Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.

Short and feminine, Ria has a rhythmic flow.

Lir is the Irish god of the sea, the equivalent of the Welsh Llyr which some equate with Shakespeare's King Lear. This is one of those rare names that is simple and has a deep history with an appealing meeting and yet is completely unused in the modern world -- no baby boys were recorded as receiving the name Lir in the US last year. Maybe because it sounds like the unappealing leer?

Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.

Similar in style or sound to Prescott, Maverick and Beckett, this far rarer name feels formal and strong. Notably borne by socialist Talcott Parsons, nicknames Tal or Otto might soften it a little. Alcott is a similar option with a literary ties.

This Old English name feels as if it could have stepped out of a fantasy novel, but it may be just similar enough to Everett and Elliot that it could work in the real world. Derived from the elements elfitu meaning "swan" and either ēa meaning "stream, river" or ēg meaning "island", it is a nature related option name, given to an area in the city of Durham in England.

This undiscovered unisex name has lots of flair. It was first noticed as a girl's name, starting in the 1980's, on the long-running daytime drama Search for Tomorrow, with the character Adair McCleary, who had ahead-of-their-time brothers named brothers Hogan, Cagney and Quinn. But since Adair has yet to find many takers, it would make a fresh and appealing choice.

This name of the mythological mother of Achilles might suffer from English speakers making the rhyming association to the word fetus. The traditional Greek pronunciation might alleviate that problem.

A unisex Hebrew name often found in combination with others, as in Tal-El and Tal-Or.

To honor the majestic mountain.

An original choice for a fisherman's child.

This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.

As passé as Hilton and Milton.

This highly unusual name -- the Halycyone was a mythic bird who could calm the seas -- conjures up images of utter peace and tranquility because of the phrase "Halycon days"...and the sleeping pill.

More unusual alternative to Tiara.

A succinct and elemental name, Neer derives from Sanskrit and Hindi word for "water". Used in a variety of languages across the Indian subcontinent, it is heard more popularly as part of the name Neeraj (or Niraj) meaning "lotus" or "waterlily".

A variant of Estonian Riivo, of uncertain meaning, that fits right in with cool water names like River and Rio.

Popular Spanish name that relates to the patron saint of Mexico. It could conceivably, like Soledad and Consuelo, cross the border into multicultural territory, but the name's decline since the nineties would seem to make that less likely.

Refers to one of the seven sacred rivers of India.

This Hebrew water name has two main popular associations: Mayim Bialik, who played the title role in the early 90s TV series "Blossom," and the popular Israeli folk dance, "Mayim, Mayim."