Elwood

Elwood comes from Middle English Elwald via Anglo-Saxon Aelfweald, made up of Old English elements ælf (elf) and weald (rule) essentially meaning “elf rule” or “elf ruler”. I’ve also seen some sites list it as meaning “elder tree wood”. It’s possible that both meanings are correct, deriving from different sources. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: “elf rule, elf ruler” or “elder tree…

Lauriel

Lauriel is an elaborated form of Laurel or Laura, the name of a tree derived from Latin laurus meaning “laurel”. It derives from Ancient Greek daphne (laurel, bay), likely coming from a much older source; the letters changed from d- to l- due to a change in dialect. The laurel tree, in the language of flowers,  means ambition and glory, and in Ancient Greek…

Zhian

Zhian is a Chinese unisex name with a variety of meanings depending on the characters used: Zhi an There are likely other meanings. Origin: Chinese Meaning: various depending on the characters used Usage: Chinese Pronunciation: chee-ahn Variants:

Everest

Everest is the name of the world’s highest mountain, located on the border of Nepal, Tibet, and China. It was named after British surveyor George Everest, who objected to having the mountain named after him, preferring to have a native name used, but the geographical team seemed to have trouble finding a common native name…

Kiefer

Kiefer comes from a German surname, an occupational name for a cooper, someone who made and sold casks and barrels. The name comes from Middle High German kuofe (cask, barrel) possibly derived from Latin cūpa (tub, cask, vat) < Medieval Latin cōpa (cask). It also may have originated as a topographic name meaning “pine (tree)”….

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…

Yuzuki

Yuzuki is a Japanese unisex name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: Yuzu: There are other meanings depending on the kanji used. Written in hiragana it’s ゆずき. Yuzuki is also a Japanese surname. Origin: Japanese Meaning: various depending on the kanji used Usage: Japanese Variants:

Haruki

Haruki is a Japanese unisex (though it seems to be overwhelming popular for boys) with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: Haru: ki There are likely other meanings depending on the kanji used. Written in hiragana it’s はるき. Haruki is also a Japanese surname written in either hiragana or with the kanji…

Sakura

Sakura is a Japanese female name written with the kanji 桜 or 櫻 meaning “cherry blossom”, though it is often written using hiragana. It can also be written using the kanji saku 咲 “blossom, bloom” and ra 良 “good, pleasing”. In Japan, the cherry blossom represents ephemerality (more specifically the fleetingness of human existence) because…

Lorenzo

Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish form of Roman cognomen Laurentius meaning “from Laurentum”, Laurentum being an ancient city in Itay most likely derived from Latin laurus meaning “laurel”. It derives from Ancient Greek daphne (laurel, bay), likely coming from a much older source; the letters changed from d- to l- due to a change in dialect. Lorenzo is also a surname originating from the given name….

Kaona

Kaona comes from a Hawaiian word which refers to the hidden or deeper meaning of a word or phrase, or a person, place or thing. Kaona can also be used as a Japanese female name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: Ka o na There are other meanings depending on the…

Kiyoki

Kiyoki is a Japanese male name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: Kiyo ki Kiyo can also be written with two kanji: ki 希 ““hope; beg, request; rare” and yo 代 “generation; era; society”, 世 “generation; world; society” or 与 “bestow; impart; gift; award”. There are likely other meanings depending on…

Larina

Larina is a female given name, possibly a diminutive form of Lara, itself the Russian pet-form of Larisa < Ancient Greek Larissa, the name of a nymph in Greek mythology and several place names in Greece, including the capital city of Thessaly, Greece. The name possibly means “citadel”, “stronghold”, or “fortress”; it might also be…

Espen

Espen is a Norwegian male name, a variant of Ásbjǫrn, an Old Norse name composed of áss (god) and bjǫrn (bear). Espen is also a Dutch and German word meaning “aspen” which ultimately derives from Porto-Germanic *aspō (aspen) via a PIE root word. Espen is also a surname originating from the given name. Origin: Proto-Indo-European…