Laurifer? Mellifer? Conifer?

The emerging baby names Lucifer (“light-bearing,” i.e., the morning star) and Calcifer (“heat-bearing”) made me wonder: what other Latin-derived -fer words might make nice human names?

Here are a few possibilities…

  • Aurifer, “gold-bearing”
  • Conifer, “cone-bearing” — as in conifer trees
  • Dulcifer, “sweet-bearing”
  • Gemmifer, “gem-bearing”
  • Laurifer, “laurel-bearing,” i.e., triumphant
  • Mellifer, “honey-bearing”
  • Noctifer, “night-bearing,” i.e., the evening star
  • Pacifer, “peace-bearing”
  • Pomifer, “fruit-bearing”
  • Stellifer, “star-bearing”
  • Vinifer, “wine-bearing”

(The -fer element in words like these can also be interpreted in other ways, such as “-bringing,” “-carrying,” or even “-producing.”)

So I’ve found real-world usage of most of the above (Aurifer, Conifer, Dulcifer, Laurifer, Pacifer, Stellifer, and Vinifer). For example, here’s a record for Henry Pacifer Gidley (1801-1801) of Devon, England:

Would you consider using any of these words as baby names?

8 thoughts on “Laurifer? Mellifer? Conifer?

  1. Aurifer – Gemmifer – Laurifer – Stellifer
    Perhaps change it up with -fir like Aurifir or -fleur like Aurifleur

  2. Of course there is another common name in that family, Christofer (carrier of Christ). And I can imagine feminine versions of all that names ending in -fera.

  3. Yes!! I did see Pacifier LOL Thought it was a good name for world relations haha

  4. Oooh, I should finish up the entry for the medieval French name “Taillefer” (which doesn’t actually involve the word ‘to carry’ but instead the word for ‘iron’!) for the next edition of the Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (dmnes.org/names)!

  5. Elbowin that reminds me of the shortened version, Tofer. Had a MC in a book I read. Thought it was ad odd name. But I like it.

  6. @SilentOne – I see “pacifier” too. :)

    @FE – Though it does have the same ending, Jennifer is a false positive in this case (it comes from Welsh, not from Latin/Greek).

    @Sara L. Uckelman – I will keep an eye out for it!

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