Fairy Tales & Folkore Names

Melinda

English combination name

"beautiful honey"

In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into…

Eluned

Welsh

"idol, image"

Romantic and mysterious, Eluned's beauty and intelligence were legendary in Welsh legend; she was the handmaiden of the Lady of the Fountain in a Welsh Arthurian romance, who had a magic ring that…

Luned

Luned is a feminine Welsh name with ancient Celtic origins, appearing prominently in Arthurian legends as a handmaiden to Lady Owain. The name is associated with the Welsh word for 'image' or 'idol'…

Trina

Scandinavian, diminutive of Katrina

Nickname name that retains an Old Country feel.

Gertrude

German

"strength of a spear"

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T. , revive the long shunned Gertrude? It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked…

Rosette

Rosette is a delicate feminine name with French origins, functioning as a diminutive form of Rose. It literally means 'little rose,' referring to the small, rose-shaped decoration or ribbon…

Briar rose

Literary name

We give Briar Rose its own page thanks to the down-to-earth name of Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen named their newborn daughter Briar Rose, but we like…

Gretel

Diminutive of Margarete, German

"pearl"

Gretel originated as a nickname for Margarete, the German form of Margaret. It’s a charming name, but most American parents prefer Greta, as Gretel is strongly tied to the fairy tale heroine. The…

Rapunzel

German flower name

"rampion; lamb's lettuce"

Rapunzel is famous as the long-haired heroine of the fairy tale, locked in a tower only to fall in love with a handsome prince who climbed to her side via her hair. Rapunzel has never been widely…