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Guilty Pleasures
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Corinne
French variation of Greek Korinna
"maiden"
Corinne is one of the names that, it might surprise you to learn, ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names until 2020, when it fell off the charts after 140 years. Its most popular year was 1926, when…
Aelin
Alouette
French
"lark"
Alouette is a sweet Gallic twist in the stylish bird name genre made familiar via the charming French children's song, Alouette, gentile alouette .
Calixta
Greek
"most beautiful"
Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate…
Coriana
Coriana is a feminine name with a melodic quality that appears to blend classical and modern naming elements. It may have developed as an elaboration of Cora (derived from the Greek 'kore' meaning…
Cosette
French literary nickname
"little thing"
Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables . In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some…
Echo
Greek mythology name
"echo or sound"
Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…
Eliska
Czech from Hebrew, pet form of Elisheva
"pledged to God"
Eliška is warm and friendly, in the Misha, Sasha mode.
Elya
Slavic form of Helen
A Slavic variation of Helen that might make an unusual update of that classic name.
Ever
English word name
"always, eternally, constantly"
A simple, unusual word name with an evocative meaning, Ever feels similar enough to Eva, Evelyn, and Everly that it shifts easily into name territory. Actor Robert Carradine was ahead of the trends…
Isaline
French variation of Isabelle
A trendy name in France, sometimes also spelled Ysaline, that's related to both Isabelle and Iseult. To the American ear, it freshens up Isabelle without really improving on it.
Kessie
African, Ashanti
"chubby baby"
Kessie is cute but slight.
Mazarine
French color name
Mazarine is a deep blue color also used as a first name in honor of Cardinal Mazarin, a leader of France in the 17th century. As a first name, Mazarine is as charming as it is unusual.
Mireia
Catalan form of Mireille
"to admire"
Popular name in Spain drawn from the Provencal Mireio, coined by the poet Frederic Mistral. Very pretty and, though difficult to spell and pronounce, simpler than the French version.
Musette
Musette is a delicate feminine name of French origin with musical associations. Derived from the French word for a small bagpipe-like instrument popular in the 18th century, it also refers to a…
Perdita
Latin
"lost"
A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale , Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with…
Reverie
Word name
"pleasant, dreamlike state"
With strong sounds but a whimsical feel, Reverie is a word name associated with being in a dreamy, ethereal state, of being lost in a daydream, or coming up with a pleasant fantasy for the future.…
Sada
Hebrew variation of Sarah; also Japanese
"chaste"
The late actress Sada Thompson introduced this obscure but usable form.
Saskia
Dutch
"Saxon"
From the first time we saw the name Saskia attached to a portrait of Rembrandt's wife (her full name was Saakje van Uylenburgh, but she was always called Saskia), we have found it utterly charming…
Senna
Botanical name; Arabic
"brightness"
Senna is a flowering bush common in the tropics, with bright yellow flowers. In herbal medicine, Senna has gained some notice as the active ingredient in so-called "dieter's teas," which works mainly…