Sylphide

The anime-inspired Sylphiette made the charts in a recent year, so how about this intriguing, ballet-inspired alternative?

Derived from the French word for sylphs or air spirits, it appears in the name of one of the oldest surviving ballets, La Sylphide, choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832. It was written with his daughter Marie in mind, who, rather scandalously for the time, used to shorten her skirts to show off her impressive pointe work. It was later re-adapted by August Bournonville in 1836 and it is this version that is better known today.

While Sylphide might seem like one that hasn't had any real-life usage, it is in fact borne by actress and singer Zizi Strallen, whose full name is Sylphide Charity Vaigncourt-Strallen. It is also occasionally used in French speaking countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti. It is pronounced as SEEL-FEED(-uh), the end sound being very light.