sjazami's list "My Favorite Girl Names" of 4 great name ideas: Prudence - Ithaca!

My Favorite Girl Names

Prudence, like Hope and Faith, is a Puritan virtue name with a quiet charm and sensitivity that is slowly returning to favor, though it hasn't yet registered on the charts.
 The White Album Beatles song Dear Prudence was written for Prudence Farrow, sister of Mia, who was with them in India when studying with the Marahishi Mahesh Yogi, seeking enlightenment.
 One notable historic bearer is Prudence Crandall, a 19th century Quaker schoolteacher who stirred controversy by admitting an African-American student. In pop culture, Prudence Halliwell was one of the three witches on Charmed, sister to Piper and Phoebe.
 Asset: Sweet nickname Pru/Prue.

Prudence

Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables. In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some etymologists believe it's a spin on Colette, originally a female short form of Nicolas.


 Despite the popularity of Les Mis the musical, the name was given to only 138 girls in 2015 -- though it's worth noting that this is almost double the number from just a few years ago. Cosette would make for a sweet and quirky French choice.

Cosette

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

Varinia

The island home of Odysseus, the name of a real-life Greek island, and the New York city site of Cornell University, Ithaca feels like a scholarly and distinctive choice. Pronounced as ith-uh-kuh, it blends spikiness and softness, which might just appeal to fans of Atticus, Illyria, and Thessaly, or to those looking for very rare alternatives to Annika, Erika, Ivy, or Isabella.
 
Appearing (as yet) just once in the US stats, back in 2017, likely owing to the movie of the same name which had released in 2016, could the 2026 movie The Odyssey encourage more parents to consider this rare place name?