What names mean pure?
Nirmala and Dalisay are names that can mean "pure". Nirmala is the feminine form of Sanskrit-derived Nirmal, "clean" or "pure", while Dalisay is a Tagalog word for "pure".
Explore the names below and follow any name to its full history.
Zakai Hebrew · pure, innocent
Agnes Greek · pure, holy
Thant Burmese · pure, clean (သန့်); the name of U Thant, UN Secretary-General from 1961 to 1971. The U was never part of his name: U, Daw, Ko and Ma are honorifics (roughly Mr., Ms., elder brother, young woman), so in the US the bare given name stands alone
Qing Chinese · clear, pure (清)
Nirmala Indonesian · spotless, pure
Niranjana Sanskrit · spotless, pure; a favorite for Kerala girls of the 2000s and 2010s
Nimol Khmer · spotless, pure; from Sanskrit nirmala
Trinh Vietnamese · pure, faithful, virtuous
Dalisay Filipino · pure, genuine
Bianca Italian · white, fair (Italian cognate of Blanche)
Dawb Hmong · white, pure
Ariadne Greek · most holy, utterly pure
Kyi Burmese · clear, pure (ကြည်); honoring three relatives in Aung San Suu Kyi's name: grandfather Aung San, grandmother Suu, mother Khin Kyi
Safa Arabic · traditionally 'purity, clarity'; also a sacred hill near Mecca
Nimal Sinhala · pure, spotless (Sanskrit nirmala); the quintessential mid-century Sinhala man's name, the cohort of Colombo grandfathers and great-uncles; parents today reach instead for coined names like Senuka and Dineth
Phyu Burmese · white, fair, pure (ဖြူ); pronounced 'pyu'
Zakiya Arabic · traditionally 'pure, intelligent'
Katharine Greek · traditionally 'pure'
Catherine Greek · traditionally "pure"
Thanh Vietnamese · clear, pure, accomplished (a common unisex name)
Nirmal Sanskrit · Sanskrit for pure and unblemished; famously borne by Nirmal Purja, who climbed all fourteen 8,000 meter peaks in under seven months.
Catalina Spanish · pure
Karen Greek · Danish short form of Katherine, traditionally associated with "pure"; the original etymology is uncertain
Kathleen Irish · pure
Katie Greek · diminutive of Kate, from Katherine; etymology debated, tied to 'pure' since the early Christian era
Kiyoshi Japanese · pure
Kiyoko Japanese · pure, clear child, or holy child, depending on the kanji
Agnieszka Polish · pure, holy (Polish form of Agnes)
Sude Turkish · pure water; from a beloved Turkish poem
Junko Japanese · pure child
Sathvik Telugu · pure, serene, imbued with sattva, the luminous quality of mind (Sanskrit sattvika); a big 2010s Telugu boys' name, also spelled Saathvik in the diaspora
Lotus Greek · from the lotus flower, a symbol of purity and rebirth
Karin Scandinavian · a form of Katherine/Karen, "pure"; also a genuine Japanese given name, 花梨, referring to the flowering Chinese quince tree; two unrelated origins landing on the identical spelling and sound
Kitty Greek · diminutive of Katherine, 'pure'
Glenda Welsh · traditionally 'clean and good'
Blanka Polish · white, pure (Polish form of Blanche)
Suchismita Bengali · one with a pure or beautiful smile (Sanskrit suchi, pure + smita, smile)
Ines Spanish · Spanish/Portuguese form of Agnes, Greek for 'pure, chaste'
Kay Greek · diminutive of Katherine, traditionally pure; in Hong Kong borne by Cantopop singer Kay Tse
Kathy Greek · diminutive of Katherine, traditionally pure
Katia Russian · diminutive of Ekaterina/Katherine, traditionally "pure"
Ekaterina Russian · pure (Russian form of Catherine)
Inez Spanish · variant of Agnes, pure
Katya Russian · Russian diminutive of Ekaterina, traditionally 'pure'
Katalina Spanish · variant of Catalina/Katherine, traditionally translated as 'pure'
Katerina Greek · variant of Katherine, traditionally "pure"
Caterina Italian · variant of Catherine, traditionally 'pure'
Catarina Portuguese · Portuguese/Spanish form of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Jie Chinese · varies by character: often 杰, 'heroic, outstanding', or 洁, 'pure'; a pinyin-era given name
Kari Scandinavian · pure (Norwegian form of Katherine)
Karina Greek · variant of Katherine, traditionally translated as 'pure'
Kasia Polish · pure (Polish diminutive of Katarzyna/Katherine)
Arianne Greek · a French spelling of Ariane/Arianna, from Greek Ariadne, utterly pure, the mythological Cretan princess
Chasity English · variant spelling of Chastity, meaning 'purity'
Cathryn Greek · variant spelling of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Seiji Japanese · sincere and true, or pure and refined, with ji often meaning two
Kate Greek · pet form of Katherine, "pure"
Chi-Ching Cantonese · aspiration and purity (志清)
Katherin Greek · variant of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Kathrine Greek · variant of Katherine, traditionally 'pure'
Arianna Greek · Italian variant of Ariadne, possibly "most holy"; the origin is disputed
Cathy English · pure (short for Catherine, a common refugee-generation English name)
Caitlyn Irish · variant of Caitlin/Catherine, traditionally "pure"
Kaisa Finnish · Finnish diminutive of Katariina/Katherine, from Greek "pure"
Katherine Greek · linked since early Christian times to katharos, "pure," though the name's true root is older and debated; borne by saints, empresses of Russia, and centuries of English queens consort. The K-classic behind Kate, Katie, Kay, and Kitty
Kateryna Ukrainian · Ukrainian form of Katherine: pure
Katarina Slavic · Slavic form of Katherine, traditionally meaning 'pure'
Kaitlynn Irish · variant of Caitlin, Irish form of Katherine meaning 'pure'
Kaitlyn Irish · phonetic respelling of Caitlin, Irish form of Catherine, traditionally translated as 'pure'
Katrina German · variant of Katherine, traditionally pure
Katheryn Greek · variant of Katherine, traditionally pure
Katy Greek · variant of Katherine, traditionally pure
Cathrine Modern American · A spelling variant of Catherine, Greek, of disputed meaning, often glossed as pure.
Katlynn Modern American · A modern respelling of Kaitlyn, itself from Irish Caitlín, a form of Catherine, meaning pure.
Ezhilan Tamil · handsome one, from ezhil, beauty (pure Tamil); a modern name in the same revival current as Ezhil
Chastity English · English virtue name from Latin castitas, purity, part of the Puritan custom of naming for moral qualities.
Catrina Modern American · American respelling of Katrina, from Katherine, Greek for pure; also echoes the Mexican folk figure La Catrina.
Soon Korean · pure in one common hanja; in Korea usually an element, as in Soon-hee
Mugilan Tamil · from mugil, cloud (pure Tamil); a modern boys' name with an old poetic word at its root
Caren Modern American · American C-spelling of Karen, the Danish short form of Katherine, Greek for pure.
Käthe German · German short form of Katharina, of unknown root, later linked to purity; famously borne by Kathe Kollwitz, whose prints of grief and war remain unbearably raw.
Cathleen Irish · Irish variant of Kathleen, traditionally 'pure'
Caitlin Irish · Irish form of Katherine, traditionally pure
Kavin Tamil · beauty, grace (a pure Tamil word attested in Sangam poetry, not from Sanskrit). The quiet star of Tamil-American naming: it is a real classical word that happens to sound exactly like Kevin, so a boy can be Kavin at the temple and no one at school ever stumbles; noticeably rising with young Tamil parents in the US and in Tamil Nadu alike
Kati Modern American · a modern American spelling of Katie, the nickname of Katherine, from Greek possibly meaning pure; also a Hungarian short form of Katalin
Katarzyna Polish · pure (Polish form of Katherine). The formal register behind Kasia, showing how Polish naming runs on two levels, the full name for documents and saints' days and the diminutive for daily life; one of the defining names of Poland's 1970s and 80s generation.
Subhrangshu Bengali · white rays; a poetic name for the moon, from shubhra, "white" or "pure," and angshu, "ray"
Cathie Modern American · A respelling of Cathy, a short form of Catherine, from Greek aikaterine, meaning uncertain, traditionally read as pure
Catina Greek · Variant spelling of Katina, a Greek contracted form of Katherine, from katharos, pure.
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