Favorite Names on Nameberry

Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the mother of the Roman people.
 Later literary bearers include the protagonist's daughter in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (which has the line "She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov'd"), the heroine of G.B. Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, and characters in David Copperfield, Henry James' Washington Square, and the contemporary The Hunger Games and Downton Abbey--and Lavinia was also used by Thackeray, T. S. Eliot, and by Ursula Le Guin for an eponymous novel.
 Trivia tidbit: Lavinia was Ava Gardner's middle name.
With its vintage nickname Vinnie, Lavinia might well appeal to parents who favor lavender-tinged names like Amelia and Matilda and Maude.

Lavinia

One of the stellar unique baby names from mythology, Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of Cassiopeia who, like her mother, literally became a star--the constellation that bears her name.The Bohemian Andromeda makes a dramatic and adventurous choice in a time when four-syllable mythological names are gradually making their way into the mainstream.
 Andromeda Tonks (nee Black), is a Harry Potter character
 Cousin name Andromache belonged to the tragic wife of the Trojan Hector, appeared in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida and was the subject of plays by Euripedes and Racine.

Andromeda

Delphine is a sleek, chic French name with two nature associations — the dolphin and the delphinium, a bluebell-like flower, a well as a link to the ancient city of Delphi, which the Greeks believed to be the womb of the earth. All of these derive from the Greek word delphus "womb". 
 
Delphine was very popular in France from the 1960s to the 1980s, peaking at Number 6 in 1977-78. In the US, its peak came earlier — in 1930, when it reached Number 427. Today, Delphine is absent from the Top 1000 entirely but retains its French flair, making it an even fresher alternative to stylish vintage names like Daphne and Josephine. Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have a daughter named Delphine, which may revive the name among Americans.
 
Balzac used the name in two of his novels, and Madame de Stael wrote the 1802 epistolary Delphine, which helped bring the name into fashion in France. Delphine Seyrig was a renowned French movie actress.
 
The attractive Spanish version is Delfina.

Delphine

Rufus is a rumpled, redheaded (it was the nickname for red-haired King William) ancient Roman name popular with saints and singers (e.g. Rufus Wainwright); now, Rufus is on the cutting edge of cool.
 Fellow singer James Taylor named one of his twins Rufus, and Rufus Humphrey is a Gossip Girl character. Rufus Sewell is a commanding, intense English actor.
 Rufus is mentioned in the New Testament as the name of a son of Simon the Cytherian, and there are several St. Rufuses. He's also a major figure in the George Eliot novel Felix Holt: The Radical, an honest and passionate preacher and politician.

Rufus

Lucifer is the name of the archangel cast into hell and while theologians disagree on whether he and Satan are separate beings, it long been on the list of forbidden names for religious and non-religious parents alike. With connotations of hell and devilry so strongly attached to it, the name is officially banned in some places, including New Zealand.
 
But is there hope for Lucifer? With its light-related meaning and its rebellious, edgy feel, parents who enjoy Lilith, Riot, Rebel, Rogue and similar, may be drawn to it, especially with modern portrayals of the the figure, in series such as Lucifer (2021). 
 
A controversial choice, Lucifer had never appeared in the US stats before 2002, when it began to be sporadically used for a small handful of boys. Over the last decade, however, use of the name has picked up, with more than 70 babies given the name in 2021. The number dropped to 43 in 2023, placing it alongside Jedediah, Remiel, Olsen, Kyzir, and Ted in the charts.

Lucifer

Sleek, sharp, and soulful, Isolde is the German form of Iseult, the fabled lover of Tristan in the Arthurian romances. First appearing in the 12th-century, the name was fairly popular in the form of Iseult, Yseut, Yseult, and Ysolt, however, it wasn't until the 19th-century that this form began to catch on, after the composer Richard Wagner used it for his 1865 opera (and for his own daughter!)
 
Seen as a symbol of undying love, Isolde was an Irish princess who accidentally drinks a love potion and falls in love with the nephew of the king she was betrothed to. The story ends in tragedy, but with Tristan, Romeo, and Juliet all familiar choices, this connection doesn't need to hold you back.
 
The exact etymology of the name is unknown but one suggestion is that it comes from Germanic elements to mean "ice ruler" or "ice battle" giving it a strong, wintery feel. Alternatively, it may have Brythonic origins, in which case it could mean "she who is gazed upon."
 
More likely to be used in the Netherlands or in Germany than in the US, it could appeal more widely as an intriguing alternative to Isabel, Iris, Ines, and Imogene. Given to 15 American girls in a recent year, it comes with user-friendly nicknames Izzy and Sol, though Iso is the one used in Marilyn French's novel The Women's Room.
 
Variations of Isolde include Iseult, Isolt, Isoud, Isolda, Izolda, Isotta,and Yseult.

Isolde

X marks the spot in names these days, usually at the middles or ends of names, but here is one that puts it squarely up front.
 This extravagant name, which, like many Greek names beginning with X, is pronounced as if it were a Z in English, is derived from the Greek word for the color yellow. A Homeric epithet of Demeter, Xanthe would be a striking choice, thanks to its "golden" meaning.
 
A consistent member of the UK Top 1000 since 2005, Xanthe was chosen by the social media star Emily Clarkson in 2024.

Xanthe

Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on record — it shares the cool golden meaning of Aurelia, Orla, and Goldie, and offers cute Cassie- alternative nickname Cressie, along with Ida and Sid too. 
 
Ultimately derived from the Greek name Chryses, first via its patronymic Chryseis, then through Criseida, the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio's spin on it, Cressida is the form that finally appears in Shakespeare's Cressida and Troilus. While she doesn't have the best of literary reputations — in the works by Boccaccio, Shakespeare and Chaucer, she is faithless to her Trojan lover Troilus and breaks his heart — the name remains a fresh, crisp, and arty feeling option today.
 In Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Cressida is a film director character; while in the "real world", Cressida Cowell is the author of the popular novel series How to Train Your Dragon and Cressida Bonas is an actress and model.

Cressida

Nameberry visitors are often more knowledgeable about names, more conscious of current trends, and all-around more name-savvy than the average baby namer — because, of course we are! And the names we love frequently become future favorites on the official popularity lists.

 are also popular among the rest of the country, but the names here are loved significantly more on Nameberry.

Nameberry favorites that you won't find on the 

 include Andromeda, Phineas, Emrys, Claudia, Seraphina, Isolde, and, thankfully, Lucifer. Longtime favorites gaining steam in the wider world include Aurelia, Magnus, Wren, and Zephyr.

 are destined for more widespread appreciation.

Names popular on Nameberry - vintage names, word names, unusual names, names for girls and boys with meaning, origins, and popularity. Names the nameberry users love, berry names, (Page 6)