By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 124 pages
of 124
Scandinavian
"holy"
Masculine form of Helga
Italian variation of Joel
"Jehovah is his God"
Gioele is among the Top 50 names for boys in Italy, though the Italian version would cause pronunciation and spelling problems for English speakers. In the US, UK, or Australia, stick with the sleek…
Dutch
"dove"
A peaceful Dutch name that many English speakers will find tough to pronounce.
Dutch form of Matheus
The Teo of Holland.
"peace"
A lovely meaning and sound -- if you're fluent in Dutch.
Dutch, Norwegian
"wild"
An intriguingly wild alternative to Sven.
Moose is an unconventional masculine name derived from the North American mammal. As a given name, it emerged from nickname usage, typically assigned to individuals with large, strong builds or…
Nickname for Armand
Handsome young actor Armie Hammer put this name on the map in 2010, when he rose to national attention for playing the Winklevoss twins in David Fincher's "The Social Network." His full name is…
Diminutive of Reinhold
The extremely unusual, hard-to-pronounce first name of Donald Trump's first Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, is apparently intended as a catchy nickname to the uber-Teutonic Reinhold. Just say nein.
French
Once extremely popular in France, Sylvere has, so far, been little heard in the States, though it did pop up in the Amazon series I Love Dick , as the name of the lead character's husband.
Latin
"Palm Sunday"
There's no shortage of quirky ways to get to hip nickname Oz -- Ozias, Osborne, Ozymandias -- but this one may appeal to parents looking for a full name with some religious significance. It was…
English word name
Along the same lines as Fable or Madrigal, Parable is a cute choice for literary families. It might also be considered as a pseudo-biblical name, given the fame of the Biblical parables.
"morning love song"
Where as a serenade is an evening love song, an aubade is sung first thing in the morning.
Hungarian
"being"
An extremely popular choice in its native Hungary (at #3 for the past decade), Levente is an ancient Hungarian royal name , in use since at least the 10th century. This name sounds the same but has a…
Norwegian
"great"
Variation of Magni or Magnus, popular throughout modern Scandinavia. In mythology, Magni was a son of Thor.
"well-pleasing"
Vanishingly rare in its home country nowadays, this French form of Evaristus belongs to several notable historical figures, including poet Évariste Désiré de Forges de Parny and mathematics prodigy…
Swedish diminutive of Emmanuel
This common Swedish name gains science connections from bearer Manne Siegbahn who won the Nobel prize for his work on X-ray spectroscopy.
Danish
"ancestor"
An awkward name for English speakers - we suggest the Old Norse version, Aki, might work better with modern names. One notable bearer was Nobel laureate Aage Bohr.
Irish
Now used as a unisex name, Naoise was originally a masculine name. It belonged to a handsome young warrior in Irish legend, lover of the tragic Deirdre, who killed herself after Naoise was murdered…
English and French word name and surname
Revere is a word name meaning to admire or esteem, an appealing meaning. In the USA, however, Revere attracts further connotation as the surname of Paul Revere, one of the celebrated patriots of the…
