Dog Names That Mean Miracle

The power of the popular ella sound is sapped in this cross-cultural choice.

Whether you think of the chocolates or the naked long-haired lady on the horse, Godiva is a name with baggage no child should have to carry.

Funny, you don't sound Russian.

A rare feminine form of Even, a common Norwegian boy name.

Jenica might work if you can't decide between Jennifer and Jessica. It's certainly a more distinctive option.

If you're a movie fan or a sports fan, you might be attracted to this name, via the film "Donnie Darko" or the Serbian-born basketball star Darko Milicic. It is kind of dark, though.

We like Matti in theory, but in practice it’s likely to get confused for the girlish Maddie.

A highly unusual Dora name that may be a spin on the Japanese name Midori, meaning "green," or a combination of Mia "my" plus Dora "gift."

Darina comes from the Slavic element "dar" which means gift; the name is found in Czech, Bulgarian, and Slovak cultures and translates easily for English speakers. Darina may also be an Anglicization of the Irish Dairine, which means "fruitful."

Mattie ranked among the Top 1000 for boys a century ago, in the heyday of the nickname-name. Today, few parents would dream of putting it on the birth certificate, preferring it as a short form for the perennially-popular Matthew. Mattie is in the Top 1000 in the U.S. for girls.

Thoroughly masculine in Central Europe, although it may be misconstrued as a feminine name in English-speaking countries.

Derived from the Hebrew words shai, meaning "gift," and li, "mine." The Shaily variation is more common in Israel and the US.

Diminutive of Matthijs, the Dutch form of Matthew.

One of the most unusual of the "iah" names, it comes with the appealing and usable nickname Zev.

Isidore and variants are remarkably underused and ripe for revival, a la Theodore and company.

Friendly and charming international variation of Matthew, common in Estonia.

Portuguese variation of Matthew.

Pretty and unusual.

Former Top 5 choice in Slovenia that now sits below the Top 20.

More common for girls in Japan, thanks to the prevalence of the related name Keiko.