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Book Names
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Susan
English diminutive of Susannah, Hebrew
"lily"
Although Susan had her heyday from the thirties to the sixties, and is now common among moms and new grandmas, and though most modern parents would prefer Susanna/Susannah, we have spotted some…
Ernie
Variation of Ernest, English from German
"serious, resolute"
Not too long ago, Ernie may have felt totally out of style: a clunky old man nickname, best reserved for grandpa alongside Merle, Errol, and Barney. Now however, it's a rising star, a vintage revival…
Rosmerta
Pansy
English flower name from French
"thought"
Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.
Carlisle
English
"from the walled city"
This stuffy English surname and hotel name took on Twilight cool when attached to vampire Carlisle Cullen. Inspired by the character, it's more popular in this spelling than as Carlyle and more…
Renesmee
Literary invention
Invented by author Stephenie Meyer for the Twilight series for the half-human, half-vampire daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, it's an amalgamtion of the names of Bella's mother Renee and…
Renee
French from Latin
"reborn"
Chic in the fifties, now kept in the public eye mainly by actress Zellweger. Variations include Rene, Renae, and Renny.
Aro
Finnish diminutive of Aaron
Aro is a cute name from Scandinavia which, given the popularity of similar names like Milo, Arlo etc might be ripe for more usage outside of the Nordic countries.
Tanya
Russian diminutive of Tatiana
Long integrated into the U. S. name pool but still retaining some Slavic flavor, Tanya feels a bit tired; it's ready for replacement by cooler Russian choices like Sasha, Mischa, or parent name…
Irina
Russian from Greek
"peace"
Irina is a Russian ballet-inflected classic, one of the Three Sisters in the Chekhov play. While some Americans will pronounce this like Irene with three syllables, the pronunciation used throughout…
Eleazar
Hebrew
"God helps"
Eleazar is a distinguished Biblical name--in which it appears several times-- ripe for the picking following the stardom of Eli, Elijah, and other similar names. Eleazar is also a Twilight name,…
Rosemarie
Combination of Rose and Marie
"rose flower + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Rosemarie had its moment in the sun back in the middle of the last century, when parents were looking for new ways to recycle traditional family names. So a child might combine her two grandma's…
Vasilisa
Feminization of Vasili, Russian from Greek
"royal, kingly"
Vasilisa is the feminine form of Vasili, the Russian translation of Basil.
Dimitri
Russian from Greek Demetrius
"follower of Demeter"
Dimitri is a Slavic variation of the Russian Dmitriy, a name that comes from the Greek Demetrius. Demetrius was derived from Demeter, the name of the Greek goddess of fertility and farming. Among the…
Janine
French variation of Jane
Has lost all trace of its French accent.
Jillian
Phonetic spelling of Gillian
"youthful"
This spelling of Jillian is now much more popular than the original, maybe because the G version invites pronunciation problems.
Natasha
Russian diminutive of Natalya
"birthday of the Lord"
Natasha, an appealing, still unusual name, entered the American mainstream post-Cold War but seems to have peaked in the eighties, replaced by the more straightforward Natalie. As is common for…
Clarissa
Elaboration of Clara
"bright, clear"
Clarissa, the daintier version of Claire, has a long literary history of its own, having been featured in the novels of Samuel Richardson, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf—Clarissa was the title…
Valentine
Latin
"strength, health"
Valentine is an attractive Shakespearean name with romantic associations, but those very ties to the saint and the sentimental holiday have sent it into a decline, one which we think may be about to…
Annabeth
Combination of Anna and Beth
This is a long-recognized smoosh name merging Anna with the short form of Elizabeth, and is one of the prettiest combo names, a possible alternative to Annabel. Annabeth Chase is one of the main…