The World Tour of Names

Page 2

Girls Around the World

Parents have for years felt less constrained in the names they choose for girls, so some of the names listed here may be familiar to you. You'll find a number of less common ones for your consideration as well:

• Adalheid: This is the German name from which we get the more familiar form Heidi. It means “noble one.”
• Adelaide: “Noble one” (German).
• Agathe: “Good” or “honorable” (Greek).
• Áine: “Joy” or “praise” (Gaelic).
• Alisz: This Hungarian name is a form of Alice (“noble”).
• Alke: A pet form of Adalheid (German).
• Anaïs: French variant of Anne.
• Angèle: Angel (French). Also Angélique.
• Anneliese: A popular German name.
• Annunziata: “Announcement” or “notice” (Italian).
• Aoibheann: “Fair” or “beautiful” (Irish).
• Avital: “Dew of my father” (Hebrew).
• Aviva: “Spring” (Hebrew). Also Avivah and Avivit.
• Bat-Ami: “Daughter of my people” (Hebrew).
• Bracha: “Blessing” (Hebrew).
• Brina: “Joy” (Hebrew).
• Carmel: “Vineyard” (Hebrew). Also Carma, Carmit.
• Chantal: French place name.
• Chava: “Life” (Hebrew).
• Cosima: Feminine form of the Italian name Cosmo (“universe” or “order”).
• Dafna: “Laurel” (Hebrew).
• Dalia: “Branch” (Hebrew). Also Dalya.
• Demetria: From the Greek goddess Demeter.
• Donatella: This Italian name is the feminine form of Donatello, which means “gift” or “donation.”
• Dorit: “Of this era” (Hebrew).
• Duscha: “Happy” (Russian).
• Efrat: “Honored” or “distinguished” (Hebrew).
• Eliana: “God has answered me” (Hebrew).
• Fradel: “Joy” (Yiddish). Also Freydel.
• Geneviève: “Woman” (French).
• Gila: “Joy” (Hebrew).
• Giselle: “Pledge” (German).
• Gita: “Good” (Yiddish).
• Idit: “Choicest” (Hebrew).
• Ilana: “Oak tree” (Hebrew).
• Ilona: Hungarian form of Helen or Helene (“light”).
• Irit: “Daffodil” (Hebrew).
• Ivana: This Czech name is more popular now in other countries thanks to the former Mrs. Donald Trump. It is a feminine form of Ivan.
• Jana: A popular Czech name, based on the male name John.
• Joëlle: French feminine form of Joel.
• Leandra: This Greek name is the feminine form of Leander (“lion man”).
• Laila: “Dark beauty” or “dark-haired” (Scandinavian).
• Levana: “Moon” or “white” (Hebrew).
• Mai: This is a pet name from Maria or Margit (Scandinavian).
• Mariya: Russian form of Mary.
• Malkah: “Queen” (Hebrew).
• Manon: Derivative of Marie (French).
• Margarethe: German form of Margaret.
• Marie-Ange: French combination of Marie and angel.
• Marisol: This popular Spanish name is derived from two other popular names: Maria and Soledad.
• Mira: This Czech name is derived from a number of longer Czech names that contain the element meri, which means “famous” or “great.”
• Miryam: “Sorror” or “bitterness” (Hebrew).
• Naava: “Beautiful” (Hebrew).
• Natana: “Gift of God” (Hebrew).
• Neima: “Pleasant” (Hebrew).
• Nira: “Light” (Hebrew).
• Odette: A form of the male name Oda (French).
• Oksana: “Praise to God” (Russian).
• Raisa: “Rose” (Yiddish).
• Regine: “Queen” (French).
• Ríoghnach: “Queenly” (Gaelic). The Anglicized form is Riona.
• Róisín: Irish version of Rosaleen.
• Rut: Hebrew form of Ruth (“friendship”).
• Shulamit: “Peace” (Hebrew).
• Simcha: “Joy” (Hebrew).
• Solange: “Solemn,” “religious” (French).
• Soledad: “Solitude” (Spanish).
• Solveig: “House of strength” (Norwegian).
• Svetlana: “Star” (Russian).
• Tamar: “Date palm” (Hebrew).
• Thaleia: “Flourish,” “bloom” (Greek).
• Theodora: Feminine form of Theodore (Greek).
• Tira: “Castle” (Hebrew).
• Tova: “Good one” (Hebrew).
• Urit: “Light” (Hebrew).
• Varda: “Rose” (Hebrew).
• Vida: “Life” (Hebrew).
• Yael: Feminine form of the name Joel (Hebrew).
• Yaffa: “Beautiful” (Hebrew).
• Yedida: “Friend” (Hebrew).
• Yisraela: “Israeli” or “Jew” (Hebrew).
• Yona: “Dove” (Hebrew).
• Wilhelmina: Feminine form of Wilhelm (German).
• Zeva: “Wolf” (Hebrew).