By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 326 pages
of 326
Invented literary name
"beautiful shining one"
The name of the character in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" whom the poet intended as a representation of Queen Elizabeth I. While it will no doubt thrill your daughter's English professor, the…
Literary place name, English, Danish
"narrow strait"
The famous home of Hamlet in Shakespeare's great play, Elsinore is based on Kronborg Castle in eastern Denmark. Known as Helsingør in Danish, it guarded the narrow entryway to the Baltic Sea for…
Compound name, Combination of Hanna and Lise
How To Get Away With Murder has made Annalise a genuinely trendy name; it now ranks higher than ever been, just outside the Top 400 in the U.S.. Hannalise, by contrast, has only popped up in the…
Female variation of Maximilian
Vies with Maximiliana for the title of most obscure Maximilian variant. You could argue that both were made obsolete by Jessica Simpson's use of Maxwell for her daughter.
Greek
"delight in dancing"
The name of the Muse of dancing in Greek mythology. Arguably the least usable of the nine Muses' names, despite serious competition from Melpomene and Polyhymnia. Those two at least have obvious…
Modern invented name
Novalyne Price Ellis was a 20th century writer best known for One Who Walked Alone , a memoir about her relationship with pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard, the inventor of Conan the Barbarian,…
Greek mythological name
One of the moons of Jupiter, named for a nymph that Zeus seduced. Aitne was the daughter of Oceanus. It is from her name, sometimes also spelled Aetna, that the Sicilian volcano Mt Etna derives its…
Cornish
"holy headland"
Penzance is a port town at the very tip of Cornwall. With its associations with operetta and pirates, Penzance packs quite a bit of zip for a name.
Norse
"gentle victory"
In Norse mythology, Sieglinde is often better known as Signy. In Wagner's Ring Cycle, he uses the name Sieglinde to denote the character who is the twin sister of Siegmund and mother of the hero…
Dutch
"greetings"
The Dutch feminine diminutive is thought to be derived from Ave, as in Ave Maria.
"bee-eater bird"
This obscure name from Greek mythology (Merope was one of the Pleiades) is better known from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series, as the name of Tom Riddle's ill-fated mother.
Irish
"bright"
Anglicized variant of Niamh.
English word name
Eloquence feels right at home with names like Cadence and Rhapsody.
Alleyne is a feminine name with Old French and Germanic origins, derived from the name Alan or Allen, meaning 'handsome' or 'cheerful.' It can also be interpreted as 'little Alan' or 'daughter of…
This name offers pronunciation challenges outside of Francophone countries. (Note that Autume is not the French word for Autumn - that would be Automne)
French
"friend of the people"
This rare French name was made a little more familar via French soccer player Ludivine Diguelman, golfer Ludivine Krautz and actress Ludivine Sagnier.
Aleyne is a feminine name with medieval origins, representing an archaic spelling variation of names like Alaine or Elaine. It carries an elegant, vintage quality with its distinctive spelling. The…
French surname, possibly meaning "cheerful"
"cheerful"
Allaire, a last name in France. could make a first, with its light and airy feel.
Ajaree is a feminine name with roots in Thai culture, though it may also appear in other Southeast Asian naming traditions. In Thai, names often carry meaningful elements, and Ajaree likely has a…
French diminutive of Katharine
An unusual French diminutive for Catherine, Catiche is the nickname given to Princess Katerina Mamontov in Tolstoy’s War and Peace , and was also used for the real-life Grand Duchess Grand Duchess…
