Names That Mean Wise, Intelligent, and Smart

Aariv is connected to the Hindu god Krisha, who represents wisdom.

This rarified Greek name -- in classical mythology Pallas Athena was the goddess of wisdom and the arts -- might appeal to literary-minded parents. Among the raft of stylish girl names that start with P, Pallas is one rare choice that is often overlooked....but shouldn't be.

In Greek mythology, Hecate is associated with witchcraft and magic. The name may mean "willpower" or "far-reaching".

These days, more people will relate to Hermes -- pronounced ayr-MEZ -- as an upscale brand name like Chanel and Porsche than as a Greek god. Actress Kelly Rutherford took on the challenge when she bestowed the name on her son. Hermes is the god of travel, writing, athletics, and thievery, among many other things.

In an era with so many created, modern names, Aldrich oozes history and substance. But it is also fit for modern times, given its surname-as-name status and the nickname potential (Al, Richie, etc).

This unusual and alluring choice was used by David Mamet for his daughter, who is now grown and an actress on the hit show Girls.

We love this partly for purely personal reasons, since it is one of our surnames. We used it as the middle name of a son –and it can make a good first choice too. Redmond – also found as Reamann or Raemonn – is the Irish form of the Germanic name that occurs in modern English as Raymond.

This comes from Faivish, the Yiddish form of Phoebus, the Greek sun god...and it's also the little mouse in "An American Tail."

A wise ruler of legend--his sage advice helped the Greeks win the Trojan War--whose name is a possibility for the adventurous, though related in sound to the dated Lester-Hester family.

This is an African name that would fit into any culture.

Isis has gone from magical, feminist name on the rise to the forbidden list because of the extremist terror group called ISIS, an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Unsurprisingly, Isis was one of the fastest-falling names in 2014, dropping 130 ranks to reach #706.

A name that sounds so old-fashioned some parents out there might conceivably find it quirky enough for a comeback, along with other one-time fuddie-duddies like Oscar and Homer.

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.

After a long time in limbo, Prudence is now so clunky it'a cool, and it's starting to make a comeback, along with other Puritan virtue names like Mercy, Patience, and Constance.

One of the most easily imported Arabic names.

Despite the reputation of the sagacious ancient Greek lawmaker, this name hasn't moved to the modern world.

Despite the reputation of the sagacious ancient Greek lawmaker, this name hasn't moved to the modern world.

Irish Gaelic form of Evelyn or Aveline, more authentically spelled Eibhlín.

A subtle and attractive name for the child of a poet or poetry-enthusiast.

One of the more unusual mythology names for girls, Neith is the name of the Egyptian goddess of home and femininity.