European Names for Girls and Boys

If Sage seems too mainstream nowadays, here's Zsálya: this modern word name comes directly from the Hungarian zsálya, meaning sage, and it's a rare choice even in its native country. It has an attractive sound, but the pronunciation would likely be a challenge for most non-Hungarian natives.

Zsálya

The Hungarian version of Jacqueline, inspired by the French pronunciation of the name.

Zsaklin

Mieszko

A cute and buzzy short form of Zsuzsanna, the Hungarian version of Susanna, which can be used as a nickname or independently.

Zsuzska

Milou and her near-identical twin Malou are adorable names popular throughout Europe; they're contractions of Marie or Mary and Lou or Louise. The Malou spelling will probably be easier for English speakers to pronounce; Milou may be conflated with Milo.

 Fun fact: Milou is the French name of the dog Snowy in Tintin.

Milou

A rare Greek name with a distinctly sharp sound, originating from the word metaxi, meaning silk.

Metaxia

The Finnish word for "mint" is a popular name in Finland, comparable to the Danish Mynte.

Minttu

While the name has a harsher sound, its meaning is especially soft and sweet. This South Slavic name is used predominantly in Serbia and Montenegro, with many football-related namesakes. Abroad, it could be shortened to the cool nickname Mio.

Miodrag

Although it is sometimes cited as the Gaelic equivalent of English Margery or Marjorie ("pearl"), Marsaili in fact derives from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars, via the related name Marcella.
 

It has been used in Scotland since at least the early 15th century, and is encountered in a number of variant spellings, including Marsali, Mharsaili and Marsailidh. The Marsali spelling was used by American author Diana Gabaldon for a minor character in her "Outlander" series of historical novels, set in 18th century Scotland.
 
Four girls were called Marsaili in Scotland in a recent year.

Marsaili

A lively form of Margaret used in Slovenia.

Marjeta

In the Ossianic poems written by James Macpherson in the 1760s, Morven is the name of the Fingal's kingdom, Fingal being the hero, likely inspired by Fionn mac Cumhaill of early Gaelic legend. It derives from A' Mhorbhairne meaning "the big gap". 
 
A Top 100 choice in Scotland in 1999 and 2000, parents were perhaps inspired by Morvern Callar, an experimental novel written in Scots by Alan Warner. Rare elsewhere, a more recent year placed it in the Scottish Top 400, ranking alongside Maisy, Anya, and Georgina.
 
Morven is also a Scottish place name, which could lend it the appeal of Skye, Alba, Clyde, and Struan. 
Notably borne by Scottish actress Morven Christie, it's a name with a darkly intriguing quality to it.

Morven

The modern Greek form of Nausicaa — the name of a character in Homer's Odyssey — avoids any unfortunate associations with nausea and offers a sleek, stylish sound. 

Nafsika

Interesting and energetic international form of Ferdinand.

Nandor

Majken, which is related to Maiken and Maike, is a popular name in Sweden whose variations are used throughout Scandinavia as cooler forms of Mary.  Majken is virtually unknown in the U.S. and probably not bound for emigration.

Majken

Originally a short form of Magdalena — the Slovene variant of Magdalene — but commonly used on its own in Slovenia. Majda has a cute, bouncy sound and could either be a unique alternative to Maya, or a fun nickname for a Magdalena.

Majda

Mafalda is nearly unknown in the English-speaking world, despite an appearance in Harry Potter. Indeed, it does have a witchy feel.  Matilda itself is preferable, or her French form Mathilde, Spanish Matilde, or abbreviation Maud.

Mafalda

Madelief is an <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-name-lists/category/unusual-names">uncommon name</a> but not unheard of in the Netherlands, where 123 girls were called Madelief in one recent year. With its soft sounds and similarities to all those "Madeleine" type names as well as names ending in "eef/eev" sounds (Aoife, Eve, Genevieve), Madelief has potential in English-speaking countries to be a fresh and pleasant change from Daisy, Margaret and Madeleine.

Madelief

Mabli is the sweet Welsh variant of Mabel, first used at the beginning of the 20th-century making it a relatively modern choice. Cute but energetic with the appeal of other Welsh names like Cadi and Lowri, it has been in the England and Wales Top 1000 since 2019.
 
The name recently appeared in the Welsh Top 50 as part of the general trend for vintage baby names, joined as it was by the likes of Ada, Margot, Nora, and Nansi.

Mabli

A popular pick in its native Armenia where it's been in and out of the Top 50 in recent years, this pretty moon name would make for a sophisticated alternative to mega-popular Luna. Also written as Lucine, Lusineh, and Lucineh, it is said with three syllables (loo-see-neh) and could be seen as an unexpected route to Lucy, Lula, Lulu, and Lua. 

Lusine

This Olde World name with a large measure of European style makes an offbeat possibility for the bold baby namer in search of interesting <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/505/italian-names-for-girls">Italian names for girls</a>. Currently very popular in its native Italy, Ludovica is an unusual path to all the great Lu nicknames, like Lulu and Lula.

Ludovica

 names drawn from European languages and countries

, are among the most fashionable in the English-speaking world. Names with their origins in France and Spain, Germany and Italy, Greece and Scandinavia can all be considered European.

Even Latin names, with origins in ancient Rome, can be considered European names.

The full collection of European baby names, then, is massive – so many thousands of names that it would be meaningless to list each and every one of them.

Instead, what we define as European names here are 

baby names that are popular throughout Europe

 but are still uncommon among English speakers. European names are growing in popularity in the US and elsewhere as the world becomes more diverse and parents look to original sources for baby names.

 on this list include names from throughout European countries and cultures, from Spain to Sweden, Poland to Portugal.

[European Girl Names]( https://nameberry.com/list/746/european-baby-names)

European names for boys and girls with origins in the countries and cultures of Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Scandinavia, with meanings, origins, and popularity. (Page 28)

525+ European Names for Girls and Boys