Updated October 2026
Across 15 pages
of 15
Greek
"rich"
The Roman god of the underworld, the former ninth planet, a cartoon dog...but not a baby.
Latin
"pig"
Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice , and is now also a Hunger Games name . Another Shakespearean Portia was the…
"ancient"
The rarer long form of Priscilla, which comes from the Roman name Priscus, meaning "ancient".
"kiss"
Rarely heard New Testament name -- he was a friend of Saint Paul -- that might conceivably stand up to modern usage.
"pious"
Pius is the very definition of a religious name, used appropriately enough for several popes. Only a handful of baby boys receive this name every year. Despite the rise of similar ancient Roman names…
Italian
"first"
Primo is number one among the Latin birth-order names--Octavius et al--and the one most likely to be used in these days of smaller families. It has that jaunty 'o' ending and Italian flavor that many…
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men , with intriguing mid-century characters with names…
Word name
A grassy place with trees is a nice image to attach to a name.
American animal name
"pike, a fish"
The field of nature names is constantly expanding to include all species of flowers and trees and animals and birds and even fish. In addition to its appeal for anglers, Pike recalls Zebulon Pike,…
Breton and Catalan form of Paul
"small"
Pol, pronounced as "pole," though a popular Breton name, would be an unusual form of a simple classic elsewhere. The Breton Saint Pol Aurelian was known as a slayer of dragons and a founder of…
Tibetan
"brave wanderer"
If Portia can become Porsche, then Apollo can morph into Polo -- the imprint of designer Ralph Lauren.
English, Welsh "alert; son of Howell"
"alert; son of Howell"
Powerful surname choice with many distinguished bearers, fresher sounding than Parker.
Power is one of the new crop -- Justice, Liberty, Peace -- of strong, clear-cut, declarative choices, though this one carries more assertiveness than virtue.
Country name
"land of the Parsa"
The name Persia derives from Avestan Parsa , the name of the Indo-European nomadic people who migrated into southern Iran in about 1000 BCE. Persis or Persea, the feminine form of Perseus, feel more…
Occupational name
One celebrity baby Pilot put this occupational choice into the pool -- together with the middle name Inspektor, something we wouldn't advise following.
French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge
Percy is a traditional boys' name that could be cute and unexpected for a girl – perhaps as a short form for Persephone or Persis. Adventurous and literary Percy could follow in the footsteps of…
Spanish from Hebrew
"to blossom"
The newest surname names move beyond the Waspy, and this is an excellent example, associated these days with gossip blogger Perez (born Mario) Hilton.
English
"peacock"
An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of…
"aggressive, warlike"
Pronounced "TAHL-a-mee," this was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals and several Greco-Egyptian rulers, as well as the name of a famous Greek astronomer. Actress Gretchen Mol brought…
Hebrew
"facing God"
Biblical name from the Old Testament.