Great Meanings
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- Althea
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"with healing power"Description:
Althea is a poetic, almost ethereal name found in Greek myth and pastoral poetry, associated in modern times with the great tennis player Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win at Wimbledon.
- Amaryllis
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"to sparkle"Description:
If you love both unique baby names and flower names for girls, Amaryllis might be a perfect choice for you.
- Amena
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"honest, utterly pure"Description:
A possible Born Again name -- Amen -- in the same class as the still-popular Nevaeh (that's Heaven spelled backwards) and Trinity.
- Arabella
Origin:
Latin, ScottishMeaning:
"yielding to prayer; lovable"Description:
Arabella, lovely and elegant, has long been well used in Britain and finally made it onto the American list in 2005. A Top 50 choice in the UK, in the US in remains in the Top 300, given to around 1300 babies each year.
- Ariadne
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"most holy"Description:
This name of the Cretan goddess of fertility is most popular now as the more melodic Ariana, but Ariadne has possibilities of its own. It first entered the US Top 1000 in 2014. The renewed interest in the name falls in line with the revival of other mythological names like Apollo and Athena. The trendy nickname Ari doesn't hurt either.
- Asherah
Origin:
SumerianMeaning:
"she who treads on the sea"Description:
Asherah is probably one of the most ancient of mother goddess symbols, recorded in the pantheons of several civilisations from the tenth century BCE. As the mother to innumerable gods and goddesses, she is often depicted as having the capacity to walk on water, which makes Asherah an excellent choice for a baby born under one of the water signs of the zodiac, including names for Scorpio babies, as well as those born under Pisces and Cancer.
- Balthasar
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"God protects the king"Description:
Balthasar was one of the biblical Three Kings who visited the infant Jesus, also used by Shakespeare and in the oil-rich Getty family; offbeat and intriguing. Balthazar is another, equally appropriate spelling.
- Beatrice
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"she who brings happiness; blessed"Description:
Beatrice is back. Stored in the attic for almost a century, the lovely Beatrice with its long literary (Shakespeare, Dante) and royal history is being looked at with fresh eyes by parents seeking a classic name with character and lots of upbeat nicknames, like Bea and Bee.
- Beeja
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"the beginning, or, happy"Description:
Rhythmic and enchanting.
- Berenice
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"she who brings victory"Description:
A name with a surprising amount of history--it was the name of the wife of Ptolemy I of Egypt, occurs in the New Testament, and belonged to a fourth century saint. In the US, it has long been spelled and pronounced Bernice. Nicknames include Bernie, Berry, Binnie and Bunny.
- Bria
Origin:
Diminutive of Briana or GabriellaMeaning:
"hill, high; God is my strong man"Description:
Sweet and sparky but maybe a little bit stuck in the 90s, Bria is a nickname-y style choice with various origins.
- Cassandra
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"shining or excelling man"Description:
The name of the tragic mythological Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was condemned never to be believed, Cassandra has been used for striking characters in movies and soap operas. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity.
- Chela
Origin:
Spanish, diminutive of ConsueloMeaning:
"she who brings consolation"Description:
The beautiful Consuelo, with its compassionate meaning, is deserving of being used in full.
- Clark
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"scribe, secretary, cleric, scholar, clerk"Description:
Clark seemed to have been Gone with the Wind, but parents looking for a short, strong boy's name are now beginning to appreciate its cool combination of Gable charm with Superman power.
- Constantina
Origin:
Latin, female variation of ConstantinusMeaning:
"constant, unchanging"Description:
Constantina is a pretty, feminissima, if lengthy, variation on the Constance theme. The fourth century Constantina, also known as Constantia and Constantiana, was the eldest daughter of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximian. Constantina received the title of Augusta by her father, and is venerated as a saint; in English she is also known as Saint Constance.
- Consuelo
Origin:
Spanish from LatinMeaning:
"she who brings consolation"Description:
Consuelo is a chic, highly sophisticated Spanish name that works well with Anglo surnames. It was regularly on the U.S. popularity list through 1983, reaching as high as Number 339 in 1930.
- Daria
Origin:
Feminine variation of Darius, Persian or Latin from GreekMeaning:
"kingly or possess well"Description:
An early Christian martyr, a bespectacled MTV cartoon heroine, and Canadian supermodel Daria Werbowy: Daria is a name that manages to feel contemporary and usable without being exactly stylish. Which may be a positive, in terms of Daria not being in danger of overpopularity.
- Dariela
Origin:
Feminine variation of Darrell, FrenchMeaning:
"dear one, beloved"Description:
Dariela may have a not-quite-authentic provenance, but it's a pretty name and an unusual choice in the girly Isabella-Gabriella group.
- Ella
Origin:
German; EnglishMeaning:
"all, completely; fairy maiden"Description:
Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie.
- Eloisa
Origin:
Italian and Spanish variation of EloiseMeaning:
"healthy; wide"Description:
Eloisa captures a lovely name back from the spoiled little girl at the Plaza. Historical romance writer Eloisa James has helped make this antique name sound fresh and sassy again.