User-created list
The Canterbury Tales
Across 3 pages
of 3
Arveragus
Bailey
English occupational name
"law enforcer, bailiff"
Extremely amiable, open-sounding surname that's gradually being taken over by the girls.
Canace
Greek
"barking"
The name of a princess from Greek myth.
Canon
English
"clergyman, law, oeuvre"
A variant of the surname Cannon, or an English word name with several possible meanings. A canon is a clergyman, as well as a rule or law – especially within religious doctrine. In the arts, canon is…
Claudius
Latin
"lame; enclosure"
Claudius is one of the most user-friendly of the ancient Roman names – even though it's associated with the villainous character in Shakespeare's Hamlet . But as with feminine form Claudia, the…
Constance
English version of Latin Constantia
"steadfastness"
Constance is one of the more subtle of the virtue baby names , but still has quite a prim and proper image. One impediment to its revival has been the decidedly dated nickname Connie, though modern…
Chaunticleer
Donegild
Dorigen
Eglantine
French and English botanical name
"sweetbriar"
This name for the sweetbriar shrub is a bit too reminiscent of eggplant, but it does have literary creds, having appeared in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales . The French form Églantine appeared in the…
Emilie
Spelling variation of Emily; German and Scandinavian feminine form of Aemilius
Unlike most creative spellings, this one isn't overly trendy or overdone—in fact, it's quite delicate and pretty. However, it is clearly suffering from the plethora of similar names that are flowing…
Griselda
Hubert
German
"bright, shining intellect"
A name that sounds so old-fashioned some parents out there might conceivably find it quirky enough for a comeback, along with other one-time fuddie-duddies like Oscar and Homer. Along with other…
Hippolyta
January
English month name, Latin
"doorway"
Cooler than the older month names like April and May, and a highly unusual and eye-catching choice. The most famous real-life January is female – January Jones – but the month is named for the Roman…
Jankyn
May
Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month name
May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the…
Melibee
Oswold
Oswold is a masculine name of Old English origin, a variant of Oswald, derived from the elements "os" meaning "god" and "weald" meaning "power" or "ruler," thus translating to "divine power" or…
Parson
English occupational name
"clergyman"
The name Parson might have seemed ridiculous even a few years ago, but when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe named their son Deacon, they opened up a whole new field of ecclesiastical cool.…