User-created list
Formal Names
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Donatella
Italian, feminine diminutive of Donato
Stylish and dramatic, a la Donatella Versace.
Alexandrina
Greek, variation of Alexandra,
"defending men"
Alexandrina is the most elaborate and unusual of the Alex- girls's names.The real first name of Queen Victoria, who was given it in honor of her godfather, Alexander I of Russia (her childhood…
Angeline
French variation of Angela
"angel"
With Angelina becoming so popular thanks to Ms. Jolie, this could be a new twist—but everyone will always misunderstand it as Angelina. While it currently ranks at Number 951 in the US, it's Number…
Antoinette
French feminine diminutive form of Antoine
"priceless one"
This feminization of Anthony, like other early French forms, such as Babette and Nanette, is not heard as often as it once was, but it could be time for a reappraisal of this delicate Gallic choice.…
Bernadette
German
"brave as a bear"
Although feminizations ending in "ette" are not particularly popular now, Bernadette is a pleasant, feminine, but strong name that doesn't feel prohibitively dated. And though strongly associated…
Apollonia
Feminine variation of Apollo, Greek mythology name
"destroyer, strength; father's light"
This name of a third-century Christian martyr has an romantic, appealing feel in the modern world. It first came to American attention via Prince's love interest in the film Purple Rain . It could…
Elisaveta
Elisaveta is the Slavic form of Elizabeth, ultimately derived from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning 'God is my oath' or 'God is abundance.' This elegant variation is particularly common in Bulgarian,…
Emmanuella
English variation of Emmanuela
"God is with us"
Long and lilting but with the familiar sounds of Emma and Ella, Emmanuella is an alternative spelling to the Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian Emanuela. Familiar in the UK and is also popular in…
Hermione
Feminine version of Hermes, Greek
"messenger, earthly"
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. In…
Isadora
Greek
"gift of Isis"
For a long time, Isadora has been overlooked in favor of Isabella, owing perhaps to its association with the tragic modern dancer, Isadora Duncan, or because parents would rather their daughter be a…
Sheherazade
Persian
"noble lineage"
The tale-spinning heroine of The Thousand and One Nights , Sheherazade is an extravagantly elaborate name for a little girl. Too extravagantly elaborate? It's lovely and beguiling, and with the rise…
Lavender
English color and flower name
"purple flower"
Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names…
Seraphine
French from Hebrew
"burning ones"
Seraphine is the Gallic version of the angelic name Seraphina. But while Seraphina has been rising rapidly since Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck chose it for their second daughter, Seraphine has been…
Rosalind
Latin
"soft horse or pretty rose"
Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It . Along with a bouquet of other Rose…