British girls names. Unusual male and female English names and their meanings Popular female names in england

We often like to imagine what our name would be in English. For example, Elena - Helen, Eugene - Eugene, Michael - Michael, etc. English names are very different from ours. Sometimes, it is even difficult to understand the male or female name in front of you.

If we talk about names in the USA and Great Britain, then they consist of personal name(personal name, first name, given name) and surnames(surname, last name, family name). The personal name is given at birth, and the surname is inherited as a common name for the family. The child can be given a middle or middle name. This is an optional name element. A middle name can be given in honor of a saint, relative, family friend, famous person, etc. In writing, the middle name is usually omitted or shortened to an initial.

If the son's name is exactly the same as the father's, the word “Junior” can be added to the son’s name and “Senior” to the father’s name, to make them easier to distinguish.

Popular English female names

Popular English male names

Popular English surnames

There are more than a million carriers of the names Jones (Jones), Smith (Smith), Williams (Williams), Black (Black), Wilson (Wilson). Below is a list of other popular surnames in the UK and USA.

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

Research 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 semantic load, but his nickname.

The situation with names changed dramatically after the Norman conquest of England. There was a rapid change from English names to Norman ones. Today, only a small fraction of the British have true English names.

It is also noteworthy that there are very few old native English names. They have hardly survived to this day. The overwhelming majority of them were borrowed from cultures such as Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Celtic, Norman, etc. At that time, people received long and short names that praised the gods, the forces of nature and any human qualities.

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

• Mary is a derivative of the Hebrew name Mary. This ancient name has a very beautiful meaning - "serene";
• Anna is named after the mother of the prophet Samuel. Translated as "grace";
• Maryann is the combined names Mary and Anna;
• Sarah is named after Abraham's wife. The meaning of this name is "mistress".

Influence of literature on the formation of names

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

Among other things, literary works have 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 whole list.

Popular English female names

The fashion for names, like many other aspects of life, comes and goes. Some are quickly forgotten, and forever, while others come back from time to time - usually in their original form, but sometimes in a new interpretation.

Olivia, Emma and Sophie have become the most popular names in recent years, according to UK National Statistics data. A list of 30 other popular English female names is presented 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

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

So, one of the polls conducted in the UK showed which British names are recognized by the inhabitants of Foggy Albion as the most successful, and which are the other way around. The survey results are shown in the table below.

Rare English female names and their meanings

There are many names that remain out of the popularity rating, being the least used. The so-called "outsider names" include:

• Annik - benefit, grace
• Allin is a bird
• Amabel is attractive
• Bernays - bringing victory
• Bambi - child
• Bekkai - the one that lures into the trap
• Betts is my vow
• Willow - willow
• Gabby - power from God
• Dominic is the property of the lord
• Jojo - multiplying
• Delores - longing
• Juel is a gem
• Georgina is a peasant
• Iline is a bird
• Kiva - beautiful
• Kelly - blonde
• Lukinda - light
• Lalaj - babbling
• Morgan - sea circle
• Gauze is a favorite
• Melisa - a bee
• Mackenzie is a beauty
• Mindy is a black snake
• Megan - pearl
• Penelope - the cunning weaver
• Poppy - poppy
• Rosaulin - a gentle mare
• Totti is a girl
• Phyllis - crown of a tree
• Heather - Heather
• Edvena is a wealthy friend

The most beautiful female English names

The beauty of the name and its euphony is very important 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, then another can be annoyed. However, there is a ranking of names that, according to most people, seem to be the most beautiful.

Unusual female English names

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

Scout Larue and Tallupa Bell - that's how Bruce Willis named his youngest daughters. And these are no less than the names of their favorite horses that won at the races.

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

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

Singer David Bowie ignored all the famous English names for boys and called his little son Zoey, simply considering the combination of Zoey Bowie funny.

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

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

No one will be left indifferent by the variety of English female names and surnames. They fascinate with their national flavor and arouse genuine interest with a long list built.

Let's try to figure out how they sound correctly, what the construction is based on and what is put into the semantic context at the birth of a child.

English names for girls

The girl's English name given at birth consists of three semantic parts:

• Celebrity or famous ancestor.
• Family name or family name of a celebrity.
• Carrying a specific value or pointing to a parent.

To understand how the English name was created, let's plunge into history.

Before the conquest of England by the Normans, it was customary to name girls in honor of the biblical characters of the same name, altered in the English manner.

For example:

• Mary - comes from Mary (serenity).
• Anna is the mother of Samuel, the famous biblical prophet (grace-filled).
• Marianne - connects the two previous names together.
• Sarah - this was the name of Abraham's wife (mistress) and others.

But with the arrival of the Normans, a corresponding component appeared in English names, which subsequently supplanted the original roots.

In the modern world, it carries a semantic meaning not the same as before: the child is called not in someone's honor, but a word designed to determine the future life.

The middle name is most often given in honor of jewelry, favorite colors, and simply liked items:

• Esmerelda - emerald (translated from Spanish).
• Essie - denotes one of the celestial bodies (stars).
• Ellen - given in honor of the moon.
• Angie means an angel.
• Elin is a bird.
• Floretta is a tiny flower.
• Elanor is the light of the stars.
• April - April.
• Sky is the sky.

Beautiful female surnames in English

If you pay attention to the meaning of the English surname, you can understand that it is given from someone else's name or belonging to a profession.

Here are some examples:

• Smith translates as - blacksmith.
• Jones - on behalf of John (John's daughter).
• Williams is William's daughter.
• Brown is brown.
• Taylor is a tailor.

Initially, until about the eleventh century, the English did not have surnames.

A person had only a name, to which a nickname was added, which determined the type of activity or individual characteristics of the owner.

During this period, the first census of the population in England was carried out, during which nicknames acquired official status, passing into surnames.

They were divided according to four criteria:

• Otanthroponymic - changing the name by means of a suffix.
• The place of residence.
• Occupation.
• Descriptive.

In modern Great Britain, the following aristocratic surnames are especially popular:

• Stewart.
• York.
• Tudor.
• Lancaster.
• Hamilton.
• Norfolk.
• Marlborough.
• Manchester.
• Jackson and others.

Note! The full name of the Englishwoman (including the surname) carries a huge semantic load.

It is capable, to one degree or another, of predetermining the future fate of its owner.

The tendency to assign surnames to girls in this way has spread to the American continent. Residents of the United States are often given English names, since most of the immigrants came to this country from England.

However, there is much greater diversity here, since America is a multinational state, and the names of other peoples were added to the English, in turn adding an element of national flavor.

Rare English surnames

Every nation, the British are no exception, there are rare, not popular, surnames.

They can be very short, abusive, or vice versa - impossibly long, completely unpronounceable. Many try to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

The longest surnames include up to one hundred and twenty letters. They contain from seven to ten or more names that are often repeated.

Here are some examples:

• Tollmash-Tollmash de Orellana-Plantagenet-Tollmash-Tollmash.
• Francisca Santa Lucia Mantegu Stewart Mackenzie Wortley Smith.
• Carolina Louise Maria Jemima Temple Chandos Nugent Bringes Grenville.

It is impossible to pronounce such surnames in full, therefore, most often only part of it is called - the first or the last.

The one-part surname Featherstanehaugh is pronounced differently, sometimes shortened to a short Fanshaw.

Owners of such complex surnames have a hard time: everyone tries to refer to her in their own way, often distorting the correct pronunciation.

In the current age of universal acceleration, it is completely reduced to one syllable.

English names and surnames are now popular in Russia, but you should definitely think about their meaning.

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There has always been a fashion for foreign names, especially a rich list of women. In modern society, there is a popularization of English names.

Scientists have conducted research to find out the origin of the name and its meaning. Initially, in English, the main role was played by a person's nickname, reflecting character traits or abilities. Education in this case came from nouns or adjectives.

The conquest of Britain by the Vikings led to a change in the situation: there was a sharp change from the original English versions to the Norman ones. In modern society, a small proportion of the inhabitants of Foggy Albion bear old English names.

Throughout the 16th century, in the wake of the spread of the religious movement, names taken from the Bible began to enjoy popularity.

Among them:

• Mary, derived from Mary;
• Anna, translated as "grace", which belonged to the wife of the prophet Samuel;
• Marianne, formed from the confluence of Anna and Mary;
• Sarah or mistress. That was the name of Abraham's wife.

The next round that led to the emergence of innovations in the naming of children in English society was the appearance of printed materials. Some mothers began to choose idols for girls among the heroines of the works of literary masters.

Thus, came into use: Jessica, Sylvia, Ophelia, Stella, Julia, Juliet, Jessica, Viola.

Also, the spread of literary masterpieces revived ancient beautiful names: Anita, Jacqueline, Amber, Angelina, Daisy, Michelle and Ruby.

Top modern English names

In modern society, it is accepted that a child is allowed to be named so that it sounds euphonious. It is not at all necessary for a character or a historical person to become a prototype.

Some are formed in such a way that a girl could acquire individual traits or a name would determine her future destiny.

The most popular English variants with meaning are shown in the table:

Sources of occurrence in modern times

Fashion for unusual and interesting names is akin to fashion for clothes. She is fickle. During different periods, there is a change in popular female or male names.

Both the original form and the modernized interpretation are used. Today, according to statistics provided by the UK National Statistics Service, the top three are occupied by Olivia, Emma and Sophie.

It's not just literature that influences popularity. Modern society tends to create idols, which become the heroes of popular films or TV series.

Among the names that were popular in 2014, in the compiled ranking at 24th place was Arya, the title character of the cult TV series "Game of Thrones". Gradually, other modern versions appeared, which came from this series - Sansa, Brienne, Caitelin, Daenerys.

Another literary work that has turned into a cult serial film is Twilight. Since 2008, Bella or Isabella have been on the list of the most popular on the shores of Foggy Albion.

Potterian cannot be ignored. Old English names included Hermione on their list, who gained popularity again after the release of not a book, but a series of films about a young wizard.

But not only works can influence popularity. Also, the number of uses of a particular variant can be influenced by the success of the living host. In England at one time it was very popular to name the girls Margaret as prime minister.

Cute and unusual, short and lengthy - history knows many different names. Some show business stars prefer to stand out from the crowd and call their children very unusual.

Bruce Willis named the children after their favorite horses, Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, which means "apple." No one can deny the fact that a name can influence a character. It was not for nothing that Captain Vrungel said, "As you name a yacht, so it will float."

Similar posts

When the British Bureau of National Statistics released its annual report for 2014, an interesting fact attracted the attention of specialists: more and more parents choose a name for their newborns under the influence of pop culture, and above all - modern TV series.

The growing popularity of the epic "Game of Thrones" gave rise to a whole galaxy of new names - in the real, not fictional world. The character of Emilia Clarke gave birth to two names at once: 53 newborn British women were named Khaleesi (Khaleesi from the film - royal title), and 9 more were given the name Daenerys (Daenerys). The name Arya Stark turned out to be even more popular: 244 families chose the name Arya for their daughters, but only 6 girls were named after Sansa (Sansa).

British boys were not spared by the new fashion either: 2014 was a fruitful year for Tyrions (17) and Theons (18) - for comparison, in 2013 there were 6 and 11, respectively.

But Game of Thrones isn't the only show to inspire Britain's new parents. "Downton Abbey" revived a dozen names that were popular at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Since the launch of the movie saga in 2010, the names Rose, Cora, Violet and Edith have grown significantly in popularity. Hollywood is not far behind, with Disney's "Frozen" sparking interest in the old-fashioned but adorable name Elsa.

Sherlock fans also contribute to the name stat. And although no one was named Sherlock in 2014, 132 little Britons were named Benedict.

Meanwhile, Oliver (Oliver) and Amelia (Amelia) top the list of the most popular names in England and Wales - however, as in previous years.

10 most British male names

Alastair, Alistair, Alister - Alastair, Alistair

Meaning: The Protector

The Scottish equivalent of the Greek name Alexander.

Fergus - Fergus

Meaning: The strong

A Scottish-Irish name, quite old-fashioned but colorful.

Crispin - Crispin

Meaning: curly (lat.)

Saint Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers, is mentioned by Shakespeare in the play "Henry V". A beautiful English name, and most importantly - a rare one.

• When it comes to Henry V, we warmly recommend watching the 1989 English film Henry V: The Battle of Agincourt starring Kenneth Branagh. An amazingly dramatic film, which is useful to watch in the original.

Ellis - Ellis

Meaning: The benevolent

No, this is not a female name: Ellis is the Welsh version of the male Greek name Elias.

• Fun fact: Emilia Brontë wrote her “Wuthering Heights” under the pseudonym Ellis Bell.

Piers - Pier

Meaning: The stone

Pierce is the first variant of the Greek name Peter to reach the English-speaking world during the Norman invasion. Notable Piers include Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan, who starred in four Bond films.

Conall - Conall

Meaning: The strong wolf

The Scottish name Conall is a variant of the name Connor. Wolves hunt in packs - choosing this name, parents must hope that their offspring will always be surrounded by friends.

Kenzie - Kenzie

Meaning: The fair skinned

And although the meaning of this name refers to skin color, Kenzi boys are often endowed with a special inner light that sets them apart from their peers.

Euan, Ewan - Yuen

Meaning: born of a yew tree; youth

The Scottish version of the name John. Judging by Ewan McGregor, the owners of this name are very talented, but at the same time humble.

Lachlan - Lacklen, Lachlan

Meaning: The Warrior From The Scottish Lands

The most Scottish name imaginable. Do not be surprised if this child prefers a Scottish kilt to trousers from childhood.

10 most British female names

Amelia - Amelia

Meaning: The work

The most popular British name of the previous year, in fact, is not a name at all. This word is a hybrid of Latin Emilia (Emilia) and German Amalia (Amalia), and the letter e in the middle of the word symbolizes good old England (England) :)

Gladys - Gladys

Meaning: country; people

Welsh name, equivalent to Claudia.

Myrtle - Myrtle, Myrtle

Meaning: The bush

Someone somewhere in the mists of time decided to name their newborn daughter in honor of a flowering bush - anything can happen. Surprisingly, the name stuck and became quite popular in Britain.

Frideswide - Fridesvida

Meaning: The peaceful, calm

The name comes from the Old English Friðuswiþ, which combines the words frið (peace) and swiþ (strong). Therefore, small Fridesvids (no matter how unusual this name may seem) show an enviable firmness of character with outward calmness. Just like Saint Frideswida (by the way, a princess), who lived in the 8th century and founded the Church of Christ in Oxford.

Note: To be honest, this name is, of course, quite rare these days. But at the time of Queen Elizabeth, it was included in the top 50 most popular female names.

Agatha - Agatha

Meaning: The good, the venerable

Agathos means "good" in Greek, so Agatha is a good girl (literally). The name migrated to England in the 11th century with the Normans who venerated Saint Agatha, who lived in the 3rd century and was probably a very good girl. And then there is Agatha Christie - a very, very good girl.

Olivia - Olivia

Meaning: The olive

The feminine version of the male name Oliver, meaning olive seller or simply olive, olive. Some names do not need to look for connotations.

Boadicea (Boudicca) - Boadicea (Boudicca)

Meaning: Victory

Militant Boudicca - the queen of the British tribe of Icenes, who raised an uprising against the Romans (the events are mentioned in the Annals of Tacitus). And although the uprising was suppressed, the name of the warrior has survived through the centuries.

Edith - Edith

Meaning: The wealth gained in battle

The Old English word ead means wealth or blessing, and gyth means struggle. The girl named by this name will excel in the martial arts. Interesting fact: the wife of William the Conqueror was also named Edith. Edith the Conqueror :)

Nora - Nora

Meaning: honesty, nobility

Most likely, this name comes from the Latin honora, from which the English word honor (honesty, nobility, honor, recognition) was also formed.

Ada - Ada

Meaning: Of noble birth

Perhaps a variant of the name Ida (Ida), which has Old Germanic roots and means "hardworking". This name was also brought to Britain by the Normans and gained popularity in the 19th century thanks to the poet Alfred Tennyson, who gave the name to the heroine of his poem "Princess". Among the famous Hell is the daughter of another poet (namely, Byron), who is considered the world's first programmer. And one of the first programming languages ​​is called "Ada" - exactly in her honor.