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Fairy-Tale Names
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Aurelie
French variation of Aurelia, Latin
"the golden one"
Aurelie is the delicate French variation of Aurelia, one of the most improbable popular names of recent years. Both versions of the name are lovely, but it might be difficult to insist that Americans…
Aurore
Aurore is a feminine name of Latin origin meaning 'dawn.' It's the French form of Aurora, the Roman goddess of the morning. The name evokes images of daybreak, new beginnings, and golden light. In…
Beatrix
Latin
"she who brings happiness; blessed"
Beatrix has a solid history of its own apart from Beatrice, with that final x adding a playful, animated note to the name's imposing history and stately vibe. In the earliest sources it is recorded…
Blythe
English
"happy, carefree"
Blythe is Nameberry gem — one of those names that visitors to the site are often searching for, despite the fact it's never ranked in the US charts as a given name. The name is derived the Old…
Cecily
Feminine variation of Cecil
"blind"
Cecily is as dainty as a lace handkerchief. Cecily has a wide assortment of namesakes. One Cecily was the mother of King Richard III, whose beauty gained her the title "the Rose of Raby," Cecily…
Delphine
French from Greek
"of Delphi; womb"
Delphine is a sleek, chic French name with two nature associations — the dolphin and the delphinium, a bluebell-like flower, a well as a link to the ancient city of Delphi, which the Greeks believed…
Elspeth
Scottish variation of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Elspeth is one of those names that never quite made it out of the British Isles--particularly Scotland, but possesses a winningly childlike charm. Elspeth was used by Sir Walter Scott for several of…
Fleur
French
"flower"
Fleur is a generic, delicate flower name that emigrated into the English-speaking world when John Galsworthy bestowed it on one of the Forsytes in his celebrated saga. More recently, there was Fleur…
Gwenora
Cornish form of Guinevere, Welsh
"white shadow, white wave"
Gwenora teeters on the line between unique gem and modern invention. But it's not a smoosh name fashioned from Gwen and Nora but an old Cornish form of Guinevere, like its much more famous sister…
Ivelisse
Ivelisse is a feminine name with Spanish and Puerto Rican roots. It's derived from the Germanic name Ivar, combined with a feminine suffix. The name conveys strength and nobility, with its original…
Lavinia
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Marion
English and French diminutive of Marie
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
An underused classic that has proved surprisingly unisex over the last few decades, being given to roughly the same number of baby girls and boys in the US from the 1970s to the 2000s. For a girl,…
Maud
English and French diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle-mighty"
Maud, lacy and mauve-tinted, was wildly popular a hundred years ago but has been rarely heard in the past fifty. Some stylish parents are starting to choose Maud again, especially as a middle. Maude…
Niamh
Irish Gaelic
"bright"
Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who…
Ophelie
French variation of Ophelia
"help"
Though this name properly takes an accent over the first e, most Americans would probably have trouble pronouncing it with French elan. Ophelie is the title of a Rimbaud poem, Ophelie Davis is a…
Rosamund
German
"horse protection"
This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation. There was a…
Saoirse
Irish
"liberty"
Before the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan made her mark in the films Ladybird and The Lovely Bones , few of us had heard this name, let alone known how to pronounce it. But now it is slowly way…
Verily
English
"truly"
A quaint and poetic English word meaning "truly", which could easily make the switch to baby name usage, given its similarity to sophisticated vintage names like Verity and Cecily.
Verity
Latin
"truth"
If you love Puritan virtue names and want to move beyond Hope and Faith and Grace, this is a wonderful choice, both for its meaning and its sound. A rare find here, though occasionally heard in…
Viola
Latin
"violet"
Viola has plenty of positive elements going for it: the rhythm of the musical instrument, the association with the flower, the trending 'Vi' beginning and its leading role in Shakespeare's Twelfth…
