Allegra f Italian, English (Rare) Means
"cheerful, lively" in Italian. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron (1817-1822).
Ayo f & m Yoruba From Yoruba
ayọ̀ meaning
"joy", or a short form of other names containing this element.
Beatrix f German, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Late Roman Probably from
Viatrix, a feminine form of the Latin name
Viator meaning
"voyager, traveller" [1] [2] . It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin
beatus "blessed, happy"
[3] . Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of
Diocletian.
... [more] Blažena f Czech, Slovak Derived from Czech and Slovak
blažený meaning
"blissful, happy, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic *
bolgŭ "good, pleasant".
Boipelo m & f Tswana Means
"joy, rejoicing" in Tswana, from
ipela meaning "to rejoice"
[1] .
Elysia f Various From
Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology.
Éowyn f Literature Means
"horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel trilogy
The Lord of the Rings (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Etsuko f Japanese From Japanese
悦 (etsu) meaning "joy, pleased" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
Fructuosus m Ancient Roman [1] Derived from Latin
fructuosus meaning
"fruitful, productive", from
fructus meaning "enjoyment, product, fruit". Saint Fructuosus was a 3rd-century bishop of Tarragona and a martyr under the Roman emperor Valerian. Another saint by this name was a 7th-century archbishop of Braga.
Fructus m Ancient Roman [1] Means
"enjoyment, product, fruit" in Latin. This was the name of an 8th-century saint from Segovia, Spain.
Gaius m Ancient Roman [1] , Biblical Latin, Biblical Roman praenomen
[2] , or given name, of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from Latin
gaudeo "to rejoice" [3] , though it may be of unknown Etruscan origin. This was a very common Roman praenomen, the most famous bearers being Gaius Julius Caesar, the great leader of the Roman Republic, and his adopted son Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus), the first Roman emperor. This name also appears in the New Testament belonging to a bishop of Ephesus who is regarded as a saint.
Güler f Turkish Means
"she laughs" in Turkish, from
gülmek meaning "to laugh".
Isaac m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin From the Hebrew name
יִצְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning
"he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from
צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh"
[1] [2] . The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that
Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife
Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see
Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see
Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of
Esau and
Jacob with his wife
Rebecca.
... [more] Itumeleng m & f Tswana Means
"be happy" in Tswana, from
itumela meaning "to be happy"
[1] .
Jiayi f & m Chinese From Chinese
佳 (jiā) meaning "good, auspicious, beautiful" or
家 (jiā) meaning "home, family" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" or
毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm". Other character combinations can also form this name.
Jingyi m & f Chinese From Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". Other character combinations are possible as well.
Joy f English Simply from the English word
joy, ultimately derived from Norman French
joie, Latin
gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Joyce f & m English From the medieval masculine name
Josse, which was derived from the earlier
Iudocus, which was a Latinized form of the Breton name
Judoc meaning
"lord" [1] . The name belonged to a 7th-century Breton saint, and Breton settlers introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 14th century, but was later revived as a feminine name, perhaps because of similarity to the Middle English word
joise "to rejoice". This given name also became a surname, as in the case of the Irish novelist James Joyce (1882-1941).
Kazuyuki m Japanese From Japanese
和 (kazu) meaning "harmony, peace" and
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness, good luck", as well as other combinations of kanji characters having the same reading.
Kexin f & m Chinese From Chinese
可 (kě) meaning "can, may, approve, fit, suit" combined with
欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted",
新 (xīn) meaning "fresh, new" or
馨 (xīn) meaning "fragrant". This name can also be formed from other combinations.
Lakshmi f & m Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, Odia Means
"sign, mark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty. She is the wife of
Vishnu and her symbol is the lotus flower, with which she is often depicted.
Letitia f English From the Latin name
Laetitia meaning
"joy, happiness" [1] . This was the name of an obscure saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling
Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.
Macario m Spanish Spanish form of the Latin name
Macarius, derived from the Greek name
μάκαρ (makar) meaning
"blessed, happy". This was the name of several early saints.
Mehetabel f Biblical From the Hebrew name
מְהֵיטַבְאֵל (Meheṭavʾel) meaning
"God makes happy", derived from the roots
יָטַב (yaṭav) meaning "to be happy" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
Mehrnaz f Persian, Persian Mythology From Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and
ناز (nāz) meaning "delight, comfort, coquetry". This is the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Morna f Scottish Anglicized form of
Muirne used by James Macpherson in his poem
Fingal (1761), in which it is borne by the mother of the hero
Fingal.
Muirne f Irish Mythology From Irish
muirn meaning either
"affection, endearment" or
"festivity, exuberance". In Irish legend this was the name of the mother of
Fionn mac Cumhaill. She is also called
Muirenn .
Myrna f Irish (Rare), English Anglicized form of
Muirne. The popularity of this name spiked in the United States in the 1930s due to the fame of the actress Myrna Loy (1905-1993).
Naamah f Biblical Means
"pleasant" in Hebrew. This name is borne in the Old Testament by both a daughter of
Lamech and a wife of
Solomon. Some later Jewish texts give Naamah as the name of
Noah's wife, even though she is not named in the Old Testament.
Pramoda m Hinduism Means
"joy" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the
Mahabharata belonging to an attendant of the Hindu god
Skanda.
Rhonwen f Welsh Welsh form of
Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.
Rhys m Welsh, English From Old Welsh
Ris, probably meaning
"ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading Normans.
Rowena f English Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Seon-u m & f Korean From Sino-Korean
善 (seon) meaning "good, virtuous" or
宣 (seon) meaning "declare, announce" combined with
宇 (u) meaning "house, universe" or
佑 (u) meaning "help, protect, bliss". This name can be formed by many other hanja character combinations as well.
Ülo m Estonian From the Livonian name
Ilo or
Ylo meaning
"joy", a name appearing in the 13th-century
Livonian Chronicle of Henry. It is now associated with the Estonian word
ülev meaning
"noble".
Winston m English From an English surname, which could derive either from the Old English given name
Wynnstan or from place names meaning
"town belonging to Wine". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II. This name was also borne by the fictional Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's 1949 novel
1984.
Wojciech m Polish Derived from the Slavic elements
vojĭ "warrior, soldier" and
utěxa "solace, comfort, joy"
[1] [2] [3] . Saint Wojciech (also known by the Czech form of his name
Vojtěch or his adopted name
Adalbert ) was a Bohemian missionary to Hungary, Poland and Prussia, where he was martyred in the 10th century.
Xinyi f & m Chinese From Chinese
欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or
心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Yi f & m Chinese From Chinese
宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper",
毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm",
义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness",
益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit",
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or
仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites" (also usually feminine). Other characters can also form this name.
Yijun m & f Chinese From Chinese
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" combined with
君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Yoshiko f Japanese From Japanese
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
悦 (yoshi) meaning "joy, pleased" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other kanji combinations as well.