Attica-lite

Sabina is a sleek but neglected name from an ancient Roman tribal name that's well worth consideration. The equally alluring Sabine is heard in France and Germany. Related names include the more popular Sabrina or Serena. All are equally lovely.

This surname of an ancient Roman invader of Africa is an intriguing, undiscovered option.

Signy — also spelled Signe — would make another distinctively offbeat alternative to Sydney. Signy appears in Norse mythology as the twin sister of Sigmund.

One of the few ancient Roman names that doesn't end in us, the rarely heard Tarquin has a decidedly creative, even dramatic flair, which could appeal to the parent looking for a strikingly original name. Sir Laurence Olivier used it for his oldest child, who was named Simon Tarquin but called by his middle name.

A pretty, rarely used Greek name, Thalassa is the ancient personification of the sea, particularly the Mediterranean, who is sometimes considered the mother of Aphrodite. In 1991, a newly discovered moon of Neptune was dubbed Thalassa.

A solid, if somewhat serious Greek name. Theoni is a variant.

This name of an area in northern Greece, known in the era of Homer's Odyssey as Aeolus. It's the name of a character in the graphic novel Sandman, and could easily be adopted for a modern little girl.

Thisbe, the name of a beautiful but tragic lover in mythology, is lively and cute -- in a slightly thistly, prickly way. Ovid retold the story of Thisbe and Pyramus, young lovers in ancient Babylon kept apart by family rivalry, which was the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. A modern bearer of the name is writer Thisbe Nissen.

In Sarah Dessen's novel Along for the Ride, the baby daughter is named Thisby, nn Isby.

Tulia, rhyming with Julia, is one of several offshoots of the noble Roman family name Tullius, best known as the middle name of the philospher Cicero. Another option is Tullia with a short u. This whole clan of names is relatively unknown but may be rediscovered thanks to the fashion for ancient Roman names.

An ancient Roman name, lost to time.

This name of a Roman emperor and of a sedating plant doesn't have much of a baby name future, unless you just like its strong, rhythmic sound.

Honor and bravery are certainly virtues any parent would want to encourage, and this word itself is obscure enough that it manages to sound like a real name.

An ancient Roman name rarely heard in modern times, though the related VARINA appears in Slavic families.

The name of the greatest Roman poet and an early Irish saint who believed the earth was round, Virgil is heard most notably today as the name of designer Virgil Abloh of Off-White.