Cool Unique Saint Names

A rarer form of Éléazar, the French form of the Biblical name Eleazar. Cutting off one syllable may make Elzéar seem a bit more down-to-earth than its more common variants. Some bearers of this name are the general Elzéar Auguste Cousin de Dommartin, the composer Elzéar Genet, and Saint Elzéar of Sabran.

St. Neot was a Saxon saint in the Middle Ages, whose name is used for a town in Cornwall, England. Some sources say the little-known name is Hebrew and means "pleasant pasture," but there is really no evidence for that.

A rare saint name, more commonly transcribed in its French form, Maxellende, Maxellendis is associated with a 7th-century French martyr, who is invoked to cure eye diseases and is considered the patron saint of the visually impaired.

A sleek, more elaborate alternative to Maxine, Maxeline is a rare name of French origin, derived from the saintly name Maxellende. St. Maxellende is the patron saint of the visually impaired and invoked to cure eye diseases.

The strong and unusual name of a medieval (male) saint and a contemporary (female) novelist, Benilde Little.

Ormond is an Irish patronymic surname that comes from the name Ruadh, meaning red. It is particularly associated with the Butler family who became Earls of Ormond in Ireland. The name carries an aristocratic, distinguished quality with historical gravitas.

Most people have heard of the glamorous French town of San Tropez, but few know the legend of the saint it's named for. Tropez is the French form of Torpes, the Pisa-born martyr whose headless body was set afloat with a rooster and a dog.

As Joaquin enters the American mainstream, his sister might just follow.

Tekakwitha was a 17th-century Mohawk woman, who survived the smallpox epidemic that killed her family. She is known for rejecting pressures from those around her to give up her Catholic beliefs and to marry someone who they approved of instead. She later fled her village and converted to Catholicism.

Hilaria, the ancient Roman form of Hilary also given to joyous festivals, is still used in Spain and Poland, while the intriguing Italian version is Ilaria. A notable current bearer is fitness expert and wife of Alec, Hilaria Baldwin, who was born Hillary.

Justa is an ancient saints' name. Saints Justa and Rufina were martyred sisters who are today the patron saints of Seville in Spain.

Saint Alkelda was a semi-legendary Anglo-Saxon princess, who was also either a nun or abbess of a monastery in the north of England. She was killed by Viking women during Danish raids in the 8th century.