User-created list
By clairels · Updated May 2023
Across 3 pages
of 3
Short form of Louise
"renowned warrior"
Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to…
Spanish from Greek
"violet flower"
Bold and distinctive, Yolanda is a floral name that doesn't sound frilly or delicate. Ultimately deriving from the Greek words ioles meaning "violet" and anthos meaning "flower", it appears in a…
French or English
"stain or from the south meadow"
A jaunty offshoot of Sullivan, Sully will be associated by kids with the beloved character in the Pixar animated film Monsters, Inc . Some notable real-life namesakes are French poet and essayist…
English
"son of John"
No competition for Jackson.
Spanish, diminutive of Rosa
"rose"
This spirited Spanish variation of Rosa was familiar in the mid-20th century, but is used more quietly now. Given to around 35 babies in the US each year, it could work as a fresh alternative to…
"one who lives near a grove of trees"
Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look, similar in…
English nature name
"prairie"
Unspecific place name with a wonderfully wide-open, spacious, western feel; used for a character in Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland . Prairie is derived from the Old French word praierie , which…
Dutch
"rose field"
Presidential surname adopted as a first by numbers of midcentury African-American parents.
Latin
"famous warrior"
This name is a classic example of an underused golden oldie that ticks so many boxes - unusual yet traditional, heaps of cute nicknames, a statement name that exudes retro cool. Aloysius is the Latin…
Variation of Ernest, English from German
"serious, resolute"
Not too long ago, Ernie may have felt totally out of style: a clunky old man nickname, best reserved for grandpa alongside Merle, Errol, and Barney. Now however, it's a rising star, a vintage revival…
Slavic or German
"shepherdess; wanderer"
Rarely heard, and when it is, usually attached to a witch. Historically, though, Wanda was a legendary eighth century queen of Poland, and in literature it is the central character of Ouida's…
Barkley is a masculine name of English origin, originally a surname derived from the Old English 'beorc' meaning 'birch tree' and 'leah' meaning 'woodland clearing' or 'meadow.' As a first name,…
English, diminutive of Albert and Bertram
A once-popular nickname for Albert and Bertram now being polished up by hip Brits, but still hibernating in the Land of Nerd over here.
Irish, variant of Diarmaid/Dermot
"without injunction, without envy"
Kermit was a Top 500 name until the 1960s, not coincidentally the decade in which Kermit the Frog made it a one-person (well, one-frog) name. Derived from the Irish surname Mac Diamada, itself from…
Abbreviated form of Rudolf, German
"famous wolf"
Like Papa name Rudolf, Rolf never quite emigrated from the Bavarian Alps. You might want to move on to Rollo or Wolf.
Italian from German
"protector"
Elmo, like fellow Sesame Street characters Kermit and Grover, has a hard time being taken seriously. (It isn't easy being red either.) But Elmo also calls to mind the image of St. Elmo's fire--the…
Femeninization of Ernest, English from German
One time joke name, à la Lily Tomlin's bossy telephone operator, Ernestine is ready for a possible reevaluation, like cousins Josephine and Clementine.
American nickname
The quintessential midcentury nickname, famously found in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman." Biff is late 19th century slang meaning to "hit", so Biff may have originated as a nickname for a…
