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The names
Luna
Latin
"moon"
The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna may be the name most likely to surprise someone from an older generation by its Top 10…
Abigail
Hebrew
"my father is joyful"
Abigail has been in for so long -- the name has ranked in the US Top 100 since the late 1980s -- it's amazing that it isn't more out by now. But Abigail's biblical and historic roots make it a…
Elena
Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen
"bright, shining light"
Elena is at its most popular point ever in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal and the overall popularity of El- names. It's more international than Ellen or Eleanor, but still accessible. A…
Emmett
English masculinization of Emma, German
"universal"
Emmett, honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, is on the rise as a male cognate of the megapopular Emma, not to mention being a character in the popular Twilight series. Emmett originated in…
Jasper
Persian
"bringer of treasure"
Jasper originated as a variation of the Latin Gaspar, which ultimately derived from the Persian word ganzabara , meaning "bringer of treasure." As a given name, Jasper’s etymology is unrelated to…
Rosalie
French variation of Rosalia, Latin
"rose"
Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the…
Fiona
Scottish
"white, fair"
Fiona entered the American consciousness with the opening of the 1954 Broadway musical Brigadoon , but didn't come onto the U.S. popularity list until 1990. Fiona is the best known of a group of…
Tony
Diminutive of Anthony
"priceless one"
Tony, as in classy. Or To-nyyy, as yelled out a tenement window.
Neal
Irish
"champion or cloud"
Always the less common spelling of Irish classic Neil, Neal has been on a fifty-year slide, and now doesn't even make the Top 1000. It has a streamlined, surnamey appeal in this spelling.
Jethro
Hebrew
"excellence"
Jethro, though the biblical father-in-law of Moses, has suffered for a long time from a Beverly Hillbilly image, but some really adventurous parents might consider updating and urbanizing it and…
Palmer
English
"pilgrim; one who holds a palm"
Palmer is a name that derives from the fact that pilgrims often carried palms, thus the double meaning. It's a fresher sounding twist other surname style names, such as Spencer, Carter, Porter and…
Bellatrix
Latin
"female warrior"
J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella…
Ziva
Hebrew
"life"
A zippy little international name. The Hebrew name relates to the month of Israeli independence, while the Slavic Ziva (also spelled Živa and Siva) is a goddess of love, life and fertility. The name…
Amariah
Hebrew
"said of God"
The name of nine minor male biblical characters, this could easily make a gender switch as a singular substitution for the popular Mariah. It has also spawned the popular gender-neutral name Amaris,…
Draco
Greek from Latin
"dragon"
For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.
Ginevra
Italian variation of Guinevere or Jennifer
"white shadow, white wave"
Arty and elegant, Ginevra is one of the most popular girls' names in Italy at the moment, ranking at #3 in a recent year. Ultimately from the Arthurian Guinevere, it's a relative of Jennifer, meaning…
Merida
Latin
"one who has achieved a high place of honor"
You'll probably be hearing more of this name thanks to the newest Pixar film, featuring Princess Merida, the first Pixar princess--a feisty, athletic, independent medieval Scottish girl with wild red…
Narcissa
Greek
"daffodil"
This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa…
Renesmee
Literary invention
Invented by author Stephenie Meyer for the Twilight series for the half-human, half-vampire daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, it's an amalgamtion of the names of Bella's mother Renee and…
Tali
Hebrew
"dew"
Friendly and relaxed choice used by singer Annie Lennox for her daughter; Tal is a unisex Hebrew version.