Names That Mean Form
Across 34 pages
of 34
Nuri
Short form of Nuria or Hebrew
"my fire"
Nuri might be a nickname for the place name Nuria, popular in Spain and Portugal as a honorific for the Virgin Mary. Nuri is also a usually-masculine name heard in the Middle East, but to the Western…
Jolyon
Medieval form of Julian
"youthful"
Galsworthy used this for "The Forsyte Saga," but in modern real life Julian would work better.
Dervla
Anglicized form of Irish Dearbhla or Deirbhile
"daughter of the poet"
Tongue twister of a name common in Ireland in both its Gaelic and its Anglicized forms. American or British parents looking for an Irish name that's still largely unknown in the outside world might…
Lester
Variation of Lester, English
"military camp by the river Ligore"
A popular choice in the US in the early 20th-century, Lester made the Top 100 consistently for 46 years between 1886 and 1931. It then remained in the Top 500 until the mid-80s before dropping out of…
Austen
Literary surname and shortened form of Augustine, Latin
"great, magnificent"
While Austin is a popular boys' name, this spelling, honoring novelist Jane, nudges the name toward gender-neutral, chosen last year for 67 baby boys and 57 girls.
Luigi
Italian vernacular form of Louis
"renowned warrior"
Italian classic Luigi, though it lacks the modern style of Nico, Enzo, and Rocco, does have some notable namesakes, such as Nobel Prize winning author Luigi Pirandello and composer Cherubini..
Nela
Variation of Nell or short form of Cornelia or any name ending in -nela
Nela is a pretty if slight name that ranks among the Top 1000 for girls in the UK. It is commonly used throughout Europe as a short form for any range of names ending in -nela including Cornelia and…
Demetria
Greek, alternate form of Demeter
Demetria is a dramatic ancient Greek earth goddess possibility with the star-studded nickname Demi. Young actor/singer/songwriter Demi Lovato was born Demetria, but contrary to common hearsay, Demi…
Ludo
German
"famous"
This cool and quirky short form of the suave Ludovic could be an even-more-adventurous spin on Nico and Hugo.
Nathalia
Portuguese form of Natalia
The more familiar spelling Natalia currently sits much further up the list and has even made two brief appearances in the Top 100 during the last decade. Nathalia on the other hand has never been a…
Debbie
English diminutive of Deborah, Hebrew
"bee"
The quintessential friendly fifties name, nearly epidemic in its day. Now many grownup Debbies have reverted to the full and lovely form of their name, which modern parents often avoid because of the…
Gus
English diminutive of Augusta, Latin
"great, magnificient"
Boyish nicknames for girls are trending! Gus - short for the proper Augusta - fits alongside casual cool girls Jo and Lou. With August and Gus rising for boys, maybe Gus will be next to cross over.
Amaranta
Spanish and Italian form of Amarantha
"unfading"
Amaranta is the unusual and intriguing Latinate form of the Greek botanical name Amarantha, which connects to an eternal mythical figure. An excellent choice for the parent who wants an A name but…
Mellie
Short form of Melissa, Amelia, Melanie and related names
Mellie is not Millie and it's not Nellie, though it will forever be confused with those too more familiar nicknames. It's cute, too, and while some of the names it's usually short for may be sailing…
Mirja
Finnish form of Miriam
If you are looking for an unusual way to honor an ancestral Mary or Miriam, Mirja might make a good choice. Zero baby girls were given this name in the US in 2014. The rising popularity of Anja has…
Darya
Russian or Persian, variation of Daria or feminine form of Darius
"kingly; possessing goodness; the sea"
The beguiling Darya is the name of a character in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. As a Russian name, it's a spelling variation of Daria, while in Iran, it's a girl's name that means "the sea".
Octave
French form of Octavius, Latin, or English word name
"eighth; musical and poetry term"
Octave shortens Octavius to a more manageable length, keeping the "eighth" meaning. In English speaking countries, however, people could easily confuse this with the musical and poetrry term octave .…
Nelly
Variation of Nellie and Nell
"light"
Nelly or Nellie is an adorable nickname name that can be short for a wide range of more formal appellations or that can stand on its own, and is typical of the vintage nickname genre that is growing…
Waldo
German, pet form of names such as Waldemar
"to rule"
Its jaunty o-ending makes this name more appealing than most of its Germanic brothers, and we hope we're beyond the constant response to his name being "Where's Waldo?" The weighty reputation of…
Maja
German, Slovene, and Scandinavian form of Maya; also, Arabic
"splendid"
Whether you pronounce it my-a, ma-zha or ma-ha, Maja is an intriguing choice. Sometimes associated with Goya's famous painting "The Naked Maja." As a cognate of Maya, it's a Top 10 name in Slovenia…