User-created list
Alternatives to Iris
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Irish
English word name
"relating to Ireland"
As Ireland becomes fashionable as a place name, bouncing on and off of the US girls charts thanks to Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin choosing it for their daughter, some parents may start to consider…
Irja
Finnish variation of Irya, Russian
"peace"
Irja is the Finnish translation of Irya, the Russian short form of Irina. Arja is a more modern variation.
Iria
Portuguese variation of Eirene
"peace"
Iria is a diminutive version of Eirene / Irene and is therefore associated with the Greek goddess of peace.
Irian
Place name; modern literary name
An ethereal name with elements of Irene and Miriam, Irian is a woman/dragon character in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels, and a historic name for the island of New Guinea, now with colonial…
Irya
Variation of Irina, Russian
"peace"
Irya is an Irina diminutive, and rare even in its native country.
Artemis
Greek mythology
"safe; butcher"
Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the…
Eris
Greek
"strife, discord"
Eris was the goddess of strife and discord, turned fairy tale and then popular culture figure Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. Ironic, as her name sounds so much like that of Eros, the god of love.…
Heather
English botanical name
"small shrub"
This flower name was one of the most popular in her class in the seventies and eighties, a fact reflected in the 1989 movie Heathers , in which every snobby girl in the high school clique bears the…
Iyra
Arabic, Urdu or Sanskrit
"respectable, awe-inspiring; or a name for the goddess Saraswati"
Variant of Ayra
Iskra
Slavic
"spark"
A vocabulary word used as a name in many Slavic countries, Iskra means "spark" or "sparkle". It was the name of a revolutionary communist newspaper founded by Lenin in 1900. A famous modern bearer is…
Gaia
Greek and Latin
"earth mother; rejoicing"
Floral, bright, and subtly powerful, Gaia is a name with two separate origins. In Greek mythology, it is the name of the earth goddess and the universal mother, who takes her epithet from the Ancient…
Carys
Welsh
"love"
Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late…
Eos
Greek; Welsh
"dawn; nightingale"
Eos -- that's pronounced with a short e like eros without the r -- is the Greek Titan of the dawn. Any ancient name with a sleek modern feel has definite revival possibilities. Eos could be an…
Venus
Latin
"love, desire"
The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it. Associated with the Greek…
Itza
Variation of Itzel, Mayan
"rainbow lady"
Itza is a rare Itzel variant that shares its colorful meaning. Itza also connects to the Itza people of Guatemala and their language of the same name. Chichen Itza was a city built by the Mayans in…
Ixchel
Mayan
"lady rainbow"
A distinctive mythological name. likely derived from the Maya elements of ix and chel meaning "lady" and "rainbow" respectively, Ixchel was a Mayan Goddess associated with the moon, pregnancy,…
Iridiana
Spanish, Greek
"rainbow"
Iridiana is a name, predominantly used in Mexico, used as an even more elaborate form of Iridián. Both of these names are related to the Greek name Iris, who in Greek mythology was the…
Enfys
Welsh
"rainbow"
The Welsh name Enfys is a unisex name, although it is more commonly used for girls. With the beautiful meaning "rainbow", it is a rare choice in the UK, given to just a handful of babies each year,…
Nyx
Greek mythology name
"night"
In Greek mythology, Nyx was a powerful goddess and the embodiment of the night, giving this name a dark yet mystical feel. She is often depicted as one of the first deities, an offspring of Chaos who…
Aeris
Aeris is a feminine name with ethereal qualities, derived from the Latin word 'aer' meaning 'air' or 'atmosphere.' The name gained significant recognition through the character Aeris Gainsborough in…