User-created list
By iolite · Updated April 2023
Across 6 pages
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French form of Latin Maximus
"greatest"
A cute and fresh way to get to Max, this was the name of a sixth century saint. Maxence is a Top 100 boys' name in France, but largely unknown in the US where it is given to only a handful of baby…
Silvan is a masculine name derived from Latin 'silva' meaning 'forest' or 'woodland.' It relates to the Roman deity Silvanus, who was the god of woods and wild fields. The name carries nature-based…
Geographical name
Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie put this name of a geographical feature on the baby name map when she chose it for her newborn daughter, Vale Guthrie Feldman. Vale might be considered part nature…
English, feminine variation of Thomas, Aramaic
"twin"
Pre-Thomasina female form of Thomas, now seen as more literary and upscale British. In Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native, a leading character is Thomasin Yeobright.
English word name
"holy day"
A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting…
French form of Apollonia, feminine variation of Apollo, Greek mythology name
"destroyer"
Apolline is a luscious French name chic in Paris -- it's a Top 100 name for baby girls in France -- and ripe for the plucking in the English-speaking world. Derived from the mythological name Apollo,…
Latin and French
"fair Christian"
Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given…
English
"queen"
Wisecracking waitress name stuck in the luncheonette. Started as nickname for girls named Regina -- queen in Latin -- now mostly a canine choice.
German, pet form of names such as Waldemar
"to rule"
Its jaunty o-ending makes this name more appealing than most of its Germanic brothers, and we hope we're beyond the constant response to his name being "Where's Waldo?" The weighty reputation of…
Short form of Alonso or Alonzo, Spanish or Italian
"noble and ready"
The Spanish Alonso and the Italian Alonzo are both widely used in the US, so you may meet more guys named Lonny than you expect.
Flower name; Latin
"healing"
One of the rarest of the floral names, though not without some teasing potential. Peony is a historical 1948 novel by Pearl S. Buck.
Greek mythology name
Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example. Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter,…
Cornish variation of Pascal
"Easter"
Pascoe was popular in medieval times and is definitely deserving of revival, especially for a child born in the Easter season. Other spellings are Pasco and Pascow.
Cornish place and saint's name
This Cornish place name comes from the name of a Breton saint who came to Cornwall. It could be an interesting alternative to Austin. The spelling has also been recorded as Austol.
Greek
"earth mother"
Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain, agriculture, and the harvest, growth and nourishment, was Zeus's sister and Persephone's mother. Variation Demetria is the full name of actress Demi Moore. Though…
Aramaic
Pronounced like Tom, but not everyone will know that.
French place-name and surname
Creative choice, evoking the high-kicking can-can girls and other colorful figures in the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.
Spanish
"Indian"
This name of a California desert town, used by Deborah Falconer and Robert Downey, Jr. for their son, makes a much livelier and more individual – not to mention more masculine – improvisation on the…
French variation of Vivian
"life"
Embroidered lace hankie of a name, used in a Thomas Hardy novel. That literary cred lends some gravitas. An exceedingly rare name -- Viviette was used for no baby girls In the US last year -- it…
English variation of Yves
"yew wood"
Smooth and sleek one-syllable name, sometimes suggested for Sagittarius boys.
