International Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 30 pages
of 30
Spanish diminutive of Maria
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Variant of Mariella
Latin
"from the woods"
This original form of the name -- the more familiar Sylvia spelling came later -- seems more modern now.
Spanish from Arabic
"hidden river, valley of the wolves"
Popular Spanish name that relates to the patron saint of Mexico. It could conceivably, like Soledad and Consuelo, cross the border into multicultural territory, but the name's decline since the…
Spelling variation of Kenya
Kenia debuted on the US Top 1000 list in 1992. Even though it currently ranks higher than original spelling Kenya, this is a hard sell as it alters the spelling of the African nation. The significant…
Italian and Spanish variation of Paula
"small"
Paola is the Latinate version of Paula. Its intriguing sound could make it more appealing than the English standard.
Latin, Germanic, Spanish , Italian., "white, light; elf; dawn"
"white, light; elf; dawn"
Bright, lively, and multicultural, Alba has the vintage mellowness of Alma but spirited feel of Ebba, Phoebe, and Pippa too. Derived from multiple different sources, a recent year saw it appear as a…
Hebrew, Spanish
"lion of God; altar of the sky"
In Hebrew, Areli is a masculine name borne by a minor character in the Bible, and combining the appealing sounds of Ari and Eli and giving it the meaning "lion of God". In this case, it would be…
Spanish variation of Octavius
"eighth"
The most popular of the number names used by Hispanic parents, open to all. Octavia and Octavio are two Spanish baby names that are moving out into the wider world.
Italian, Spanish, and Israeli variation of Michaela
"who is like God"
The original versions of Micaela have morphed into all manner of "inventive" spellings -- Makayla, McKalla et al -- but we prefer the genuine international versions, like this one.
Spanish, Hindi
"pearl; truth, order"
One of the glamour girl names of the Rita Hayworth 1940s, Rita was once a Top 50 name and stayed on the SSA list until 2002. The name Rita still has enough Latin zip to be a lively, revivable short…
Spanish variation of Lorraine
"from the province of Lorraine"
A feminine name heard most often in the Hispanic community. Surprisingly, Lorena was on the US Top 1000 list of girls' names for an impressive 130 years, from 1880 until falling off in 2011. We do…
English and Spanish diminutive of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
A condensed version of Elizabeth made more familiar by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 's Lisbeth Salander.
Russian and Scandinavian variation of Sophia
"wisdom"
Early European import, well known in the 1940s via Norwegian skating movie star Sonja Henie, that has sailed back across the Atlantic, despite the rising popularity of other Russian names.
Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese variation of Lucius
"light"
About 100 baby boys were named Lucio in the US last year, a number we expect to increase with the growing popularity of all names in the Lu family. It's a family united by sound, with three main…
"noble, patrician"
Patricia still sounds patrician, though its scores of nicknames definitely don't. Wildly popular from the forties (alternately Number 3 and 4 throughout the decade) to the sixties, Patricia has been…
Spanish; Portuguese; Romanian; Welsh, from Hebrew
"to tie, bind"
A variant spelling of Rebecca.
Spanish diminutive of Ana; Sanskrit
"grace; unguided"
Once a Top 100 name, this Spanish diminutive of Ana still retains some of her Latin flair. A notable namesake is noted attorney Anita Hill, another is the great jazz singer Anita O'Day. Plus there's…
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
"strong as a bear"
This Latinate form of Bernard hovered in the lower regions of the US Top 1000 from the late 1940s until 2006, possibly inspired by the character in West Side Story . It remains popular in Portugal…
Spanish place name
"beautiful sea"
The name of the resort city on Spain's Costa del Sol is pronounced mar-BAY-a, setting it apart from the bella-name competition -- though many English speakers won't realize that. And it probably…
"warlike"
A feminine form of Martin, this strong and zestful sounding name is popular in Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Italy, where it ranks in the Top 30. Also familiar in Czechia, the UK, Slovakia, and…
