Frozen Fairytale

Yelena

Russian variation of Helen

"bright, shining one"

One of many international versions of this classic.

Ylva

Feminine variation of Ulf, Scandinavian

"wolf"

Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up…

Yveline

Yveline is a feminine French name derived from the Germanic name element 'iv' meaning 'yew tree,' which symbolized eternity in ancient cultures. It's also connected to the male name Yves and shares…

Zemfira

Literature

Poetic and alluring, Zemfira is the name of the tragic heroine in Alexander Pushkin's narrative poem The Gypsies . His work has been adapted into a multitude of ballets and operas and may have…

Zorya

Slavic

"star"

Zorya is the name of the two star goddess in Slavic mythology, Zorya Utrennyaya and Zorya Vechernyaya, referring to the morning and evening stars, respectively. It's used as a name in Russia and…

Lupine

Flower name from Latin

"pertaining to the wolf"

Lupine (spelled Lupin outside of North America) is a flower related to sweetpeas. It was given its wolfish meaning because the plant was said to deplete the soil. Comedian Jenny Slate used it as a…