Aug 2017 Favourites

Nora

Diminutive of Honora or Eleonora, Latin

"honor or meaning unknown"

Nora is a lovely, refined name that conjures up images of Belle Epoch ladies in fur-trimmed coats skating in Central Park. Long seen as a quintessentially Irish name though its roots are not in…

Sophie

French variation of Sophia, Greek

"wisdom"

Sophie is the French form of the Greek Sophia, for which it is also commonly used as a nickname. Given Sophia's long standing among the Top 10 girl names in the US, Sophie may feel more popular than…

Celia

Latin

"heavenly"

Celia, splendidly sleek and feminine, is a name that was scattered throughout Shakespeare and other Elizabethan literature, but still manages to feel totally modern. Derived from the Latin Caelius,…

Saoirse

Irish

"liberty"

Before the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan made her mark in the films Ladybird and The Lovely Bones , few of us had heard this name, let alone known how to pronounce it. But now it is slowly way…

Beatrix

Latin

"she who brings happiness; blessed"

Beatrix has a solid history of its own apart from Beatrice, with that final x adding a playful, animated note to the name's imposing history and stately vibe. In the earliest sources it is recorded…

Romilly

English

"citizen of Rome"

Originally a surname deriving from the Roman twin Romulus, this attractive name was introduced to the English-speaking world as a first name by painter Augustus John who used it for his son. Romilly…

Bryony

Greek

"to sprout, to swell"

Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan…

Embla

Norse

"elm"

In Norse mythology, Embla is the equivalent of the Bible's Eve, who, along with her husband Ask, were the first humans to be created by the gods, in this case from trees. With its lovely nature…

Ottoline

French and English, diminutive of Ottolie

"prospers in battle"

Curiously appealing, in a hoop-skirted, wasp-waisted way, Ottoline has recently entered the realm of modern possibility, especially since Sienna Miller chose it as the middle name of her daughter…

Dacia

Latin place-name

Dacia is an ancient place-name -- it was in Eastern Europe -- as lacy as Dacey, but more substantial.

Pomeline

French, related to "apple"

"apple"

A rarely heard--even in France--name, most prominent as the third name of Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly.