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Down the Rabbit Hole Names
Across 188 pages
of 188
Arsinoe
Greek
"elevated mind"
Also written Arsinoë, this name appears both in Ancient Egyptian mythology and history, belonging to several queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty. It derives from Greek arsis "rise, lift" and nous "mind,…
Irie
Jamaican
"positive and powerful"
A name used in the Caribbean, taken from the Rastafarian term that translates best to "positive and powerful." Rastas often greet each other by saying, "Are you feeling Irie today?"
Citlali
Nahuatl
"star"
A celestial choice that's used both in Mexico and by Latinx Americans. The Hispanized form spelling Xitlali may be more familiar.
Zuzu
Czech diminutive of Susan
"lily"
This sizzling nickname Zuzu is heard every Christmas as the name of Jimmy Stewart's little girl in "It's a Wonderful Life," but we love it all year round as a lively alternative to double names like…
Gwyneira
Welsh
"white snow"
An unusual Gwyn name with a lovely meaning, this compound name pairs Gwyn with the name Eira, meaning "snow". A relatively modern creation, it remains very rare.
Bessie
Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew
"pledged to God"
After a century of association with horses and cows, this name just could be ready for revival by a fearless baby namer -- after all, it did happen to Jessie and Becky. Bessie has been in use since…
Yseult
French variation of Iseult, Celtic
"fair, light-skinned"
Variation of Isolde, the name of a great Celtic heroine. The mononymous French singer Yseult is the most notable bearer today.
Bertha
German
"bright, glorious"
Ever since Allied soldiers in World War I dubbed the enormous German cannon "Big Bertha", this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to…
Undine
Latin
"little wave"
Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.
Jacinda
Variation of Jacinta, Spanish and Portuguese
"hyacinth"
Jacinda, a form of the lovely and unusual Spanish and Portuguese flower name Jacinta (for Hyacinth), was first popularized by the Australian actress Jacinda Barrett. Today, the girls' name Jacinda is…
Dagmar
Norse
"Day maiden"
This royal Danish name has long been used across Scandinavia, Germany and Slavic countries and somewhat in the US around the turn of the last century --it was #622 in 1888. There were two notable…
Calico
English word name
"cotton cloth imported from India; a blotched or spotted animal"
A word name with fashionable o -ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago, while it was selected more recently…
Selka
Variation of Selkie, Selda, Zelda, Zelig, or Silke, Scottish, Polish, German, Yiddish
"seal folk; gray fighting maid; blessed, happy; heavenly"
Selka is an uncommon feminine name with a whole variety of possible origins. Its crisp, modern sound and rare-yet-familiar feel, make it an alluring choice. On one hand, it may refer to the Scottish…
Candida
Latin
"white"
Attractive ancient name borne by several saints but sullied by association with yeast infection.
Danae
Greek
An intriguing mythological name whose one challenge might be pronunciation questions. In Greek myth, Danae, a goddess of music and poetry, was the mother of Perseus by Zeus, who appeared to her in…
Calamity
English word name
Although this name literally means disaster, the use of Calamity as a descriptor of Martha Jane Cannery, aka Calamity Jane, was meant to signal that she was a good person to have in troubled times.…
Melisandre
French variation of Millicent, German
"strong in work"
The romantic fairy tale-like name has come to modern attention via the beautiful but terrifying sorceress in Game of Thrones . The character may look as lovely as her name sounds, but it's hard to…
Violante
Greek and Latin
"purple flower"
Too close to violent.
Apple
English nature name
"apple"
When people talk about unique baby names, Apple is often one of the first examples they mention. Apple made international headlines when Gwyneth Paltrow chose this wholesome fruit name for her…
Montana
Spanish place-name
"mountainous"
Overly trendy western place-name, as stated in the title of our book Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana.