Feminine names with an International Flair

Florinda

Spanish and Portuguese elaboration of Flora or Florence

Florinda may be taking a good thing, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and springtime, and making it too elaborate.

Vespera

Latin

"evening star"

Said to refer to either Jupiter or Venus, either of which would be preferable as a name.

Eugenia

Feminine variation of Eugene, Greek

"wellborn, noble"

Eugenia, a name scarcely used at all since the 1980's, is another that flourished a century ago and could be due for a revival. Eugenia has some interesting literary references, including the…

Amada

Feminine variation of Amado, Spanish

"loved"

Amada is an unusual Spanish name that's becoming more famous thanks to Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, who named their second daughter Amada Lee and their first Esmeralda Amada. Amada was also the name…

Franca

Latin

"free"

One of the most attractive and unusual spins on the "Fran" franchise.

Carmela

Italian and Spanish variation of Carmel

"garden"

Carmela has been most famous recently as the name of Tony Soprano's TV wife, played by Edie Falco. The spellings Carmela and Carmella are both used in Latin cultures including Italian, Spanish, and…

Zenaida

Greek

"the life of Zeus; dedicated to Zeus"

A powerful name with an intriguing air of antiquity, Zenaida has the freshness of Zephyr and Azalea too. Meaning "life of Zeus" or "dedicated to Zeus", it was notably borne by the first-century…

Zulma

Arabic

"peace"

A rare Arabic name related to the Hebrew Shalom, Solomon or Salome, meaning "peace", " safety" or "completeness". In complete contrast, it could be related to the word "dhulm" or "zulm" meaning…