User-created list
Unusual Names Used by European Aristocrats
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Kiloran
Kingsmill
Lalage
Greek
"to chatter"
An interesting name despite the pronunciation challenge. It has literary roots, both in the classical poetry of Horace, and as a character in John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman . Appealing…
Lawrence
Latin
"from Laurentium or bay laurel"
We approve of this name for a girl, but prefer the au, Laura-Laurenish, spelling.
Lodge
English
"shelter"
This English surname offers an interesting mix of images: it sounds upper-crusty yet macho, and also conjures up the coziness of a wintery ski lodge. As a surname it is associated with the…
Lorna
English literary name
One of those names like Pamela, Vanessa and Wendy, Lorna was invented for a particular literary character--the protagonist of the 1869 novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore--and then perpetuated as…
Lucina
Roman
"grove or light"
Lucina, deriving from Latin lucus "grove" and also associated with lux "light", is an epithet given in Roman mythology to the goddess Juno (and sometimes also Diana) in her role as goddess of…
Lurline
Variation of Lorelei, German
"alluring temptress"
The lilting Lorelei has given birth to many variations, including this one, now extinct.
Lancelle
Malvina
Scottish
"smooth-browed one"
An invention of the eighteenth-century romantic poet James Macpherson, in his epic cycle about Ossian, a legendary Celtic hero. In Poland, where it was popular at the start of the 20th century, the…
Marinda
Marinda is a melodious feminine name with multiple potential origins. It may be a variant of Miranda (meaning "worthy of admiration" in Latin), a combination of Maria and Linda, or derived from the…
Marius
Latin, from a Roman family name related to Mars, the god of war
Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius…
Melita
Greek
"honey"
A coffee filter.
Meribah
Biblical place name, Hebrew
"quarreling"
Though this Biblical place name is found among early American settlers, usually as a male name, today it sounds completely feminine. As a place name, its gender is mutable in any case. An unusual and…
Meshach
Akkadian
"who is what Aku is?"
Derived from Aku, the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament this is the Babylonian name of Mishael, one of the three men cast into a furnace but saved by…
Myfanwy
Welsh
"my fine one; my woman; my beloved"
A lyrical Welsh name with both poetry and ruggedness, Myfanwy can mean "my fine, delicate one", "my woman", or "my beloved", depending on whether you consider the second element as derived from manwy…
Mariot
Marsali
Marsaline
Melasina