User-created list
By stairwaytoastar · Updated May 2023
Across 9 pages
of 9
Short form of David, Hebrew
"beloved"
Davy and Davey are certainly short forms that are frequently used but rarely wind up on the birth certificate. And why, since David is such a handsome, classic, yet short and simple name on its own?
German
"strength of a spear"
Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T. , revive the long shunned Gertrude? It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked…
French
"white"
Blanche, which originated as a nickname for a pale blonde and then became associated with the notion of purity, was in style a century ago, ranking in the double digits until 1920. She then had to…
Sign of the Zodiac, Latin
"bull"
The Zodiac name hasn't caught on like Leo or Aries, though it did appear in the US Top 1000 for five consecutive years back in the '70s.
Latin
"spear"
Corin was used by Shakespeare in As You Like It , an unusual name that could make a more distinctive alternative to Corey or Colin. It is a name used in the illustrious Redgrave family of actors.
"born in June"
Junius is one of those names that's growing on us, along with many of its Roman countrymen such as Julius and Atticus. We once thought it was a combination of the least attractive elements of Junior…
"pig"
Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice , and is now also a Hunger Games name . Another Shakespearean Portia was the…
"bright raven"
Last in fashion in the 1930s, Bertram might once have been firmly in the best left in the past category, but with sweet nickname Bertie and the cool option of Bram, Bertram might just be one to…
Greek
"gold"
Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on…
"glorious, renowned"
Rare and distinctive name with intimations of antiquity, also a Shakespearean character.
"from the sea"
An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice . Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named…
"lame; enclosure"
Claudius is one of the most user-friendly of the ancient Roman names – even though it's associated with the villainous character in Shakespeare's Hamlet . But as with feminine form Claudia, the…
"reward, honor"
Kids would be more likely to associate this name with the hyperactive meercat in "The Lion King" than with the ancient Greek philosopher or Shakespearean character, which could cause playground…
English elaboration of Lucia or Lucy
"light"
Lace-hankie name with Shakespearean pedigree.
English, French, German
"elf ruler, bright elf; noble bear"
Rarely heard in the US, Auberon has a gentle autumnal feel rare in a male name. A Shakespeare-adjacent choice, Auberon started out as as a pet form of Auberi, the French form of German Alberich.…
Spanish place name
Equally strong, dramatic and romantic, this name of an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula and a modern Spanish community as well, would give a boy an instant pedigree.
