Girl Names Like Josephine

One of the group of French 'ette'-ending names that emigrated to this country in the last century, though never as popular as some others, such as Claudette and Paulette--it did have a little six-year flurry here between 1967 and 1973. Josette may be feminine and flirty, but, given the choice, most parents today would prefer Josephine.

Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D. Eisenhower spent his boyhood. Abilene is a much more untrodden path to the nickname Abbie/Abbie than the Top 10 Abigail.

Curiously appealing, in a hoop-skirted, wasp-waisted way, Ottoline has recently entered the realm of modern possibility, especially since Sienna Miller chose it as the middle name of her daughter Marlowe.

Pauline had its moment of glory almost a century ago, when movie audiences were thrilling to the silent serial The Perils of Pauline; it's a sweet and gentle name that just might be due for reconsideration. Off the list since the late 1990s, Pauline was a Top 50 name from around 1908 to 1930.

Aurelie is the delicate French variation of Aurelia, one of the most improbable popular names of recent years. Both versions of the name are lovely, but it might be difficult to insist that Americans pronounce Aurelie the attractive French way rather than like plain old orally.

Antonella is a feminine form of Anthony growing in popularity throughout Latin America as well as in the US.

Sweet and stylish, Lucine is a versatile choice that can be used as a spelling variation of the celestial Armenian name Lusine. It is equally considered an elaboration of the classic Lucy and as a French form of Lucina, a name that means "grove", but can also be associated with light.

Has a musty 1940s feel. Try Georgia -- or Georgiana.

Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional world of the book, though, Dulcinea is not the woman's real name; Aldonza is. And because she never appears in person in the text, it's unclear whether she is as beautiful and saintly as the protagonist believes her to be. Probably not, given Don Quixote's track record.

The female version of Emanuel could become more prominent, though for some it still carries a steamy image dating back to a then sensationally erotic French film. Singer and Shameless star Emmy Rossum's full name is Emmanuelle.

One of the rarest of virtue names, Clemency could come back along with the more familiar Puritan virtue names such as Hope and Faith. It has a rhythmic three-syllable sound, and offers a more virtuous alternative to the more popular Clementine.

Albertine and Alberta are old-fashioned feminizations ala Geraldine and Roberta. This is the kind of name that sounds very dowdy until a hip celebrity chooses it, at which point we don't know how we missed its coolness all this time.

Serena in all its variant spellings is such a widely-used name that reducing it to its root word, Serene, might not occur to some. But like Pax and Clement, Serene is an excellent name for a calm child.

This Dutch name stems from the Greek root word "philos" meaning "love". It is relatively common in the Netherlands.

Sweet and bright international form of Josephine, used in many European countries with various pronunciations of the initial J. A notable bearer is Josefina "Joey" Guerrero, a Filipina spy during World War II.

Angelique was the fastest-rising girl name of 2021, influenced by French-Mexican actress Angelique Boyer, who starred in the telenovela Imperio de mentiras (Empire of Lies).

The French form of the elegant Rosalind and the name of a 13th century saint. It was particularly popular in its native France during the 1950s, while currently, it is most popular in Haiti, Kenya, and Nigeria. One notable bearer is Roseline Éloissaint, a Haitian footballer.

Rare French option for girls, but feels familiar thanks to the popularity of Sebastian.

One of many international forms of the Hebrew Yosef (Joseph).

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