Names That Mean Sweet

Melissa

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "honeybee"

• Description:

  Melissa derives from the Greek word mélissa, meaning "bee," which was taken from the word for honey, meli. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who nursed the infant god Zeus with honey. Melissa was used as a given name by the early Greeks, as well as for fairies by Italian Renaissance poets.

Honey

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  A term of endearment turned cute British celebrity baby name, used by actress Kate Winslet, chef Jamie Oliver, and TV presenter Fearne Cotton, among others. Honey was given to only 40 girls in the US in 2017, but it's relatively popular across the pond, where it ranks in the current Top 500 baby names for girls.

Anika

• Origin:

  Nordic diminutive of Anne or African, Hausa

• Meaning:

  "sweetness of face"

• Description:

  Anike is an attractive name with ties to several cultures, both African and Scandinavian. The African pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable while the Nordic one emphasizes the first. While there will be inevitable confusion over pronunciation, either form is "correct".

Eulalia

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "sweetly speaking"

• Description:

  Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double Ls.

Angelica

• Origin:

  Italian, Polish, Russian diminutive of Angela

• Meaning:

  "angel or angelic"

• Description:

  Angelica is by far the choicest form of the angelic names -- more delicate than Angelina, more feminine than Angel, more modern than Angela. But though Angelica is so lacy and poetic, it lags behind the bolder Angelina (probably for obvious reasons).

Maple

• Origin:

  English tree name from Latin

• Meaning:

  "piece of cloth"

• Description:

  If Apple and Juniper, Oak and Pine can be baby names, why not Maple? Why not indeed. We've heard Maple starting to be used quietly, but with its lush sound and attractive image, we predict its use as a first name will grow — and its choice by the Jason Batemans — who combined it with the sweet middle name Sylvie — will only accelerate that growth.

Myra

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "sweet-smelling oil"

• Description:

  As with many grandmother-y names, this choice may be coming back into style.

Melina

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "little honey"

• Description:

  This traditional Greek name feels somewhat more distinctive than Melissa, though after a recent upward blip in popularity, it seems to be sliding back down -- which may not be a bad thing for parents looking for a name that both fits in and stands out.

Dulcie

• Origin:

  Latin, diminutive of Dulcibella

• Meaning:

  "sweet"

• Description:

  A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia.

Eulalie

• Origin:

  French form of Eulalia, Greek

• Meaning:

  "sweetly speaking"

• Description:

  Eulalie hasn't ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1899, but its French roots might make it more appealing to modern ears than its sister Eulalia.

Baker

• Origin:

  English occupational surname

• Description:

  One of the most appealing of the newly hip occupational names, evoking sweet smells emanating from the oven. Much fresher sounding than than others that have been around for awhile, like Cooper, and Carter.

Pamela

• Origin:

  English

• Meaning:

  "all honey"

• Description:

  Pam was a somewhat pampered prom queen of the sixties who was never called by her full name, which is a pity because Pamela is so mellifluous and rich in literary history. A Top 25 name from the late 1940's through the late 60's, Pamela has just, sadly, dropped out of the Top 1000.

Laia

• Origin:

  Catalan diminutive of Eulalia

• Meaning:

  "sweet-speaking"

• Description:

  Saint Eulalia was born in Spain and is the patron saint of Barcelona, so her name and its derivatives are popular throughout the land.

Dawsey

• Origin:

  English surname

• Meaning:

  "soft, sweet; or son of David"

• Description:

  This intriguing surname name belongs to a character in the 2008 novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Its origins are not entirely clear. It may derive from David, like Dawson or Dawes, or it may derive from French doux, douce "soft, sweet".

Kaede

• Origin:

  Japanese

• Meaning:

  "maple tree"

• Description:

  No - not a creative spelling of Cade. This name, which can be used for boys or girls, means maple tree. Kaede is unusual in Japan although it has been gaining more popularity after it has been used for several anime and manga characters.

Candy

• Origin:

  Diminutive of Candace

• Description:

  Too sugary sweet and inconsequential for a modern girl.

Dulcinea

• Origin:

  Spanish

• Meaning:

  "sweetness"

• Description:

  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.

Maire

• Origin:

  Finnish, Irish variation of Mary

• Meaning:

  "sweet; drop of the sea, bitter"

• Description:

  Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea, meaning "sweet."

Soma

• Origin:

  Sanskrit

• Meaning:

  "Lunar nectar"

• Description:

  This name is sometimes connected with Chandra, the Hindu moon god.

Rihanna

• Origin:

  Arabic

• Meaning:

  "sweet basil"

• Description:

  Rihanna, the name of the Barbados-born singer, whose birth name was Robyn Rihanna, attracted a fair number of parents for several years, but has now dropped out of the Top 1000 again. It has generated several spelling variations, including Rihana, Rhianna and even the Brianna-inspired Brihanna.

Lolly

Lennan

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "sweetheart, lover"

• Description:

  From the Irish Leannan, this, unfortunately, would be constantly mistaken for Lennon.

Roanna

• Origin:

  Variation of Rosanna or Latin

• Meaning:

  "sweet"

• Description:

  Most modern parents would probably prefer the cooler Rowan.

Shirin

• Origin:

  Persian

• Meaning:

  "charming, sweet"

• Description:

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

Melita

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "honey"

• Description:

  A coffee filter.

Sadbh

• Origin:

  Irish

• Meaning:

  "sweet; goodly"

• Description:

  Sadbh is the modern Irish form of the more streamlined but equally confusing Sadb: both names are pronounced to rhyme with five. In Irish mythology Sadb or Sadbh, a goddess lover of Finn McCool's, was turned into a deer only to vanish and (somewhere in there) give birth to Oisin.

Asel

• Origin:

  Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Kazakh

• Meaning:

  "honey"

• Description:

  Top 10 in Turkey and Top 500 in the Netherlands (which has a high Turkish population), this sleek and pretty name is virtually unknown elsewhere.

Cookie

• Origin:

  English

• Meaning:

  "cookie"

• Description:

  Cookie is most often used as a dog name, and it should stay that way.

Nemy

• Origin:

  Mende

• Meaning:

  "sweet"

• Description:

  Friendly and energetic name from the Mende language of West Africa.

Sugar

• Origin:

  Literary and word name

• Description:

  You can call your daughter Sugar, but only as a term of endearment. Her real name has to be something, almost anything, else.

Vevina

• Origin:

  Scottish

• Meaning:

  "sweet lady"

• Description:

  This unusual name found in Scottish poetry would make a distinctive Gaelic pick.

Drury

• Origin:

  French

• Meaning:

  "dear one, sweetheart"

• Description:

  Rhythmic and energetic, Drury is of French origin, with the wonderful meaning of “dear one, sweetheart.”

Naamah

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "sweetness, grace, beauty"

• Description:

  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.

Jarah

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "honeycomb or honeysuckle"

• Description:

  This Old Testament name feels feminine to a modern English speaker, thought the Biblical Jarah was male. In the most recent year counted, there were seven girls and five boys given the name. With the rise of Biblical boys' names that end in vowel sounds like Noah and Ezra, Jarah may have new possibilities for boys. An alternate spelling is Jarrah, which is also a distinct Arabic name. Jared and Jareth are unrelated but similar-sounding Biblical choices for boys.

Chan

• Origin:

  Cambodian

• Meaning:

  "sweet smelling tree"

• Description:

  Whether it's an Asian surname-name or short for Channing, has a sound and feel that's both simple and stand-out.

Deucalion

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "sweet sailor"

• Description:

  Various characters name Deucalion exist in Greek Mythology, including Deucalion, the son of Prometheus; Deucalion of Crete; Deucalion, son of Zeus; and Deucalion the solider, who is killed by Achilles.

Sundae

• Origin:

  Word name

• Description:

  I'm sure the parents of the six little girls named Sundae in the US last year were thinking, "well, if Nicole Kidman can use Sunday..." In this case, we think the day of the week spelling is preferable to the dessert spelling.

Javor

• Origin:

  Serbian tree name

• Meaning:

  "maple tree"

• Description:

  Javor is the Serbian word for Maple tree. It makes a definitively masculine and interesting choice for the nature inclined namer.

Manju

• Origin:

  Sanskrit

• Meaning:

  "pleasant, sweet"

• Description:

  This attractive Indian unisex name has a number of interesting variations with equally appealing meanings, including Manjula and Manjusha.

Pamina

• Origin:

  Italian

• Meaning:

  "little honey"

• Description:

  This operatic Italian name -- it appears in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" -- is a more unusual route to the nickname Pam/Pammy.

Quanah

• Origin:

  Native American

• Meaning:

  "sweet smelling, fragrant"

• Description:

  Name of a major figure in Indigenous history, Quanah Parker, a Comanche chief who became a judge on the Court of Indian Affairs.

Nazanin

• Origin:

  Persian

• Meaning:

  "sweetheart"

• Description:

  This sweet-sounding and sweet meaning name is popular across the Middle East and Central Asia. Notable bearers include actress Nazanin Boniadi and British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose arrest and imprisonment in Iran in 2016 continues to make headlines.

Nidia

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "she possesses sweetness and grace"

• Description:

  Ear-catching alternative to Lydia.

Nectarios

• Origin:

  Greek

• Meaning:

  "of nectar"

• Description:

  A twentieth-century Greek saint's name redolent of the beverage of the gods that imparted immortality.

Pipaluk

• Origin:

  Greenlandic

• Meaning:

  "sweet little thing who belongs to me"

• Description:

  Consistently among the top 5 girls' names in Greenland for the past four decades, Pipaluk has one of the most adorable meanings going, and could make for a quirky route to Pip or Pippa. A famous bearer in Greenlandic-Danish author Pipaluk Freuchen.

Naaman

• Origin:

  Hebrew

• Meaning:

  "sweet herbs"

• Description:

  The double a makes it special.

Rosamel

• Origin:

  French and Spanish

• Meaning:

  "rose and honey"

• Description:

  A French surname turned Spanish masculine given name, Rosamel likely derives from the combination of rose + Greek mel “honey”.

Dulcia

• Origin:

  Latin

• Meaning:

  "sweet"

• Description:

  Has a sweetness via its relation to such words as dulcet; other similar possibilities are DULCE, DULCINA, and the down-home DULCIE. Though this Latin names for girls is rarely heard in contemporary times in this form, Dulcie is found.

Habiba

• Origin:

  African

• Meaning:

  "beloved, sweetheart"

• Description:

  This is a Muslim female name particularly popular in Somalia and North Africa.

Darva

• Origin:

  Slavic

• Meaning:

  "honeybee"

• Description:

  The first bride on "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire." -- not the classiest of names.