User-created list
By MissSKay · Updated July 2022
Across 4 pages
of 4
English from French
"blessing, lucky"
Boone is one of the advancing herd of lean and lanky cowboy names with a laid-back, backwoods, Western feel—and surprising French roots. It's inevitably linked with legendary frontiersman Daniel, and…
Scottish
"white, fair"
Fiona entered the American consciousness with the opening of the 1954 Broadway musical Brigadoon , but didn't come onto the U.S. popularity list until 1990. Fiona is the best known of a group of…
Latin
"good fortune, happy"
Felicity is as accessible a virtue name as Hope and Faith, but much more feminine -- and dare we say, happier. The hit TV show did a lot to soften and modernize the once buttoned-up image of…
"dyer, right-handed"
The jazzy, ultra-cool Dexter, like most names with an "x," has a lot of energy and dynamism. Over the years, it's been attached to a number of diverse real and fictional personalities—C. K. Dexter…
Celtic
"bounty; loved"
Soft yet solid, Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for the noble character of the hero's father in Ivanhoe , presumed to be an altered form of the Saxon name Cerdic ("bounty"), or the Brythonic…
"maiden"
Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen…
Norse
"fair; Ing is beautiful"
The luminous Ingrid Bergman's appeal was strong enough to lend universal charisma to this classic Scandinavian name, which has been somewhat neglected in the US. Even today, a child named Ingrid…
Aramaic
"gazelle"
Though never as popular as the name of her Bewitched mother, Samantha, Tabitha has its own quirky, magical charm. The name of a charitable woman who was restored to life by Saint Peter in the Bible,…
English, Celtic, Welsh
"friend or white"
It is popularly claimed that the name Wendy was invented by Sir James Barrie in 1904 for the big sister character in his play Peter Pan , which was followed by the classic novel in 1911. Barrie…
Greek
"rock, stone"
A strong Greek name with pan-European charm, Petra is a relatively recent feminization of Peter, though it relates back to an incredible ancient city in Jordan that was rediscovered in the early…
German and Dutch, feminine variation of Wilhelm
"resolute protection"
Wilhelmina might once have been condemned as a clunky relic best left in the past, but a steadily increasing number of parents are dusting it off for their 21st century babies. A reasonably popular…
Irish
"cloud"
Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool. This is an ancient name borne by several of the high kings of Tara, the most…
English, Lithuanian
"noble strength; storm"
Used primarily in Scotland, and represented here by singer Audra McDonald, the girls' name Audra has been overshadowed by the return of the classic Audrey. Audra may be to Audrey what Jenna is to…
French
"from the fortress"
Simple, usable surname choice.
Irish Gaelic
"bright"
Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who…
"loyal"
With both the Dillon and Dylan spellings, usage of this gender-neutral names runs about ten to one boys to girls. But Dylan is used about 20 times as often as Dillon for both genders. Which might be…
Italian
"joyous"
In music, the term allegro means "quickly, lively tempo," which makes this quintessential Bohemian ballet dancer's name all the more appealing. Allegra is one of the most distinctive yet accessible…
Welsh
"love"
Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late…
Italian feminine variation of Cosmo, Greek
"order, beauty, universe"
Cosima, the kind of elegant and unusual name the British upper classes love to use for their daughters, is given to a handful of baby girls in the US after being chosen by two high-profile celebs in…
"to sprout, to swell"
Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan…
