Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Ima

Meaning — Of German origin, derived from the Old High German element ermen, meaning "universal" or "whole." It is considered a short form of names beginning with Irm- or Erm-, such as Irmgard and Ermengard. The name has also been used independently in English-speaking countries since the 19th century, with Texas philanthropist Ima Hogg (1882–1975) being a notable bearer.·Germanic origin·Female·EE-muh

Ima Ima is a rare, understated name with a slightly old-fashioned dignity — it suits a character who is quietly self-sufficient and unassuming, someone whose depth is revealed gradually rather than announced. Its brevity gives it a certain toughness, and it works particularly well in American Southern Gothic, rural historical fiction, or stories set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Best genres for Ima

Historical FictionLiterary FictionContemporary Fiction

Famous characters named Ima

No verified literary characters with this exact given name were found yet. We are continuously expanding this section.


Variations & nicknames

ImaIrmaIrmgardEmma

Pairs well with

Ima GarrettIma CaldwellIma WhitmoreIma TannerIma Pearce

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More Germanic names

Amalia

A Germanic feminine name derived from the element "amal", the dynastic name of the Amal clan — the royal house of the Ostrogoths — possibly meaning "labour", "vigour", or related to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "work". The Amali dynasty produced Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths and Italy. The name spread into the nobility of the Holy Roman Empire and became a favoured royal name in several European dynasties.

Greta

A German and Scandinavian short form of Margareta (Margaret), itself derived through Latin and Greek from the Persian word "margārīt" meaning "pearl". Greta became a common independent given name in the German-speaking world and Scandinavia, disseminated through the tradition of Germanic pet-name formation. It gained international recognition through Swedish-American actress Greta Garbo.

Delbert

A Germanic-derived masculine name, a variant of Adalbert or Delbert, composed of the elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "beraht" meaning "bright" or "famous" — thus "noble and bright". The form Delbert developed primarily in English-speaking contexts as a variant of the Old High German Adalbert/Ethelbert, carried to the English-speaking world via Norman influence.

Gottfried

A Germanic masculine name composed of "got" meaning "god" and "frid" meaning "peace" — thus "God's peace" or "divinely peaceful". The name was widespread in the medieval German-speaking world and was borne by numerous clerics, nobles, and crusaders. Its most celebrated literary bearer is Gottfried von Strassburg, the 13th-century Middle High German poet who wrote "Tristan und Isolde", one of the great works of medieval romance.

Ludger

A Germanic masculine name composed of "hlud" or "lut" meaning "famous" or "loud" (in the sense of renowned) and "ger" meaning "spear" — thus "famous spearman" or "renowned with the spear". The name was borne by Saint Ludger (742–809), the first Bishop of Münster and Apostle of the Saxons, who evangelised the Saxon and Frisian peoples in what is now northwest Germany.

Brunhild

The Old High German and Middle High German form of Brunhilde, composed of "brun" meaning "armour" or "brown" (as in iron-coloured) and "hild" meaning "battle". In the Nibelungenlied, Brünhild is the Queen of Iceland, possessed of supernatural strength that can only be overcome by the hero Siegfried in disguise — making her one of the most dramatic figures in Germanic heroic legend.


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