By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 56 pages
of 56
Greek, Hebrew
"help; fawn"
A rare name, most notably borne by Opha May Johnson, who became the first woman to officially join the United States Marine Corps in 1918, Opha may appeal to those who like the sounds of Aoife, Opal,…
Greek
"help"
A masculine form of the poetic Ophelia, this name derives from Ancient Greek in which it means "help, advantage". The more familiar feminine form appears in Shakespeare's Hamlet and in the US and UK…
"help, aid; profit, benefit"
Borne by a now little known Greek comic-poet from the 4th century, Ophelion may be recognizable thanks to its similarity to the Shakespearean favorite, Ophelia. Both come from the Greek element…
Greek mythology name
"to brandish; youth"
Appearing several times in Greek mythology, Pallas is an epithet of Athena, the goddess or wisdom, and, depending on which version of the legends you follow, is also borne by a (female) childhood…
Greek, place name
"palm tree; pilgrim"
An ancient city in modern-day Syria, which occasionally makes the roster of girl names. Its etymology is uncertain — locally it is called Tadmor, and Palmyra is the Greek version — but it has…
Literature, Greek
"all compassionate"
Borrowed from the Greek panteleimon , a name that was also given to the patron saint of doctors and midwives, St. Pantleon, this form was used by the writer Philip Pullman in his popular series, His…
"maiden's face"
A mythological name, Parthenope is a rare and distinctive choice that may nevertheless appeal to those looking for little known alternatives to Penelope or Persephone. While some sources suggest the…
"persuader of men; trustworthy to man"
A Latinized form of Peisandros, better perhaps than the alternative Pisander, this name appears a number of times in Greek mythology. Borne by a suitor of Penelope, a Trojan warrior and a hero of the…
Variation of Penelope, Greek
"weaver"
Possibly inspired by Penelopeia, the Epic Greek form of Penelope, this form of the elegant name has appeared in the US stats twice since the 2010s and as such, may well have been used simply as a…
Alizka is a feminine name that appears to be a diminutive form of Aliza or possibly Alice. With likely Slavic influences in its suffix '-zka,' the name combines the warmth of Alice (meaning 'noble'…
"sorrow, grief, sadness"
In Greek mythology, Pentheus was the King of Thebes who banned the worship of Dionysus, in turn bringing the god's wrath on the city. The women went into a Bacchic frenzy, and Pentheus was later…
Portuguese, Latin, Greek
"perch, dark-spotted"
Also appearing as Percília, this distinctive choice appeared in the Brazilian charts in the 1930s and 1940s. While it may look like a relative of Percival or Priscilla, it does ultimately come from…
"rock, stone"
With the rise of other S-ending surname names — Brooks, Hollis — we see a future for Perris. This unusual unisex name could make a modern honor name for an ancestral Peter. It may also be related to…
Modern Greek form of Persephone
"bringer of destruction"
Predominantly used in its native Greece — though it may be seen occasionally in Cyprus and Albania too — Persefoni is the modern Greek transcription of the mythological goddess's name. Borne by Queen…
Variation of Percy or Persephone, English, French, Greek
"one who pierces the valley; bringer of destruction"
As a masculine name, Persey might well be used as a Bulgarian and Russian form of Perseus, however, as a feminine choice, it's more likely to derive from the name of the Greek goddess of the Spring…
"bright"
A Greek form of the Latinized Phaedrus, this name has the vibrant meaning of "bright". It appears in the title of a dialogue written by Plato, in which Phaidros (or Phaedrus) is an Athenian…
Feminine form of Philinos, German, Greek
"friend, lover"
A feminine form of an Ancient Greek name, Philine was popularized in the 18th century by the author Goethe, who used it in his novel Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship . Also spelled as Philina, it…
"lover of wisdom"
Love Sophia but want a truly bold choice too? You could try Sophronia, but Philosophia is a rarer option still. Associated with the word philosophy , it combines the Greek elements philos and sophia…
"burning"
A name with links to mythology and the Bible, Phlegon is a distinctive Greek name with a blazing meaning. It was borne by one of the seventy disciples in the New Testament, by an Ancient Greek…
"breath"
In Ancient Greece, Pneuma translated to "breath", though more philosophically, it's related the vital spirit, lifeforce, or soul of a person. Now, it may be associated with a character from the…
