Karen

Karen is the Danish shortened form of Katherine, which is the English form of Greek Aikaterine though the etymology behind the name is not certain. It could be derived from another Greek name, Hekaterine from hekateros meaning “each of the two” or from Hecate, the name of the Greek goddess of witchcraft, the underworld, and crossroads. Though her name is of uncertain meaning it’s…

Bryce

Bryce is an English male name, a variant spelling of Brice which comes from Latin Bricius which seems to be an anglicized form of a Gaulish name meaning “speckled, mottled” derived from Proto-Celtic *brikkos (speckled). Bryce is also a surname originating from the given name, though as a Welsh surname it could be an anglicized form of ap Rhys meaning “son…

Shika

Shika is a Japanese female name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: shika 鹿 “deer” (it’s also a Japanese surname); shi 史 “history, chronicle” + ka “can; passable, allowed” (史可); shi 志 “purpose, will; aspire; resolve; motives; plans” + ka 佳 “excellent; beautiful, good” (志佳); shi 紫 “purple, violet” + ka 佳 “excellent; beautiful, good” (紫佳); shi 詩 “poem, poetry” + 夏 “summer” (詩夏). I’ve also seen…

Aglaonice

Aglaonice (pr. a-glay-o-NI-see or a-glay-o-NIE-kee) is an Ancient Greek female name meaning “splendid victory” or “bright victory” made up from Ancient Greek elements aglaos (brilliant, shining; splendid, shining) and nike (victory). There was a female astronomer named Aglaonice who lived in either the 1st or 2nd century BCE and was well-known during her time, believed to be the first recorded female astronomer. She…

Yuka

Yuka is a Japanese female name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: yu 由 “wherefore; reason, cause” + ka 香 “incense, smell, perfume” (由香); yu 由 “wherefore; reason, cause” + ka 華 “splendor, flower, petal” (由華); yu 由 “wherefore; reason, cause” + ka 佳 “beautiful, good; excellent” (由佳); yu 結 “tie, fasten, join, organize; end, conclude” + ka 花 “flower” (結花); yu 有 “exist; have; possess”…

Meredith

Meredith is the anglicized form of Welsh Maredudd or Meredydd, a name of uncertain meaning. The second part of the name comes from iudd meaning “lord, prince” while the first part of the name is uncertain though it could be related to mor meaning “sea, ocean” or maur, mawr meaning “great, splendor, pomp” so the name either means “sea lord”…

Karin

Karin (pr. kah-rin, ka-reen, or kare-en) is a Swedish short form of Katherine, the English form of Greek Aikaterine though the etymology behind the name is not certain. It could be derived from another Greek name, Hekaterine from hekateros meaning “each of the two” or from Hecate, the name of the Greek goddess of witchcraft, the underworld, and crossroads, from hekas possibly meaning “far off” though another…

Zia

Zia is an Arabic male name, a variant transcription of Ziya derived from Arabic diya (ضياء) meaning “splendor, light, glow” and is also an Arabic surname derived from the given name. Zia is also an Italian word meaning “aunt” which comes from Late Latin thia (aunt) via Ancient Greek theíā (aunt) derived from a PIE root word. Zia is also a Hebrew…

Rika

Rika is a Swedish and Dutch short form of Fredrika (the Swedish and Finnish feminine form of Frederick meaning “peaceful ruler”) and Henrika (the Swedish feminine form of Henry meaning “home ruler”) and any names ending in rika. Rika is also a Japanese female name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: ri 理 “reason, logic; arrangement; justice; truth” + ka 香 “incense; smell; fragrance”…