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- Agatha
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"good woman"Description:
Agatha until recently summoned up visions of martyred saints, mauve silk dresses, and high lace collars, but now that some dauntless excavators have begun to resurrect it, we're sure more will follow their lead. Actor Thomas Gibson used it for his daughter in 2004.
- Breton
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"from Brittany"Description:
Breton is the term for the people and language of Brittany, a region of northern France with a distinct culture. Breton also might be thought of as a trendy modern invention, taking the midcentury surfer boy Bret or Brett and adding the current favorite boy's name ending -on and turning it into a name all its own. Bretton is a variation.
- Cantrelle
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"song"Description:
Vocal name seldom heard, with most elle-ending names these days dropped in favor of the more straightforward Elle and Ella.
- Celeste
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"heavenly"Description:
Celeste is a softly pretty and somewhat quaint name with heavenly overtones, which kids might associate with Queen Celeste of Babar's elephant kingdom. She's a light and lovely choice that's finally getting noticed.
- Dillard
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"proud and hard"Description:
Best known these days as the name of an American department store chain, Dillard was once a baby name that ranked on the US Top 1000, at least until the middle of the last century.
- Dorian
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"from Doris"Description:
A male name occasionally borrowed by the girls, as in Dorian Cramer, a long-running female character on the soap One Life to Live and famous midcentury model Dorian Leigh.
- Doris
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"gift of the ocean"Description:
Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the revivals of Dorothy and Dorothea.
- Ellis
Origin:
English surname derived from Elijah or Elias or WelshMeaning:
"benevolent"Description:
Ellis is a former Old Man Name turned gender-neutral choice for the 21st century. It's one of the less used names in the currently popular El-family.
- Eunice
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"good victory"Description:
Eunice is a New Testament name of the mother of Timothy, long associated with one of the Kennedy sisters, the founder of the Special Olympics. As high as Number 106 in the early 1900s, it lasted on the list until 1995. Eunice was the birth name of Nina Simone, which gives it a modicum of cool.
- Farah
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"happiness"Description:
Farah is a soft and lovely Arabic name, best known here in this original spelling via the last Empress of Iran, Farah Palavi. It's currently a Top 250 name in both France and the Netherlands, which both have a large Arabic-speaking population, and appears in at least two video games.
- Helisent
Origin:
English, GermanicMeaning:
"temple path"Description:
Helisent was used in the medieval days and has royal antecedents found in both France and Germany. Information on its origins is sketchy, but some say it's related to Elise or Helen or Heloise, or that it derives from a Visigothic name meaning "temple path". Variants include Elisende, Elisenda, Elysant, Elysande, Elissent and Elisent.
- Heloise
Origin:
French from GermanMeaning:
"healthy; wide"Description:
Heloise is an ancient name related to sleek, peppy classic Eloise. Both ultimately derive from the Germanic name Helewidis, which became Helewis in medieval England. In the twelfth century, the name was borne by the beloved of the French philosopher Pierre Abelard, who was considered to be one of the most learned women of the Middle Ages.
- Isadora
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"gift of Isis"Description:
Why is Isabella megapopular while Isadora goes virtually ignored? Too close a tie with tragic modern dancer Isadora Duncan (born Angela Isadora), who was done in by her long flowing scarf, perhaps, or with fusty male version Isidore. But we think Isadora is well worth reevaluating as an Isabella alternative. Quirky couple singer Bjork and artist Matthew Barney did just that and named their daughter Isadora. Isidora would be an alternative, just as proper but not quite as charming spelling--the one used as the spelling of a fourth century saint's name.
- Jenny
Origin:
Diminutive of Janet, Jane, Jean, and JenniferDescription:
At the height of the Jennifer craze, many parents were cutting straight to the nickname and putting Jenny on the birth certificate. But now that Jennifer is the mom rather than the daughter, Jenny, which has been somewhat replaced by Jenna, has faded as well.
- Josephine
Origin:
French feminine variation of JosephMeaning:
"Jehovah increases"Description:
Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing number of vivacious nicknames, from Jo to Josie to Fifi to Posy, Josephine is a Nameberry favorite.
- Karsten
- Kerouac
Origin:
Breton literary nameDescription:
Kerouac could make for a meaningful possible modern literary inspiration, via On the Road author Jack. The writer's baptism certificate read Jean Louis Kirouac, though he later claimed his full name was Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac.
- Kirby
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"church settlement"Description:
Attractive British place-name with a sense of humor. Fun fact: John Wayne played five characters with the first or second name of Kirby.
- Kristy
Origin:
Diminutive of all variations of KristinaMeaning:
"a Christian"Description:
Kristy (and Kristi and Kristie) are the ultimate kool girl nicknames of the sixties and seventies, not kwite as kute any more.
- Lauretta
Origin:
Italian diminutive of LauraMeaning:
"bay laurel"Description:
The first syllable of Laura in Italian rhymes with now, so Lauretta does not really sound like the decidedly midcentury Loretta thought most English speakers will pronounce it that way. Still, this Italian names for girls feels more closely related to the classic beauty Laura and somehow more charming and unusual.