International Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 29 pages
of 29
Arabic, variation of Alexander
Skandar is a shortened form of Iskandar, an Arabic form of Alexander. It is most familiar as the name of Skandar Keynes, the actor who played Edmund Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia. Skandar is a…
Croatian, Serbian
"a Slav, glory"
A handsome South Slavic name with a strong meaning, originating from slověninŭ , meaning Slav, or slava , meaning glory. A notable bearer of this name is Croatian football manager Slaven Bilić.
Czech
"glorious, glory"
A stately Czech name with an inspiring meaning, diriving from the word slavná , meaning glorious. Namesakes include the politician Slavěna Vorobelová and historian Slavěna Rohlíková.
Hebrew, French
"guide"
Solal is a trendy choice in France, where it's primarily a literary name. It featured in an eponymous novel by Albert Cohen published in 1930, as well as two sequels. Another famous French bearer is…
Celtic
"white-shouldered one"
More unusual than Fiona and more user-friendly than Fionnuala, the engaging Scottish Fenella, has been scarcely heard in this country. Fenella first became known outside of Ireland when Sir Walter…
Latin, feminine variation of Faust
"fortunate one"
Faustine has a positive meaning, although the association with the character who sold his soul to the devil may be off-putting. This name is among the Top 100 girls' names in France, but was given to…
Latvian, Lithuanian, from Old Norse
"way of the sun; house of strength"
Mystical and romantic with a charmingly Old Norse feel, Solveiga is the variant of Solveig that is found in Latvia and Lithuania.
French form of Eulalia, Greek
"sweetly speaking"
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. "Eulalie" is a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, and the name…
Gaelic
"water"
The name Esca appears in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth , which is set in 2nd century Roman Britain. Esca is the name of a freed slave who accompanies his…
Welsh
"sun born"
Said to be the name of the most learned man in ancient Wales, in this country it would be open to mispronunciation, making it rhyme with Julien.
Japanese, Hungarian
"prosperity, charity; young hind"
Eniko Hart makes this Japanese name familiar in the US. In Hungary, it's a literary name invented by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century. He based it on the name of the legendary mother of…
Norse
"elm"
In Norse mythology, Embla is the equivalent of the Bible's Eve, who, along with her husband Ask, were the first humans to be created by the gods, in this case from trees. With its lovely nature…
Dutch, Norwegian
"wild"
An intriguingly wild alternative to Sven.
Icelandic; Old Norse
The original Old Norse of Sverre has a more elaborate and archaic sound, and is still used in Iceland today. A famous bearer is Swedish-Icelandic actor Sverrir Guðnason.
Bulgarian
"bright, light"
A radiant Slavic name with an easily accessible sound. While it is reminiscent of the more familiar Svetlana, Svetla actually originates from the Bulgarian word svetal , meaning bright .
Italian
"unknown"
This intriguing name is a rapid riser in the Italian name rankings, having entered the top 100 in 2011 and climbed to #61 in 2015. Its meaning and derivation are unknown, but it may be related to the…
French
"nature and literary name"
A unisex French name that ranks in the Top 200 for boys and the Top 500 for girls there, inspired by a character with the surname Swann in Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time . As a given name, it…
French, from Hebrew
"God helps"
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…
Norwegian
"sun gift"
The Norwegian form of Sunniva used to be very popular in its native country, making the Top 100 every year from 1945 to 1966. It shares Sunniva's beautiful, sunny meaning and has a lovely sound,…
Norwegian, from Old Norse
"guardian of victory"
A rarer Norwegian form of the classic Norse name Sigurd, inspired by Sievert, a Low German variant. It has a distinctly fresh sound and look when compared to Sigurd, and the cool nickname Syv to…
