Foreign names for girls in English. English names

It is customary to give names to children after birth, but parents come up with them long before their babies are born. When choosing a name for their future daughter, parents consider various aspects: combination of letters, euphony, meaning of the name and even its influence on a person’s fate. Each couple tries to come up with something special and unique.

Research conducted by various historians has revealed the fact that the earliest English names were derived from words (nouns and adjectives) that existed in Old English. It was not the person’s name that carried a special meaning, but his nickname.

The situation with names changed dramatically after the conquest of England by the Normans. There was a rapid replacement of English names with Norman ones. Today, only a small part of the British have truly English names.

It is also noteworthy that there are very few old native English names. They have almost never reached our days. The vast majority of them were borrowed from cultures such as Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Celtic, Norman, etc. At that time, people received long and short names, praising the gods, the forces of nature and any human qualities.

In the 16th century in England, ancient English female names, mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. Among them are the following:

• Mary is a derived form of Jewish name Maria. This ancient name has very beautiful meaning- “serene”;
• Anna - named after the mother of the prophet Samuel. Translated as "grace";
• Maryann is a combined name of Mary and Anne;
• Sarah is named after Abraham's wife. The meaning of this name is “mistress.”

The influence of literature on the formation of names

Writers also played a huge role in the emergence of new female names. It is thanks to literature that such rare female names as Sylvia, Ophelia, Stella, Jessica, Vanessa, Julia, Juliet, Jessica and Viola appeared in the English language.

Besides everything else literary works kept many Old English names. Among the beautiful female names there are old names, borrowed from other languages. Names of similar origin include: Anita, Angelina, Jacqueline, Amber, Daisy, Michelle and Ruby. And this is not the entire list.

Popular English female names

Name fashions, like many other aspects of life, come and go. Some are quickly forgotten, and forever, while others return from time to time - usually in original form, but sometimes in a new interpretation.

According to data from the UK National Statistics Service, the most popular names V last years became Olivia, Emma and Sophie. A list of 30 other popular English girl names is given below:

1. Olivia
2. Sofia
3. Isabel
4. Charlotte
5. Emily
6. Harper
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Avery
10. Margaret
11. Evelyn
12. Edison
13. Grace
14. Amelie
15. Natalie
16. Elizabeth
17. Scarlet
18. Victoria

Successful names and not so successful ones

It has long been known that a person’s name largely determines his destiny. Psychologists from all over the world are actively working on this issue, conducting various studies, observations and surveys. As a result, the success rate of individuals named by one name or another also has an impact strong influence on the popularity of the name itself.

Thus, one of the surveys conducted in Great Britain showed what British names recognized by residents Foggy Albion the most successful, and which are the opposite. The survey results are shown in the table below.

Rare English female names and their meanings

There are many names that remain outside the popularity rankings, being the least used. The so-called “outsider names” include:

• Annik - benefit, grace
• Allin - bird
• Amabel - attractive
• Bernays - bringing victory
• Bambi is a child
• Bekkai - the one who lures into a trap
• Bets is my oath
• Willow - willow
• Gabby - strength from God
• Dominic is the lord's property
• Jojo - multiplying
• Delours - melancholy
• Jewel - a precious stone
• Georgina - peasant girl
• Elayn - bird
• Kiva - beautiful
• Kelly - blonde
• Lukinda - light
• Lalaj - babbling
• Morgan - sea circle
• Marley - favorite
• Melissa - bee
• Mackenzie is a beauty
• Mindy the black snake
• Meagan is a pearl
• Penelope - the cunning weaver
• Poppy - poppy
• Rosaulin - a gentle mare
• Totti - girl
• Phyllis - tree crown
• Heather - heather
• Edwena - wealthy friend

The most beautiful female English names

The beauty of the name and its euphony have a very great importance for girls and women. All my life I will associate her with the name given to her by her parents. There is no dispute about tastes, and if one person likes the name Amelia or Elizabeth, another may be annoyed by it. However, there is a ranking of names that most people think are the most beautiful.

Unusual female English names

Ordinary people rarely wear unusual names. After all, when choosing a name for a child, many parents are guided not only by their own preferences, but also think about ensuring that their child does not become an object of ridicule among children. But celebrities have their own opinion on this matter; they choose strange female and male names, guided only by their imagination and the desire to attract as much attention as possible.

Scout-Larue and Tallupa-Bell - that's what Bruce Willis called his youngest daughters. And these are no less than the nicknames of your favorite horses that won at the races.

Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, which is how the name Apple is translated into Russian.

Rapper 50 Cent named his son Marquise, ignoring male English names.

Singer David Bowie ignored all the famous English names for boys and named his son Zoe, simply considering the combination Zoe Bowie funny.

Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z named their daughter Blue Ivy, which means “blue ivy.”

Actress Milla Jovovich's daughter's name is Ever Gabo. The second part of the name is the first syllables of the names of Mila’s parents - Galina and Bogdan.

The name of the daughter of American rock musician Frank Zappa is Moon Unit, which means “Moon Satellite”.

Summer Rain is the name singer Christina Aguilera came up with for her daughter. Translated from English it means “Summer Rain”.

Some people, immersed in the world of their favorite films and TV series, and cannot imagine their life without them, name their children not only in honor of their favorite heroes and actors, but also use ordinary words that are not proper names.

This is how a completely new female name appeared - Khaleesi, a word from the popular series “Game of Thrones”, which meant the title of one of the heroines, synonymous with queen or queen. Today, there are already 53 girls in the world with this name.

Human imagination knows no bounds, so new male and female names will appear in the world again and again. Some of them will catch on and become popular, while others will be heard a little and be forgotten.

Until the eleventh century, English names served as the only source of personal identification; the English did not have patronymic names. People were distinguished simply by name, and three old Anglo-Saxon names from that period - Edith, Edward and Edmund - have survived to this day.

Foreign names in England

Most of the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) names that have come down to us are two-base: Æðelgar - æðele (noble) + gār (spear), Eadgifu - eād (wealth, prosperity, luck, happiness) + gifu, gyfu (gift, gift), Eadweard - eād (wealth, prosperity, luck, happiness) + weard (guardian, guardian).

Old English names were given to newborns at a baptism ceremony. Ancient names were given to children depending on the social status of the family. The Norman nobility wore Germanic names- Geoffrey, Henry, Ralph, Richard, Roger, Odo, Walter, William and from Brittany - Alan and Brian (Brian).

The Normans proposed the idea of ​​forming Old English female names from male ones.- Patrick, Patricia, Paul, which are used in England to this day. Between 1150 and 1300 the number of names used began to decline rapidly. By the end of the fourteenth century, most of the male population had one of five names: Henry, John, Richard, Robert, William.

Women's names in the fourteenth century were also not very diverse: Alice, Anne, Elizabeth, Jane and Rose. Since a personal name could no longer individualize one or another member of society, the use of hereditary surnames began, for example, Richard, son of John. This process in London proceeded very slowly, moving down the social ladder from wealthy aristocrats to the poor. In the north of England, even at the end of the sixteenth century, many residents still did not have their own surnames.

Came into fashion in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries biblical names New Testament:

• Andrew
• John
• Luke.
• Mark.
• Matthew.
• Peter (Peter).
• Agnes.
• Anne.
• Catherine.
• Elizabeth.
• Jane.
• Mary

Common names in the 18th century in England were John, William and Thomas, and for women - Mary, Elizabeth and Anne. In the 19th century, male names were John, William and James, and female names were Mary, Helen and Anne. In the 20th century, English fashion for names changed significantly every ten years..

Popular English names of the last 500 years

The UK Office for National Statistics conducted an unusual English experiment in the field of family history. She examined more than 34 million British and Irish birth records from 1530 to 2005 and identified the 100 most popular male and female names.

English names men's:

• John
• William.
• Thomas.
• George.
• James

English female names:

• Mary
• Elizabeth.
• Sarah.
• Margaret.
• Anna (Ann).

Rare and unusual names

Unusual English names were identified using data from the Office for National Statistics in England. Each name on the list below was identified in 2016 from child registration records in England. The rare case of the name being used, since it was given to no more than three newborns, confirms the high degree of uniqueness across the entire country.

The rarest English girl names:

• Adalie. Meaning: “God is my refuge, noble one.”
• Agape. Meaning: "Love" in ancient Greek.
• Birdie. Meaning: "Bird".
• Noam. Meaning: "Pleasantness."
• Onyx. Meaning: "Claw or nail" in ancient Greek. Black gem.

The rarest English boy names:

• Ajax. Meaning: "Eagle" in ancient times Greek mythology.
• Dougal. Meaning: "Dark Stranger" in Gaelic.
• Henderson. Meaning: Traditional English surname.
• Jools. Meaning: "Descended from Jupiter."
• Marvelous. Meaning: wonderful, beautiful, wonderful. More traditionally, it is a Nigerian girl's name.

Modern tendencies

Fashion trends in names are always in dynamic motion. New names were born, old ones returned from the distant past, regaining forgotten popularity, and sometimes the British simply borrowed names from other peoples. England has its own characteristics - the fashion for names is also dictated by the royal family. The names of the royal family members Harry, William, Elizabeth, George, are especially popular among the people. In 2017, the UK National Statistical Service ONS published an annual report containing data on the names of newborns in 2016.

The boy's name Oliver leads the list, and the female name Amelia leads the list.. This is such a championship star couple occupies since 2013. Although in fact, many believe that in London the male name Muhammad is in first place. If you take a closer look at the list of the best baby names in England and Wales, this opinion seems to be true.

Muhammad is an Arabic name and has several spellings, so the name Muhammad appears several times in the statistics provided. Muhammad ranked 8th, Mohammed ranked 31st, Mohammad ranked 68th, with a total of 7,084. And the name Oliver was given to 6,623 newborns, so Mohammed has an obvious advantage over Oliver. ONS representatives attribute this popularity to Muslim name in England with social changes in the country.

Ahead of ONS, the English website for parents BabyCentr released its official version of the 100 best names for children in 2017. The lists are compiled from a survey of more than 94,665 parents of newborns (51,073 boys and 43,592 girls). Olivia again took first place in the female names category. This year, the name Muhammad confidently surpassed the name Oliver, taking the leading position. The site also notes that in England they have begun to give more gender-neutral names, for example, the name Harley is called almost the same for male and female children.

Best English female names of 2017:

Best English male names of 2017:

Meanings of English names

Numerous life stories, research and theory suggest that names help shape a person's personality. Names are certainly not the only force in life that causes a person to develop in a certain way and become a person, but the importance of a name was noticed in ancient times.

English male names and their meanings

Meanings of English female names

1. Olivia. The name is in Latin oliva, meaning "olive".
2. Sofia (Sophia). The legends about her probably originated from the medieval "Hagia Sophia", meaning "Holy Wisdom".
3. Amelia. A mixture of the medieval names Emilia and Amalia. In Latin it means "industry" and "endeavor." Its Teutonic meaning is "protector".
4. Lily. In English, the meaning of Lily is: the lily flower is a symbol of innocence, purity and beauty.
5. Emily. Emily is a feminine given name, derived from the Roman feminine given name Aemilia. The Latin name Aemilia, in turn, may come from Latin word aemulus (or from the same root as aemulus) - this means "rival".
6. Ava. Possibly from the Latin avis, meaning "bird". It may also be a short form of Chava ("life" or "living"), the Hebrew form of Eve.
7. Isla. The traditional usage is primarily Scottish, derived from Islay, which is the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is also the name of two Scottish rivers.
8. Isabella. Variant of Elizabeth meaning "dedicated to God" in Hebrew.
9. Mia. In Latin, the meaning of the name Mia is: desired child.
10. Isabelle. The Hebrew meaning of the name Isabel is: dedicated to God.
11. Ella. Meaning in English: Abbreviation of Eleanor and Ellen - beautiful fairy.
12. Poppy. This is a feminine name from the name of the poppy flower, derived from Old English popæg and referring to various types Papaver. The name is gaining popularity in the UK.
13. Freya. In Scandinavia, the meaning of the name is lady. Derived from the name Freya, the Scandinavian goddess of love and fertility and the mythological wife of Odin.
14. Grace. The English meaning of the word is "grace", derived from the Latin gratia, which means blessing of God.
15. Sophie. In Greek the meaning of the name Sophie is wisdom, wise.
16. Evie in Hebrew the meaning of the name Evie is life, living.
17. Charlotte. Charlotte is a feminine name, feminine form male name Charlot, diminutive of Charles. Of French origin meaning "free man" or "small".
18. Aria. Italian - "air". In music, an aria is usually a solo in an opera. In Hebrew it comes from Ariel, meaning lion of God, and its Teutonic origins are related to the bird.
19. Evelyn. In French: From a surname derived from the French Aveline, meaning hazelnut.
20. Phoebe. Feminine form of Greek phoibe (bright), which comes from phoibo (bright). Phoebe appears in Greek mythology as the name of Artemis, the goddess of the Moon. In poetry, Phoebe represents the moon.

Each of us received a name at birth. However, when we look at our lives, we wonder who we would be if our names were different.

At first glance, it seems that choosing a name for a girl is a simple matter. But how difficult it can sometimes be to find a suitable English female name! After all, opinions in the family often differ, and young parents have to defend their choice in front of grandparents, friends and close relatives.

You can choose a name by month, by ear, by sound, or by the meaning that lies in it, or simply in honor of a relative whose fate was interesting and exciting. Based on your own considerations or on some other parameters, you still have to choose a name, because a child cannot live without a name.

We can discover among English female names French (Olivia), Arabic (Amber), Aramaic (Martha), Persian (Esther, Jasmine, Roxanne), Greek (Angel, Selina), Hebrew (Michelle), Spanish (Dolores, Linda), Italian (Bianca, Donna, Mia ), Latin (Cordelia, Diana, Victoria), Scandinavian (Brenda), Celtic (Tara), Old English (Wayne...), Slavic (Nadia, Vera) and Turkish (Ayla).

One more interesting feature in English-speaking countries is to address a person in a diminutive form. In our country, such treatment is, as a rule, unacceptable, and can sometimes even be considered humiliating.

How to choose an English female name? It should not be too long, but it should be easy to pronounce. It should also be taken into account that in a home atmosphere the name is often transformed into a diminutive form. In addition, the first name must be combined with the last name.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ENGLISH FEMALE NAMES AS A LIST WITH DECODED MEANINGS BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK .

It is known that the character of a child is influenced not only by the month of birth, but also by the time of year in which he was born. Knowing this influence, with the help of a name you can adjust the future character of the child.

Yes, on summer girls They are easy to influence, they are gentle and trusting, so you need to choose “firm” names for them.

Spring girls are fickle, even a little flighty, self-critical, and have a sharp mind. At the same time they have good feeling humor, but some self-doubt. Therefore, for spring girls it is also worth choosing “solid-sounding” names.

Winter children are characterized by selfishness and temper. They know what they want and always achieve their goal. Therefore, for “winter” girls it is better to choose names that are soft and gentle, balancing their sometimes very complex character.

Autumn children have an easy-going character. They are serious and reasonable, have different talents. The name has almost no effect on autumn girls, so they can be given any name they like.

Let's look at the most popular English female names today. Below you can find a list of popular modern female English names.

Avalina- a small apple.
Avalon (Avelina, Avalina)- a small bird.
Adelaide- noble, high-born.
Adamina (Adminna, Admin)- Earth.

Adeline- fragrant.
Adelicia- noble.
Admiranda- worthy of admiration.
Alexandrina- courageous, protector.
Alberta- brilliant, famous.
Amalia- diligent.
Anabella- attractive.
Angelica- angelic.
Annetta- cheerful, trouble-free.
Arlina (Arlen)- dedicated.
Aspen- poplar.
Beatrice- blessing.
Bertha- bright, light, magnificent.
Brianna- strong.
Brittany- purposeful.
Brittney- Brittany is a region in France.
Brooke- sophisticated.
Vivianna- a dreamer.
Virginia- clean, girl.
Gabriella- the firmness of God.
Hermione- aristocrat.
Gloria- happy.
Goldie- bright and shiny.
Gray- calm.
Davinia- beloved.
Jill- energetic and young.
Dawn- dawn.
Dianne- divine, heavenly.
Dakota- friendly.
Jennifer- white-skinned.
Gina- queen, royal.
Jordan- Jordan River
Julia- curly.
Jackson- braggart.
Eve- mobile, mischievous.
Yerania- heavenly.
Erline- noblewoman, princess, warrior.
Jasmine (Jasmine, Jasmine, Hasmine)- flower.
Geneva- forever fresh.
Zara- golden.
Zennia (Zenia, Xena)- open.
Isabel- gorgeous.
Yolanda (Iolanta)- violet.
Camilla- noble.
Carissa- large-fruited.
Carmen- Madonna of Mount Carmel.
Kelly- battle, war.
Katherine (Catherine)- Love.
Clarissa (Clara, Clarina)- clear, light.
Kimberly- leader.
Connie- faithful
Carrie- beautiful song.
Catherine- chaste.
Caitlin (Katlinn, Katlinna)- virtuous.
Laura- crowned with laurel.
Lysandre- protector of people.
Linda- beautiful.
Linsey- inspired.
Malinda (Melinda)- honey beauty.
Margaret (Rita)- a priceless pearl.
Marianne- sad beauty.
Marilyn- sad.
Mirabel (Marabelle, Mira)- excellent, display of perfection.
Morgana- sea.
Mary- beloved.
Nadiya- hope.
Nirvana- free.
Nora- fortune teller.
Nancy- merciful, gracious.
Audra- given by God.
Ora- mountain.
Pamela (Pamila)- wanderer.
Penelope- patient, dreamer.
Poly- baby.
Peggy- pearl.
Rebecca- dexterous.
Rexana (Roxana)- dawn.
Rinna- queen.
Rosalinda (Rosalina)- queen of flowers, rose.
Rosita- golden yellow, red.
Rubina- queen of gems.
Sabina- a name from the Sabine tribe.
Sabrina- from the name of the Severn River.
Sarina (Sarah)- noble, princess.
Serena (Sarina, Serina)- calm.
Sayana- assistant.
Sigourney- winner
Cynthia (Cindy)- goddess of moonlight.
Stephanie- wreath.
Suzanne (Susie)- lily.
Tera- unknown land.
Tiana- the most beautiful.
Whitney- blonde.
Flora- goddess of flowers.
Frida- world.
Franny- friendly.
Hannah (Hannah)- merciful, gracious.
Helen (Helen)- light.
Hilda (Hilda)- practical, protector.
Harla (Carla, Caroline, Charlotte)- free.
Hazel- reliable.
Shania (Shani)- ambitious, with bright eyes.
Shanika- bright, cheerful, joyful.
Shonda- trusted friend.
Eureka (Everika)- insight, enlightenment.
Eglantina- rose hip.
Edwina- bringing victory with the sword.
Elicia- playful.
Elfrida- magical, little deer.
Emma- universal.
Ernesta- serious, strict.
Eugenia- noble.
Yunisa- good, good victory, my dear.

A name is a person’s personal name, which is given to him at birth; it is a well-known fact. As a rule, when meeting a new person, we tell him our name, and the person tells him his. Why might British and American names? In fact, everything is very simple. We read about such people in books and articles on the Internet, watch English and American movies. In this article we will analyze the origin and compile a list of common female and male English and American names.

Origin

The traditions associated with English and American names differ from those familiar to us. In English-speaking countries, a person's name consists of three components: the first name (given name), the second name (middle name) and the last name (surname). The roles of the first and second can be traditional names and even last names. In addition, diminutive forms are often used (for example, these are the Americans we all know: Bill Clinton or Johnny Depp), even in an official setting.

The history of the origin of names always helps to learn more about the history of the country and its culture. In England you can find names of Anglo-Saxon origin, biblical and imbued with Protestant culture (Faith-My-Joy, Everlasting-Mercy), borrowed from other cultures and familiar to everyone individual names, which today can become any common words.

List of popular female names in the table

There are a lot of female and male names in the English language and they often overlap, so we have prepared for you a selection of 60 (30 male and 30 female) that can often be found in the UK. Many of them will be familiar for a long time, thanks to literature and English and American cinema.

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List of male names in the table

The most common female names

The modern English dictionary of names is varied and very rich. But among all this diversity there are those that are found most often. In Russia it is considered popular to name children Alexander, Maxim, Sophia and Maria, but what is the most common name for children in the UK? What names are considered beautiful and most loved by people who call British English their native language?

Some of these names are in the top ten long years, are considered beautiful or even “classic”, others come and go depending on fashion. So, when Kate Middleton gave birth to her son George in 2013, and her daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in 2015, these names immediately gained great popularity among the British population.

The most common male names

The most unusual male and female names

Unusual, and often even a little strange names, people give to their children in English-speaking countries. We have selected for you several examples that can be found in England and the USA.

Unusual male names

Unusual female names

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