Venetia, the name of the region encompassing Venice, has a radiant, picturesque authenticity, as do the related Venezia and Venice.

The most famous Vlad was nicknamed "the Impaler." Enough said.

Ventura started life as a shortening of Bonaventura, Spanish for good luck or good fortune, but now stands on its own. It has a pleasant sound and the stylish 'V' ending, but Angelenos would associate it with the Valley's main stem--Ventura Boulevard, and others might think of Ace or Jesse Ventura.

Ten years ago we would have advised people to steer clear of this name (and maybe choose the similar sounding Walter instead); but with the rise of other Nordic and Eastern European names like Viggo and Casimir, maybe its time to re-thing Valdemar. It's a big name, but with enough penache, it could be pulled off. Valdemar was introduced to Scandinavia in the 12th Century by a Danish king named for his Ukrainian grandfather, and is currently in the Danish Top 20.

For a girl, we'd say Val-en-teen, though many would insist on pronouncing it like the holiday.

Deriving from the Roman cognomen Vivianus, Vivian was originally a masculine name, with Vivien being a feminine soundalike coined by Alfred Lord Tennyson for the Lady of the Lake in his famous poetic adaptation of the legend of King Arthur. It has since become a much more popular choice for girls in the US, but retains a refined British charm which sees it cropping up occasionally for boys in the Telegraph birth announcements.

Much more upscale and modern for a girl than a boy.

This vivid reddish orange color name is an undiscovered possibility -- kind of a female equivalent of Cerulean for boys.

The name of prize-winning American architect Robert Venturi would make a somewhat awkward first.

Name with aristrocratic overtones.

Place-name waiting to be discovered.

Though this one would be sure to inspire confusion, Ven- names can be an intriguing alternative to the Ben- group.

Substituting the V for the W sounds almost comedic to the American ear.

Volcano name for an active, bubbly child -- but be careful -- volcanoes do erupt.