Popular Basque First Names for Girls

[@loroxloro-kt9di]

There's a few very popular names missing in your list. My aunt Begoña would have had something to say. Izaskun is a sister of Amaya and Estíbaliz Uranga and all three sang in the most famous basque group ever (Mocedades ) whose hit song "Eres tú" I'm pretty sure you're familiar with. When the band went their separate ways Estíbaliz formed a duo with her husband and under the name Sergio y Estíbaliz had a few big hits, like " Búscame" or "Volverás." Aranzazu or short Arancha is one of the top Basque names too and was popularized by Arancha Sanchez-Vicario the best Spanish female professional tennis player Spain has ever produced. On a different subject I live in LA too and when traveling north I have often stopped at one of 3 or 4 great Basque restaurants in Bakersfield about 100 miles north of here. The was a special visa category for Basque shepherds and many immigrated into that area. They're excellent!!!

[@asoiafan]

Two of my cousins that are siblings are named Asier(the beginning) and Amaia (the end).

[@rwv3n]

wow i love this!

[@emilianodecuba6368]

My second daughter’s name is Naiara. We have been told that our family’s origins are from the Basque Country, however at some point in time fled Spain and ended up in Cuba, where the name was supposedly changed to “De Cuba”. Later part of the family left to Venezuela, and a part of the family later ended up here in Aruba. The original family name apparently was Levie or Le Vie. We do not know if this story is true, but it sure sounds interesting at least. Anyway, that’s why we named our daughter Naiara. Loved your video and loved the fact that Naiara is your favorite Basque name. ❤️

[@zarapapazyan4580]

Most probably name Naiara is coming from Armenian Naira or Nairi,country Armenia in ancient bookes sometimes was called land of Nairi

[@ludovical.1251]

Hi, I really fell in love with the name Miren 😍 greatings from Sicily! 🌹

[@aranzamtzandr]

My name, Aranza, got me into the history and culture of the Basque Country. It is a variation of Aranzazú. I believe it is originally written with a t before the z. When I was a child I didn't really like my name, for being different and strong, through the years I've come to love it for its uniqueness, character, and history. It has also been a topic of conversation when I have met people from Sapin.

[@juanraamonelguezabal4421]

Arantxa

[@doudouledoux4831]

I'm from Iparralde and in my family as well we give everyone a code name 😃 Thanks for your work

[@amaiaormazabal1879]

I love that because I live on the Isle of Man everyone tells my name is unusual and very pretty! :) There where 3 Amaia’s in my class at school and one of them was my bestie, so my teacher of English gave me my nickname Orma :)

[@jamesthompson3099]

I was surprised to hear you were in Elizondo, not many people visit unless they have family. I lived just outside of there for a couple of years. Lovely town. wonderful people. During my wanderings I came across a young girl (16ish) tending bar in what was then the town of Fuenterabbia, now Hondarribia, named Maite. I immediately fell in love with the name especially when she translated it into Spanish for me.

[@iiz9632]

Super cool video. It must have been really difficult to get a short list because there are a lot of cool names in Basque. Perfect explanations of each of them. :)

[@HellaBasque]

Thanks! I agree that there are some great names. I only talked about the top 25, but people suggested 70+ names.

[@eimere]

Hi! An "Eider" here. Another version of the origins of this name (because it's not clear it comes from gaelic) is that it's just a variation from "Eder" =beautiful. By the way, Eder is "unisex" name, but Eider is only for girls.

[@HellaBasque]

Thanks for adding on! That makes a lot of sense

[@claudiomarcelosilva1087]

Two of the names you mentioned became very popular here in Brazil even among people without Basque roots. Maite benefited from being also a Native Tupi name and that of a very famous TV soap opera actress in the 80-90 decades, so it has been mainstream for some 30 years now. But Naiara really surprised me for again it became fashionable without apparent reason some 35 years ago and I thought it African or maybe a contraction of the more common Ana and Yara names. It is usually written Nayara in Brazil and it is the name of a very good young friend of mine. 😊

[@adamuppsala1931]

how cool - love your channel. I actually googled basque first names about 1 month ago.

[@HellaBasque]

What a coincidence!

[@Mai24Sims]

Hi! Maybe someone told you this before, but just in case..😁 My name is Maialen and it's pronounced like Mai-A-len instead of Mai-a-LEN Same with MAI-der instead of mai-DER Hope it's helpfull! Great job!

[@HellaBasque]

Not where my family is from :)

[@MaialenAlonsooficial]

This represent me 🤗🤗

[@sabrina_alexa]

omg the WHOLE time i was waiting for Naiara and a bit sad it didn't come up in the top 25. But gladly I stayed until the very end of your video :) I got to know an amazing and inspiring Yoga teacher called Naiara during my time in Zarautz and it really got stuck in my head!

[@HellaBasque]

I'm glad you stuck around until the end too! And happy to hear I'm not the only one who likes that name :)

[@ericapullins6179]

That is my cousin's name ❤

[@charleswhite5884]

Thank you for all of this. I worked in San Sebastian in the early 70's. You remind me forcibly of my gorgeous Basque students and how much I miss them. Especially Maite... my wife pulled me away after a couple of years, otherwise I would still be there!

[@KhanunFC]

You should listen to La Oreja de Van Gogh with Amaia Montero...its one of the most beautiful bands in Spanish

[@susanrolls2211]

What an enlightening video! I thought it was beautiful when you mentioned Mother Mary. And the swallow story to start off spring caught my attention. Every year, swallow bird migrate to St Joseph's basilica. How coincidental! I feel connected to different spiritual walks, and am RH negative. I'm sure you know about that, too. Appreciate the information.

[@adrianamarin245]

My tia is named Nerea. I just found out I am Basque even though my family is from Michoacán, Mexico.

[@idw9159]

thanks for sharing ane, love your channel; actually my favs from your list either uxue = dove or lorea = flower if i had to give my daughter a basque name i would choose iruna, after the wonderful city (pamplona in spanish) and the restaurant that used to be in harvard square though their actual names, mara and kira, may not need too much modification to sound basque! best wishes from hk

[@allieeverett9017]

Am so enjoying your channel. Thank you for sharing your lovely culture. Keep it up!

[@gladysclausing8785]

Hi, this is was so delightful! Thank you. I have to chuckle because I am Cuban or Spanish descent and nicknames for people is very common. Sometimes it can be a bit offensive but only good naturdly. Good job!

[@missmcinnes]

G'Day Thanks so much for this video (and channel) I am in a medieval group (SCA) and we make a medieval persona for ourselves. I chose to make my persona's mother Basque about 20 years abo. I chose her name to be Belladonna deBilbo though she was not from Bilbao but Bayonne and married my Bristol ship builder father sometime mid 15th century. I am so glad of your video as her name is now Maider but known officially by the French and English people ruling the area as Belladonna (Beautiful woman) I am joyful for your video.

[@missmcinnes]

Now I just need some boy names for my uncles who were Bayonnese shipwrights

[@HellaBasque]

@@missmcinnes boy names coming next week!

[@multipoli]

Ainhoa is very very popular. I know at least 20 Ainhoa's

[@-a5330]

I love that name!! In fact I want to save it for a future daughter.

[@anaibarangan4908]

It is, and I love the names Ainhoa, Amaya. There's other names, because can also be named after the town Iranzazu, near the town of Ainhoa. I love Iranzazu.

[@pmimar0]

I'm from basque country, and my wife's name is Manttoni (it comes from Miren-Anttoni). The whole family, and friends always abbreviate it to "Man". Sometimes english speakers look at me weird when I call her "Man".

[@Equinox1.5]

I had a Basque friend in university called Olatz. Is that a form of Alaitz? Nice video. Some beautiful names here. Thank you.

[@neydamartinez764]

Buen trabajo. Se sabe si el apellido Gurruchaga es vasco?…y ?que significa? Gracias.

[@59Canuto]

Fascinating and super interesting. I’m not Basque. My Last name (Carvallo) is Galician-Portuguese. I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela in the Parroquia La Candelaria where there were many immigrants from Spain (Galicia, Canary Islands, Catalonia and el País Vasco), Portugal (Madeira Island mainly) and Italy. In school I was aware of most non Castilian last names although some Portuguese names were not obvious and I attributed them as being Spanish (Abreu, Silva). Now, names like Gutiérrez, Ibarra, Izturiz and Ochoa were so common, I attributed them as being Castilian like most last names in Venezuela. The father of our country had a Basque last name (Simón Bolívar) but I did not know that until later in my life. Bolívar is less common but again I thought it was of Castilian origin. As for Basque girl first names the only one I recognize is Maité. Emphasis on the last syllable. But I thought it was a native non-Hispanic Venezuelan name. Short for María Teresa makes sense though like Marisol is short for María Soledad. In short, like Galicians, Basques are well represented in this corner of South America. Thank you for your work. One more thing, Amaya is a last name too in Venezuela. I have a couple of good friends from high school: Alicia and Mireya Medina Amaya

[@beasokolova7399]

You are extraordinary...thank you Bea

[@oksanaorlenko6978]

Amaia - Super Interesting! - mmm, 'the end' could it be linked to the idea of 'completion', 'wholeness', also a bit 'holiness', 'perfection' - this relates more to pre-christian women-goddess cults and spring up here and there in some ancient spiritual traditions (kind of uniting all three aspects of feminine trinity + the 'mysterious' 'non-seen' forth aspect, which is 'activated' after culture-specific initiation rituals)... And also sounds a bit close to 'beloved' in Romanic languages - that's super cool #1 name, congrats) #perfect choice

[@jessicabocanegra2760]

I miss seeing you, so you have a new channel

[@lindagates9150]

Thank you for your presentation I have enjoyed it and the one on last names why they were recommended this morning I have no idea 🤷🏼‍♀️ I have subscribed and I look forward to seeing you again!

[@andreagietz5471]

When I was living just outside Tolosa some years ago my Basque host told me that my name, Andrea, was a Basque name meaning woman of the house. I love that!

[@lorisutherland7728]

Could you find out which place in basque country would be a good place to live and how much it would take to live there.

[@Riotxu]

Heh, it's not easy introducing yourself to English speakers as an Ainhoa, they always be like "... You know what?"

[@HellaBasque]

Oh noooo, I never thought of that but I totally hear it now: "I know a..." That must be so annoying!

[@missmcinnes]

In Australian we would hear it as "I know her"

[@MISTYEYED.]

LMAO

[@elizabethann42]

First Comment!!! 🌴

[@covadongaderegilbeascoeche1914]

My niece, 10 years old, her name is Kattalin, and in her school there are at least two more little girls with the same name. She told me that with one t, the name is of gipuzkoa origin. Catalina, the Spanish name is also coming back

[@asketime2280]

I just came across with this video. I don't tend to write comments but I wanted to explain something as a basque girl. There are two ways of writing Itsaso. The "right" way of writing this name is Itsaso as if you look up on the dictionary you will find it with an S not an X. So, Itsaso= sea/ocean Itxaso=is just a girl name. I had so many """discussions""" about which one was the best/real/nicest one with a friend called Itxaso when we were young and if you haven't guessed ye,t my name is Itsaso 😂😂 Cool video btw

[@jonasyracheta2185]

Hello. Thank you for the video. So I learned from my father that our last name used to be spelled Iracheta way back in the day. My father said at some point it was translated to Yracheta when ancestors migrated to mexico/Texas area. Is Yracheta a common basque name? Any info on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

[@atheodorasurname6936]

Regarding Mari being the Basque goddess name, I wonder if there could there be a connection to ancient Egyptian "meri" meaning "holy" or "blessed", it was used with their goddess names as in "Isis-meri", it is also very likely the origin of Mary, instead of a Hebrew derivation.

[@KristinaUSA-x5n]

Marie is my middle name and I have French Basque traces. Anna is also a family name.

[@ladyknitsalot3493]

Hello! I’m not basque at all, but I do have an interest in the history if the nation, country, language etc. I did meet a lovely basque girl once in Prague, her name was Aiala.

[@criptomonedasyat9327]

Aiala is the name of a valley in the province of Bizkaia where river Nerbioi flows through, to Bilbao and the sea. Beautiful green valley.

[@ladyknitsalot3493]

@@criptomonedasyat9327 oh, thank you :)

[@collinsyoutubing]

Hey, hoping you can help, I have searched everywhere for the pronunciation of the last name Arlegi . Is the “r” rolled and is the “gi” a “gee” or “ghee” sound

[@strangerthings-ol5wl]

Waw you speak very well basque by the way im from basque country and my name is Begoña

[@HellaBasque]

Thank you! Begoña is a very nice name :)

[@strangerthings-ol5wl]

@@HellaBasque thank you😘

[@LupeC100]

Is Begoña a basque name or Spanish origin?

[@GazilionPT]

Nowadays, Ainhoa is quite popular in Spain among non-Basque people. I'm amazed *Arantxa* didn't make the cut...

[@charlotterohde7383]

Loved Itxaso, because I love the sea.

[@nushka1111]

yes, the code names! My Basque (nee Cuban) dad too.

[@damianauberuaga1116]

EskerickAsko, for your work preserving our collective memories. Damiana Uberuaga

[@marklammas2465]

I have a good friend here in Scotland who is called Naiara. She is quite as beautiful as the name. I would say that it is the nicest Basque girl's name I have encountered. I like Leire as well.

[@asoiafan]

My favourite Basque name is Ihintza, which in Spanish is Rocío, dew.

[@juliemazoy]

Amaia or Amaya is very popular, Amaya Uranga is a very famous Basque singer, as is her sister Estibaliz. I expected Aranza of Arancha to make the list too. My daughter is Amaía, Galician name that means long hoped for daughter.

[@julenefernandez3399]

Are you going to do another video on this?

[@HellaBasque]

Didn't have anything planned, but people seem to be really enjoying these videos. Might have to do another one with the other names that were suggested :)

[@---Jaime-MEXICO-1962]

Very cool channel !! Jaime G Lanz !🙋🏻‍♂️🇲🇽59 years ( Lanz near Navarra)

[@crazykitten440]

May i ask if there us any chance Basque made it to the coast of Scotland? My grandmother's name we spelled Adah, but we seemed to pronounce it as your Einah? Curious?

[@LoreaElordiThomson]

My name is Lorea Maite Elordi. My father was a professional jai alai player. He passed 13 years ago but entire family honor our basque heritage! Thanks for doing this.

[@LoreaElordiThomson]

ESKERRIK asko

[@fernandosantamaria5852]

My daughter's name is Julene and my son´s is Eneko. (I´m fron Barakaldo).

[@julenefernandez3399]

Really wow, my name is Julene and My brother is called Eneko

[@ra1279]

I have a cousin named Eneko.

[@noddygirl]

Amaia 💕 such a pretty name

[@waly228]

Amaia comes from a novel, Amaya o los vascos en el siglo viii. The main characters are Amaya (in fact the end would be Amaiera not Amaia) and Asier( hasiera is the begining).

[@jesusborrego3270]

Number 9 sounds like xitlalli in nahuatl

[@txabelaa4001]

I am surprised that Arantza ( or Arantzazu variation) hasn't showed in the list . or Begoña or even Olatz

[@marceloorellana5726]

I love Begoña.

[@PatriciaTrenaman]

I was born in Chile and my parents named my Itxiar Patricia, my surname is Soto. I believe Itxiar is a Basque name.

[@sarribel]

Itziar, a coastal locality in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa.

[@LoveMusic-pd5iz]

Pulled into a parking lot and as I was getting out of my car a woman pulled into the parking space in front of me. White Rolls, beautiful woman dressed in white. Her license plate was DELIAH. That shocked me because I named my daughter that after a dream! I asked her if she knew what nation the name came from. Turns out she is 100% Basque and said it was a traditional girls name.

[@piercoucy]

Is the ring in the nose something typical of the Vasque country?

[@hmxr715]

Are most basques bilingual? That is they can read or understand French or Spanish depending on which side of the border they are located?

[@HellaBasque]

Nowadays, yes :) If they speak Basque at all, that is

[@sarribel]

Most of us speak English As well. Regards from euskal herria.

[@mimundo-amaia]

I'm the top one! Amaia.

[@-a5330]

12:24 I never knew my cat could actually teleport

[@teresasardinas5642]

What about Aránzazu?

[@idoarna]

My name Idoia is frome a little town in Nafarroa called Isaba, where a Virgin appeared. My daughters are named Nerea eta Izaro 😃

[@koldoascunce2706]

Olaia, Maddi, Jare

[@FarooqKhan-bq6wr]

Hi guys. Im not a spanish speaker so please help with the pronounciation of the name Axpe. Thank yoy

[@lidesalvatierrafalque2169]

I love Izar, which means star :)

[@BigDaddyCola]

Surprised josune or nekane werent on the list

[@melonmelonx1635]

Any names that start with letter "B"?

[@akerbeltz9193]

Is "hella" meaning hello ir its just a kind of slang?

[@HellaBasque]

Hella is a slang word that means "very." So Hella Basque means Very Basque :)

[@akerbeltz9193]

@@HellaBasque thankies, so not relación with hellacopters!?;? 😄😄😄

[@Eight-PointedStars]

Is Vasquez a Basque name or is it Spanish for someone who is Basque? Also, someone from Argentina told me that the Basque there are famous for being stubborn. Maybe that trait helped keep their language distinct from other languages.

[@SleekMinister]

1, 2, 3 sounds like what, be, hey you

[@fernandoaldekoa2436]

Vasquez (Vázquez) is not a basque surname.

[@Eight-PointedStars]

@@fernandoaldekoa2436 Perhaps the genetics search companies do a lot of guessing, and seeing this last name prompted them to get creative. They play with the small percentages. They changed the Irish and Italian to Basque and Portuguese. Now I'm disillusioned and confused.

[@katrinarupnick167]

My name is Katrina(meaning pure) and I am b-rh negative my mother's oldest and my mom's 4th child is my sister Latana(meaning my little sunflower)(different father) is also rh- but is O-.. out of my mom's 4 kids(1boy 3girls) and my dad's 7 kids(4girls 3boys) are the only ones that have the RH- factor.. but our great-grandmother on mom's side her name was Kathleen. Just really wished I had more answers... still unsure of everything since finding out that I am a INFJ-T hiyoka empath while being a Libra-sun and Aquarius-moon and having RH- Bloodline with B-type.. can anyone help

[@maiteflores5859]

Maite is my name! ❤ Begoña is my daughter’s name

[@НатальяМоросанова]

Do Basque people have a version for a name Nathalie ?

[@НатальяМоросанова]

@@m.l.7929 wow, thanks

[@matasietes44]

I knew all names you said. Very common here in the Basque country. I never heard about Kattalin. It is a surprise to me. My mothers name is Lorea and my aunt is Maite. My niece is called June. My grandmother was Petra.

[@raulgonzales1374]

"Petra" is a very common name in the Hispanic culture, used a lot in Texas.

[@wololeiro2364]

Izaro 😍

[@pashedmotatos]

I like it too.

[@Jonura]

Oso politte da gure hizkuntzari buruzko kanalak ikustea. Eider=Eder. Berdina da.

[@priscillastanley9931]

I heard Garcia is a Basque name. That's my grandfather's last name. My blue-eyed grandfather's family is from the province of Biscaya. ❤

[@foreroa]

I like "Edurne"....means Snow ❄️

[@barbliska6420]

How do we find our original Basque name

[@yasminelima203]

I fell in love with the name Mirai and was told the meaning is Miracle. Is that accurate? I also named my daughter this name based on that meaning but I switched the spelling to Marai ❤️

[@Nigganomi]

Do you know the more popular names for girls in Albanian south are Mira and the north are Mara this is the truth of this beautiful name thet mean a lot to this language.

[@itzcuinctli]

Kaixo maitia!, my last name is Etxeberria. Y no sé si, Izaskun es, o sigue siendo un nombre que se usa en Euskal Herria tanto como me gusta. Saludos desde El Reino Unido. Eskerrik asko zure kanalagatik.

[@roseannaarroyo8232]

I can’t believe Aintzane or Naroa isn’t on this list!

[@julenefernandez3399]

What about Julene

[@leeireee617_]

My name is top 5 i'm surprised :)

[@barbudomotero3903]

Janire

[@jordi.lozano.v]

My mother's (second) last name is Garmendia. On my father's side we have an Armendariz. Cooky!

[@leyrelikesbugs]

Leire!! That's my name, but it's spelt with a y, so Leyre ♡

[@teresastres3458]

I am from Uruguay but I am not of Basque origin. I was surprised that like 22 of the list of 25 that began with Mendizábal were common in my country. The spelling here is mostly Spanish. Some of the names belong to politicians or well-known people Wow!!!

[@uribarrigila]

I was born 64 years ago in San Sebastian. My parents wanted to give me the middle name Amaia but this was no allowed. Instead they chose Antonina after my godmother and great aunt which is Basque as well. Very confusing.

[@franchescanieves3273]

Arantxa is also a beautiful name.

[@KennedieDavis]

Arantxa is one of my favorites. ❤️

[@raffinee_3763]

Surprised Edurne didn't make the list.......

[@jeffreyhooker8797]

Great job Anne Marie

[@TheOktli83]

¿Where are Aratxa or Aranzazu????

[@williamgarteiz2303]

Named our daughter Mari

[@videgaray30]

Gora Euskal Herria!

[@theofficalkibaswordsva]

When you say Mirari in english it loses it charm to me doesn't sound as sweet when saying😣. But saying it in basque, spanish, and french it sounds so sweet I love it.🙂

[@lastecoe]

My daughter´s name is Edurne.