i love babies

  1. Desdemona
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "ill-starred"
    • Description:

      Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time, there might be some adventurous parents willing to overlook that.
  2. Esmeralda
    • Origin:

      Spanish and Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "emerald"
    • Description:

      Esmeralda came into use as an applied use of the Spanish word for emerald, esmeralda. In the 1831 Victor Hugo novel Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the heroine was born Agnes, but called La Esmeralda in reference to the jewel she wears around her neck. The name Esmeralda got increased visibility via the Disney version of the story.
  3. Valeria
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "strength, health"
    • Description:

      Valeria -- the original form of the name, used by early Christians --has been experiencing significant popularity in recent years. While Valeria was nearly always on the charts, the name peaked in 2009 at #72, surpassing the longtime Franco-American version Valerie. Today Valeria and Valerie are at about equal rankings, sitting in the 150s.
  4. Callista
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "most beautiful"
    • Description:

      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.
  5. Echo
    • Origin:

      Greek mythology name
    • Meaning:

      "echo or sound"
    • Description:

      Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse. Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love.
  6. Xenia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "hospitable, welcoming, guest"
    • Description:

      The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye."
  7. Anthea
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "flowery"
    • Description:

      This unjustly neglected floral name has a BBC accent and a Greek mythological heritage: Anthea is an epithet of Hera, the Greek queen of the gods, and her name has been used as poetic symbol of spring.
  8. Lumina
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "light"
    • Description:

      Lumina is a radiant feminine name derived from the Latin word 'lumen,' meaning 'light.' This elegant name carries connotations of brightness, illumination, and enlightenment across various cultures.
  9. Olympia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "from Mount Olympus"
    • Description:

      With its relation to Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods, and to the Olympic games, this name has an athletic, goddess-like aura, making it the perfect Olivia substitute.
  10. Electra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "amber, shining, bright"
    • Description:

      Though the plays by Sophocles and Eugene O'Neill and via the "Electra Complex" proposed by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, this name has, unfortunately, become associated with incest and murder.
  11. Ceres
    • Origin:

      Roman
    • Meaning:

      "nourishment"
    • Description:

      Little known name of the goddess of the harvest — her name literally means nourishment, and is the origin of the word cereal. A possibility for the parent seeking something original, but with the aura of Roman myth. Her Greek counterpart is Demeter.
  12. October
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "month name"
    • Description:

      What is so rare as a month named June? October – and November and December – are a lot rarer. Brisk and substantial, they're so much more memorable and modern than April or May. October got its name via being the eighth month in the old Roman calendar. Some related, more feminine variations are Octavia and Ottavia.
  13. Antigone
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "worthy of one's parents, in place of one's parents"
    • Description:

      In Greek mytholgy, Antigone was the noble and courageous daughter of Oedipus, who acts as his guide after he blinds himself. Antigone is also the eponymous heroine of a play by Jean Anouilh.
  14. Tuesday
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "Tiu's Day,"
    • Description:

      When actress Susan Ker Weld changed her name to Tuesday, she opened up a whole calendar of possibilities. This was decades before the arrival of Sunday Rose Urban.
  15. Love
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of the fastest-rising names of the year. Other love-related alternatives include Juliet, Valentina, and Amor.
  16. Adora
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "adored"
    • Description:

      A name that would lavish your child with adoration, a princess name--as in Princess Adora of She-Ra: Princess of Power.
  17. Anja
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian; Finnish; Slovene; Croatian; Serbian, from Russian
    • Meaning:

      "grace"
    • Description:

      Anja is one of the most international of several versions of Ann/Anna now being imported, also including Anya and Annika.
  18. Violetta
    • Origin:

      Italian, Russian and Hungarian variation of Violet, English
    • Meaning:

      "purple"
    • Description:

      With Violet in vogue, this vibrant international variation has been on the rise since the 2010s. Vintage and floral like its more popular sister, Violetta has a slightly softer sound and a touch of extra flair. Given to 135 girls in a recent year, it also gets you to nicknames Etta, Vita, and Lettie.
  19. Velvet
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a fabric characterized by a short soft dense warp pile"
    • Description:

      Velvet is a name that couldn't possibly be softer or more luxuriant. Many people have fond memories of it via the character of Velvet Brown, played by the young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, an intrepid young woman willing to masquerade as a boy to race her horse in a dangerous steeplechase.
  20. Cleopatra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "glory of the father"
    • Description:

      A royal name in ancient Egypt that's never quite made it to the modern world, though nickname Cleo is widely used. Other now-extinct Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora and Cleola, achieved some popularity in the early 20th century when there was a crazy for all things Egypt-related as the ancient tombs were opened and artifacts displayed. In the US, Cleopatra became a popular silent film in 1917 starring Theda Bara.