stately and ridiculous names for animals.

Corvina

Latin

"like a raven"

Corvina sounds quite similar to a car model, although it has a gorgeous meaning and could be an interesting dramatic full name for the nickname Cora.

Cosette

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…

Cricket

Nature name

Nickname name from the era of Father Knows Best , though we can see it making something of a comeback, a la Clover and Pippa. Cricket has new potential especially since it has recently been chosen by…

Dagmar

Norse

"Day maiden"

This royal Danish name has long been used across Scandinavia, Germany and Slavic countries and somewhat in the US around the turn of the last century --it was #622 in 1888. There were two notable…

Demelza

Cornish

"eel house or Maeldaf's fort"

A punchy modern Cornish name derived from a place name, which is of disputed origin. It is sometimes said to derive from a rare Welsh name, Maeldaf, plus dinas , the Cornish for "fort". Another…

Desdemona

Greek

"ill-starred"

Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time,…

Dinah

Hebrew

"God will judge"

Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume. In the Old Testament, Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah and while some conflate her with…

Fiorenza

Italian variation of Florentia and Florence, Latin

"flourishing, prospering"

Bold and elegant, Fiorenza is an Italian form of Florence, which was used as the name of the Tuscan city in the Middle Ages. Appearing in the title of a 1907 play but Thomas Mann, it has been notably…