User-created list
By maiaraye · Updated May 2023
Across 40 pages
of 40
Greek or Welsh
"violet; beautiful lady"
Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that…
Sanskrit
"peahen"
Mayuri is the feminine version of the name Mayur, which means peacock. The name has a mellifluous sound to it, which makes it well placed to make the transition to the West. Dancer and chorerographer…
Hebrew
"drawn from the water"
Feminine spin on Moses and European river name that's also the name of a wine.
Irish
"bright, shining"
A popular Irish name virtually unknown here, but one that feels like it could follow in the footsteps of Siobhan and Saoirse. It's pronounced SOR-ka, but with a little hiccup between the ' r ' and…
English word name
In 2014, fifteen newborns were named Whisper, all of them girls. We can see the attraction of the name but if you are in Australia be warned - Whisper is a well-known brand of sanitary products, so a…
Greek place name
Athens the city takes its name from Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and courage. If you prefer place names to mythological names and like gender neutral names better than those that are gender…
Binah is a feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning 'understanding' or 'wisdom.' It comes from Hebrew philosophy and Kabbalah, where Binah represents the third sephirah on the Tree of Life, symbolizing…
Greek
"to sprout, to swell"
Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan…
Botanical name
From the botanical name for common heather, Calluna vulgaris , which ultimately derives from the Greek kallos "beauty". A unique, nature-inspired route to the fashionable nicknames Callie and Luna.
Botanical name or variation of Clare, Latin
"bright, clear"
There are many variations of Clare and Clara, but this might be one of the simplest and most surprising. Clary can be a diminutive of the Latin name Clara, meaning 'bright' or 'clear,' or it might…
Romanian, Italian, Galician and Spanish variation of Coralie, French from Latin
"coral"
Coralia was the name of a dancing mermaid in a 19th century ballet. As Cora — which has another root and means maiden — rises, so may elaborations and related names such as Coralie, Coraline, and…
Emonie is a contemporary feminine name with a melodic quality, likely derived as a variation of names like Harmony or Simone, or possibly created as a unique blend of popular elements like "Em-"…
Genie is a feminine name that originated as a diminutive form of names like Eugenia, Eugenie, or Imogene, though it's now often used independently. The name inevitably evokes connections to…
French variation of Isabel
"pledged to God"
With Isabel getting so popular, parents are searching for new varieties of the name, and Isabeau is one that makes a lovely French twist. Isabeau of Bavaria was the wife of King Charles VI of…
Greek mythology
"Snow"
Khione was the name of several minor figures in Greek mythology, of which the most notable is the nymph who Hermes turned into a snow cloud. Khione works as both a high-brow mythological name and a…
Norse mythological name
"lock"
While god of mischief Loki is usually depicted as a male -- sometimes in animal form -- he gives birth as a mare to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir and also appears in some stories as an elderly…
Swedish or Cornish
"fairy"
Pixie is a cute -- quite possibly too cute -- name that suddenly feels possible thanks to the craze for names that contain the letter x. Though its origin may be uncertain, a pixie is internationally…
"flight, forsaken"
Hagar is an Old Testament name with an unfortunate association with comic strip character "Hagar the Horrible."
Medieval variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter 's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an…
Diminutive of Jocelyn, German
"member of the Gauts tribe"
Joss is more fashionable than Jocelyn or Josslyn. This is a short form that could be used independently, a la the singer Joss Stone. One of a troupe of adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for…
