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Ballet Names (Girls)
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Mathilde
French; Norwegian; Danish; Dutch; German, variation of Matilda
"battle-mighty"
Mathilde is even more popular in France than Matilda, a hipster favorite thanks to Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger, is here. And the French pronunciation, while confusing to English speakers,…
Tatiana
Russian, from Latin family name Tatius, meaning unknown
Classic yet spritely, Tatiana has long been familiar and popular in Russia and Eastern Europe, though it wasn't until the 80s that it caught on in the English-speaking world. With short forms Tiana,…
Irina
Russian from Greek
"peace"
Irina is a Russian ballet-inflected classic, one of the Three Sisters in the Chekhov play. While some Americans will pronounce this like Irene with three syllables, the pronunciation used throughout…
Ludmila
Slavic
"beloved of the people"
This Slavic classic name might begin to make its mark with American parents, what with the growing popularity of the short form Mila. Borne by a tenth century saint who had been a princess from…
Merrill
English
"sea-bright; pleasant hill"
Merrill, once fairly common for American boys back in the first half of the 20th-century, is now a rare choice, given to just 7 girls and 6 boys in a recent year. Alternative spelling Meryl is also…
Zhanna
Russian variation of Jane
Makes Jane anything but plain.
Renee
French from Latin
"reborn"
Chic in the fifties, now kept in the public eye mainly by actress Zellweger. Variations include Rene, Renae, and Renny.
Tamara
Hebrew
"date palm tree"
Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.
Eleonora
Italian, German, Dutch, and Polish variation of Eleanor
Makes a serious name frilly and feminine, which, depending on your viewpoint, might be a good or a bad thing. In this case, we vote good.
Ekaterina
Russian; Macedonian; Bulgarian, variation of Catherine
"pure"
This international variation was publicized by Olympic skater Ekaterina Gordeeva.
Rowena
Welsh
"white spear; famous friend; fame and joy"
A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw,…
Svetlana
Russian
"star"
Popular Russian name, familiar here via author Svetlana Stalin, the dictator's daughter.
Antoinette
French feminine diminutive form of Antoine
"priceless one"
This feminization of Anthony, like other early French forms, such as Babette and Nanette, is not heard as often as it once was, but it could be time for a reappraisal of this delicate Gallic choice.…
Kent
English surname and place-name
"edge"
Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt.
Asta
Norwegian
"divine strength"
This Scandinavian name was made famous in English-speaking countries as the name of the dog in the "Thin Man" series. Danish actress Asta Nielsen was another famous bearer. Asta can be considered as…
Rica
Scandinavian, diminutive of Federica or Erica
Pretty but slight.