Names That Mean Great

A happy medium between the weighty Maximilian and the laid-back Max, Maxwell is one of the most classic and attractive Scottish names. Early influences on the name's revival include Maxwell Smart of the television show, and then movie, Get Smart, and the Beatles song about Maxwell's Silver Hammer.

Meredith is a soft, gentle-sounding name with subtle Welsh roots. Although originally a boys’ name , Meredith is used mainly for girls now.

As this long-term Age of Jordans, both male and female, begins to wind down, the neglected Scottish favorite Gordon, with its more distinguished history, could come back as a distinctive alternative. Gordon is one of the most classic authentically Scottish names for boys.

Tai, which rhymes with Kai, is a unisex name with a range of international references. It means the equivalent of "too much" in Chinese but is also used as a Maori name meaning "the tide" and in Romanian means "yours." While it's only ever ranked in the U.S. Top 1000 as a girls' name, during the height of the popularity of Olympic skater Tai Babilonia, Tai makes a simple intriguing modern choice for either gender.

Morag is one of the quintessential Scottish names for girls. Actually a diminutive of Mor, it has always been used more than the original. Commonly heard in Scotland, but could lead to pronunciation problems elsewhere, and the second syllable could prove very confusing. Morag is sometimes used as the Gaelic equivalent of Sarah. In the Harry Potter books, Morag MacDougal was a witch who attended Hogwarts in the same year as Harry.

Vladimir is a cultured and deep-rooted Slavic name associated in this country with cultural figures including piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz and the author of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov.

Particularly popular in Turkey towards the end of the 20th century, this was the name of a 14th-century sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The name Orhan jumped in use in 2022, given to 81 baby boys compared to 22 in 2021.

The o ending and the positive meaning in many languages makes this a winner, and with the feminine Vera making a surprise return, and the new love for the letter 'V', this becomes a name that has definite possibilities.

State name Alaska stems from an Aleutian word for the land mass itself. The number of baby girls named Alaska has doubled in the past five years, and is sure to continue increasing as more place names are annexed as baby names. Wilder but as habitable as Dakota or Cheyenne, Alaska is a girls' name choice for the future.

Alisa is less popular than more complicated forms of Alice like Alyssa or Alicia, perhaps because of its association with the once-overused Lisa.

Darren and wife Sharon shop for fifties memorabilia on eBay. The Connecticut place-name Darien might offer an update.

This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.

Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?

This Yoruba name, with a mighty meaning, might seem a mouthful at first, but is often shortened to Tobi, which makes it far more manageable for non Nigerians.

The feminine form of German and French name Augustin, ultimately derived from Latin Augustus. Names with the -ine ending are considered chic in France at the moment; Augustine re-entered the French top 500 in 2009 and is climbing fast.

The most famous Vlad was nicknamed "the Impaler." Enough said.

A relatively popular Japanese name with cool nickname potential and a vibrant sound.

A very popular Japanese boys' name whose characters refer to the constellation Ursa Major. Short form Hiro might work better in the West, as may another popular Japanese boys' name, Ren.

Alaska's Denali National Park is the home of the highest mountain in the US, officially renamed Denali in 2014, endowing the name with a lofty feel. There were 20 boys and 55 girls given the name in 2014.

Meredith has been considered primarily a girl's name since the fifties, before which it was more commonly used for boys. Comic actor Jay Mohr recently named his son Meredith, which might help it swing back into the blue column. The traditional Welsh pronunciation puts the stress on the middle syllable, making Red a cool nickname possibility.