Names That Mean Tribe

Amara

Igbo, Sanskrit, Arabic

"grace, immortal, tribe"

Strong, attractive, and stylish, Amara is a true multicultural choice enjoying some popularity in both the US and the UK. In the US Top 1000 since the turn of this century, Amara has been holding…

Genevieve

English from French

"tribe woman"

Genevieve is derived from the Germanic medieval name Genovefa, or Kenowefa, which consists of the elements kuni , meaning "kin", and wefa , meaning "woman." The medieval saint Genevieve, patroness of…

Dakota

Native American tribe and place name; Sioux

"friendly one"

A Native American tribe name which is found in the names of two US states, Dakota was one of the first trendy nineties place names, but is now flagging a little in popularity. The cultural question…

Jocelyn

German

"member of the Gauts tribe"

Jocelyn has gotten new life and popularity as a result of the current passion for lyn endings. Though it was a male name in medieval times, now Jocelyn couldn't sound more softly feminine. John…

Amarah

Variation of Amara, Igbo, Sanskrit, Arabic

"grace, immortal, tribe"

Well-used spelling of Amara, particularly among those using the Arabic variation of the name.

Joselyn

Variation of Jocelyn, German

"member of the Gauts tribe"

Variation of Jocelyn that confuses the pronunciation and looks less elegant. We recommend you stick with the beautiful original.

Joslyn

Spelling variation of Jocelyn, German

"member of the Gauts tribe"

Much less popular than the original spelling of Jocelyn, though still given to over 100 baby girls in the US last year. While it might be tempting to go with this more phonetic spelling, we recommend…

Joslynn

Variation of Jocelyn, German

"member of the Gauts tribe"

Joslynn is a contemporary feminine name that blends elements of Jocelyn and the popular -lynn ending that emerged in the late 20th century. This hybrid creation maintains the soft, melodic quality of…

Josselyn

English variation of Jocelyn

"member of the Gauts tribe"

One of many modern spellings of Jocelyn, this one used by actress Samantha Harris for her daughter.

Genoveva

Variation of Genevieve or Geneva, French

"tribe woman or juniper"

The rare name Genoveva might be thought of as a variation of the French names Genevieve or Geneva, which have different roots and meanings. An unusual, pretty choice.

Joss

Diminutive of Jocelyn, German

"member of the Gauts tribe"

Joss is more fashionable than Jocelyn or Josslyn. This is a short form that could be used independently, a la the singer Joss Stone. One of a troupe of adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for…

Generose

Variation of Generosa or compound name "well-born, noble, generous; tribe woman; white, fair + rose"

"well-born, noble, generous; tribe woman; white, fair + rose"

Generose could be viewed in a number of ways. It may be inspired by the Italian, Latin, and Spanish Generosa, an ancient name meaning "well-born, noble" that doubles up as a word name meaning…

Genovéva

Hungarian, from French

"tribe woman"

A stately and darkly romantic variant of Genevieve, used in the Hungarian language.

Genoveffa

Italian, from French

"tribe woman"

A romantic, flowy form of Genevieve with extra flair and the cute nickname Effie to boot.

Shawnee

Native American tribe name

The Shawnee were an Eastern tribe that migrated westward; Shawnee makes an unusual name, if a little dated a la Shawn and Tawnee.

Sweden

Place-name

"Swede, one's own tribe"

You may be surprised to learn 73 girls have been named Sweden since the 2000s. Appearing sporadically in the US name stats over the last twenty years, the name derives from the Old Norse Svíar which…

Kula

Sanskrit

"tribe"

There are a number of towns and villages named Kula across the world, most of them in Eastern Europe and Pacific Islands. Kula is also a name of tribes in Thailand and Cambodia, Australia, and…