Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark". Borne in its Latin form by two saints, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger, the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. However, the name only became common in English usage in the 1930s because of the popularity of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and its 1939 film adaptation, as one of the novel's main characters was named Melanie Hamilton. The name's popularity increased until the 1970s, since remaining constant. Melanie was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 1957 and, as Mélanie, it was the 86th most popular name for girls born in France in 2004.
Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive name meaning, literally, “she who must be loved”. Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much by everyone." Its diminutive form includes Mandy, Manda and Amy. It is common in countries where Germanic and Romance languages are spoken.
Joanne is a female name derived from the Greek name Joanna via the French Johanne.
Alisa is a female given name, a version of Alice used in Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia and other countries. Notable people with the names Alisa and Alissa include:
Berti is both an Italian surname and a given name. It is also the German familiar form of Berthold.
Alyssa is a feminine given name with multiple origins. Alysa is an alternative spelling.
Élise, Elise, Elyse or Elize is the shortened feminine French form of Elizabeth, coming originally from the Hebrew name אלישבע and meaning "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance".
Anna is a feminine given name, the Latin form of the Greek: Ἄννα and the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "favour" or "grace".
Amber is a feminine given name taken from amber, the fossilized tree resin that is often used in the making of jewelry. The word can also refer to a yellowish-orange color.
Alyssa is a female given name.
Ellie, or Elly, is a given name, usually feminine. The name stands on its own or can be a shortened form of any of the numerous female names beginning with the syllable El-, in particular Eleanor, Elizabeth, or Elvira. It can also be a short form of Elaine, Elena, Eliora / Eliorah, Michelle, Elnaz, Amelia, Elham, Elaheh, Eliana, Eloise, Emelia, Elisa, Ellisha, Elisha, Elesha, Shelly, Eleni, or Petronella and as a masculine name of Eleazer, Elliot, Elron, or Elston. In Greek mythology, Ellie (Helle) was the daughter of Athamas and Nephele; sister of Phrixus.
Emma is a feminine given name. It is derived from the Germanic word ermen, meaning "whole" or "universal". It likely originated as a short form of names such as Ermengarde or Ermentrude. Its earliest use begins at least from the early seventh century, with Frankish royal daughter Emma of Austrasia and the wife of Eadbald of Kent found in written sources. Its popularity in the medieval era increased because it was the name of Emma of Normandy, mother of Edward the Confessor. Emmeline is a Norman variant of Emma that was introduced to England by the Norman invaders in the 11th century. The name is etymologically unrelated to Amalia, Amelia, Emilia, and Emily, all of which are derived from other sources, but all of these names have been associated with each other due to their similarity in appearance and sound. Emma has been used as a short form of some of these names or shares diminutives such as Em or Emmy with them.
Elisa is both a feminine and masculine given name. It is of Phoenician origin. According to legend, the first queen of Carthage was Elissa. Another opinion is that it is a shortened form of Elisabeth, a variant of the Biblical name Elizabeth. For other uses, see Elisa (disambiguation).
The name Brooke is a female given name and less commonly a male given name, also used as a surname. Other forms include Brook. The name "Brooke" is of English origin.
Gordon is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Scottish surname Gordon. It is uncertain if this surname originated from a place name in Scotland or in France. The Gordon in Berwickshire, where the family who bore the surname held lands in the 12th century, is of uncertain etymology. It is also possible that this place name was named after settlers from France, who were named after a like-named place in Normandy. The surname is thought to have been taken up as a given name in honour of the Major-General Charles George Gordon, a British army officer who was killed in 1885, in Khartoum.
Abraham is a surname. It can be of Jewish, English, French, German, Dutch, Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Lebanese, Syrian and other origins. It is derived from the Hebrew personal name Avraham, borne by the biblical patriarch Abraham, revered by Jews as a founding father of the Jewish people, and by Muslims as founder of all Semitic peoples. The name is explained in Genesis 17:5 as being derived from the Hebrew av hamon goyim "father of a multitude of nations". It was commonly used as a given name among Christians in the Middle Ages, and has always been a popular Jewish given name. The English name Abram is often a short form of Abraham, but it can also be a shortened version of Adburgham, which comes from a place name. As an Irish name, it was adopted as an approximation of the Gaelic name Mac an Bhreitheamhan "son of the judge". The German name Brahm is often a short form of Abraham, but it can also be a topographic name signifying someone who lived near a bramble thicket. The name Braham has been used as an Anglicization of both Abraham and its patronymic Abrahams by Ashkenazi Jews in the British Isles. Abraham has also been used as an Anglicization of the equivalent Arabic surname Ibrāhīm. It is also found as a given name among Christians in India, and has come to be used as a family name among families from Kerala.
Alarie is a French surname. Notable people with this name include:
Margo or Margó is a female given name, a form of Margaret. In Estonia, it is also a male given name.
