User-created list
By cpepper · Updated May 2023
Across 13 pages
of 13
Aramaic
"little girl"
Talitha appears in the Bible as words Jesus says to awaken a young girl whose parents feared she was dead. It has been used in the US since colonial times. Talitha is also the name of two stars in…
English, Irish
"black, dark"
Cary Grant's debonair image has stood the test of time: he is still rated as one of the most handsome and admired men in Hollywood. Charming, succinct, and witty, Cary (also spelled Carey) was a…
Jodi is a feminine name that originated as a diminutive of Judith or Joan. With Hebrew roots, it carries the beautiful meaning of "praised" or "Jehovah increases." Gaining significant popularity in…
German
"bold voyager"
Ferdinand is a traditional name among Spanish royal families and also appears in Shakespeare's The Tempest , borne by the handsome young prince shipwrecked on Prospero's island. Bold, daring, and…
English, diminutive of Nora
Noreen's in limbo, especially now that Nora has made a comeback.
Welsh form of Alice, German
"noble"
Popular in Wales, familiar across the UK, and ultimately derived from the Germanic Adalheidis, this isn't a creative respelling of a classic, but the Welsh variant of it.
Dutch and German variation of Casper and Jasper, Persian
"keeper of the treasure"
After half a century, this otherwise feasible name has at last started to lose its link to the friendly ghost; it certainly didn't scare model Claudia Schiffer, who chose it for her son, as did…
Variation of Sidney, English from French
"Saint Denis"
The Sydney spelling most popular for girls: it's in the Top 50 on the female side. Cool for a girl, still nerdy for a guy.
Scottish and Irish
"man of force"
In Celtic lore, Fergus was the ideal of manly courage, making it a charming, slightly quirky Scottish and Irish favorite. As a name, Fergus forms a link between Ireland and Scotland, as Gaelic…
Latin
"curly-haired"
Crispin, which was introduced into the mainstream by actor Crispin Glover and which means "curly-haired" in Latin, has an image very much like its first syllable: crisp, autumnal, and colorful. St.…
"alive, living, life"
Viva la baby with this life-affirming name, one of the appealing group of girl names that mean life . Other related life-giving names on the rise: cousins Vida and Vita, and Vivian, Aviva, and even…
English nature name
"small stream"
Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.
Greek
"young goat"
One of those names that most Americans find just too too tea-sippingly British to consider; its meaning has led to occasional use for Capricorn boys.
Flower name, from Greek
"immortality"
Tansy is a flower name rarer than Rose, livelier than Lily and a lot less teasable than Pansy. Tansy is a perennial herbaceous plant of the aster family that has clusters of small bright yellow…
"God's peace"
Godfrey was very popular in the Middle Ages, but today you're more likely to hear it as a surname than a first name. It has a solid, old-man charm, but a couple of possible deal-breakers: the first…
"golden, blond"
An ancient Roman clan name, Flavia is one choice that's unusual but historic. Now a Top 60 name in Italy, Flavia has been a rarity in the US, but with the upswing in F names for girls, this could…
German; English, from Greek
"people of victory"
Nicola, an elegant Latinate feminization of Nicholas, has long been standard issue for English girls but for some reason has never voyaged across the Atlantic, which we consider a pity, especially as…
English, diminutive of Kimball
Kim is forever feminized, despite memories of the Rudyard Kipling character.
"rock"
Piers was the first version of Peter to reach the English-speaking world, via the Normans, but it's never made it in the US, despite its large measure of understated panache. This might change due to…
Tod is a masculine name of German and English origin, meaning 'death' in German or functioning as a short form of the names Theodore ('gift of God') or Todhunter. Despite its somewhat grim German…
