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Olea
Latin botanical name, genus of trees
"olive"
Olea is an unusual botanical name that relates to both olive and oil, brought to public attention when it was chosen by actress Amy Adams as the middle name for her daughter Aviana. Olea is also an…
Ophira
Hebrew
"gold"
Feminine form of Ophir, a Biblical place name famed for its riches.
Ostara
Old High German
"dawn"
In Germanic mythology, Ostara is the goddess of springtime, fertility, and dawn. Her existence as a mythological figure was pieced together by scholar Jacob Grimm, who used evidence such as 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.
Pandora
Greek
"all gifted"
Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…
Perdita
Latin
"lost"
A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale , Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with…
Petula
Modern invented name
Swinging London songbird Petula Clark claims that this name was her father's invention; in any case it hasn't seen much copycat usage.
Philomena
Greek
"lover of strength"
Philomena is an earthy Greek name now used in various Latin countries. While it has felt simply clunky for many years, it's starting -- along with such sister names as Wilhelmina and Frederica -- to…
Polina
Russian and Basque, feminine variation of Paul
This version of the more familiar Paulina is occasionally used in the US, though some may see it as relating more to the word pole than to the classic Paul.
Raphaela
Hebrew, feminine variation of Raphael
"God has healed"
A euphonious and lovely name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image, Raphaela is, like Gabriella and Isabella, beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.
Richenza
Polish variation of Richiza
"wealthy"
Richenza is a medieval European name borne by a number of Polish and Swedish royals throughout history. The variation Richeza was used with similar frequency. Rixa was a common short form. Richenza…
Rosen
Cornish
"rose"
The masculine version of Rosen, pronounced ROH-zen, is a German and Bulgarian name, commonly seen as an element in Ashkenazi Jewish surnames. But Rosen, pronounced ROZ-en, is a modern Cornish word…
Rowena
Welsh
"white spear; famous friend; fame and joy"
A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw,…
Ruslana
Feminine variation of Slavic "Ruslan," from the Turkic/Persian word for "Lion"
"Lion"
Singer Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko, who goes by her first name, won the Eurovision contest in 2004 and remains a popular artist in Ukraine.
Sabinella
Sabinella is a feminine name with Italian and Latin roots, functioning as a diminutive or elaborate form of Sabina. The original name Sabina derives from the Sabines, an ancient Italian tribe that…
Salome
Hebrew
"peace"
A soft and interesting Hebrew name long popular in France, where it has ranked in the Top 400 since 1986 (as Salomé). Ex- ER star Alex Kingston named her daughter Salome Violetta. Despite seeing…
Sibylline
Sibylline is a rare feminine name derived from the ancient Greek word 'sibylla,' referring to female prophets or oracles in the ancient Mediterranean world. These women were believed to possess…
Sonali
Sanskrit
"gold, beautiful color"
Especially used in Bengal and Bangladesh, Sonali is nowadays considered to mean "golden". Bengali actress Sonali Chowdhury is a notable bearer of this name.
Sonata
Music name
Undiscovered musical form melodious enough to be a hit on the name charts.
Sylvania
Sylvania is a feminine name derived from Latin elements 'silva' or 'sylva' meaning 'forest' or 'woods', combined with the suffix '-ia' denoting 'land of'. The name literally translates to 'woodland'…