The Ys of Hebrew, Yiddish, and other Judaic names

Female names:

Ya’alom means “diamond” in Hebrew.

Ya’ara means “honeycomb, honeysuckle” in Hebrew.

Ya’arit means “forest” in Hebrew.

Yael means “ibex” (a mountain goat) in Hebrew. This name is written as Yaël in French, Jaël in Dutch, and Jáél in Hungarian.

Yaen means “ostrich” in Hebrew.

Yaffa means “beautiful” in Hebrew.

Yakira means “precious” in Hebrew. This was the name of one of my younger campers when I was a camp counselor.

Yartina is Judeo–Arabic.

Yasmin means “jasmine” in Hebrew.

Yekara (Judeo–Anglo–Norman) comes from a Hebrew word meaning “dear, expensive.” Amuletic names were very popular during the Middle Ages.

Yente, Yenta (Yiddish) derives from the French word gentille (noble, aristocratic). Because of the character in Fiddler on the Roof, it’s taken on the slang meaning of a gossip.

Yifat means “splendour” in Hebrew.

Yocheved means “God is glory” in Hebrew.

Yvetta is the Judeo–Anglo–Norman feminine form of the French name Yves, which derives from the Ancient Germanic name Ivo (yew).

Male names:

Ya’ari means “forest” in Hebrew.

Yagil means “he will rejoice” in Hebrew.

Yair means “he shines” in Hebrew. The feminine form is Yaira.

Yanai, Yanay means “God answers” in Hebrew.

Yankel is a Yiddish form of Jakob (original Hebrew form Ya’akov). Though traditional etymology claims this name means “heel” and “supplanter,” many modern Biblical scholars believe it comes from Semitic roots meaning “may God protect.”

Ya’qubu is a Judeo–Arabic form of Jakob.

Yaron means “to sing” in Hebrew. The feminine form is Yarona.

Yechiel means “God will live” in Hebrew.

Yishai is the original Hebrew form of Jesse, which means “gift.”

Yochanan is the Hebrew form of John, which means “God is gracious.” The original form was Yehochanan.

Yoram is a contracted form of the Hebrew name Yehoram, which means “exalted by God.”

Yusufu is a Judeo–Arabic form of Joseph (original Hebrew form Yosef), which means “he will add.”

Yvelin is the Judeo–Anglo–Norman diminutive form of Yves.

Unisex names:

Ya’ar means “forest” in Hebrew.

Yahel means “to shine, to make a halo” in Hebrew.

Yarden is the Hebrew form of Jordan, taken from the name of the river and the root yarad (“descend” or “flow down”).

Yitav means “it will be good” in Hebrew. This is a rare name.

Yona means “dove” in Hebrew. This was originally an exclusively male name, but has become unisex in the modern era.

Yuvalor means “stream of light” in Hebrew. This is a rare name.

The Ys of Persian names

Male names:

Yaghoub is the Persian form of Jakob, which derives from the Hebrew name Ya’akov. Though traditional etymology claims this name means “heel” and “supplanter,” many modern Biblical scholars believe it comes from Semitic roots meaning “may God protect.”

Yahya is the Persian, Arabic, and Turkish form of John, which derives from the Hebrew name Yochanan and means “God is gracious.”

Yazdan means “angel” or “divinity.”

Yousef is the Persian form of Joseph, which derives from the Hebrew name Yosef and means “he will add.”

Female names:

Yagana/Yeganeh means “unique.”

Yakhan may mean “ruby.”

Yana means “doer of good deeds” and derives from Avestan, Persia’s ancient language.

Yasamin/Yasaman means “jasmine.”

All about Arthurian names, Part VII (Female names, N–Y)

Illustration from King Arthur’s Knights: The Tales Retold for Boys and Girls (1911), by Walter Crane

Nimue is a sorceress known as the Lady of the Lake. In some stories, Merlin falls in love with her and becomes trapped by her magic. Nimue is also Lancelot’s protector and foster mother, and she gives the sword Excalibur to King Arthur and, many years later, helps to take him to Avalon when he’s dying.

Ninniane is the Old French form of Nimue. It may be derived from the Old Celtic male name Ninian, which in turn might ultimately come from the Brythonic name *Ninniau. Other forms include Ninniene, Niniane, Nyneve, Nymenche, Nimiane, Ninieve, Nivene, Niviène, Nivienne, Niviana, Niniame, Nymanne, Nimanne, Nynyane, Nenyve, Nyneue, Niniave, and Nynyue.

Merlin and Nimue (1861), by Edward Burne-Jones

Olwen means “white footprint” in Welsh, from roots ol (track, footprint) and gwen (white, blessed, fair). She’s one of the title characters of the Welsh epic Culhwch and Olwen. When Culhwch refuses to marry his stepsister, his stepmother curses him with the inability to marry anyone but Olwen. Though he’s never seen her, he falls in love with her. His father tells him he can only find Olwen with the help of his cousin King Arthur, who obligingly helps with the difficult search.

Orgeluse derives from the French word orgueilleuse (haughty). This is a character in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s 13th century romance Parzival. The name is spelt Orguelleuse in Chrétien de Troyes’s unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail.

Illustration of Culhwch and Olwen at the court of Olwen’s father Ysbaddaden, Celtic Myth & Legend (1905?), by Ernest Wallcousins

Palatyne, or Palentina, is one of the triplet sisters of water spirit Melusine. Their other sister is Melior. When their mortal father Elynas, King of Scotland, breaks his promise to not go into the bedchamber of his wife Pressyne while she’s giving birth, Pressyne leaves Scotland and raises her triplets in Avalon.

Qrainglaie is an Irish queen in Chretien de Troyes’s Les Merveilles de Rigomer.

Quebeleplus appears in Heinrich von dem Türlin’s Middle High German epic poem Diu Crône, which dates from about the 1220s.

Rathlean appears in the Irish romance Céilidhe Iosgaide Léithe (The Visit of Iosgaid Liath or Visit of the Grey-Hammed Lady). She’s the mother of Ailleann, who marries King Arthur when she takes him and the Knights of the Round Table to the Otherworld, and a granddaughter of the King of Iceland.

The Cumaean Sibyl (ca. 1617), by Domenichino

Sebile derives from the Greek word sibylla (sibyl). In Greco–Roman mythology, the sibyls (ten in number) are prophets and oracles. Sebile is a queen or princess who’s also a fairy or enchantress. She’s based on the Cumaean Sibyl, who presided over the oracle at Cumae, a Greek colony near modern-day Naples. According to legend, she lived a thousand years.

Soredamor is the lover of Alexander, a Knight of the Round Table, in Chrétien de Troyes’s epic poem Cligès (written about 1176). The Italian form is Sordamor.

Teleri is a contraction of the Welsh word ty (familiar “your”) and the name Eleri, which in turn derives from the name of a Welsh river. This river is also called the Leri. Teleri is a maidservant at King Arthur’s court in Culhwch and Olwen.

Sir Tristram and la Belle Ysoude drinking the love potion (1862–63), designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Xenebra is the Galician form of Guinevere.

Ydain is the name of two characters. One is a maidservant at King Arthur’s court and a cousin of Gawain, who marries Sir Cador of Cornwall. The other is rescued from Sir Licoridon by Gawain and mutually falls in love with Gawain, then decides to dump him for another knight. In revenge, Gawain gives her to the dwarf Druidan.

Ygrayne is a form of Igraine (King Arthur’s mother) used in Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th century epic Le Morte d’Arthur.

Yseut is an Old French form of Iseult used in 12th century Norman–French poet Béroul’s Tristan. Another Old French form, Ysolt, is used by Thomas of Britain in a 12th century poem also called Tristan.

All about Arthurian names, Part IV (Male names, S–Y)

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1470), by Evrard d’Espinques

Safir probably comes from the Hebrew word sapir (sapphire). He’s a Saracen Knight of the Round Table, and the brother of Palamedes.

Sagramore comes from the Old French word sicamor (sycamore). He appears in almost every Arthurian story, always as a very good knight, even when he loses jousts.

Segwarides is the brother of Safir and Palamedes, and son of King Esclabor the Unknown. In some stories, Tristan sleeps with his wife.

Titurel is the Grail King in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s epic Parzival. He’s also the eponymous hero of another von Eschenbach work, a prequel to Parzival which only survives in fragments.

Tor is the son of King Pellinore, and later becomes one of the first Knights of the Round Table.

Torec is the eponymous hero of one of three Arthurian works by 13th century Flemish poet Jacob van Maerlant. Sir Torec defeats all of the Knights of the Round Table except King Arthur for the love of a maiden.

Tristan and Isolde (1912), by John Duncan

Tristan probably derives from the Celtic name Drustan, a nickname for the Pictish name Drust, which in turn may come from the Old Celtic root *trusto- (tumult, noise). It first appeared as Tristan in 12th century French stories, with the spelling probably changed to associate it with the Old French word triste (sad).

Tristan is sent to Ireland by his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, to bring back Mark’s betrothed Iseult. En route to Ireland, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. This sets many tragic events in motion. Tristan also appears as a Knight of the Round Table and a good friend of Lancelot.

Other forms of the name are Tristão (Portuguese), Tristram (Middle English), Trystan (Welsh), Tristán (Spanish), Tristrant (Middle German), Tístram (Faroese), Tístran (Icelandic), Trestan (Breton), Tristà (Catalan; rare), Tristam (Old English), Tristano (Italian), Tristaun (Norman), Trisztán (Hungarian), and Drystan (Welsh).

Eric Pape’s 1907 illustration for Lyrics and Old World Idylls, depicting King Urien being slain by his wife Morgan le Fay

Ulfin means “little wolf,” from the Ancient Germanic root wolf plus a diminutive suffix. Sir Ulfin helps Merlin with the plot to have King Arthur conceived.

Urien comes from the Old Welsh name Urbgen, which possibly derives from Celtic root *orbo- (heir) and the suffix gen (born of). He’s the King of Gore, husband of Morgan le Fay, and father of Owain. Like Owain, Urien is another Arthurian character whom we know was a real historical person.

Uther comes from the Old Welsh name Uthyr and the root uthr (terrible). He’s King Arthur’s father.

Walganus is a variant Latin form of Gualguainus, which Gawain is sometimes referred to as.

Wigalois is the eponymous hero of Wirnt von Grafenberg’s very early 13th century epic about Gawain’s son.

Yder, or Ydier, is the Old French and Anglo–Norman form of Edern, which derives from Old Welsh root edyrn (heavy, immense; wonderful, prodigious, marvellous). Previously, it was wrongly believed to come from the Latin word aeternus (eternal). Edern is a Knight of the Round Table.

Yvain, or Ywain, is a form of Owain, which comes from an Old Welsh name variously spelt Ougein and Eugein, and thus may ultimately derive from the Greek name Eugenios (well-born). It may also have the Celtic roots *owi- (sheep), *awi- (desire), or *wesu- (good), plus the Old Welsh suffix gen (born of). Owain is a Knight of the Round Table, and usually written as the son of King Urien and the philandering husband of Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain. He’s one of the Arthurian characters who actually existed.

The Ys of Ukrainian names

Female names:

Yaryna is a variant of Iryna, which comes from the Greek name Eirene (peace). The spelling may have been influenced by the Slavic root yaru (energetic).

Yavdokha is the Ukrainian and Belarusian form of the Greek name Eudokia (Eudocia in Latin), which derives from the Greek word eudokeo (to be well satisfied, to be pleased), and roots eu (good) and dokeo (to imagine, think, suppose). One of the diminutives is Yavdonya.

Yelysaveta is the traditional Ukrainian form of Elizabeth, which comes from Hebrew name Elisheva (my God is an oath). Another form of the name is Yelyzaveta.

Yevheniya is the Ukrainian form of Eugenia (well-born).

Yulianiya may be an elaborated form of Yuliana, or a modern invention.

Male names:

Yakiv is the Ukrainian form of Jakob, which ultimately comes from the Hebrew name Ya’akov. Though traditional etymology claims this name means “heel” and “supplanter,” many modern Biblical scholars believe it comes from Semitic roots meaning “may God protect.”

Yakym is the Ukrainian form of Joachim, a contracted form of the Hebrew name Yehoiachin (God establishes) or Yehoiakim (raised by God).

Yarema is the Ukrainian form of Jeremiah, which comes from the Hebrew name Yirmiyahu (God will exalt).

Yarosh is a folk form of the Greek name Hierotheos (sacred god).

Yavtukh is a folk form of the Greek name Eutychios, a variant of Eutychus. Its root is the word eutyches (fortunate).

Yevhen, or Yevheniy, is the Ukrainian form of Eugene (well-born).

Yevstakhiy is an archaic form of the Latin name Eustachius, which possibly comes from the Greek name Eustachys (fruitful; literally, “good ear of corn”).

Yosyp is the Ukrainian form of Joseph, which comes from Hebrew name Yosef (he will add). Another form is Yosyf.

Yukhym comes from the Greek name Euthymios (in good spirits, generous). An alternative form or diminutive is Yusko.