User-created list
Names I Would Probably Name My Children
Across 14 pages
of 14
Ansel
German
"with divine protection"
Ansel, primarily associated with the great western photographer Ansel Adams, famed for his magnificent photographs of the Yosemite Valley, could make a creative artist-hero choice. For Adams it was a…
Arcadia
Greek
"region offering peace and contentment"
Arcadia, a name for an unspoiled paradise, makes an attractive secular alternative to Nevaeh or Eden. For parents who want an unusual name with a friendlier nickname, Arcadia has the advantage of…
Aubriana
Combination of Aubrey and Ana
Aubriana, along with Aubrianna and Aubriella, is an elaboration of a perfectly-good if too-trendy name, Aubrey. The final anna or ana or ella does not improve on the original. But A names of all…
Aveline
French from German
"desired; or island, water"
Aveline is a name that's long been an obscure cousin of more widely-used choices, but may come into its own riding the tail of the megapopular Ava, which may derive from the same root. Although…
Bellatrix
Latin
"female warrior"
J.K. Rowling is a modern master of naming who brought a whole constellation of ancient and celestial names to modern parents. Bellatrix, of one of the stars of Orion, combines fashionable names Bella…
Belle
Short form of Isabelle or French
"beautiful"
Belle has nothing but positive associations, from "belle of the ball" to "Southern belle" to the heroine of Disney's Beauty and the Beast . As if this weren't enough good things, Belle is also one of…
Caia
Latin, feminine variation of Caius
"to rejoice"
Caia Caecilia was the Roman Goddess of fire and women. The name Caia would make a truly fresh alternative to the flagging Maya, with which it rhymes.
Cara
Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese
"dear; friend; face"
Cara is a simple, sweet, Italian endearment that enjoyed its greatest popularity from the 1970s through the 1990s, reaching a high of Number 189 in 1977. Despite the rising celebrity of English…
Carys
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…
Celestia
Variation of Celeste, Latin
"heavenly"
Celestia is a heavenly name that sounds more ethereal than Celeste, Celestia might make a distinctive, feminine choice if your taste runs toward names like Angelina and Seraphina. Celestia was more…
Dalilah
Variation of Delilah or Dalili
Names that sound and/or are spelled like Dalilah exist in several languages, from the Swahili Dalili to the Arabic Dalil to the Hebrew Delilah. While all these forms have pretty sounds, you'll…
Danique
French variation of Danica
"morning star"
This Danielle/Monique hybrid offers a new twist on an old favorite.
Delaney
Irish
"dark river"
Cheerful but laidback, surname-style Delaney is derived from the Old Irish name Dubhshláine and has become a familiar choice for girls in recent decades. Nevertheless, it has also been used for boys…
Deon
Variation of Dion
Though a variation of Dion, this name made it into 2013's Top 1000 while the original did not.
Devyn
English variation of Devin, Irish
"poet"
A more feminine version of Devin.
Devyn
Devyn is a masculine name that emerged as a modern variant of Devon or Devin, which originated as place names and surnames derived from the county of Devon in England. This contemporary spelling with…
Eilish
Anglicized variation of Eilis, Irish form of Hebrew Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Eilish is one of those Irish names that, thanks to a celebrity, has suddenly become much more familiar outside of Ireland. Irish-American singer Billie Eilish (Eilish is actually one of her middle…
Eliot
Variation of Elliot, English diminutive of Elias
"Yahweh is God"
Sleekened spelling.
Elsa
German diminutive of Elisabeth
"pledged to God"
Lost in limbo for decades and decades, Elsa now stands a good chance of following along in the progression from Emma to Ella to Etta, thanks to the ice queen heroine who "Let It Go" in the wildly…