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West Germanic Names
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Harper
English
"harp player"
You might think of Harper as the hottest name of the last decade, jumping from obscurity to the Top 10, where it remained until last year. Victoria and David Beckham's choice of Harper for their…
Avery
English
"ruler of the elves"
Avery is a hugely popular name in the US, especially for girls. But while nearly four times as many girls as boys are named Avery today Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls while it…
Miles
English form of Milo, Latin and Old German,"soldier or merciful"
"soldier or merciful"
Miles, which has a permanent veneer of cool thanks to jazz great Miles Davis, is a confident and polished boys' name that's an American classic. Always ranking in the US Top 1000, it's been drifting…
Silas
Aramaic, Latin, Greek
"of the forest; or prayed for"
Sleek and smart, with a hint of mystique about it, Silas is a recent addition to the US Top 100. Both mythological and Biblical in origin, Silas joins the ranks of Isaiah, Atlas, Elias, and…
Haven
Word name, English
"a place of safety"
Haven is a recently invented safe-harbor name that appeals to an increasing number of parents who don't want to voyage quite as far as Heaven. Haven Kimmel is the author of the bestselling memoir A…
Lena
English, Scottish, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian, diminutive of various names ending in -lena
This pet form of Helena and other ena-ending names, long used as an independent name, is attracting notice again as an option both multicultural and simple. Lena was a Top 100 name from 1880 to 1920.…
Jesper
Jesper is a masculine name of Scandinavian origin, particularly popular in Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. It developed as a variation of the name Jasper, which derives from Persian meaning…
Bastien
French and Spanish, diminutive of Sebastien
"person from ancient city of Sebastia"
In this form, or as Sebastian or as Bas, Bastien is a fashionable Euro name with a possible future in America. There is a one-act comic opera by Mozart titled Bastien and Bastienne . An alternate…
Willem
Dutch variation of William
"resolute protector"
Common in Holland, the appealing Willem (as in de Kooning and Dafoe) makes William fresh and distinctive.
Elinor
Spelling variation of Eleanor, English, French
A sleek, literary alternative to Eleanor, this stripped back form of Eleanor is a well-established spelling. It notably appears in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility , borne by Elinor Dashwood,…
Sanne
Dutch, diminutive of Susanne
"lily"
Sanne is hugely popular in the Netherlands, but almost unknown here; which makes it an interesting prospect for the parent in search of an unusual name. Pronounced sah-na, Sanne is in keeping with…
Elke
Dutch, German, and Frisian diminutive of Adelheid
"noble"
Though she has long stood on her own, Elke has many longer cross-cultural connections, to the Dutch/German/Scandinavian Adelheid and Alice and the English Adelaide, as a feminine version of Elkanah…
Karsten
Spelling variation of Carsten
See CARSTEN.
Sander
Dutch and Scandinavian, diminutive of Alexander
"defending men"
Sander is a more conventional form of Zander or Xander, heard frequently on its own in Europe. It is now a Top 20 name in Norway, and is also popular in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Roth
German
"redhead"
This surname-name originated as a nickname for redheads.
AMES
Rifka
Yiddish variation of Rivka, Hebrew
"to tie, bind"
The Yiddish form of Rivka hums along at the bottom of the baby name charts. It's been given to anywhere between 5 and 20 baby girls since the late '60s. Rivka is currently more than 30 times as…
Johannah
Johannah is a feminine name that serves as an elaborated form of Hannah, which comes from the Hebrew name Channah, meaning 'grace' or 'favor.' This elegant variation combines elements of Hannah with…
Hanne
Danish, Norwegian, German, Dutch
"grace"
This spin on the popular Hannah is widely-used in Europe and pronounced similarly to Hannah. It may also be a short form of Johanne, from John/Joan.
ESCHER