The Name Game
OLIVE
GENDER: Feminine
USAGE: English
PRONOUNCED: AHL-iv [key]
Meaning & History
From the English word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva. The olive branch is usually a symbol of peace or victory and was historically worn by brides and virgins. This symbol, deriving from the customs of Ancient Greece, is strongest in Western culture. However, it has been found in every culture and religion to thrive in the Mediterranean basin.
ADELAIDE
GENDER: Feminine
USAGE: English, Italian, Portuguese
PRONOUNCED: AD-ə-layd (English), ah-de-LIE-de (Italian), ə-də-LIED (Portuguese) [key]
Meaning & History
From the French form of the Germanic name Adalheidis, which was composed of theelements adal "noble" and heid "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great. The name became common in Britain in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
CLEMENT
GENDER: Masculine
USAGE: English
PRONOUNCED: KLE-mənt [key]
Meaning & History
English form of the Late Latin name Clemens (or sometimes of its derivative Clementius) which meant "merciful, gentle". This was the name of 14 popes, including Saint Clement I, the third pope, one of the Apostolic Fathers. Another saint by this name was Clement of Alexandria, a 3rd-century theologian and church father who attempted to reconcile Christian and Platonic philosophies. It has been in general as a given name in Christian Europe (in various spellings) since early times. In England it became rare after the Protestant Reformation, though it was revived in the 19th century.