User-created list
By Essie · Updated April 2023
Across 4 pages
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French diminutive of Barbara, Greek
"stranger"
A less common relic of the Claudette-Paulette-Annette era. Babette's Feast is a 1987 Danish film based on a Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) story about a cook who wins the lottery and prepares an…
Thomasine is the feminine form of Thomas, a name of Aramaic origin meaning "twin." This elegant variation emerged during medieval times when feminizing male names by adding suffixes like "-ine" or…
Flower name, from Greek
"asphodel"
Yes, though it seems so extreme, girls were actually sometimes given this name a century ago; now it is so uncommon it would make a strong springtime statement. Biggest obstacle: the nickname Daffy.…
English combination of Elizabeth, Alexis, and Yvette
"pledged to God + defender + yew tree"
Elixyvette is part Elizabeth, part Alexis, part Yvette -- and a total mess. Few people go to such lengths to make a name different. Aren't you glad?
Afrikaans version of Beate or Beata
"blessed"
Namibian supermodel Behati Prinsloo, who has walked the runway for every designer from Prada to Versace to Vera Wang, has introduced us to this Afrikaans version of Beata and relative of Beatrice.…
English
"pure light"
Lucasta was invented by seventeenth century poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems dedicated to a lover named Lucy, and is familiar through the Eugene O'Neill play and film Anna Lucasta .…
Latin
"lucid, clear"
Pretty, delicate and crystal clear, with the readymade nickname of Lucy.
Spanish
"one who helps"
Popular Spanish choice that refers to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help -- or Perpetuo Socorro.
Diminutive of Catherine, Greek
"pure"
May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.
Egyptian mythological name or variation of Seth, Hebrew
"appointed, placed"
Author Toni Morrison is an acknowledged master of naming, and Sethe, the name of one of the main characters of Beloved , which can be pronounced as Seth or Seth-eh, relates to the male biblical name…
French feminine variation of Claude
Attractive form still très Parisienne.
English word name
Experience is a word name used by the New England Puritans but probably too joke-worthy for a modern child...or teenager. It does not have as direct a biblical reference as most Puritan names.
Hebrew
"my delight is in her"
This is a streamlined spelling of the biblical Hephzibah. Hephzibah is an Old Testament name that came into use in the 17th century, but is not often used today. It does have less formal nicknames…
Latin, meaning unknown
Ovid is the English form of the Roman family name Ovidius, which possibly comes from the word for sheep. It is the usual English name for the first-century poet Publius Ovidius Naso.
"third"
Tertia—which is occasionally used in the UK, but rarely in the US, would make an unconventional but interesting possibility for the third child in a family. Terza and Terzo are lively Italian…
Tamatha is a feminine name that appears to be a variant of Tabitha or Samantha. With potential biblical connections through Tabitha (a woman known for her charitable works in the New Testament) and…
Greek
"violet flower"
Likely derived as a spin on Iolanthe, itself created by Gilbert and Sullivan for their 1882 opera of the same name, Violanthe connects the name more obviously to the violet flower. It may appeal to…
