New-school Latino names

Clementina

Spanish feminine form of Clement, Latin

"mild, merciful"

The Spanish version, with its -eena ending, takes the name out of the Oh My Darlin' realm, which for many American parents may be just the thing.

Claudia

Feminine variation of Claude

"lame; enclosure"

Claudia is a classic name with ancient Roman roots. Never truly in or truly out, Claudia feels like a strong, modern choice that hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual.. Claudia was…

Josefina

Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish feminine form of Joseph, Hebrew

"Jehovah increases"

Sweet and bright international form of Josephine, used in many European countries with various pronunciations of the initial J. A notable bearer is Josefina "Joey" Guerrero, a Filipina spy during…

Neva

Spanish

"white snow"

Has a pure, clean aura, but is also evocative.

Soledad

Spanish

"solitude"

This strong Spanish name that refers to the Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Solitude) has been made accessible by broadcaster Soledad O'Brien -- who shows how well it combines with an Anglo surname. Her…

Raquel

Spanish variation of Rachel

"ewe"

Attractive name popular in the Latino community, long identified with half-Bolivian actress Raquel Welch. Similarly to the Hebrew form Rachel, Raquel is past its peak. Nonetheless, it retains a…

Vida

Spanish, Slovene, Lithuanian, Persian, Swedish, Serbian,"life, visible, willow, to see"

"life, visible, willow, to see"

Vida is a multicultural gem, familiar in a number of languages by not overly popular. It featured in the US Top 1000 in the first half of the 20th century, and in recent years, it has seen renewed…

Zoa

Greek

"life"

Possibly a variation of the ultra-popular Greek Zoe, Zoa was given to around 2 dozen baby girls each recent year.

Iva

Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Slovak, Czech, English

"willow tree; God is gracious; yew tree; bow warrior"

Short, sweet, and sharp, this multicultural choice is currently popular in Croatia, Czechia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. While not in the charts elsewhere, it is familiar in English…

Elvira

Spanish

"white, fair"

Before there was the campy TV Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Elvira was the long-suffering wife of Don Juan, and remnants of those negative, gothic images still cling to it, though they are fading.…

Bonita

Spanish

"pretty"

Like Benita, had some popularity in the fifties.

Gracia

Spanish variation of Grace

Although Gracia is the literal Spanish translation of Grace and is used as the Grace equivalent in Spanish-speaking countries, where it's pronounced grah-see-ah or grah-thee-ah, it's also a long-time…

Vita

Latin

"life"

Vital and vivacious, Vita is stirring back to life along with many of her V-themed sisters -- Vivian, Vivica -- and is becoming a new celebrity baby favorite. Vita Sackville-West was a British author…

Alba

Latin, Germanic, Spanish , Italian., "white, light; elf; dawn"

"white, light; elf; dawn"

Bright, lively, and multicultural, Alba has the vintage mellowness of Alma but spirited feel of Ebba, Phoebe, and Pippa too. Derived from multiple different sources, a recent year saw it appear as a…

Lida

Russian diminutive of Lidia; Scandinavian diminutive of Alida; variation of Leda, Greek

"woman from Lydia; noble; happy"

Multicultural mini name with an intuitive pronunciation — it's a recipe for success, yet Lida remains under the radar.