Down the Rabbit Hole Names

Kew

Cornish

"chick"

Kew is an offbeat name of a saint from Cornwall with boyish appeal.

Épiphanie

French word name

"realization"

You could just spell it epiphany, but that's so much more pedestrian. It's also a holiday name, à la Christmas and Easter: the Epiphany marked the visitation of the Three Wise Men to Baby Jesus.

Quitterie

French

"the red one"

Quitterie is a quirky saint’s name which is considered très chic in France at the moment. St Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in…

Embla

Norse

"elm"

In Norse mythology, Embla is the equivalent of the Bible's Eve, who, along with her husband Ask, were the first humans to be created by the gods, in this case from trees. With its lovely nature…

Viatrix

Latin

"voyager"

This Beatrix alternate could make a good choice for globetrotting parents.

Searose

English flower name

If Rose and even Primrose feel too mainstream for you, this underused floral name — belonging to a perennial shrub with bright pink flowers — might fit the bill.

Hye

Korean

"wisdom, intelligence"

One of the few Korean names to migrate to Western culture, via supermodel Hye Park.

Issey

Cornish

"place and saint's name"

It looks like an alternative spelling of Izzy/Issy (and may well have been used as such), but Issey is actually a Cornish place and saint's name. The exact figure which the place name of St Issey…

Rosegold

English

"pinkish gold"

Rosegold, or rose gold, is actually an alloy of gold and copper, used in jewellery for its warm, pinkish hue. It would make for a pretty and quirky girl name, with sweet short forms Rosie and Goldie.

Carnation

Flower name, from French or English

"complexion; coronation"

A popular flower, but as a name we don't expect it to reach the heights of Lily or Violet. Its origins are not entirely clear: it may come directly from the French word carnation "complexion"…

Cappella

Itallian, musical term

It's usually preceded by the letter 'A'--as in 'a capella'--singing without accompaniment, and probably has never been used as a girl's name, but in this anything-goes naming climate, we're putting…

Dimanche

French

"Sunday"

Pleasant-sounding word that could morph into a unique Sunday-picnic-type name.

Haviva

Hebrew

"well loved"

An alternative to the more familiar Aviva.

Abital

Hebrew

"my father is dew"

Abital is popular for boys as well as girls in Israel, but we rarely hear it here. In the Old Testament, Abital was one of King David's wives and the mother of his fifth son.

Jensine

Danish

"God is gracious"

Sure to be mispronounced.