User-created list
By ilovenames89 · Updated March 2023
Across 9 pages
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Taíno place-name
Politics aside, the Cuban capital is one of the most rhythmic of place-names. The question is: can politics be put aside?
Hindi, Sanskrit
"sapphire blue"
A variation of Nila, a name spread through African by the substantial Indian population there. Also a variant of Neala and Neila.
Spanish
"white snow"
Has a pure, clean aura, but is also evocative.
Hebrew
"deer, gazelle"
Ayelet is an unusual -- and somewhat challenging -- Israeli name familiar thanks to sometimes controversial Jerusalem-born novelist-essayist Ayelet Waldman. Well used in Israel, the name was taken…
Irish Gaelic
"bright"
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…
Greek
"the life of Zeus; dedicated to Zeus"
A powerful name with an intriguing air of antiquity, Zenaida has the freshness of Zephyr and Azalea too. Meaning "life of Zeus" or "dedicated to Zeus", it was notably borne by the first-century…
Variation of Celeste, Latin
"heavenly"
Celestia is a heavenly name that sounds more ethereal than Celeste, Celestia might make a distinctive, feminine choice if your taste runs toward names like Angelina and Seraphina. Celestia was more…
French from Greek
"of Delphi; womb"
Delphine is a sleek, chic French name with two nature associations — the dolphin and the delphinium, a bluebell-like flower, a well as a link to the ancient city of Delphi, which the Greeks believed…
Latin, female variation of Antonius
"priceless one"
An ancient Roman name that has never made it into the modern world.
Color name, Finnish feminization of Henry, English from German
"estate ruler"
Reddish dye that sounds as if it could be a real name — of the outdated, Old World, Yetta-Hedda variety.
English diminutive of Cornelia, Eleanor, Helena, or McNeilly, English, Scottish
"horn; shining torch; son of the poet"
A nickname style name, Neely could derive from the strong sounding Cornelia, as a playful alternative to Nelly from Eleanor and Helena, or as a variation of the Scottish surname McNeilly, with the…
Italian and Spanish from German Irmhild
"all-consuming fight, great battle"
Derived from the German Irmhild, Imelda is a warm and pretty name with a battle-worthy feel and meaning. A saintly choice, borne by Imelda Lambertini, a 14th-century Italian Catholic said to have…
English bird name
Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.…
Welsh
"life, spirit"
This Celtic goddess and Arthurian name may sound terminally old-ladyish to many ears--but so did names like Ella and Etta not so long ago. So Enid is yet another forgotten four-letter E-possibility:…
Russian; Yiddish; Arabic
"easygoing; rose; leader"
Known in America via the wife of Soviet head Mikhail Gorbachev; a possibility for parents of Eastern-European descent wanting to move beyond Natasha and Nadia or for parents from the Middle East…
Arabic
"fortunate, prosperous"
Popular girls' name in Syria. In Yiddish, pronounced ZAE-dah, this is a term for grandfather.
"angel"
Angelia, also called Angelos, was a daughter of Zeus and Hera. She stole her mother's anointments and gave them to Europa, then to escape her mother's wrath went into hiding. Angelia's father Zeus…
"incense"
Keturah, the Old Testament name of Abraham's second wife, is a possibility for anyone seeking a truly unusual and interesting biblical name; certainly a lot more distinctive than that of Abraham's…
Irish
"queenly"
We'd opt for Fiona.
Chinese dynastic name
This name of the first recorded dynasty of ancient China is short and simple enough to make a possible Asian-American alternative to Mia and Tia. British-Filipino child star Xia Vigor has invigorated…
