High Fantasy Magical Names

With its relation to Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods, and to the Olympic games, this name has an athletic, goddess-like aura, making it the perfect Olivia substitute.

Orion is a rising star, with both mythical and celestial overtones.

Pax, one of the variations of names meaning peace that are newly popular in these less-than-peaceful times, got a lot of publicity when chosen by Brad & Angelina for their Vietnamese-born son. Parents attracted to Pax may also want to consider Paz, the unisex Spanish version, or Paxton, a growing-in-popularity surname choice that shares that magical X-factor.

Five girls were given the name Perrine last year. More modern-sounding are Perrin, Perry, or even Petra.

Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe.

This may be a bit quirky to make it as a name, especially in first place. If you love it, you might try it in the middle.

A number of stylish Indian names are making their way to the US mainstream, including wise Rishi. In Hindu mythology, the Rishis are sages and seers; in modern times, Rishi Rich is a popular British-born musician and record producer and Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister of the UK in 2022.

A soft and interesting Hebrew name long popular in France, where it has ranked in the Top 400 since 1986 (as Salomé). Ex-ER star Alex Kingston named her daughter Salome Violetta.

This long-popular name in France sounds fresh, elegant and unusual here. Severine is the name of the most recent gorgeous James Bond Girl in the film Skyfall. Students of film history will associate the name with the complex character Catherine Deneuve played in the 1967 Bunuel classic, Belle de Jour..

Tau, which rhymes with cow, is the alphabetical nickname Grimes and Elon Musk chose for their third child, Techno Mechanicus. Tau is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and a common variable in physics, biology, and mathematics. In ancient Greece, it was a symbol of life and resurrection.

Tyr is a very early embodiment of a Norse god, typically thought to guide the law, justice, war and victory.

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

This French place name, which may derive from a word meaning "plowed land", is occasionally used for girls. It is best-known for two things: the grand Palace of Versailles, the historic seat of the French royal family; and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War.

Voltaire is the nom-de-plume of François-Marie Arouet, who became noted for his witty and satirical takes on enlightenment philosophy and Western society. Voltaire's most famous work, Candide, used satire as a vehicle to advocate against religion, monarchy, greed, and for tolerance, freedom and reason. It is said that his moniker was a variation of his sister's family nickname "le petit volontaire" (the determined little thing).

A happy combination of several desirable genres: it's a word name, it has a foreign accent, and it has a highly virtuous meaning. And few other parents will be bold enough to choose it.

This name of the first recorded dynasty of ancient China is short and simple enough to make a possible Asian-American alternative to Mia and Tia. British-Filipino child star Xia Vigor has invigorated the name in the Philippines.

Zephyrus was the Greek god of the west wind, and all names associated with him have a pleasantly gentle, breezy feel.