Names That Mean English

This name for the sweetbriar shrub is a bit too reminiscent of eggplant, but it does have literary creds, having appeared in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The French form Églantine appeared in the charts in the first half of the 20th century and again in the 2000s.

Eglantine

Previously reserved for Ernie's companion on Sesame Street, Bert may find new life as a girl's name amid the rising trend of boyish nicknames for girls. With its short, spunky style, Bert fits alongside other vintage picks like Max and Lou.

Bert

Peppy is undeniably cute, but we bet that after a while the jokes aren't.

Peppy

Mailer is one of the more unusual of the on-trend occupational surnames.  Recommended for fans of the macho writer Norman Mailer.

Mailer

One time joke name, à la Lily Tomlin's bossy telephone operator, Ernestine is ready for a possible reevaluation, like cousins Josephine and Clementine.

Ernestine

More a concept than a place — or a name.
 
The place name Bohemia ultimately derives from the tribe name Boii with the German heim, meaning "home".

Bohemia

Cayenne

This very popular Armenian name represents a grandson of Noah, considered the father of the Armenian nation. 

Haig

Euston is best known as a London railway station, which got its name from a stately home and village in the English county of Suffolk. Ultimately it is thought to mean "settlement of a person called Efe". Unlike its Top 1000 soundalike Houston (as in Texas), Euston has never been recording on the charts.

Euston

Clarion

This version of Tristan, known to English Lit students from the novel Tristram Shandy, is rarely used in this country, but, though its similarity to the popular Tristan could prove confusing, still makes an interesting literary choice.

 Baseball legend Tris Speaker was christened Tristram and the protagonist of the Anthony Burgess novel The Wanting Seed is Tristram Foxe.

Tristram

Cruise

Perhaps too spicy for some, but this is a popular Gaelic surname that might appeal for those looking to honor a family branch or to fans of legendary British comedian Tim Curry.

Curry

Diversity

If Story and Poet and Sonnet can be names that work as well for girls as for boys, why not Ode?

It feels like a slenderized modern version, but Jennet actually has deep roots. Could this plucky name rescue Janet and Jenny from their datedness?

Jennet

Frederica is an interesting possibility for the parent unintimidated by its old-fashioned formality, and who can appreciate the
vintage charm and verve lurking beneath its stuffiness. 
 The name emerged in eighteenth century Prussia when supporters of King Frederick the Great began to name their daughters in his honor, and is currently reporesented by opera star Frederica von Stade.
 Nicknames include the obvious Freddie, plus Rica and Fritzi.

Frederica

This yellow harbinger spring bloom was named for Scottish botanist William Forsyth, and is even more unusual than such species as Acacia and Azalea.

Forsythia

Ermine

As Doris is to Dora, Loris is to Laura. It's virtually never used for babies of either sex. That said, it's not a bad name and might make a good honor name for an ancestral Laura or Lawrence.