By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 34 pages
of 34
Hebrew
"God is just"
Adlai is an Old Testament name long associated with 1950's liberal presidential candidate Stevenson, who was named after his grandfather, who was Grover Cleveland's vice president in the nineteenth…
Short form of Alison or Alice or Arabic
"supreme, exalted"
One of the sweet simple unisex names balanced enough to stand on its own. Ali can either be used as a shortening of Al- beginning names. For example, comedian Ali Wong is an Alexandra. Ali is also an…
Place-name
The Alhambra, which means "red city," is in Granada, Spain. British writer Ali Smith used it for a character in her novel The Accidental .
English
"clever warrior"
This name has been off the USA Top 1000 list since before 1900, but it has some great musical credentials: consider American blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander and country music legend Pat Alger.
Spanish and Italian
"noble, ready"
Alfonso was a royal name in Spain as far back as the 7th century, but it is rarely heard outside the Hispanic community in the US.
Japanese
"beautiful love"
Despite being etymologically unrelated, Aimi has a similar meaning to the name Amy, "beloved."
"pleasant, gentle"
One of several similar Hebrew names, this example has an agreeable meaning. Pronounced ah-DEEV.
Latin
"one, unity"
Ace is a retro nickname most often used for boys, as in Ace Ventura. While some celebrities have adopted it for their sons, there's nothing that makes this name exclusively male.
Diminutive of Abraham. Hebrew
"father of multitudes"
Old-time nickname that's following in the fashionable footsteps of cronies Jake and Sam. Abe feels both fresher and cuter -- which is maybe the same thing? -- than those choices right now. You can…
Egyptian
"peaceful"
Egyptian mythology place-name with an intriguing sound and appealingly peaceful meaning. Update for Aaron?
Diminutive of Alfred, English
"wise counselor"
Alfie is a Top 20 name throughout the British Isles, where retro nickname names are mega-popular, but it hasn't really been picked up in the US yet, given to around 70 boys in a recent year.…
Alfa is a distinctive feminine name with multiple cultural origins. It can be related to the Greek letter 'alpha,' symbolizing the beginning or the first, suggesting leadership and originality. In…
Variation of Amy, French
"beloved"
Amy was a 1970s favorite, and French spelling Aimee peaked in the same decade. Today, about 1500 baby girls are still named Amy every year in the US, versus about 150 named Aimee. Aimee Teegarden is…
"elf counsel"
Short form of Alfred that had fallen out of favor, but could come back alongside Alfie and other clunky old-style nicknames like Gus and Ike.
Meaning unknown
Ailla is a name with many possible derivations, including Cornish (possibly meaning "beautiful"), French (deriving from Ailler, meaing Garlic), Finnish (related to Helga) and Turkish (where it may…
Greek
"defending men"
Very popular on its native turf, foreign-sounding here.
Finnish and Sami variation of Helga, diminutive of Aileen, Anglicization of Eilidh
"holy, blessed; bright and shining light"
An attractive Scandinavian take on Helga, or a potential Helen nickname.
Removing one letter from the somewhat intimidating Alexios gives you Alexio, a charming and more accessible variation.
Variation of Alexandra, Greek
This spin on the "Alex" prefix was the 88th most popular girl name in Scotland in 1900.
"beloved sister"
A seriously classic name meaning love , Adelpha is also the name for a genus of butterflies.
