By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 72 pages
of 72
Hebrew
"dew"
Friendly and relaxed choice used by singer Annie Lennox for her daughter; Tal is a unisex Hebrew version.
French variation of Annabelle
This version of the name with only one n does not have nearly the popularity of its sister. Unless you have a particular aversion to the fourteenth letter of the alphabet, it may be best to stick…
French from Latin
"coral"
Coralie is a French name not often heard here, though she's gaining some recognition via Neil Gaiman's similar sounding spooky and lovely children's book, Coraline . Other literary appearances:…
French, feminine variation of Paul
"small"
Pauline had its moment of glory a century ago, when movie audiences were thrilling to the silent serial The Perils of Pauline , released in 1914. A Top 50 name in the US between 1908 and 1930, it…
French from Hebrew
"burning ones"
Seraphine is the Gallic version of the angelic name Seraphina. But while Seraphina has been rising rapidly since Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck chose it for their second daughter, Seraphine has been…
French feminine diminutive form of Antoine
"priceless one"
This feminization of Anthony, like other early French forms, such as Babette and Nanette, is not heard as often as it once was, but it could be time for a reappraisal of this delicate Gallic choice.…
Japanese, French, Welsh, Vietnamese, Navajo
"dance; May; cherry blossom; coyote"
Cross-cultural winner.
French, spelling variation of Yvette or diminutive of Eve, Hebrew
"yew tree or life"
Evette could be considered a spelling variation of the French Yvette, a feminization of Yves, which has a botanical meaning, or a pet form of Eve, meaning life. About 50 baby girls were named Evette…
"lame; enclosure"
Claude is a soft-spoken French name that conjures up the pastel colors of Monet and harmonies of Debussy. In France, it is used for girls as well, in fact in the Tracy Chevalier novel Lady and the…
French, Spanish, Italian, and German variation of Fabia
"bean grower"
Fabiola was the romantically elaborate name of a saint who organized the first hospice. Neither Fabiola nor Fabia appear on the most recent US extended list of names given to five or more babies,…
The French variation of Giselle was made famous by the spectacular Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Spanish and Catalan from Latin
"life, vital"
A zippy, lively name that has never been popular, but has never completely disappeared. It is best known for writer and wit Gore Vidal, and hairdresser Vidal Sassoon and his many products.
French, feminine variation of Dominic, Latin
"belonging to a lord"
Had a surge of popularity in the Dynasty days, now has subsided in the wake of fresher French choices like Destry and Delphine, though it retains its sense of sophistication. It's one of the most…
English from French
"short nose; courteous, from the court"
This courtly old Southern name has several cool male bearers: NFL player Courtney Brown, British jazz musician Courtney Pine, and Barbados-born economist Courtney Blackman, to name but a few.
Italian and French
"wood, forest"
Saint John Bosco is well-known to Catholic School children, but Bosco is perhaps better known as a chocolate syrup.
Feminine variation of Darrell, French
"dear one, beloved"
Dariela may have a not-quite-authentic provenance, but it's a pretty name and an unusual choice in the girly Isabella-Gabriella group.
French
"blue"
The Frenchified color name Bleu is notable in baby-naming history as the then-outrageous middle name of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's daughter Ella, born in 2000. Perhaps because blue is…
Variation of Charlie, English diminutive of Charlotte, French "free man"
"free man"
Charly is one of the least popular nicknames for Charles for either gender. For girls, it ranks far behind Charlie, Charlee, Charli, and Charley.
French or German surname
"throw away; foundling; jet"
Jeter, which of course is used as a first name only because of Yankee star Derek, rhymes with Peter and may be derived from the French surname Jette, which was often bestowed on foundlings because it…
"young wolf"
Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other…
