User-created list
By crispy · Updated May 2023
Across 2 pages
of 2
Latin
"born in June"
Junius is one of those names that's growing on us, along with many of its Roman countrymen such as Julius and Atticus. We once thought it was a combination of the least attractive elements of Junior…
Greek
"gold"
Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on…
Hungarian and Dutch diminutive of Maria
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Robust and energetic with an even blend of spikiness and elegance, Mariska is a diminutive of Maria, notably used in Hungary and The Netherlands. Internationally, it was brought into the spotlight by…
English
"cliff near a heath"
Heathcliff is the name of the original passionate macho hero of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights , and also of the cartoon cat. It was chosen by fashionista Lucy Sykes for her son, and inspired the…
Compound name, combining May, Mary, Margaret or Maya with Ella
"Maytime fairy; beloved fairy; pearl-like fairy; fairy mother"
A sunny sounding name, Mayella is a smoosh name with various meanings, depending on which etymological root you follow for May . The name is perhaps most associated with Mayella Ewell in Harper Lee's…
French
"strength of a bull"
A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin…
Irish
"fair-haired"
This is an ancient saints' name well used in Ireland but a rarity here and unlikely to ever reach the popularity of other Finn-ish names. St. Finbarr (the more common spelling) is the patron saint of…
"of Evreux; riverbank"
Swashbuckling name worthy of a hero in a romance novel. Deveraux or Devereaux is drawn from the town of Evreux in France and combined with the prefix de- denoting it likely referred to a noble of…
French from German
"famous in battle"
Pronounced klo-TEELD, this name is well used in France, but rarely heard here; it has a chic and sophisticated air.
"grain of corn"
Name of both a goddess and a heroine in Irish mythology, it's popular in Ireland and possible here, especially in its Anglicized spelling, Grania.
Scottish
"from the high cliffs"
Rarely used un-Gaelic-sounding Scottish name with literary associations to Erskine Caldwell, author of Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre .
