Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.

Bronwen is widespread in Wales, but still rare enough here to sound somewhat international — we think Bronwen is a real winner. (Note: the Bronwyn spelling is an Anglicization, since the -wyn ending is masculine in Welsh).

Hermione's costarring role in Harry Potter has made this previously ignored, once stodgy name suddenly viable. Hermione could really take off once today's children start having kids of their own.

Is it clunky cute, strong and vintage, or dreadful and mildewy? Like Gertrude and Bertha, Mildred is one that divides the crowds, but with popular nickname Mildred and renewed interest in Winifred, Deborah, Millicent, and Gwendolen, it's not entirely out of the question that Mildred might make a return in coming years

Popular throughout Northern and Eastern Europe, particularly in countries like Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Germany, Sonja has a rich cultural heritage. The name gained international recognition through figures like Sonja Henie, the Norwegian Olympic figure skating champion.

Clove is a spice name that is a tad more piquant than Saffron or Cinnamon. It might get more attention now as a member of The Hunger Games family of names.

A royal name in ancient Egypt that's never quite made it to the modern world, though nickname Cleo is widely used. Other now-extinct Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora and Cleola, achieved some popularity in the early 20th century when there was a crazy for all things Egypt-related as the ancient tombs were opened and artifacts displayed. In the US, Cleopatra became a popular silent film in 1917 starring Theda Bara.

Anja is one of the most international of several versions of Ann/Anna now being imported, also including Anya and Annika.

Euphonious and long stylish in England, India was one of the fastest-rising names on the 2013 list, after jumping 240 spots back into the Top 1000.

Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.

Savanna has lost ground in recent years. It remains eclipsed by its more traditionally spelled cousin Savannah.

This jazzy old name could make a comeback, the way Josephine and Ella have. In England the name was popularized by Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, after whom her governor general of Canada husband named the North American province. Jazz singer Alberta Hunter was a noted bearer.

In a wave of vintage nickname revivals, cutesy Maisie — traditionally a nickname for Margaret or Mary — has been rising fast in recent years. And along for the ride are spelling variations Maisy and Mazie.

If your ancestry is Italian, you may want to consider this elegant twist on a classic.

Alida had a brief flurry of popularity a hundred years ago but is rarely used today. But given the rise of so many names related to Adelaide and Adeline, Alida might be rediscovered.

An international variation of Sophia that ranks in the Top 10 in Poland and the Top 1000 in England and Wales. Zosia is a charming diminutive.

Panya is a multicultural possibility with a sound that's pleasing to the English-speaking ear, though the Swahili translation, which might also be "rat," makes it less than savory as an African name.

If you want a pan-Scandinavian name with energy and style that could have been a winner, if not for the sound-alike water filtration company Brita.

Occasionally heard in England, rarely here.

A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting for a winter baby, but totally sunny too, it comes from the Old English hāligdæg meaning "holy day" as it was originally used to mark religious festivals and celebrations.