User-created list
By ellairene · Updated April 2023
Across 2 pages
of 2
Scottish, English, French
"from the brushwood thicket"
Bruce is a Norman place name made famous by the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who won Scotland's independence from England in the fourteenth century. Hugely popular in the 40s and 50s, it has…
Virtue name
"caution"
Prudence, like Hope and Faith, is a Puritan virtue name with a quiet charm and sensitivity that is slowly returning to favor, though it hasn't yet registered on the charts. The White Album Beatles…
English word name
"dawn, sunrise"
Associated with the first light of the day, and more figuratively with new beginnings and fresh starts, Dawn's heyday came in the 1960s and 70s in the US, Canada and the UK. It had been in the…
Anglicized form of Aonghus, Aonghas, Gaelic
"one strength"
Angus is a traditional yet stylish choice in the UK, especially in Scotland. And it's a cool choice for US parents too, particularly those whose roots go back to Glasgow. The ancient Celtic form…
Short form of Martin, Latin
"warlike"
Marty is one of those Old Man nicknames that's just starting to sound cute again.
Variation of Hugh, English
"mind, intellect"
Once upon a time, in the 1930s, Huey was a Top 250 name, given to nearly 500 babies in a singer year. Traditionally a nickname for Hugo, Hugh, or Hubert, Huey has been notably borne by actor and…
German
"battle woman"
Short for Brunhilda, the operatic Valkyrie of Teutonic legend, Hilda still has not quite shaken off that image that image. Though with the resurgence of Matilda, she might just have a bit of a…
"bright, glorious"
Ever since Allied soldiers in World War I dubbed the enormous German cannon "Big Bertha", this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to…
Greek botanical name
Long in our category of so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out category, once seen as a gum-cracking 1940's telephone operator, we think it's time to reassess Myrtle, and look at is as a nature name, a…
Scottish surname
"son of Fergus"
This would make an interesting name for a boy, if it weren't for the fact that the two most well known Fergies are female.
Dutch surname
"orchard"
What it really means: you're a "Casablanca" fan.
Diminutive of Richard
"dominant ruler"
Dick was a once-common short form of Richard; replaced by Rick or Richie, and finally by the full name itself. Rude meaning -- make that two rude meanings -- pretty much knocks this one out of…
Italian from German
"protector"
Elmo, like fellow Sesame Street characters Kermit and Grover, has a hard time being taken seriously. (It isn't easy being red either.) But Elmo also calls to mind the image of St. Elmo's fire--the…
Literary name
The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book , who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really,…