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By enthusiast · Updated May 2023
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French literary nickname
"little thing"
Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables . In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some…
French
"of Thracia"
In the Top 25 in the unisex seventies, these days Tracy would more likely be Gracie.
Hebrew
"rejuvenation, delight"
Edna is one of those names that, until what it seemed like a few minutes ago, felt so terminally frumpy that no one could imagine a parent choosing it for an innocent modern baby girl. But with the…
Latin, from a Roman family name related to Mars, the god of war
Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius…
French variation of Joanna, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
A Top 100 name from the 1930s all the way through the 1950s, it's now firmly in Mom -- or Grandma -- land and supplanted for babies by Joanna.....or even great-grandmother Josephine. In its heyday,…
Surname derived from Nicholas or Colin, Greek or Irish and Scottish
"people of victory or pup"
Though Collins makes the Top 300 for girls, it sounds strong and handsome for boys too, kind of like the newly-stylish Brooks. The final s updates it from the 80s-ish Colin or the Twilightish Cullen.…
Variation of Mabel; combination of May and Belle; "loveable"
"loveable"
This spelling variation of Mabel clears up the pronunciation — "may-belle", as opposed to "may-bull". Maybelle is packed with Southern charm, and like sister name Mabel is on the rise, but still on a…
Diminutive of Marcia
"Mars, god of war"
Marcy is about as hip as bobby sox and saddle shoes – which is to say, it's probably due a revival in the not-too-distant future! It was a typical Peanuts character name, which peaked in the…
English, German
"wild boar"
Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last…
Pet name for Charles
Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.
Irish variation of Mary, Hebrew or Egyptian
"drop of the sea; bitter; beloved; love"
Almost as popular in the 1950s among the Irish in Boston as it was with those back in Bray, Maureen was once among the most prominent Irish names for girls in the US but has fallen from favor along…
German
"will helmet"
Velma likely originated as a phonetic spelling of the German name Wilma, itself derived from Wilhelmina. Velma Dinkley is a smart, if nerdy, character in Scooby Doo .
Les is a masculine name that functions both as a standalone name and a familiar shortening of longer names like Lester, Leslie, or Leszek. Compact and straightforward, it carries a no-nonsense…
Diminutive of Mary, Miriam, and others
Sweet, nicknamey name belonging to the tragic heroines of both La Bohème and Rent . Mimi might feel too slight for many parents to use on the birth certificate, but as a short form, it's one of the…
German; English, from Greek
"people of victory"
Nicola, an elegant Latinate feminization of Nicholas, has long been standard issue for English girls but for some reason has never voyaged across the Atlantic, which we consider a pity, especially as…
German form of Maurice
"dark-skinned"
The unusual-to-the-English-ear Moritz is a Top 25 name in Austria and a form of Maurice or Morris, which are modern variations of the ancient Roman Maurus. There were several early saints named…
Hebrew variation of Isaac
Has taken on a musical tone via the great violinist, Itzhak Perlman.
Short form of Cornelius, Latin
"horn"
Cornelius is one of the Ancient Roman names that is not quite making a comeback, despite having been a Top 200 name in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Blame Corny, a nickname that…
French literary name
Eponine is attracting new notice via the movie of Les Miserables, based on the book by Victor Hugo. Eponine is the spoiled daughter of Cosette's foster parents whose name, according to the story, was…
