Names

Spanish and Portuguese form of Amandus.

French diminutive of Amanda.

From Punjabi ਅਮਨ (aman) meaning “peace” (ultimately from Arabic) and Sanskrit दीप (dipa) meaning “lamp, light”.

In part this is a feminine form of Amandus. However, it was not used during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century it was recreated by authors and poets who based it directly on Latin amanda meaning “lovable, worthy of love”. Notably, the playwright Colley Cibber used it for a character in his play Love’s Last Shift (1696). It came into regular use during the 19th century.

French form of Amandus.

Spanish form of Amantius.

Portuguese form of Amantius.

Greek form of Amalthea.

From the Greek Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia), derived from μαλθάσσω (malthasso) meaning “to soften, to soothe”. In Greek myth she was a nymph (in some sources a goat) who nursed the infant Zeus.

Germanic name derived from the elements amal meaning “work, labour” and ric meaning “ruler, mighty”. This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Visigoths, as well as two 12th-century rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.