Sunday, December 4, 2016

F-abulous Names

Considering how many F-names seem to be trending (Finn and variants, Flynn, FordFisher, FletcherFelicity, Fiona, Freya), I'm surprised there aren't any except Faith in the SSA Top 100--and it's down at #91! After that, it's Finn for boys at #204 and Finley for girls at #209.
F-names were all the rage at the turn of the century (Frank, Florence, Frances/Francis, Fred, Ferdinand, Floyd, Faye, etc), and I think it's time for a comeback. ;)

(this turned into a much longer list than I had expected. How is it that there are so many F-names world-wide, but so few in use in the US?)

Boys:
  • Faolán (FWEE-lawn, FWAY-lawn, Irish)--prob. "little wolf"
  • Faiz (FAH-eez, Arabic)--"victorious"
  • Fanuel (FAHN-oo-el, Scandinavian)--from Hebrew, "face of God"
  • Faramund (FAHR-ah-mund, Germanic)--"journey protection". Old Swedish form is Farmund.
  • Faris (FEHR-is, Arabic; FAH-rees, Bosnian)--from Arabic, "knight"
  • Farman (FAHR-man, Scandinavian)--"traveller". Also spelled Farmann
  • Faustin (foh-STAHN, French; FOW ['ow' like "now"] -steen, Russian)--from Latin, "lucky". Other forms include Faustyn (FOW-stin, Polish) and Faustino (fow-STEEN-oh, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish). 
  • Fen (FEN, Frisian)--nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace" [coincides with an English word for a type of wetland]
  • Ferapont (fyehr-ah-PAHNT, Russian)--from ancient Greek, "servant, caregiver"
  • Ferris (FEHR-ris, English [surname], Irish [surname])--from French, "ironworker", or a form of Fergus
  • Fife (FIFE, Scottish)--from the Scottish region, origin unknown. Also spelled Fyfe.
  • Finlo (FIN-loh, Manx)--"fair Lugh" [Irish god]
  • Finnegas (FIN-eh-gas, Irish [mythology])--poss. "Finn the Seer". Also written as Finegas or Finneces.
  • Finnvid (FIN-vid, [somewhat archaic] Swedish)--"Finn-tree" or "magician-tree"). Other forms include Finnevid (also somewhat archaic Swedish), Finnved (archaic Norwegian), and Finwith (old Danish, old Swedish)
  • Fishel (FISH-el, Yiddish)--"little fish" [also sometimes used as a nickname for Ephraim]
  • Fivos (FEE-vos, Greek)--modern masculine form of Phoebe, "light"
  • Flemming (FLEM-ming, Scandinavian [esp. Danish!])--"from Flanders" [probably ultimately from Old Frisian "of the flowing water"]. Also spelled Fleming
  • Flint (FLINT, English [surname])
  • Fordel (FOR-del, Norwegian)--from Germanic, "advantage"
  • Fosco (FOHS-koh, Italian)--prob. from Latin, "dark"
  • Fraser (FRAY-zher, FRAY-zer, Scottish, English)--also spelled Frazier
  • Fredmund (FRED-moond, Norwegian)--"peace protection"
  • Frey (FRAY, Danish, Swedish)--masculine of Freya "lord". Also spelled Frej.
  • Fulton (FUL-ton, English [surname])

Girls:
  • Fabia (FAH-bee-ah, Latin, Italian)--other forms include Fabiana (fah-bee-AH-nah, Latin, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), Fabienne (fah-bee-EN, French), and Fabiola (fah-bee-OH-lah, Spanish, Italian).
  • Fadime (fah-dee-MAY, Turkish)--form of Fatima
  • Faina (fah-EE-nah, Russian)--poss. from ancient Greek Phaenna, "shining"
  • Faiza (FYE-zah, Arabic)--"victorious"
  • Fanchon (FAN-shawn, French)--nickname for Françoise/Frances
  • Fanélie (fah-nay-LEE, French)--form of Françoise/Frances or Stéphanie
  • Fara (FAH-rah, Italian, Scandinavian)--nickname for Germanic fara names, "journey"
  • Fausta (FOW ['ow' like "now"] -stah, Latin, Italian)--from Latin, "lucky". Other forms include Faustine (foh-STEEN, French), Faustina (fow-STEEN-ah, Latin, Italian), and Faustyna (fow-STIN-ah, Polish). 
  • Favonia (fah-VOH-nee-ah, Latin)--"favored"
  • Fedea (fed-eh-ah, Basque)--"faith"
  • Femke (FEM-keh, Dutch, Frisian)--nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace". [coincides with the Frisian word for "girl"]
  • Fenareti (fen-ah-REH-tee, Greek)--"shining virtue". Also transliterated as Fainareti
  • Fenna (FEN-nah, Dutch, Frisian)--another nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace". Also spelled Fenne
  • Feray (feh-RYE, Turkish)--poss, "radiance of the moon"
  • Ffion (FEE-on, Welsh)--"foxglove"
  • Fia (FEE-ah, Scandinavian)--short form of Sofia
  • Fiadh (FEE-ah, Irish)--"wild" or "deer"
  • Fiadhnait (FYAH-nat, Irish)--"fawn"
  • Fiamma (fee-AHM-mah, Italian)--"flame"
  • Fiammetta (fee-ahm-MET-tah, Italian)--"little flame"
  • Fiorenza (fee-oh-REN-tsah, Italian)--form of Florence. Other forms include Florentia (floh-REN-tee-ah, Latin; floh-REN-shah, English) and Florencia (floh-REN-see-ah, Spanish). 
  • Fira (feer-AH, Russian)--nickname for Esfir/Esther
  • Flavia (FLAH-vee-ah, Latin, Spanish, Italian)--from Latin, "golden, yellow". Other forms include Flavie (flah-VEE, French), Flavienne (flah-vee-EN, French), and Flaviana (flah-vee-AH-nah, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).
  • Freydis (FRAY-dis, Norwegian)--"lady goddess". Another form is Frøydis (FROOY [somewhere between English "ay" and "oy"] -dis). 

Unisex:
  • Farah (FAH-rah, Arabic)--"joy". Also spelled Farrah
  • Firdaus (FEER-dohs, Arabic; fur-DOHS, Persian)--"paradise". Also transliterated as Firdos. [definitely unisex, although more common for boys, in Arabic; might be exclusively masculine in Persian]

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