User-created list
By dandado86 · Updated January 2023
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French feminine version of Clement, Latin
"mild, merciful"
Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list. A female variation of the more-unusual Clement, Clementine's meaning…
Latin
"she who brings happiness; blessed"
Beatrice is back. Stored in the attic for almost a century, the lovely Beatrice with its long literary (Shakespeare, Dante) and royal history is being looked at with fresh eyes by parents seeking a…
French
"songbird"
Mavis, another word for the song thrush, is also a relative of the Welsh word for strawberries, mefus . Mavis has something of a British World War II feel, a friend of Beryl and Doris, but it was…
Arabic; Latin diminutive
"tender"
This pretty, succinct Arabic name is also commonly used as a nickname for names like Carolina.
Greek variation of Jonah
"dove"
Jonas has a slightly more grandfatherly image than the English version of his name, but that only adds to its retro appeal. And though it may lag behind Jonah in this country, Jonas is riding a huge…
"dyer, right-handed"
The jazzy, ultra-cool Dexter, like most names with an "x," has a lot of energy and dynamism. Over the years, it's been attached to a number of diverse real and fictional personalities—C. K. Dexter…
Latinate feminine variation of Louis
"renowned warrior"
Louisa, a quaint but strong vintage name, might feel fresher in English speaking countries than old favorite Louise, just as Diana and Julia have more energy than Diane and Julie at the moment. Part…
German, diminutive of Rudolph
"famous wolf"
Rudy is one of those names that has been consistently in the US Top 1000 since the early 20th century without ever becoming overwhelmingly popular. It peaked back in the 1930s, when it briefly…
Spanish
Paloma is vibrant and ruby-lipped a la jewelry designer Paloma Picasso, but it also suggests peace, as symbolized by the dove. Paloma is a highly recommended striking but soft name, one of the best…
English
"plant name"
Of all the botanicals, Fern has been one of the slowest to move back from the front parlor into the nursery, despite the appealing girl character in the children's classic Charlotte's Web . Fern was…
German
"shining pledge"
Considered ultra debonair in the silent-movie era, Gilbert then went through a nerdy phase, a la Gilbert Gottfried. Now though, like Albert and Alfred and Walter and Frank, it could be in for a style…
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…
Spelling variation of Eleanor, English, French
A sleek, literary alternative to Eleanor, this stripped back form of Eleanor is a well-established spelling. It notably appears in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility , borne by Elinor Dashwood,…
Italian and Spanish variation of Eloise
"healthy; wide"
Eloisa captures a lovely name back from the spoiled little girl at the Plaza. Historical romance writer Eloisa James has helped make this antique name sound fresh and sassy again.
German variation of Oscar
Oskar is to Oscar as Jakob is to Jacob: more distinctive and continental.
French combination of Marie and Anne
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + grace"
A midcentury Catholic classic that's not chosen by many parents today. Leonard Cohen fans might think of the beautiful song So Long, Marianne , named for his lover and muse Marianne Ihlen. The…
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…
Imogene is a feminine name of Celtic origin, believed to be derived from the Gaelic word 'imogen,' meaning 'maiden' or 'daughter.' Some scholars suggest it may also have connections to the Latin…
"light"
This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides , originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in…
Greek
"sweetly speaking"
Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double L s and similarity to similar Eudora and Eula. Familiar in the US in the early 20th century, it was also a popular…
