Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of the fastest rising names, more than doubling in use from the previous year.

A beautiful modern Cornish nature name that is rapidly picking up steam in the States: even spawning variant spellings like Elowyn and Elowynn. In its native region, it wasn't widely used as a name before the twentieth century, when the Cornish language was revived. A fresh and magical member of the fashionable El- family of names, it has a pleasant, evocative sound.

Nimue (Lady of the Lake) is the ruler of Avalon in the Arthurian legend. Nimue plays a pivotal role in many stories, including giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father.

Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous parents intrigued by this richly evocative and romantic choice.

Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who falls in love with Finn's son Oisin and takes him to the Land of Promise, where they stayed for three hundred years. Niamh can be Anglicized as Neve, Nieve, or Neave.

Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard in the British series Doc Martin and Poldark. Morwenna Banks is a British actress.

Ferelith is an unusual yet deeply-rooted Scottish girl's name, also found in ancient Ireland and drawn from the Gaelic Forbhlaith or Forbflaith. While it went through a period of dormancy after the Middle Ages, there are some modern women named Ferelith, including actress Ferelith Young and Princess of Denmark Anne Ferelith Fenella Bowes-Lyon.

Common name in Wales that's all but unknown in the U.S. Certainly an attractive choice ripe for export. In the UK it sits at Number 330.

Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the middle names for his fourth child, a baby girl.

Celtic goddess of poetry, though less-than-poetic name.

Illyria can trace all its varied associations to the name of an ancient place in the western part of the Balkan peninsula, also called Illyricum. Its inhabitants, conquered by the Romans in 168 BC, were called the Illyrians. Its mythological ancestor was Illyrius, a demigod and son of King Cadmus and the goddess Harmonia.

Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an 's' or 'z', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys.

A sweet yet substantial name of Welsh origin, Nerys has the fresh feel of Carys, but the vintage charm of Mavis, Morag, and Lois. Likely borrowing from the Welsh element nêr meaning "lord, chief", Nerys is a feminization and could then mean "lady".

Lillemor is a relatively recent coinage in Scandinavia, where it was most popular in the 1930s and '40s, especially in Sweden. As such, it is considered rather dated in Scandinavia, but it would certainly make a fresh choice for lovers of "Lily" names abroad — although the "Lil" in this case actually comes from lille "little".

This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized tribute to an Aunt Melissa or Melanie.

A sparkly elaboration of the color name Azure, Azura is a vivid choice that may appeal to those who enjoy Azaria, Aurora, Astrid, and Alara. Used in English to mean "sky blue", azure ultimately comes from the Persian lājvard meaning "lapis lazuli", making this a color and a gemstone name.

This lovely Gaelic name, very popular in the Emerald Isle, has inspired a whole host of diminutives (including Nuala and Nola) and variant spellings, from Finola to Finula to the Scottish and English Fenella. In Irish legend Fionnuala was one of the four children of Lir who were transformed into swans for 900 years.

Olwen is a Welsh favorite, the name of a legendary princess in what is believed to have been the earliest Arthurian romance, and in fact one of the first recorded examples of Welsh prose.

Less known than other Cornish beauties like Demelza, Elowen and Kerensa, Elestren is a pretty Cornish botanical name ripe for wider usage.

If you like soft, lispy Welsh names like Gwyneth, or want an alternative to Delilah, Adele, or Edith, consider this out-of-the-ordinary option.