Basque Girl Names By ViVi

Ainhoa

Basque place name

The name of the French town where a vision of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared, this name is in the Spanish Top 100 and was, until recently, virtually unheard of elsewhere. Now however it is…

Alasne

Basque

"Miracle"

Alazne is a traditional name in Euskera, the language of the Basque people.

Arantxa

Basque

"thornbush"

Basque names, indeed the entire Basque language, are unrelated to any other. Arantxa is a diminutive of Arantzazu. This obscure choice was made known by tennis player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

Erdutza

Basque

"snow"

This Basque name is used in a similar way to the Spanish name "Nieves" - that is as a reference to the Virgin Mary. This would make a striking choice for a winter-born baby.

Guevara

Basque place- and surname

Revolutionary choice.

Irati

Basque

"fern field"

For the parent who genuinely wants something different, this nature choice is popular in Spain. Downside: connection to words irate and irritation.

Leire

Basque place name

Also spelled Leyre and taken from the name of a monastery fortress, the popular and lilting choice in Spain will pose pronunciation problems elsewhere. Among the Top 100 girls' names in Spain, Leire…

Lourdes

Spanish, Portuguese, from French, meaning unknown

This name of the French town where a young peasant girl had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1858 vaulted into the spotlight when Madonna chose it for her daughter, but few other families except for…

Naiara

Basque place name

Basque name for a Spanish city where the Virgin Mary appeared in medieval times, now a popular girls' name throughout Spain.

Nere

Basque

"mine"

As Nerea, in the Spanish Top 100, but this streamlined version is one of those golden choices that's both supremely simple and intriguingly rare.

Nerea

Basque

"mine"

A variation of the name Nere, both choices are distinctive and accessible. In the Top 20 in Spain.