Updated October 2026
Across 7 pages
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American variation of Viviana, Latin
"life"
Vivienna could be viewed as a Viviana variant or a combination of the names Vivian and Vienna.
Literary name or variation of Zoe, Greek
Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey…
Russian variation of Vitalis, Latin
Lively Russian choice born by several saints.
Latin
Deriving from the Roman cognomen Vivianus , Vivian was originally a masculine name, with Vivien being a feminine soundalike coined by Alfred Lord Tennyson for the Lady of the Lake in his famous…
Hungarian
"sultan"
Though a common name in Hungary, with the spelling Zoltán, the relatively rare Z sound is striking to English speakers. Penn Gillette used the Zolten spelling for his son; it was also the name of…
Maori
"healthy, impressive; ocean + life"
A stylish sounding choice of Maori origin, Kaiora can be considered a name in its own right, meaning "healthy, impressive" and a blend of the elements kai and ora , giving it the combined meaning of…
Variation of Chava, Hebrew
African
"life and wisdom"
This pretty African girls' name has not one but two admirable meanings.
Polish and Slovene variation of Zoe, Greek
Popular in Poland and Slovenia, but familiar in a number of other Slavic countries too, Zoja is just as spirited and lively as its origin name, Zoe. Pronounced as ZO-ya, it's notably borne by Zoja…
Variation of Vivian, Latin
An alternative spelling to Vivian, a notable bearer being fashion editor, caricaturist, and screen writer Vyvyan Enid Donner, while another is Vyvyan Holland, son of Oscar Wilde and Constance Lloyd.
Hebrew
We all know that Chaka really means disco.
Hindi
"giver of life"
A hauntingly lovely Indian name.
Slavic
"full of life"
A vibrant and lively name, Živanka is likely to be a variation of Živa or Živana. Deriving from the Old Slavic word živŭ meaning "alive, living", it is also related to a Slavic goddess, associated…
No-no appelation of a child saint and martyr whose name is a term for the nervous condition known as Saint Vitus' Dance. Its one recommending feature is that it's among the elite group Boy names that…
Anglicized variation of Chaim
Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original…
German
"blessed, happy in life"
Selig comes from the Yiddish vocabulary word meaning 'happy, fortunate, blessed.' Most of us are more familiar with its Woody Allen variation, Zelig.
Greek
"life of Zeus"
Zealous and noble, an unusual and strong choice -- and if the original is too much of a mouthful, you can always call him Zen.
Russian literary name
For lovers of Pasternak's great doctor, a lively middle name choice, one made by actress Nia Long.
Spanish derivation of Greek
A male take on the feminine name Zoe, it's hard to give an attractive pronunciation.
Avita sounds like a drug name. In fact, it is! (It's an acne medication.) While that may not be enough to stop you, you might want to consider Aviva, Vita, or Evita (which has issues of its own)…