By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
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of 776
Spelling variation of Sela
"rock"
This spelling variation of the Biblical place-name Sela is found on early American census roles, but Sela is more usual today. Cela is another early variation. Cella may also be a variation of Cilla,…
Greek
"practical"
Praxis makes perfect? Though this mythological name sounds boyish, it's a female name, an equivalent for Aphrodite.
Finnish; Malagasy
"light; eight"
Valo, an unusual entry in the o-ending category, can work for girls in the US. On Nameberry, it's especially popular among visitors from Bangladesh.
French feminine variation of Sixtus
"sixth-born"
While Sixtine is a name with ancient roots that's popular in modern-day France, it's hard to imagine it gaining hold in English-speaking lands, given its similarity to the number sixteen and its…
French word name
"Girls Gone Child" blogger Rebecca Woolf made Boheme a first name when she gave it to one of her twin daughters (the other one's name is Reverie). La Boheme -- "The Bohemian" -- is a Puccini opera…
Hungarian
"mother"
A Hungarian name rarely heard outside its native culture, Emese appears as the legendary grandmother of Árpád, the founder of the Hungarian state. It featured in the Hungarian Top 100 from when the…
Colma is an uncommon feminine name with several possible origins. It may derive from the Irish name 'Colm' (meaning 'dove') with a feminine ending, or could be connected to Colma, a city in…
Scottish occupational name
"piper"
Fifer is a musical name that fits in seamlessly with the likes of Harper and Piper, but is much more unusual. It's also a Scottish demonym, referring to an inhabitant of the historic Scottish county…
Swedish
"to twinkle or sparkle"
Tindra is a new name in Sweden, used only since the 1980s, that has become enormously popular: It's in the Top 100 there. And while unknown in the US, Tindra certainly has possibilities as a…
Scandinavian version of Marie or Mary, Hebrew or Egyptian
"drop of the sea; bitter; beloved; love"
Majken, which is related to Maiken and Maike, is a popular name in Sweden whose variations are used throughout Scandinavia as cooler forms of Mary. Majken is virtually unknown in the U.S. and…
Diminutive of Samuel, Hebrew
"told by God"
Sambo went from being a short form of the venerable name Samuel to being a racial slur after the popularity of the children's book Little Black Sambo, first published in 1899 but by the 1930s decried…
Diminutive of Anastasia, Greek
"resurrection"
Tassia is an obscure short form used mostly in Russia and Eastern Europe, where the name Anastasia as in the executed Russian princess is common. Rarely found in the English-speaking world, Tassia…
Feminine variation of Nicholas, Greek
"people of victory"
Nickelle is an unusual feminine form of Nicholas, a name with many variations both male and female around the world. Nickelle is a twist on the more common Nicole with the feminine -elle ending, as…
Hawaiian
"ocean"
In the 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth , Moanna is the name of a Spanish princess, but it's the Moana spelling that has become more famous of late, thanks to the eponymous Disney heroine.
Literary name
Snow definitely works as a name; White, not so much. And Snow White, please don't. Read more about Snow White and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
French
Irish
"sea white, sea fair"
The popular Irish name Muireann comes from a mythical mermaid who was tranformed into a woman by a saint. Pronunciation is like the surname of the actress Helen Mirren, but with the spin of a w sound…
Norse mythological name
Heidrun, which is occasionally used in modern Europe, was the name of a mythological goat who nibbled from the tree of life, transforming her milk into mead. You might think of Heidrun as a cross…
Dutch, diminutive of Rina
Rineke is a diminutive of a diminutive, which might have remained unknown outside The Netherlands were it not for the wonderful photographer Rineke Dijkstra.
Anglicized form of Irish Damhnait
"fawn"
Dymphna – also spelled Dympna – is the distinctive name of an Irish virgin martyr. According to the legend, she was a Celtic princess who fled to Belgium to escape the abusive attentions of her…
