Names That Mean My

A newly minted name for 2024, Alanneabh comes from the Irish term of endearment, a leanbh, meaning "my child". Introduced into the lexicon by Self-Build-DIY-Instagrammers Cat and Ciaran (who use the handle castlequarterhouse), it shares the same origin as the better known Alannah.
 
After receiving many questions about their daughter's unusual name, Cat took to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17936903177836661/">Instagram stories</a> to explain. The inspiration behind the name was Claire Keegan's book Small Things Like These which their elder daughter was studying at school. On her noting the importance of the phrase a leanbh in the novel, her parents were struck by how pleasing it sounded and by its potential as a name.
 
Pronounced a-LAN-iv (or ah-lyan-iv, depending on where in Ireland someone is from), the spelling may confuse though unfamiliar with Irish names, but it does make an unexpected and distinctive option.

Alanneabh

A modern Hebrew choice, blending Li and Noy into one endearing name, Linoy means "my beauty". Notably borne by Olympic gymnast Linoy Ashram and by model and influence Linoy Levi, the second syllable is said to rhyme with boy.

Linoy

A cute name from Greenland, following two naming patterns that are common in the region: names with meanings related to family, and names that occur from babbling to or from babies. Nukaaka is considered a "baby babbling" version of Nuka, Nuka Nuka (my little sibling named Nuka), or Nuka Aka (my little sibling named Aka). Nukaaka is much more commonly used for girls, but has occasionally been seen on boys.

Nukaaka

A variation of title-inspired name, Milady, in tune with the likes of Reina, Queenie, and Princess. 

Mileidi

A Polish form of the Lithuanian Danutė, the name Danuta is possibly a feminine form of the Hebrew Daniel, meaning "God is my judge", or an elaboration of Dana, a multicultural name meaning "gift" from the Slavic root danŭ, "wise" in Persian and Arabic, and "to judge" from Hebrew.

Danuta

American model, musician, and "it girl" Gabbriette (born Gabriella Leigh Bechtel) introduced the world to this name. Gabbriette is also mentioned in the first verse of Charli XCX's song "360": "Call me Gabbriette, you’re so inspired."

An exceedingly rare name — Gabbriette was used for no baby girls in the US last year — though the pop culture association may bring some interest to this variation of the popular Gabrielle.

Gabbriette

A rare Biblical name that may appeal as an alternative to Abraham, Abel, Abner, Ebenezer, and similar, Abiezer appears several times in the Old Testament. Borne by one of King David's warriors, it means "father of help" combining the elements that also make up Ezra and Abram. 
 
The name was borne by a 17th century prophetic writer, Abiezer Coppe, but it has been used very sparingly in the US, only appearing in the stats twice since 1880. Still, with names like Hezekiah, Jaziel, Abbott, and Ezekiel catching attention, Abiezer could make a totally unexpected choice with a familiar Biblical vibe about it.
 
While nickname Abi might put some parents off, Ezri, Abe, Ezra, Aza, Ezer, and Bez could be other options.

Abiezer

A multicultural choice, used in Southern Africa as a standalone name meaning "light", and as a rare German diminutive of Elisabeth.

Liseli

A concise, international variation of the Biblical Joshua, Josva is predominantly used in Denmark and Norway. It is notably borne by up and coming Danish music artist, JOSVA. 

Josva

Predominantly used in Nigeria, Ikemefuna is a name of Igbo origin, with a hopeful and determined meaning. It appears in Chinua Achebe's classic novel, Things Fall Apart, borne by an ill-fated boy who is given by his clan as a sacrifice.

Ikemefuna

Also appearing as Tzuri'el and Zuriel, this form is additionally used as a surname. 

Tzuriel

A rare Biblical name that may appeal to fans of Shephard, Jedediah, Shiloh, and Hezekiah, Shephatiah is borne by at least nine minor figures in the Bible. These include a son of King David, a servant of Solomon, and a Benjaminite warrior. 
 
Derived from the Hebrew shafaṭ meaning "to judge" and yah referring to God, the name may be translated to "God is my judge" or "Yahweh judges".

Shephatiah

A variation of the Arabic Ayat, itself a plural form of Aya, Ayati may is associated with evidence of the divine and in turn, verses from the Quran. Predominantly used in Indonesia, it may also appear as a surname. 

Ayati

A bit like Annelise in reverse, Lisanne is a sleek but gentle Dutch compound name that was popular in the 2010s. 

Lisanne

This Romanian variation of Gabriella is also seen in its masculine form, Gavril. 

Gavrila

A distinctive variation of a (masculine) Biblical name, Zurisadai is predominantly used as a feminine name in Mexico, the US, and Peru. Derived from the Hebrew elements tsur meaniing "rock" and Shaddai, a name for God, the original form appears in the Old Testament, borne by the father of Shelumiel (prince of the Tribe of Simeon). 
 
Also used in Venezuela, the US, Panana, Peru, Chile and Honduras as a unisex option, it is said as soo-ree-sa-DHIE in Latin American Spanish and zoo-ree-za-DIE in Brazilian Portuguese.

Zurisadai

Translating literally to "my struggle", Nidali is an Arabic name which is also interpreted as meaning "my warrior" or "my fighter". It is the feminine form of Nidal and was used in the 2008 novel A Map of Home novel by Randa Jarrar. The name was specifically chosen for its meaning, in order to reflect the backdrop of conflict in the novel.

Nidali

If you can spell it with a K, someone probably has and the Biblical Naomi is no exception. Inspired by the nye-o-mee pronunciation, by spellings Niomi and Nyomi, and perhaps even by Kiyomi, Knyomi debuted in the US stats in 2024. 

Knyomi

"My Love" is often used as a term of endearment, but, like Lovely and Darling, it has been turned into a given name, with a modern, invented feel, but a touch of Puritan virtue name about it too (think Hopestill, Lovejoy, and Lovewell). First appearing in the US stats back in 2005, it was given to 9 girls in a recent year. 

Mylove

Derived from the Ellu, a Estonian and Finnish short form of Ellen, Elina, and Elisa, Elluin is used as a surname and occasionally as a given name, most notably perhaps by 18th century engraver François-Rolland Elluin, and by Sarah A. Parker, for a character in her fantasy novel series, Moonfall .