Pretty Soldiers

As the song says, "Dinah, is there anyone finer?" Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume.

Slimmed down spelling is well-established and makes an old name more modern, for better and worse. Katie Couric spells her Elinor's name this way.

Despite (or because of) her tragic story in Greek myth--Eurydice was poisoned by a snake and condemned to the underworld, where her husband, musician Orpheus, tried and failed to bring her back--she has provided creative inspiration in the arts, namely as the subject of operas by Monteverdi, Haydn and Gluck, in an eponymous play by Jean Anouilh, and the myth was the inspiration for Tennessee William's drama Orpheus Descending. Paintings by Titian, Rubens and Poussin also focus on Eurydice.

Variation of Pharamond.

Whether you think of the chocolates or the naked long-haired lady on the horse, Godiva is a name with baggage no child should have to carry.

A cross between Ian and a group of atomic particles.

The quality of mercy makes this lovely Puritan virtue name a quiet favorite today. Although it was most popular in the late nineteenth century, Mercy is on its way to a comeback -- it rose 143 spots between 2012 and 2013, making it one of the year's fastest-rising names. Right now, it's still stylish and distinctive, a rare and wonderful combination.

Paloma is vibrant and ruby-lipped a la jewelry designer Paloma Picasso, but it also suggests peace, as symbolized by the dove. Paloma is a highly recommended striking but soft name, one of the best of the names that mean peace and girls' names starting with P.

Will assure your daughter she's numero uno.

Sigrid is a distinctly Scandinavian name that is starting to edge out into the wider world, a la cousin Ingrid. Unfortunately, short form Siri is now off the table, but Sigrid is still a possibility.

The Viktor form of this classic name is widely used throughout Europe and is rising in the US as well.