Female full names in England have their own distinctive feature. They consist of three parts, two of which are hyphenated, and last names. The first name is primary. The second is average. The third is the last name. The main one is the first name, it is him or the diminutive form that he calls the girl in life. The list of English female names is constantly updated, because the name can be any word, even the name of one of the relatives or celebrities.
History of the origin of the English name
Initially, English names, like all other peoples, were a common nickname, consisted of two words - a noun and an adjective. They reflected the character of a person, his main features and signs. Further development led to the fact that people began to attribute to the born girls names (nicknames), reflecting the most desirable qualities that would predetermine and influence fate.
Natively English female names
For England itself, true English names are rare. Of the total, they occupy less than 10%. But this is not only in England. In any Christian country, the basis is made up of names borrowed from the Bible, that is, they are of Jewish, Latin or Greek roots. List of English female names of English origin:
- Mildred - Mildred. Tender and strong.
- Alice - Alice. Translated means "noble estate."
- Alfreda - Alfred. Wisdom, mind.
- Yvonne - Yvonne. Archer.
- Eloise - Eloise. A daughter close to God.
Nevertheless, some Britons remain faithful to their traditions and call their daughters old names. The conquest of England by the Vikings reduced the number of English names. Instead, the Normans appeared. At present, in Britain, not all female names are English, the list is constantly growing due to the famous foreign women, after whom the democratic British name their babies.
Names from Christian Saints, the Bible
The distribution of Christianity in England greatly influenced female names. At baptism, babies were named after saints and Bible characters. The people changed these words in their own way, so began to appear new female names in English. A list of them is given below:
- Mary - Mary. Serene. It came from the Hebrew name of Mary. That was the name of the mother of the Lord Jesus.
- Ann - Ann. Grace, Grace. This name was called the mother of the prophet Samuel.
- Maryanne - Maryanne. Tranquil grace. This name combined the two - Mary and Ann.
- Sarah - Sarah. The name of the wife of Abraham. Means "in control, princess."
- Sophia - Sophie. Wisdom. It came to the English language from Christianity.
- Katherine - Katherine. Purity. The name came from Christianity.
- Eva - Eve. A life. It came from the Bible. That was the name of the ancestress of people.
- Agnes - Agness. Innocent, immaculate. The name came from Christianity.
- Susanna - Susanna. Little lily Bible name.
- Judyt - Judith. Glorification. Bible name.
- Joan - Joan. Gift of the merciful God.
A large number of names that are used today, owes its appearance to the Protestants and Puritans, who opposed themselves to the Church of England and gave their children new, different from the usual names. For the most part they were rather strange in nature, consisted of proposals. For example, The-Work-of-God Farmer, which means God-Work Farmer. But life defeated religious fanaticism. Ordinary people gave their daughters beautiful and new names:
- Daniel - Daniel. God is my judge.
- Sarah - Sarah. Imperious.
- Susan - Susan. Lily.
- Hannah - Hannah. It happened on behalf of Anna. Grace. Grace.
- Dinah - Dina. Derived from Diana. Divine.
- Tamar - Tamara. Date palm.
The current list of English female names that appeared in Puritan families is quite significant. Many representatives of this movement were forced to hide and went to Australia or North America.
American names
America was settled by people from different countries. Mostly immigrants from the British Empire: British, Scots and Irish. For the most part, these were commoners and criminals who fled from persecution in their homeland. It was they who brought here a shortened form of names that took root well and gained popularity. The list of English female names has been replenished with new ones such as Ben, Ed, Mad, Mel, Dan, Meg, Ellie, Tina, Lina.
In addition to the inhabitants of Britain, thousands of people from all over Europe came here, who came with their own traditions and names, which were partially remade by the English-speaking population in their own way.
Most popular American female names (list in English):
- Mary - Mary. Derived from Mary. Serene.
- Patricia - Patricia. Noble.
- Linda - Linda. Beautiful.
- Barbara - Barbara. The foreigner.
- Elizabeth - Elizabeth. God is my oath.
- Jennifer - Jennifer. Enchantress.
- Maria - Maria. Serene.
- Susan - Susanna. Little Lily.
- Margaret - Margaret. Pearl.
- Dorothy - Dorothy. Gift of the gods.
- Nancy - Nancy. Grace.
- Karen - Karen. Generous.
- Betty - Betty. Oath to the Gods.
- Helen - Helen. Sunbeam.
- Sandra - Sandra. Male defender.
- Carol - Carol. Derived from Carolina is a princess.
- Ruth - Ruth. Friendship.
- Sharon - Sharon. Princess, the plain.
English Catholics, Protestants, Puritans brought to America their rules by which names were given. They, as in England, consist of three parts - the main, middle and last name. Many American names were borrowed by the British.
New female names
In the 18th century, a new tradition appeared in England to give children a second (middle) name. It brought back to life the Old English and Gothic names, such as Matilda, Diana, Emma. New beautiful English female names appeared. The list was supplemented by famous English writers. Jonathan Swift, William Shakespeare and others gave the following names to English women:
- Stella - Stella. Star.
- Vanessa - Vanessa. Butterfly.
- Juliet - Juliet. Born in July.
- Ophelia - Ophelia. Sublime.
- Viola - Viola. Violet.
- Silvia - Sylvia. Forest.
- Julia - Julia. Girl with soft hair.
- Clara - Clara. Clear Bright.
- Pamela - Pamela. Wanderer. Pilgrimage.
- Wendy - Wendy. Girlfriend.
- Candida - Candida. Clean. White.
- Clarinda - Clarinda. Shine. Purity.
- Belinda - Belinda. Beautiful.
- Fleur - Fleur. Flower. Blooming.
- Sybil - Sybil. Prophetess. Oracle.
Beautiful female names
First of all, every parent wants his child to be healthy and beautiful. The British choose their sonorous and gentle names for their newborn daughters. It is hoped that the girl will possess the character traits that the name denotes. Therefore, the names are chosen voiced and with meaning. If there is no such name, then the child can be called any word you like. The legislation allows this, therefore, new beautiful English female names appear. The list in English is given below:
- Agata - Agata. Good, good.
- Adelaida - Adelaide. Noble.
- Beatrice - Beatrice. Blessed.
- Britney - Britney. Little Britain.
- Valery - Valerie. Strong, brave.
- Veronica - Veronica. The one that brings victory.
- Gloria - Gloria. Glory.
- Camilla - Camilla. Worthy of service to the gods.
- Caroline - Carolina. Princess.
- Melissa - Melissa. Honey.
- Miranda - Miranda. Amazing.
- Rebecca - Rebecca. Trap.
- Sabrina - Sabrina. Notable.
English surnames
It so happened historically that the first name is personal, and the last name, which means belonging to a clan, family, is secondary. In the same way, the English women's names are formed. List of the most popular and common surnames:
- Anderson - Anderson.
- Baker - Becker.
- Brown - Brown.
- Carter - Carter.
- Clark - Clark.
- Cooper - Cooper.
- Harrison - Harrison.
- Jackson - Jackson.
- James - James.
- Johnson - Johnson.
- King - King.
- Lee - Lee.
- Martin - Martin.
- Morgan - Morgan.
- Parker - Parker.
- Patterson - Patterson.
- Richardson - Richardson.
- Smith - Smith.
- Spencer - Spencer.
- Taylor - Taylor.
- Wilson - Wilson.
- Young - Jung.
For the most part, English surnames, like most peoples, evolved from personal names. In some cases, they do not undergo any changes - Allen, Baldwin, Cecil, Dennis. Others are associated with the names of the gods and Teutonic mythology - Godwin, Goodiers, Godyears. The part is formed from the Scandinavian names - Swain, Thurston, Thurlow.
Some surnames consist of a personal name, to which the ending is added - son, which meant "son of such and such": Thompson, Abbotson, Swainson. Residents of Scotland use the prefix - Mac, which also means "son." For example, MacDonald is the "son of Donald," MacGregor is the "son of Gregor."
Some surnames have a professional connotation, that is, Stuart - "royal seneschal", Pottinger - "the chef who cooks the royal soup." Surnames, as well as names, can be given in honor of the place of residence, these can be the names of counties, countries, cities.