Names from Operas

Bastienne

Variation of Sebastienne, French

"person from Sebastia"

Rare French option for girls, but feels familiar thanks to the popularity of Sebastian.

Ilia

Variation of Iliana or Julia, Greek, Basque, Bulgarian "from Illium or Troy; youthful or sky father; Yahweh is God"

"from Illium or Troy; youthful or sky father; Yahweh is God"

Three syllables in only four letters is quite a feat, but that's exactly what you get with Ilia, a versatile, unisex option with various origins. It could derive from the Greek Iliana, which could…

Elektra

Greek

"shining, bright"

This spelling of Electra makes this vibrant name less electric and more kinetic.

Rosina

Rosina is a delicate feminine name with Italian and Latin roots, functioning as a diminutive of Rosa, meaning 'rose.' The name carries the beauty and fragrance associations of the flower it…

Susanna

Hebrew

"lily"

Susanna is an old and under-appreciated name, perhaps because of the recent overpopularity of Susan, that is certainly due for a comeback. The Susannah spelling is just as appropriate as Susanna. The…

Marcellina

Latin

"warlike"

Marcellina is one feminine form of the names derived from the ancient Roman Marcellus. There was a Saint Marcellina who was a 4th century virgin and the only sister of Saint Ambrose.

Elvira

Spanish

"white, fair"

Before there was the campy TV Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Elvira was the long-suffering wife of Don Juan, and remnants of those negative, gothic images still cling to it, though they are fading.…

Zerlina

Arabic

"beautiful dawn"

Zerlina is a variation of Zerlin, meaning "beautiful dawn". Zerlina is most famous as the wily, clever servant girl in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni , where she is the only character to seemingly get…

Despina

Greek

"lady"

Despina is best known as the clever and wily maidservant character in Mozart's opera Così fan tutte , and as one of Neptune's moons, making it a musical and an astronomy-inspired choice. However, the…

Pamina

Italian

"little honey"

This operatic Italian name -- it appears in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" -- is a more unusual route to the nickname Pam/Pammy.

Leonore

German short form of Eleanor

Leonore is a melodic variation of the wide range of names related to Eleanor and, via a different root, Leonie that are so stylish throughout Europe right now and bound for greater visibility in the…

Zulma

Arabic

"peace"

A rare Arabic name related to the Hebrew Shalom, Solomon or Salome, meaning "peace", " safety" or "completeness". In complete contrast, it could be related to the word "dhulm" or "zulm" meaning…

Desdemona

Greek

"ill-starred"

Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time,…

Cenerentola

Cenerentola is the Italian name for Cinderella, the beloved fairy tale character. Derived from the Italian words 'cenere' (ash) and 'piccola' (small, little), it literally means 'little ash girl' -…