User-created list
By Arcane · Updated May 2023
Across 3 pages
of 3
French
"determined thing"
Voltaire is the nom-de-plume of François-Marie Arouet, who became noted for his witty and satirical takes on enlightenment philosophy and Western society. Voltaire's most famous work, Candide, used…
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.
Hebrew, variation of Aphrah
"dust"
Aphra would make an interesting choice-- especially since it's the name of the first professional female writer in English, the seventeenth century's Aphra Behn. Born in 1640, she was a prolific…
Greek
"thunder"
This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights . While the original name took an umlaut over…
Elexus is a modern feminine name that emerged as a creative spelling variant of Alexis, which derives from Greek meaning 'defender' or 'helper.' The distinctive spelling with 'E' instead of 'A' and…
Variation of Ethel, English
"noble maiden"
Ethel is one of those vintage names that will always will be out...or will it? A generation ago we might have said the same for now-fashionable names like Florence and Ida. Even if Ethel rises,…
"fruitful"
Eustacia, the ancestor of mid-century fave Stacy, is just the kind of fusty old relic that might be polished up for modern use. Eustacia Vye is the central character of Thomas Hardy's The Return of…
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 .…
French variation of Millicent, German
"strong in work"
The romantic fairy tale-like name has come to modern attention via the beautiful but terrifying sorceress in Game of Thrones . The character may look as lovely as her name sounds, but it's hard to…
Egyptian
"divine mother"
One of the more unusual mythology names for girls , Neith is the name of the Egyptian goddess of home and femininity.
Feminine variation of Perry or Peter, English or Greek
"dweller near a pear tree or rock, stone"
Five girls were given the name Perrine last year. Other feminine Perry or Peter alternatives are Perrin, Perry, or even Petra.
French, feminine variation of Severus; Latin
"stern"
This long-popular name in France sounds fresh, elegant and unusual here. Severine is the name of the most recent gorgeous James Bond Girl in the film Skyfall . Students of film history will associate…
Indigenous Australian or Tswana, Sotho
"dusk, twilight; lion"
Tau, which rhymes with cow, is the alphabetical nickname Grimes and Elon Musk chose for their third child, Techno Mechanicus. Tau is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and a common variable…
Latin
"little wave"
Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.
French, place name
This French place name, which may derive from a word meaning "plowed land", is occasionally used for girls. It is best-known for two things: the grand Palace of Versailles, the historic seat of the…
French word name
"true"
A happy combination of several desirable genres: it's a word name, it has a foreign accent, and it has a highly virtuous meaning. And few other parents will be bold enough to choose it.
