User-created list
By pinkpetals · Updated February 2023
Across 7 pages
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French word name
"large claw of a bird of prey"
Rough and rugged, Talon is often associated with birds of prey, though more generally, it refers to any large claw, whether that's physical, metaphorical, or fantastical. The name has appeared in the…
International feminine variation of Jan
A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.
Hebrew
"a plain"
This Old Testament place name was in the Top 10 fifty years ago, but now Sharon, along with sound-alike Karen, have fallen out of favor.
German variation of Madeline; combination of Mary and Magdalen
Marlene Dietrich made it famous when she condensed her first two names, Maria and Magdalena. Now more often pronounced with two syllables rather than three.
"God has heard"
The authentic Biblical form of a name that has become even more popular alongside Jaden, Jayden, Jaidan et al. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, whose children are named creatively after their…
German, Scandinavian, and Finnish form of Mark
The K may be trendy, but this spelling variation is much less popular than Marcus.
English
"shield-wolf"
Medieval name without much of a future.
"dweller near the burnt land"
One of several blunt B names just this side of the gender divide. While its short and to-the-point sound may feel modern, it has been declining steadily since the 1980s. David Brent is Ricky…
Scottish
"blade of a sword"
First the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's 1822 novel The Pirate , then a glamorous 1940s debutante, then the troubled twin on Beverly Hills 90210, and now fading in favor of more modern Brenna, Briana,…
Variation of Schuyler, Dutch "scholar"
"scholar"
This Americanized spelling of the Dutch name is now used nearly exclusively for girls in the US. While the Skyler variant remains more statistically unisex, the original Dutch spelling, Schuyler, is…
Spelling variation of Jeffrey
Jeffery is common enough to be an accepted variation but not common enough to be the one you should choose. Nonetheless, this spelling has charted since the early-twentieth century, much like its…
Popular in the US from the 1920s to the 1950s, Arlene is of uncertain origin and seems to be a modern innovation, perhaps based on names like Marlene and Darlene which were popular around the same…
English spelling variation of Laurie; diminutive of Laura
"from Laurentium or bay laurel"
Lori, with this sleek modern spelling, was an extremely popular name in the middle of the 20th century, ranking among the Top 100 girls' names from the early 1950s until the early 1980s. But it was…
English variation of Emily, Latin
"rival"
Again, we see the trendy -ee suffix.
Irish
"dark, black-haired"
A name that Yanks might see as overly British, but combined with the right surname, it does have a measure of Sherlock Holmesian dash via Nigel Bruce, who played the original Dr. Watson to Basil…
"poet"
Used far more for boys with this spelling, but still has a nice impish Irish feel for a girl.
Diminutive of Janet, Jane, Jean, and Jennifer
Long before the Jennifer Era, Jennie was a fashionable pet form of several names, and was also used independently -- in 1875 it was in the Top 20. Jennie was replaced by the Jenny spelling in the…
Diminutive of Alexandra or Alexis
"defending men"
One of the most evenly divided unisex names these days; strong and energetic, if overused, for both genders.
Norse
"church"
Far more friendly and open than similar one-syllable names like Kent, Kurt, and Karl, it's been associated for more than half a century with actor Kirk Douglas, whose birth name was Issur…
French variation of Diana, Latin
"divine"
Like Joanne and Christine, middle-aged Diane has been overshadowed by the a-ending version of her name. Diane has a definite mid-century feel; it was a Top 20 name from 1946 to 1959. Though it has…
