User-created list
By AngelRose · Updated May 2023
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Swahili or Shona
"lion; strength"
Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".
Russian
"star"
Popular Russian name, familiar here via author Svetlana Stalin, the dictator's daughter.
French, English
"to stay a while"
African-American and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth was born as Isabelle into enslavement. She adopted her new name when she began traveling and preaching abolition in 1843. Sojourner is a…
Schmuel is the Yiddish variant of the Hebrew name Samuel (שְׁמוּאֵל/Shmuel). It carries the same meaning as its Hebrew counterpart: 'name of God' or 'God has heard.' This name has deep significance…
French, Saint Léger
Fervent fans of The Catcher in the Rye might want to consider this as a literary tribute. More mainstream alternative: Holden.
Persian
"noble lineage"
Scheherazade -- or Sheherazade --is a legendary Persian queen immortalized as the narrator of all one thousand stories in the One Thousand and One Nights . Her story is even more remarkable than the…
African place-name
Unlikely to take over Kenya's spot as the dominant African place-name.
Music name
Peaceful and melodic, but a bit pretentious.
Greek
"safe power, healthy and strong, whole and powerful"
Associated with the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates (often spelled Sokratis) is quite common in traditional Greek families, but for others, we think Plato (the name of his pupil) might be easier…
