Name Spellings, Initials and Sounds
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Latinized variation of German Tielo or Till
"people"
One of the coolest of names, thanks to legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk, who inherited this Latin-sounding German name from his father. It has been used very sparingly since the 1960's,…
Place name
"city of the ancient god Shalem"
Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year…
English flower name
This name of the bright orange flower found in Asia has been used occasionally in English-speaking countries. A notable namesake is Tiger Lily, the Native American princess from Peter Pan . Read more…
Color name
"deep sky-blue"
Cerulean is just beginning to be heard as a name thanks to its distinctive sounds and the appealing electric-sky-blue it evokes. Reminiscent of Ocean, Aurelian, Cyrus, and Caspian, it was given to…
Spanish
"related to the god Apollo"
Striking Spanish name derived from the name of the Greek sun god, related to the French Apollinaire.
English month name from Latin
"doorway"
Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name. The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann…
English variation of Latin Horatius
"hour, time"
Like Horace, Horatio is a variation on the Latin Horatius, but its Shakespearean and optimistic Horatio Alger pedigree makes it an attractive up-and-comer, especially with its cool final o. A modern…
Hebrew, feminine variation of Raphael
"God has healed"
A euphonious and lovely name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image, Raphaela is, like Gabriella and Isabella, beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.
Latin
"star of the sea"
Stella Maris ("star of the sea") is an historic title for the Virgin Mary, in use since at least the early medieval period. Although it actually arose from a scribal error in the etymology of the…
Word name and literary name
Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs.…
Bulgarian
"woman from Magdala or high tower"
The Bulgarian form of Magdalene. The -lina ending gives this version of the classic name a sweet, bouncy and light sound.
Cornish place and saint's name
"fire soul"
Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient…
Sanskrit
A lovely name with a lovely meaning ("amusing, charming, graceful" in Sanskrit), Lilavati is a rare Indian name with a handful of historical namesakes. Notable bearers include the daughter of great…
Greek
"dive into, enter"
The name of a mythically handsome youth – loved by Selene, the moon, who bore him fifty daughters. If you're looking for a mythological name for your son, this might make an excellent choice both…
Flower name, from Greek
"crane"
Offbeat flower name, sure to raise some eyebrows. But with Lily, Rose, and even Daisy starting to wilt, more alluring blooms such as Geranium, Magnolia, and Azalea may blossom.
Iroquois
"he makes rivers"
Journalist Hiawatha Bray is a singular contemporary bearer of this name of a Native-American leader immortalized in a Longfellow poem.
"violet flower"
Iolanthe is known primarily through the 1882 Gilbert & Sullivan operetta of that name, in which the title character is a fairy. Iolanthe is a softer version of Yolanda, and is the kind of…
Feminine variation of Casimir, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish
"destroyer of peace"
Bold and strong, Casimira is a feminine form of Casimir, which ultimately derives from the Slavic elements kaziti and mirŭ meaning "to destroy" and "peace, world". A notable bearer is Casimira…
Ancient Greek
"slayer of the dart; slayer of Belleros"
This bold, poetic name appears in Greek mythology as the hero who tamed Pegasus and slayed the Chimera, but displeased the gods by trying to fly to Olympus. The subject of a play by Euripides and an…
Brazilian Portuguese variation of Naomi, Hebrew
"pleasant"
Noêmia is the Brazilian Portuguese form of the Biblical Naomi which could get you to nicknames Mia and Noa. Musician Noêmia Lellis "Nono" is a notable bearer.
