By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 16 pages
of 16
Femeninization of Ernest, English from German
"serious, resolute"
One time joke name, à la Lily Tomlin's bossy telephone operator, Ernestine is ready for a possible reevaluation, like cousins Josephine and Clementine.
Icelandic variation of Alvar, German
"elf warrior"
A top name in Iceland, while its parent name Alvar, ranks highly in Sweden and Finland.
Welsh
"idol, image"
Romantic and mysterious, Eluned's beauty and intelligence were legendary in Welsh legend; she was the handmaiden of the Lady of the Fountain in a Welsh Arthurian romance, who had a magic ring that…
Greek
"dew"
Ersa, daughter of Zeus and the moon goddess Selene, is goddess of the morning dew, which may make this an excellent name for a child born in the early hours of the day.
Norse
"love"
This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old…
Gaelic
"water"
The name Esca appears in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth , which is set in 2nd century Roman Britain. Esca is the name of a freed slave who accompanies his…
Amharic variation of Alexander
"defending men"
Variation of Alexander.
Australian Aboriginal
"a pleasant place"
Elouera has potential for people looking for unusual versions of popular "Elle" names like Ellen, Eleanor and Ella. This Aboriginal Australian place name is filled with the mellifluous sounds that…
Breton and French
"light"
This beautiful Breton saint's name peaked at #127 in France in 2006. It's still in the Top 500 there today, but remains almost unknown outside of France.
English
"moor with elm trees"
Boys' names beginning with "El" were all the rage in the 1910s, but today Elmore - along with Elwin, Ellsworth and others - has barely been used for decades. It has literary connections through…
Italian from German
"protector"
Elmo, like fellow Sesame Street characters Kermit and Grover, has a hard time being taken seriously. (It isn't easy being red either.) But Elmo also calls to mind the image of St. Elmo's fire--the…
English, German, Norse, Danish tree name
"red, brown"
Strong, straight, and leafy, one of the new tree names used mostly as middles.
English compound name
"she is a gift"
Pretty smoosh name from the popular elements Ella + Dora, or a spin on Eleanora influenced by Dora "gift".
English, Welsh, and Spanish surname
"of the East"
For some, a name that will evoke the beauty of the national park in the Colorado Rockies.
