Christina24Blue's list "Names I Love in General" of 20 great name ideas: Callista - Josiah!

Names I Love in General

These are my favorite names that I love and that I want to name my own children someday. I mostly LOVE Gavin and Olivia. Aubrey is a soft spot for me because I loved that name since I was a child.

This will be a daily updated and a very long list that will keep on growing.

Calista Flockhart spotlighted this lovely Greek name that has a long future in the English-speaking world.  Kallista is another spelling; Calixta and Calixto are related.

Callista

Isabel, Theodore, and Isadora are back: could it now be time for a more widespread revival of Isidore? Yet to see any big moves up the charts, Isidore was given to more than 30 boys in a recent year: twice the number it was given to a decade ago.

 A common ancient Greek name belonging to several saints--including Saint Isidore the Ploughman, patron saint of Madrid and the great encyclopedist St. Isidore of Seville, whose work formed the basis of much medieval knowledge, it also appears in 19th century novel Villette by Charlotte Brontë, applied to a character to conceal his true, homely identity.
 
Historically common among Jewish communities, though Isaac, Isaiah, and Israel are now preferred, Isidore may make a rare yet approachable choice. Friendly nickname Izzy could be cool, while Dory and Sid are other options.

Isidore

Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume. In the Old Testament, Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah and while some conflate her with the Biblical Adinah, they are in fact different figures.
 Meaning "God will judge", Dinah is the heroine of the best-selling Anita Diamant novel The Red Tent, and is also a central character in the George Eliot novel Adam Bede, where she acts as a moral center. In the classic film The Philadelphia Story, Dinah is the heroine's sassy kid sister while it also appears in Alice in Wonderland as the name of Alice's kitten. 
 One important thing to note is that "Aunt Dinah" has been used as a racial stereotype, from the character of the cook in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. It may also sound too reminiscent of the American diner in some accents. 
 The name Dinah was adopted by two great singers: Dinah Washington (born Ruth) and Dinah Shore (born Frances).

Dinah

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, founder of one of the Hogwarts houses, Rowena is a retro feeling choice with literary charm.
 
While the exact origin of the name is unknown, it is mentioned by the 12th-century chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth, who suggests it was the name of a Saxon chief. As such, it may combine the Old English elements hroð meaning "fame", with either wynn or wine meaning "joy" and "friend" respectively. An alternative possibility is that is blends the Welsh gwen ("white, fair, blessed") with ron ("spear"). 

While it might be perceived today as a spin-off of Rowan and Rowen, the pronunciation, however, is not like the popular nature name with an a at the end, but with a long e and an emphasis on the middle syllable. She was on the popularity list in the US until 1963 and spent several years in the Top 500 in the early 20th century, while in the UK, she ranked until the 2000s.
 
The Welsh variation Rhonwen is used in Welsh literature as a personification of the English people, while Rowina and Rowenna are spelling alternatives, the latter likely to give you the ro-WEHN-uh sound.

Rowena

Sharp and spiky with international potential, as a feminine name, Nikita has its roots in Hindi, Marathi, and ultimately Sanskrit. It comes from niketa, meaning "home, habitation", and may also be spelled as Nikitha. 
 
Alternatively, it is a traditionally masculine name from its Russian roots, deriving from the Greek name Niketas, meaning "victory". It took on a new image, however, when it was used on the female spy/assassin in the movie and TV series La Femme Nikita back in the 90s.
 
Appearing in the US charts a few times back in the 70s, it had its peak in 1986, when it climbed nearly 700 places up the list, from #956 to #250. An impressive leap, but why? The song Nikita by Elton John (released towards the end of 1985) may well be the cause — and yes, the singer knew full well it was a Russian masculine name. 
 
These days, Nikita is a gender neutral choice in the US, given to around 30 girls and 30 boys in a recent year. Elsewhere, the balance is different and it remains a popular masculine name in Russia and a familiar female choice in India.

Nikita

Keturah, the Old Testament name of Abraham's second wife, is a possibility for anyone seeking a truly unusual and interesting biblical name; certainly a lot more distinctive than that of Abraham's first wife, Sarah.
 
Keturah bore Abraham six sons, who were characterized by one historian as "men of courage and of sagacious minds." Through them, Keturah was the ancestor of sixteen tribes. In the eighteenth century it was believed by some that Keturah was the ancestor of African peoples.
 
This is a name not readily found in popular culture, though there was a character named Keturah on the TV sci-fi show Stargate Atlantis&mdash;but he just happened to be male.

Keturah

Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games, it has new force for boys.

Gale

Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice, and is now also a Hunger Games name . 
 Another Shakespearean Portia was the wife of Brutus in Julius Caesar, based on a historical character. In the 1940s, when the name was most used, there was a popular radio soap called Portia Faces Life, the heroine being – what else? – a brilliant and spirited lawyer.
 Portia is a recommended choice, even though some people might think you named your child for the car. Just don't spell it Porsche, which may sound the same but has a totally different and – despite the aspirational brand – less refined image.
 Namesake Portia de Rossi actually started life as Amanda/Mandy.

Portia

This name is the feminization of mythological name Lysander, which is best known to English-speakers as a character in Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Lysandra

Nicola, an elegant Latinate feminization of Nicholas, has long been standard issue for English girls but for some reason has never voyaged across the Atlantic, which we consider a pity, especially as Nicole's standing has waned.
 
 In Britain, Nicola first appeared around 1940, started rising in the fifties and by the mid-1970's had reached third place on the popularity list, after which it began to be replaced by Nicole.

 Nicola is a masculine name in Italy: one historic bearer Nicola Pisano was a renowned and influential thirteenth century sculptor. Classic Nicola still ranks well within the Top 100 boy names in Italy, although it is trending steadily downwards like its English equivalent.

 In his novel The Well Beloved, Thomas Hardy spelled it Nichola. Nicoletta or Nicolette, which was the name of an enchanting princess in the medieval French romance Aucassin et Nicolette, is a more feminissima version.

Nicola

Jessamine, a charming name occasionally heard in England, is just beginning to be appreciated in the U.S. as a possible successor to all the Jess names of the past. It's also spelled Jessamyn, as in Quaker novelist Jessamyn West, author of Friendly Persuasion--who started life with Jessamyn as her middle name.
 Jessamine began to be used as a first name in Britain around 1900, along with other flower-related names. Yasmin and Yasmine are other Jasmine variations.
 This would make a great choice as a namesake honoring a Jessica.

Jessamine

All too likely to be confused with the ultratrendy Nevaeh. 

Neviah

Name long associated with eloquent Black Panther activist Eldridge Cleaver and jazz great Roy Eldridge. 

Eldridge

Daulton

Tierney is a Celtic surname with a definite Irish twinkle, a name just waiting to be discovered. Though now sometimes used for girls (in the US, not Ireland), as in jazz singer Tierney Sutton, it still has plenty of masculine punch.
 Tierney, in its original Tiarnach form, was the name of several saints. It can also join the ranks of Old Hollywood names, via the haunting actress Gene Tierney. ER actress Maura Tierney is a current surname bearer.

Tierney

Adanna

A Biblical place name referred to by the Old Testament prophet Ezra. It may be a corruption of Caspian, or may derive from Hebrew keceph "silver, money".

Casiphia

This Katherine variation, used through Ireland and Scotland, is pronounced like Katrina. The name became popular after the Crusaders brought home stories about the colorful fourth century martyr, Catherine of Alexandria. Its later popularity increased following the success of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1893 Catriona, the sequel to Kidnapped.