Names That Mean Form

Actress Leelee Sobieski's real name is Liliane, after her French grandmother -- a better choice for any baby-namer.

Leelee

A Welsh biblical name that currently doesn't chart in its homeland. If you like the sound, you might also consider spelling it (the unrelated name) Powell.

Pawl

An attractive and little-known member of the group of romantic, Euro-chic boys' names ending in -ian: think Julian, Fabian, Florian, Adrian.

The visually identical but etymologically unrelated female name Marian (and its variant Marion, both ultimately derived from Maria) were moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but Marian dropped out of the Top 1000 for girls in 1992 and hasn't returned.

Marian

Leontine is the French form of a name that's more familiar by its spelling variation Leontyne, the name made famous by opera diva Price.  An obscure choice, Leontine nevertheless feels right for our lion-name-crazed moment.

Leontine

A softer, less vowelly variation of Peter, that appears in the Welsh Bible but not currently in the charts there. The Welsh name for daffodils, the national flower of Wales, is cennin pedr, "Peter's leeks".

Pedr

This biblical compound was found on a Romani man in England around 1900, but wouldn't be out of place on a boy today.

Jessekiah

Almost exclusively associated with opera diva Leontyne Price.   If you want to use the suddenly-stylish Leontyne, we'd recommend the French Leontine spelling.

Leontyne

Tavo is a stylish-sounding short form of an antique name.

Tavo

You'd have to be bold (or Welsh) to change the spelling of Francis like this... but it certainly stands out.

Ffransis

A rare Catalan name that may be too cuddly for English speakers.

Àlex

Cute, or maybe qute, nickname for the upstanding Enrique.

Quique

Mahama

A variation of Michael, most often used in Croatia, where it's in the Top 20, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it ranks in the Top 100, and also in Slovenia.
 
Mihael was revealed as the full name for the character "Mello", in the popular Japanese series Death Note.

Mihael

Panya is a Russian diminutive that sounds a tad feminine to the Western sensibility.

Panya

This pretty female form of Laurence originated in ancient Rome and is still sometimes heard in the Latino community. It is one of the many intriguing <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/515/latin-names-for-girls">Latin names for girls</a> worth consideration by modern parents, as a more distinctive spin on Laura or Lauren. The name's rhythm also makes it perfect for Ren or Wren as a nickname.

Laurentia

If you're looking for a girl's name that honors an ancestral Arthur, try Artis.

Arthurine

A name that has been used in Wales for nearly a thousand years — a famous bearer was the medieval scholar Gerallt Gymro, or Gerald of Wales — but not the most intuitive spelling for non-Welsh speakers. By coincidence, ger allt in Welsh also means "near a hill".

Gerallt

A traditional, consistently common name in Iceland, where it is cognates with Stephen.

Stefán

Many C forms of this name are becoming more popular, from Cassia for girls to Cassian, Cassius, and Caspian for boys, so Kass feels more possible today too. And Kassia and Kassiani are both intriguing longer forms.