A Cast of Names Both Old and New
Seraphina is the feminine form of Seraphinus which derives from Hebrew s’rafím, the plural form of saráf which means “to burn” as well as "seraph; venemous serpent". Seraph refers to the highest order of angels with six wings, hands, and feet. They supposedly emit such a bright light that no one can look straight at them which is why they are known as… Continue reading Seraphina
Laura is the feminine form of Laurus, a Late Latin name 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. Laurel is also a surname, likely derived as a place name for someone who lived near a laurel tree. The laurel tree, in… Continue reading Laura
Ignatius is a variant spelling of Egnatius, an Ancient Roman family name of unknown meaning though it's likely that it was Etruscan in origin. The spelling of Egnatius was later altered to resemble Latin ignis meaning "fire". Ignatius is also a surname derived from the given name. Origin: Etruscan, Proto-Indo-European Variants: Egnatius (Ancient Roman) Ignacio (Spanish) Inácio (Portuguese) Iñaki… Continue reading Ignatius
Candida is a Late Roman name derived from Latin candidus meaning "white" derived from PIE root word (s)kand- or *kand- (to shine, glow). Nicknames: Candy, Dida, Deedee/DeeDee Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Cándida (Spanish) Cândida (Portuguese) Candide (French) Male forms: Candidus (Late Roman) Candide (French) Cândido (Portuguese) Cándido (Spanish) Candid (English)
Monica is a female given name of unknown origins though it's likely derived from a North African or Phoenician origin. It's often been associated with Latin moneo meaning "to advise, warn" or Ancient Greek monos meaning "one, single, only". Nicknames: Mona (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) Origin: North African, Phoenician Variants: Monika (German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian,… Continue reading Monica
Ursula is a female given name meaning "little bear". It is the diminutive of Latin Ursa meaning "female bear" or "she-bear", the feminine form of ursus (bear) from Proto-Italiac *orssos (bear) which derives from PIE *h₂ŕ̥tḱos (bear). Nicknames: Ursel (German), Ulla (German), Uschi (German), Urška (Slovene), Ula (Polish) Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Ursa (Latin) Urszula (Polish) Úrsula (Portuguese, Spanish) Uršula (Slovene) Orsola (Italian) Orsolina (Italian)… Continue reading Ursula
Gabino is the Spanish form of Italian Gavino which derives from Gabinus, a Late Latin name meaning "of Gabinus", referring to someone who came from Gabii, an ancient city of Latium in central Italy. Gabino is also a Spanish surname derived from the given name. Variants: Gavino (Italian) Gabinus (Late Roman) Gabin (French) Female forms: Gabina
Peregrine is the English form of Late Latin Peregrinus which means "traveler, foreigner" from Latin peregrē (foreign, abroad) made up from Latin per (through, by means of) deriving from Proto-Indo-European *per- (to go over); and ager (field, farm) also derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵros (field, pasturage). Peregrine is also a surname usually given to those who went on a pilgrimage so it also connotes the idea of a "pilgrim". It's… Continue reading Peregrine
René is the French form of Renatus, a Late Roman name meaning "born again" or "reborn" deriving from Latin nascor (born; begotten) from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (to produce, beget, to give birth). René is the traditional masculine name used in French while Renée is the feminine form of the name, however in English-speaking countries René is used for both males and females. Rene… Continue reading René, Renée
Regina comes from Latin meaning "queen", originally used as a title but also used as a female name. Origin: Latin Variants: Regine (German, Norwegian) Reina (Spanish) Regena (English) Régine (French) Male forms: Rex (Latin)
Dominic is the English form of Late Latin Dominicus meaning "of the Lord" from Latin dominus meaning "master, lord, ruler" derived from Proto-Indo-European *demh₂- (to tame, domesticate). It was traditionally given to a child born on a Sunday. Dominic is also a surname derived from the given name, Nicknames: Dom, Nic, Nicky/Nickie Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Domenic (English) Dominick (English) Dominicus (Late Latin,… Continue reading Dominic
Origin: Latin Meaning: Claire is the French feminine form of Clara, the feminine form of Clarus, a Latin name meaning "clear, bright, famous". Variants: Clara (Italian, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Swedish, Danish, Late Roman) Klara (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian) Klára (Hungarian, Czech, Slovak) Klāra (Latvian) Chiara (Italian) Clare (English)… Continue reading Claire
Origin: Latin, Germanic Meaning: Leo comes from Latin word leo meaning "lion". It's a constellation representing to the Ancient Greeks the Nemean lion killed by the Greek demigod and hero Herakles (Hercules) as one of his twelve labors. Leo is also one of the signs of the Zodiac, belonging to those born between July 22nd to August… Continue reading Leo
Origin: Greek Meaning: Veronica is the Latin transliteration of Berenice, itself the Latinized form of Macedonian Berenike from Greek Pherenike meaning "bringing victory" or "bringer of victory" from Greek elements pheros (to bring) and nike (victory). However, the name has also been associated with Latin vera iconica meaning "true image" in reference to Saint Veronica who apparently wiped Jesus's face with the towel… Continue reading Veronica
