Baby Name Meanings
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
Greek
"purple flower"
Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the…
"violet flower"
Iolanthe is known primarily through the 1882 Gilbert & Sullivan operetta of that name, in which the title character is a fairy. Iolanthe is a softer version of Yolanda, and is the kind of…
Variation of Ione, Greek
"violet-colored stone"
A phonetic variant of the gorgeous Greek name Ione, and one that was used by model Coco Rocha for her daughter in 2015.
Gemstone name, variation of Hyacinth, English
"blue larkspur; precious stone"
Jacinth is a gemstone of the Zircon variety. The name is related to the floral Hyacinth.
"violet"
One of a number of similar forms of the "violet" name family used throughout Europe — others include Yolanda, Violante and Iolanthe.
Italian
A sweet and feminine Italian name almost unheard of here.
Polish
A Slavic name that could easily blend in.
"lavender"
Italian color and nature name.
French
"violet-colored"
Mauve is an offbeat color name whose soft and sentimental Victorian spirit is conveyed by the name. One of the newer color names like Blue, Gray and Plum that are increasingly being used as novel…
Cornish
A lyrical, and very rare, hidden flower name.
Russian from Greek
"purple dye"
A rare Russian name derived from the Greek porphyra , referring to a purple dye. More familiar is the Italian and Spanish Porfirio, from the same origins, which hopped in and out of the Top 1000 at…
Latin
"small plum"
Most ella names are hot, but this is one that won't catch fire because of the disagreeable connotations of prunes.
"little plum"
This sweet, fruity French name debuted in the American charts in 2020 (but dipped out again the following year). Although it's offbeat, the spunky nicknames Prue and Nell(ie) definitely work in its…
Hebrew
In modern Hebrew, sigal is the word for the violet flower.
Japanese
The Japanese equivalent of Violet, common among Millennial and Gen Z Japanese women.
"plum"
Refers to a particular variety of Japanese plum, the Prunus salicina , although in a literal translation it would mean "sour peach."
Greek and Latin
Too close to violent.
Romanian
A lovely, botanical and V starting name for boys, derived from viorea , the Romanian word for the sweet violet flower. The name is predominantly used in Romania, but also in Moldova and Spain.
Derived from viorea , the Romanian word for the sweet violet flower. Former Romanian prime minister Viorica Dănicilă is a famous bearer.
Polish, from Latin
"purple"
A romantic Polish form of Violet, Wioleta was in the country's Top 100 most popular baby girl names in the early 2000s. A slightly more common spelling is Wioletta.
