User-created list
By lavenderwitch · Updated May 2023
Across 19 pages
of 19
Greek
"liberator"
This name is the feminization of mythological name Lysander, which is best known to English-speakers as a character in Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream .
Latin, from the phrase rosa alba
"white rose"
One of many Spanish elaborations of Rosa.
Welsh
"white ring, circle"
Gwendolen, an ancient Welsh favorite, retired decades ago in favor of the short form Gwen, but now, as in the case all across the naming board, the nickname has faded and the more distinguished…
French or Persian
"long ago or magic, witch"
Queen Jadis, also known as The White Witch, is the main villain in The Chronicles of Narnia . She is the force responsible for freezing Narnia and creating the Hundred Year Winter. Author C.S. Lewis…
Icelandic, Faroese, and Finnish variation of Lily; "lily"
"lily"
Cute and quirky Lily alternative.
Greek, feminine form of Basil
"royal"
Many old-school girl names are feminine forms of male names. This one gets an exotic twist from being the female version not of Basil but the form used very commonly in Greece, Vasilios. This…
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…
French diminutive of Lucy
"little light"
Popular in the 1930s in France, this is a diminutive of Lucy (or Lucie).
German variation of Magdalen
On "Sex and the City," Magda was the elderly nanny from the old country -- which is what this name sounds like. While Magdalene and Magdalena are enjoying fresh life, Magda still feels dated.
Short form of Ursula, Latin
"little female bear"
Ursa might be a good choice if you're looking for a bear name for your daughter but want to avoid the She Witch curse placed on Ursula by Disney's The Little Mermaid . Too bad, because Ursula is a…
French form of Apollonia, feminine variation of Apollo, Greek mythology name
"destroyer"
Apolline is a luscious French name chic in Paris -- it's a Top 100 name for baby girls in France -- and ripe for the plucking in the English-speaking world. Derived from the mythological name Apollo,…
Dutch, German, and Frisian diminutive of Adelheid
"noble"
Though she has long stood on her own, Elke has many longer cross-cultural connections, to the Dutch/German/Scandinavian Adelheid and Alice and the English Adelaide, as a feminine version of Elkanah…
English month name from Latin
"doorway"
Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name. The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann…
Variation of Basil, Greek
Vasilia is likely an alternative transcription of the Greek name Vasileia, or the Serbian and Macedonian Vasilija, which if you follow their etymological roots, eventually originate from Basil,…
Flower name; Greek
"unfading"
Amarantha is a rare botanical name whose mythical equivalent was believed to be immortal. The Italian and Spanish form is the somewhat-more-acccessible Amaranta.
Latin and French
"fair Christian"
Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given…
Latin
"fruitful"
Drusilla is an ancient Roman name, (probably) borne by descendants of Antony and Cleopatra, and is one of the 'illa' names that are ready for a comeback, especially with its cute short form Dru.…
Jewel name, from the French
"pomegranate"
One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl.
Literary name
The name Lórien appears several times in Tolkien’s novels. It’s both a place name and a character name, and although the character of Lórien (Master of Visions and Dreams, also called Irmo) is male,…
Latin, female form of Lucretius
"profit, wealth"
A pretty and plausible Latin name that's gotten a bad rap through the years via a link to Lucrezia Borgia, who, though long considered a demon poisoner, was actually a patron of learning and the…
