (Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish)…

Dion

Dion is a shortened form of Dionysios, from Dionysus, the name of the Greek god of wine, revelry, fertility and madness. Although the etymology of his name isn’t quite clear-cut, the first part of the name, Dio-, means “of Zeus” though it could also be related to Proto-Indo-European *dyews meaning “sky, heaven, god” and “shining”. The second part -nysus might be derived…

Sibella

Sibella is a variant form of Sibyl meaning “sybil” which originally referred to female oracles or prophetesses who were sent visions by the gods in Greek and Roman legend. The name comes from Ancient Greek sibulla, a word of uncertain origin though it could have originated as a variant of theobule meaning “divine counsel” from Attic Greek. Origin: Ancient Greek Variants:…

Mimozë

Mimozë is the Albanian form of Mimosa, the name of a genus of plants that are sensitive to touch or light. The name comes from Latin mimus meaning “mime” which comes from Ancient Greek mîmos (mime, actor; mimicking, imitation). Origin: Ancient Greek   Variants: Mimosa (English, Spanish, Italian) Mimmu (Finnish) Mimoza (Turkish, Georgian, Albanian, Slovak) Mimóza (Hungarian)