Valentine's Day Names

A shimmery name with a wonderful meaning; another intriguing variation is Siroun.

An attractive unisex choice heard in several countries, including Armenia. Can be pronounced sheer-IN or sheer-EEN.

Caris is either a variation of the Carys, a modern Welsh name meaning "love", or a spin on the Greek Charis, meaning "grace, kindness", and used to describe the Three Graces collectively. It briefly made the England and Wales Top 1000 in the late 90s.

A top ten choice in Chile and a popular name throughout the Spanish-speaking world, Maite is a mighty-sounding name with a soft and sweet meaning. It is also found as a contracted form of María Teresa or María Esther.

Carita may feel like an endearing nickname but it's a name in its own right, used throughout Scandinavia in this form and as Karita, Caritas, and Karitas as a variation on Charity.

Anahita is the name of the water goddess who rules, among other things, fertility and wisdom. Associated with Venue, Anahita is a stylish Iranian name for girls.

Darrell and all its variations was a trendy name in the 1950s and 1960s, an update on David and Daniel that began to fall out of favor by the 1970s and fell out of the Top 1000 completely at the turn of this century.

This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old Norse and some modern Nordic languages, meaning "love" or "to love".

This traditional Arabic name, found throughout several other Middle Eastern and African languages and cultures, is one of the 99 names of Allah. Colorful and energetic, it was brought into the realm of crossover possibility via the lively personality of Aziz Ansari, stand-up comic and star of "Master of None" as well as a featured actor on "Parks and Recreation," playing cocky Tom Haverford (born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani).

This Irish Gaelic name would be more accessible in other cultures in its modern Dervla form.

In the Zulu and Xhosa languages of Southern Africa, Phila is a unisex name pronounced "PEE-la" and means "to live of life" It's also the feminine version of the ancient Greek name Philo, pronounced "FEE-la", meaning friend or lover and present in several contemporary names and words used throughout the Western World. The name Philip, for instance, means lover of horses, while the city name Philadelphia means "brotherly love" and philosophy means "love of wisdom".

The rise of the the various Isabel names may give a boost to this variation, which has a sunny, springtime feel.

An attractive and worldly name for a cherished baby son.

Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a heroine of the seas.

A famous bearer is Carwyn Jones, leader of the Welsh Labour Party and First Minister of Wales since 2009. Feminine version is Carwen.

Tegwen is a Welsh name that balances between clunky and mystical, sweet and tough. Created back in the 19th century by blending the element teg "beautiful, pretty", with the element wen "fair, white, blessed", it may appeal to those who enjoy Teagan, Gwen, Gwendolyn, and Tesni.

This Hebrew name deserves consideration by parents looking for a traditional by underused girls name with a gorgeous meaning.

Loving choice.

In the Shona language of souther Africa, this simple and wearable boys' name means love.

Its association with the word liebe gives this name an endearing, adored aura.