By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 607 pages
of 607
Literature
Poetic and alluring, Zemfira is the name of the tragic heroine in Alexander Pushkin's narrative poem The Gypsies . His work has been adapted into a multitude of ballets and operas and may have…
German
"strong protection"
Variant of Walburga or Walpurgis. In German and Nordic folklore, Walpurgisnacht (St Walpurga's Night) is when witches and devils meet for revelry.
French surname
"joy"
Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie may inspire some baseball history fans to adopt his surname as a first or middle name for their child. He was a second baseman for Philadelphia and Cleveland's teams in the…
Jèrriais
"famous battle"
Jèrriais (Jersey) form of Louise, sometimes shortened to Loulou.
Latin
"voyager"
This Beatrix alternate could make a good choice for globetrotting parents.
Maryiah is a feminine name that represents a creative variation of Maria or Mariah. It combines elements of the traditional Mary (from Hebrew 'Miriam,' possibly meaning 'beloved' or 'rebellious')…
Literary name
"evening star"
A title given to the elf Arwen in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings , meaning "evening star" and usually rendered poetically as Evenstar. Like her revered ancestor Lúthien, Arwen chooses to become mortal…
Cherokee, meaning unknown
Though its meaning has been lost to time, Nazshoni is a beautiful Cherokee option for a daughter.
Greek
"Avenging murder"
The name of one of the Furies in Greek mythology, a goddess who avenged crimes of murder. She is described as wearing a dripping blood-red robe, with a serpent coiled around her waist.
"Daughter of the twilight / nightingale"
Lúthien Tinúviel is an elf princess in J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, who falls in love with a mortal human, Beren, and chooses to become mortal herself rather than to live without him. Tinúviel is…
Judeo-Italian
"hope"
The 19th-century Irish poet Jane Wilde (mother of Oscar Wilde) adopted Speranza as her nom de plume. The name also appears in Spenser’s The Faerie Queene , as one of the three virtues: Fidelia…
Irish
"sprite, changeling"
A relatively modern (18th C) Irish Gaelic name, Siofra or, more properly, Síofra with the fada has its roots in superstition. In the past, when babies were born in Ireland their families feared that…
Cornish
"white rose"
A rare and beautiful member of the "Rose" family of names, Rosenwyn is a modern Cornish compound name meaning "white rose" or "fair rose". There is a popular Cornish folk song titled An Rosen Wyn ,…
French and Spanish
"rose and honey"
A French surname turned Spanish masculine given name, Rosamel likely derives from the combination of rose + Greek mel "honey". As a surname, it was borne by a 19th century French naval officer with…
French
"the red one"
Quitterie is a quirky saint’s name which is considered très chic in France at the moment. St Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in…
Scots Gaelic
"name of a bird species"
Ptarmigan is the common English name for the genus Lagopus, in the grouse family of birds. The name is derived from the Scottish word for the bird, tàrmachan (meaning unknown), with the initial P-…
Latin from Greek
"to emerge or bringer of destruction"
Proserpine is the Roman equivalent of the goddess Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld in Greek myth. The story of Persephone is one of the most famous in classical mythology. The daughter of…
"lover of God"
The name of a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek version of the more familiar Amadea / Amadeus. Philothea could make for a lovely, unusual way to get to stylish Thea. Bottom line:…
Botanical Name
The name of this pretty Mediterranean shrub is reminiscent of vintage Olive, and interestingly its etymology appears to overlap too: oleander most likely derives from Greek rhododendron "rose tree",…
Alternative spelling of Willodean
