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Curse the Children
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Nannette
Nannette is a feminine name that originated as a diminutive form of Anne, ultimately derived from the Hebrew Hannah, meaning 'grace.' This charming variation emerged in medieval France, where adding…
Narcissa
Greek
"daffodil"
This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa…
Natasha
Russian diminutive of Natalya
"birthday of the Lord"
Natasha, an appealing, still unusual name, entered the American mainstream post-Cold War but seems to have peaked in the eighties, replaced by the more straightforward Natalie. As is common for…
Osiris
Egyptian
"with strong eyesight"
Osiris is the name of Egyptian mythology god-king who died and was reborn every year. Emerging from centuries of obscurity, Osiris has several ingredients for success in the modern world: Roots in…
Oswin
Pandora
Greek
"all gifted"
Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…
Pauline
French, feminine variation of Paul
"small"
Pauline had its moment of glory a century ago, when movie audiences were thrilling to the silent serial The Perils of Pauline , released in 1914. A Top 50 name in the US between 1908 and 1930, it…
Pitter
Raven
Word name
Make that bird name, and while it does work for both genders, it's far more popular for girls, via Raven Symone.
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,…
Sandra
Diminutive of Alessandra, Italian from Greek
"defending men"
2012's Hurricane Sandy blew away whatever style currency Sandra retained from its 1960s Sandra Dee heyday. While in recent years it's been associated with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor,…
Sanjaya
Sanskrit
"triumphant"
This variation of the popular Indian name Sanjay was borne by a popular-against-all-odds American Idol contestant.
Sappho
Ancient Greek
"sapphire"
Name of the 7th century BC Greek lyric poet born on the island of Lesbos, whose name has been synonymous with lesbian love. Though this name is rarely used today, it certainly could be and, some…
Sondra
Variation of Sandra
Considered distinctive back when Sandra was stylish.
Susan
English diminutive of Susannah, Hebrew
"lily"
Although Susan had her heyday from the thirties to the sixties, and is now common among moms and new grandmas, and though most modern parents would prefer Susanna/Susannah, we have spotted some…
Seo-yun
Sock
Spetember
Terrance
Variation of Terence.
Thana
Arabic, Greek
"praise; death"
A multicultural choice with two rather different meanings, Thana is an Arabic name with the spiritual meaning of "praise". It may also appear as Thanaa, Sana, and Sena, the latter spellings…