Spoken from the Twilight of the Garden

Ophira

Hebrew

"gold"

Feminine form of Ophir, a Biblical place name famed for its riches.

Xanthe

Greek

"golden, yellow"

X marks the spot in names these days, usually at the middles or ends of names, but here is one that puts it squarely up front. This extravagant name, which, like many Greek names beginning with X, is…

Odelle

Odelle is a feminine name of French origin, derived from "Odile" or possibly as a feminine form of "Odo," meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous." This elegant, vintage-sounding name carries a delicate…

Pallas

Greek

"youth, young woman"

An overlooked name from Greek mythology, Pallas is both an epithet for the goddess of wisdom and a name in its own right, borne by a daughter of the sea god Triton who was raised alongside the…

Callisto

Greek mythology

"most beautiful"

Best known as one of the moons of Jupiter, Callisto was a nymph coveted by Zeus who was turned into a bear by Hera, becoming the Great Bear (Ursa Major) constellation.

Ianthe

Greek

"purple flower"

Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the…

Iolanthe

Greek

"violet flower"

Iolanthe is known primarily through the 1882 Gilbert & Sullivan operetta of that name, in which the title character is a fairy. Iolanthe is a softer version of Yolanda, and is the kind of…

Astoria

Place name

Long more associated with the New York Waldorf- hotel and the neighborhood in Queens than as a baby name, Astoria is finally beginning to emerge from their shadow and find favor with parents looking…

Arianwyn

Welsh

"woman of silver"

Spelling variant of Arianwen. Note that in Welsh, the -wyn suffix is usually masculine.