Names for Stories

Adagio

Adagio is a feminine name derived from the Italian musical term meaning 'at ease' or 'slowly.' In musical notation, adagio indicates a slow, leisurely tempo, often conveying grace and expressiveness.…

Sonata

Music name

Undiscovered musical form melodious enough to be a hit on the name charts.

Poet

English word name

A recently entered name on the roster, Poet was used for her daughter by Soleil Moon (Punky Brewster) Frye, who obviously appreciates the advantages of an unusual name. This is a possible middle name…

Winslet

English surname and place-name

"Wynn's channel or stream"

Winslet is one of a legion of surnames newly considered fair game as first names. The inspiration may be British star Kate, but she's not the only reason parents are attracted to Winslet, one of…

Bronte

Greek

"thunder"

This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights . While the original name took an umlaut over…

Gaia

Greek and Latin

"earth mother; rejoicing"

Floral, bright, and subtly powerful, Gaia is a name with two separate origins. In Greek mythology, it is the name of the earth goddess and the universal mother, who takes her epithet from the Ancient…

Zadie

English variation of Sadie, from Sarah, Hebrew

"princess"

When aspiring British writer Sadie Smith decided to change her name to the more distinctive and zippy Zadie at the age of fourteen, this attention-magnet name was born. But though it might sound like…

Kerr

Scottish

"living near wet ground"

Kerr, a simple, unusual unisex middle-name choice, can be pronounced either car or kehr.

Sapphire

Hebrew, Greek, and Latin jewel name

"blue"

Sapphire goes waaaaay beyond Ruby and Pearl. This September birthstone, occasionally used a century ago, might be worth a reappraisal, perhaps as a Sophie/Sophia alternative. Sapphire is the…

Rhapsody

French, musical term

Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.

Mason

English occupational name

"stoneworker"

Mason is a supertrendy name for boys that's starting to cross over -- Kelsey Grammer used it for his daughter. Creative speller's delight.

Arianwen

Welsh

"silver, white, fair, blessed"

Rarely heard outside of Wales, Arianwen combines the pretty Welsh element gwen with the silvery arian , giving it a metallic and shining meaning. The name is sometimes listed as one of the daughters…

Evening

Day name

Though this feels like a new invention, people have used day names such as Morning and Afternoon for centuries -- and so why not Evening too? It's a lovely word with an evocative meaning and makes a…