Names with Inspirational Meanings

Keefe is an energetic Irish surname occasionally used as a first. Only caveat: Will people think your little Keefe is a Keith with enunciation problems?

Katana is a male name in Old Persian and a well-used word in Japanese, but as a girls' name is these days found more often as Kitana, the name of a princess in the video game Mortal Kombat II.

Interesting Old Testament name that embraces many traditional female attributes; also name of a place in the Jordan Valley. In the Bible, a daughter of King Ammon and wife of Solomon.

Promise is one of those word names with an uplifting meaning that is making inroads as a girls' name, like sisters Dream and Serenity. How promising is Promise as a first name? Our try at cleverness illustrates perhaps the biggest problem with naming your baby girl Promise: It will be difficult for people to resist making bad puns on the name. We promise (argh) you'll be tired of hearing them well before your baby Promise's first birthday.

Name of the last king of Egypt.

Fortune is a middle name choice designed to generate good luck and prosperity.

Veronica seems poised to rise again, along with many other V names, and with it may follow this more romantic French version.

Seems destined to be the preferred short form of this old French name, with its brief, modern, word name feel.

Rarely used independently, it's more often the start of a multisyllabic German mouthful.

A favorite Muslim name, Kareem first appeared on the US Top 1000 list in 1972 (jumping in at Number 405!), coinciding with the early career of basketball great turned writer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Lewis Alcindor). It has continued to chart every year since.

The association with the Cuban leader Castro is still strong, but he's by no means the only Fidel. This name was in the Top 1000 for over 80 years, from 1919 to 2005. From the late Latin name Fidelis, meaning "faithful", at its heart it has an uplifting meaning.

Among the children named Heaven are the daughters of TV personality Brooke Burke and rap singer Lil' Mo, who also has a daughter named God'iss Love. Some parents have taken to using Nevaeh instead—Heaven spelled backwards.

Pazel's abbreviated version, Paz, is far more modern and attractive.

Resonant and unusual.

Provocative word name that may strike the right chord for an adventurous baby namer.

Rarely, if ever, heard outside the Jewish community.

This name of the Hindu god of the sun and of friendship sounds feminine enough to work for a girl.

Malu is a charming Hawaiian name chosen by ex-Talking Head David Byrne for his daughter. Malu might also be an abbreviated form of Malou, which is an abbreviated form of Mary Louise. Malu or Malou might be a retro-chic nickname for a child given the family names of Mary and/or Louise.

In Buddhism, Dharma embodies the basic principles of cosmic existence--making it a fitting name for the hippyish character on the sitcom Dharma and Greg, whose middle name was Freedom.

Feminine but strong name heard in Israel.