Franken-Names

Happy Halloween! This seemed like a good time to highlight those names that are mash-ups, but work. They may inspire thoughts of pitchforks & fire for some, but they've proven the test of time (well, decades or so, anyway).
For some reason, combination-names are nearly exclusively feminine.

• Aeronwen (eye-RON-wen, Welsh)--Aeron, "berry" + Gwen, "fair, blessed"
• Annabella (an-nah-BEL-lah, English, Italian)
• Annalee (an-nah-LEE, English)
• Annalisa (ahn-nah-LEE-sah, Italian)
• Annegret (AHN-ne-gret, German)--Anna + Margaret
• Annelien (ahn-ne-LEEN, Dutch)--Anna + Carolien, Evelien, Angelien,  or Paulien
• Anneliese (ah-nah-LEEZ-eh, German; an-nah-LEES, English)--Anna + Elisabeth
• Annemarie (ah-nah-mah-REE, Dutch, German)
• Arianwen (ahr-ee-ON-wen)--Arianell, "silver", + Gwen
• Belphoebe (bel-FEE-bee, English)--Belle, "beautiful" + Phoebe, "bright, pure"
• Carreen (cahr-REEN, English)--Caroline + Irene
• Charmaine (shar-MAIN, English)--Charmion, "delight", + Lorraine
• Christabel (KRIS-ta-bel, English)--Christine + Belle
• Claribel (CLAIR-ih-bel, English)
• Fioralba (fee-or-AHL-bah, Italian)--Fiore, "flower", + Alba, "dawn"
• Hannelore (HAH-ne-lor-eh, German)--Hanna + Eleonore
• Leanne (lee-AN, English)
• Lilou (lee-LOO, French)--Lili + Louise
• Lisanne (lis-AHN-neh, Dutch)--Lisa + Anne
• Liselotte (lee-zeh-LOT-teh, German)--Lisa + Charlotte
• Mairwen (MIRE-wen, Welsh)--Mair [Mary] + Gwen
• Maite (MYE-teh, Portuguese)--Maria + Teresa
• Maribel (mar-ee-BEL, Spanish)--Maria + Isabel
• Maricela (mar-ee-SEHL-ah, Spanish)--Maria + Celia, "heaven"
• Maricruz (MAH-ree-crooz, Spanish)--Maria + Cruz, "cross"
• Marilène (mar-ih-LEHN, French)--Marie + Helene
• Marilou (mair-ee-LOO, English)
• Marisol (mahr-ee-SOHL, Spanish)--Maria + Soledad, "solitude" or Sol, "sun"
• Marlis (MAHR-lis, German)--Mary + Elisabeth
• Maryanne (mair-ee-AN, English)
• Mylène (mee-LEHN, French)--Marie + Helene
• Rosabel (ROHZ-ah-bel, English)
• Rosangela (roh-zahn-JEL-ah, Italian)
• Rosanna (roh-ZAN-nah, English)
• Rosemarie (ROH-seh-mah-ree, German, Scandinavian; rohz-mah-REE, English)
• Tegeirian (teg-EYE-ryen, Welsh)--Tegan, "pretty", + Eirian, "shining"

Random Fact of the Day:

Although the R sound is made mainly with the lips in standard American English, in most languages and even some English dialects, the R is pronounced almost exclusively with the tongue, similar to the L. This accounts for the R to L shift in old nicknames (Mary to Molly, Sarah to Sally, for example) and the difficulty new English learners have with our Rs ("flied lice", anyone?); as well as the inability of most English speakers to roll their Rs.

X Marks the Spot

Like J & K, Xs are relatively rare in English words, and so they're memorable & eye-catching. Unlike J & K, however, it's hard to find (or adapt) acceptable names containing X. One small problem is that X's pronunciation varies greatly from language to language. But, if you don't mind correcting people, there are quite a few fun X names out there.

Boys:

• Ajax (AY-jaks, Greek)
• Anxo (AN-shah, Galician)--form of Angel
• Axel (AKS-el, German, Scandinavian)--form of Absolom
• Dax (DAKS, English)--from Old English Dæcca, "day"
• Dexter (DEKS-ster, English)
• Felix (FEE-liks or FEHL-iks, Latin)--"lucky"
• Ganix (JAHN-eesh, Basque)--form of John
• Lennox (LEN-oks, Scottish)
• Mannix (MAN-niks, Irish)--Anglicized from either Mainchin or Mag Aonghuis
• Ximun (SHEE-mun, Basque)--form of Simon

Girls:

• Arantxa (ah-RANT-shah, Basque)
• Axelle (aks-EL-leh, French)--feminine of Axel
• Beatrix (BEE-ah-triks, or BEH-ah-triks, Latin)--"traveller"
• Eudoxia (yu-DOKS-ee-ah, Greek)--"good fame" 
• Itxaro (eet-SHAH-roh, Basque)--"hope"
• Ixchel (ee-SHEL, Mayan)--Mayan goddess of the earth, medicine, and the moon
• Meritxell (mur-eet-CHEL, Catalan)--"midday"
• Polyxena (pol-ih-KSEE-ah, Greek)--"much hospitality"
• Roxelana (roks-el-AH-nah, Turkish)
• Ruxandra (rewks-AN-drah, Romanian)--form of Roxana, "dawn"
• Uxia (oo-SHEE-ah, Basque)--form of Eugenia
• Xanthe (ZAN-theh or ZAN-thee, Greek)
• Xenia (KSEN-ya or ZEN-ee-ah, Greek)
• Xiomara (see-oh-MAHR-ah, Spanish)
• Xoana (shoh-AW-nah, Galician)--form of John

Either!:

• Alexis (ah-LEKS-ish, Greek)--"defender"
• Calix (CAHL-iks, Latin)
• Lux (LEWKS, Latin)--"light"
• Pax (PAKS, Latin)--"peace"
• Phoenix (FEE-niks, Greek)
• Xuan (sooun, Vietnamese)--"spring"
• Xue (shooeh, Chinese)--"snow" or "learning"
• Xun (shooen, Chinese)--"fast, sudden"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Polly

Polly likely brings up mental images of black-and-white movies. It's cute, but somehow old, and maybe a bit musty. It was originally a nickname for Mary...huh?
Long story short: Mary became Molly, due to the difficulty some dialects have with the letter R. Rhyming nicknames were all the rage back in Ye Olde English (Rick-->Dick, Will-->Bill, etc), so Molly became Polly.
However, Polly's not exactly an intuitive nickname for Mary in modern English, so here're some alternatives. :)

• Apolline (ah-pol-leen, French)--form of Apollonia. Other variants include Apolena (Czech), Polina (Russian), and Polona (Slovene). 
• Palmira (pahl-MEE-rah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)--"traveller"
• Paloma (pahl-OH-mah, Spanish)--"dove"
• Paolina (pow-LEE-nah, Italian)--feminine form of Paul, "humble"
• Penelope (pen-EL-oh-pee, Greek)
• Peronel (PEHR-oh-nel, English)--form of Petronilla
• Polymnia (pol-IM-nee-ah, Greek)--"many songs". The Greek muse of dance & song.
• Polyxena (pol-ih-KSEE-nah, Greek)--"much hospitality"

Matronymics

Surnames as first names is quite the trend right now, and patronymics are a big part of that--Addison, McKenzie, Jackson, etc. Although I'll never quite get over "son" names becoming so widely popular for daughters, I have to think that part of that owes to the lack of mother/daughter names, which are unheard of in most cultures. I was greatly surprised to find out that at least one fairly common boys' name is actually derived from a feminine name--Emmett! Which, of course, sent me on a quest to find other matronymic surnames.
Hey, it may not be "daughter of ____", but it's a start!

• Anson (AN-son)--from Agnes
• Averill (AV-er-il)--from Anglo-Saxon Eoforhild/Everhild
• Babcock (BAB-kok)--from Barbara
• Bell (BEL)--from Isabel (can also be an occupational name, "bellringer")
• Dwight (DWITE)--from medieval Diot, a form of Greek Dionysia [the original form of Denise]
• Dyson (DYE-son)--another from Dionysia 
• Eads (EEDZ)--from Edith
• Eason (EE-son)--another from Edith (can also be from Adam)
• Edison (ED-ih-son)--yet another from Edith (can also be from Adam)
• Emmett (EM-met)--from Emma
• Evelyn (EV-el-in)--from Aveline 
• Ibbott (IB-bot)--from Isabel
• Madison (MAD-ih-son)--from Maude (can also be from Matthew)
• Marion (MEHR-ee-on)--from Mary
• Merrill (MEHR-ril)--from Muriel
• Royce (ROIS)--from Rose
• Ruskin (RUS-kin)--another from Rose 
• Sinason (SEE-nah-son)--from Scandinavian Sina

Coincident Names

While doing my International Names lists, I ran across quite a few names that occurred in different languages, but weren't from the same source--they just happened to be spelled/pronounced alike! After much deliberation (and the other posts growing way too long), I decided to give all these coincident names a separate spotlight.

Boys:

• Amit
• ah-MEET, Hebrew, "friend"
• ah-MIT, Indian [Hindi], "infinite"
• Ari (ah-ree)
• Armenian, "brave" 
• Finnish, Icelandic; from Old Norse, "eagle"
• Hebrew, "lion"
• Basil 
• BAH-sil, Arabic, "brave"
• BAZ-il, English; from ancient Greek Basileios, "king"
• Cian, Kian
• Cian, Kian (KEE-ah), Irish, "ancient"
• Kian (kee-AHN), Persian, "king"
• Ellis (EL-lis)
• English; from a surname form of Elijah, "My God is Yahweh"
• Welsh; from a surname form of Elisedd, "kind"
• Finn (FIN)
• Irish, form of Fionn, "fair"
• Scandinavian; from old Norse, "person from Finland"
• Kamil (kah-meel)
• Arabic, "perfect"
• Czech, Polish; from Latin Camillus
• Lev (LEHV)
• Hebrew, "heart"
• Russian, "lion"
• Oran, Oren, Orrin
• Oran, Orrin, Irish, "pale green". Anglicized from Odhrán.
• Oren, Hebrew, "pine tree"
• Ronan, Ronen (roh-nen)
• Ronan, Irish, "little seal"
• Ronen, Hebrew, "joy, song"
• Zane, Zayn
• Zane, English, from a surname of uncertain meaning; poss. from John, "God is gracious", or from Hebrew Zayin, "sword"
• Zayn, Arabic, "grace" 

Girls:

• Aina
• EYE-nah, Catalan; a form of Anna.
• EYE-nah, Finnish & Scandinavian; a form of Aino, a figure in Finnish mythology.
• ah-ee-nah, Japanese, "love" and "name"
• Amelia, Emilia (uh-MEEL-yah, uh-MEE-lee-ah)
• Amelia, Germanic, "worker, diligent"
• Emilia, Latin, "rival, competitor"
• Asha (ah-shah)
• Indian [Hindi], "hope"
• Swahili, "life"
• Audra
• AW-drah, English, a form of Audrey, "noble strength"
• OW-drah, OH-drah, Lithuanian, "storm"
• Ava 
• AH-vah, German, "desired"
• AY-vah, English; a form of Eve, "life"
• AH-vah, Persian, "sound"
• Ailla, Ayla, Isla (EYE-lah)
• Ailla, Cornish, "most beautiful"
• Ayla, Turkish, "moonlight"
• Isla, Scottish, from the name of an island, meaning unknown.
• Carys, Charis (KAR-is)
• Carys, Welsh, "love". Another form is Cerys (KEHR-is).
• Charis, English; from Greek, "grace". Sometimes spelled Karis.
• Dalia (DAHL-yah, DAHL-ee-ah)
• Hebrew, "branch"
• Lithuanian, "luck, fate"
• Spanish, form of Dahlia
• Darina 
• dah-REE-nah, Bulgarian, Macedonian; from Slavic, "gift"
• dah-RIN-yah, Irish, "fruitful". Anglicized from Dáiríne. 
• Daria, Darya (DAHR-yah)
• Daria/Darya, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian; feminine form of Darius.
• Darya, Persian, "sea"
• Eira
• AY-rah, Norwegian, Swedish; from old Norse, "mercy"
• AY-rah, EYE-rah, Welsh, "snow"
• Eliana (el-ee-AH-nah)
• Hebrew, "God has answered"
• Italian, Spanish; from Latin Aelianus, "of the sun"
• Hana (HAH-nah)
• Arabic, "happiness"
• Croatian, Czech; from Hebrew Hannah, "grace"
• Japanese, "flower"
• Hania (HAH-nee-ah)
• Arabic, "pleasant"
• Polish; from Hebrew Hannah
• Kala (KAH-lah)
• Hawaiian; form of Sarah, "princess"
• Indian [Hindi], "art form"
• Kira (KEER-ah)
• English; from Irish Ciara, "dark"
• Russian, female form of Cyrus
• Laila, Lilah, Lyla (LYE-lah)
• Laila, Finnish, Scandinavian; form of Helga, "blessed, holy"
• Lilah, English; from Hindi Leela, "play", or Arabic Leila, "night", or from Hebrew Lilach, "lilac"
• Lyla, English; feminine form of Lyle, "island"
• Lorena
• loh-REE-nah or loh-REH-nah, English, a form of Lauren
• loh-REH-nah, Italian, Spanish, a form of Lorraine  
• May, Mei (MAY)
• May, English; from the month, which is from the Roman goddess Maia.
• Mei, Chinese, "beautiful" or "plum"
• Mei, Japanese, "sprout" and "life" or "reliant", or "bright, wise"
• Maia, Maja, Maya (MY-ah)
• Maia, Basque; form of Mary/Maria
• Maia, Greek; meaning uncertain, poss. from "mother". Other spellings are Maja & Maya.
• Maia, Latin, "great"; Roman goddess of spring
• Maja, Scandinavian, form of Mary/Maria
• Maya, endonym (self-given name) of the Mayan people, meaning unknown
• Maya, Hebrew, "water"
• Maya, Indian [Hindi], "illusion"
• Maya, Nepali, "love"
• Marita (mah-REE-tah)
• Dutch, German, Finnish, Spanish; form of Mary
• Norwegian, Swedish; form of Margaret
• Mary, Meri (MEHR-ee)
• Mary, English; from Hebrew Miryam, meaning uncertain
• Meri, Finnish, "the sea"
• Mira (MEER-ah)
• Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Polish, Slovene; from Slavic, "peace"
• Indian [Hindi], "sea"
• Naomi
• nah-OH-mee, nay-OH-mee, nye-OH-mee, English; from Hebrew, "pleasantness"
• nah-oh-mee, Japanese, "honest" and "beautiful" 
• Nessa (NES-sah)
• Hebrew, "miracle"
• Irish, "not gentle"
• Nia (NEE-ah)
• Swahili, "purpose"
• Welsh; form of Irish Niamh, "bright"
• Orna (or-nah)
• Hebrew, "pine tree"
• Irish, "little green one"
• Raisa (rah-ee-sah, RYE-sah)
• Arabic, "leader"
• Russian, "relaxed"
• Yiddish, "rose"
• Raina, Rayna, Reina, Reyna (RAY-nah)
• Raina, Rayna, Bulgarian; form of Latin Regina, "queen" or from Slavic, "care"
• Rayna, Reina, Yiddish, "pure"
• Reina, Reyna, Spanish, "queen"
• Rani (rah-nee)
• Hebrew, "my joy"
• Indian [Hindi], "queen
• Rina (REE-nah)
• Hebrew, "joy"
• Indian [Hindi], "melted"
• Japanese, "jasmine"
• Rona (ROH-nah)
• Hebrew, "song, joy"
• Scottish, "rough island", or poss. a feminine form of Ronan, "little seal". Also spelled Rhona.
• Rosa, Roza
• Rosa, roh-SAH, Bulgarian, "dew"
• Rosa, RO-sah, RO-zah; Dutch, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Spanish; from Latin "rose" or Germanic, "fame"  
• Roza, ROH-zah, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Macedonian, Russian; from Slavic, "rose"
• Sabeen, Sabine (sah-been)
• Sabeen, Arabic, "follower of another religion"
• Sabine, French, from the name of an ancient Italian tribe, meaning unknown
• Sarita (sah-REE-tah)
• Indian [Hindi], "flowing"
• Spanish; form of Sarah
• Tara 
• TAH-rah, Indian [Hindi], "star"
• TEHR-ah, TAR-ah, English; from Irish, "high place"
• Vera (VEHR-ah)
• Albanian, "summer"
• Croatian, Dutch, English, German, Macedonian, Russian, Portuguese, Scandinavian; from Russian, "faith" or from Latin, "true"

Mixed:

• Alva
• ♂, AL-vah, Hebrew, English; from Biblical Hebrew, "his highness". Also spelled Alvah.
• ♂♀, AL-vah, Irish, "white". Anglicized from Ailbhe.
• ♀, AHL-vah, Norwegian, Swedish; from old Norse, "elf"
• Ami 
• ♀, AY-mee, English; a form of Amy, "beloved".
• ♂, AH-mee, Hebrew, "trustworthy"
• ♀, ah-mee, Japanese, "second" and "beautiful"
• An, Anh, Anne (AN)
• An, ♂♀, Chinese, "peace"
• Anh, ♂♀, Vietnamese, "cleverness"
• Ann/Anne, ♀, English; from Hebrew, "grace"
• Beau, Bo
• Beau, ♂, English; from French, "beautiful"
• Bo, ♂♀, Chinese, "wave" or "precious"
• Bo, ♂♀, Danish, Swedish; from old Norse, "to live"
• Cai, Kai (KYE)
• Cai, ♂, Chinese, "fortune"
• Cai, ♀, Chinese, "colorful"
• Cai/Kai, ♂♀, Scandinavian, Welsh; from the Latin Caius/Gaius.
• Kai, ♂♀, Hawaiian, "sea"
• Kai, ♀, Scandinavian, form of Kaja 
• Dara (DAH-rah)
• ♀, Bulgarian, Macedonian; from Slavic, "gift"
• ♀, Hebrew, "wisdom"
• ♂, Irish, "oak tree"
• ♂♀, Khmer, "star"
• ♂, Persian, "wealthy"
• Eira/Ira (EYE-rah)
• Eira, ♀, Welsh, "snow"
• Ira, ♂, English; from Hebrew, "watchful"
• Haizea, Isaiah (eye-ZAY-ah)
• Haizea, ♀,  Basque, "wind"
• Isaiah,  ♂, English; from Hebrew, "Yahweh is salvation"
• Lee, Li (LEE)
• Lee, ♂♀, English, "field"; sometimes spelled Leigh.
• Li, ♂, Chinese, "strength"
• Li, ♀, Chinese, "jasmine" or "beautiful" 
• Maike, Meike, Micah (MYE-kah)
• Maike, Meike, ♀, German; form of Mary/Maria
• Micah, ♂, English, from [Biblical] Hebrew, "who is like God?"
• Maren, Marin, Merryn
• Maren, ♀, MAH-ren or MEHR-en,  Danish, Norwegian; form of Marina, "of the sea"
• Marin, ♂, MAH-ren,  Croatian, French, Macedonian, Romanian; from Latin Marinus, "of the sea"
• Merryn, ♂♀, MEHR-ren, Cornish, meaning unknown
• Marian 
• ♂, MAHR-yan, Czech, Hungarian, Polish; from Latin Marianus "of Mars"
• ♀, MAIR-ee-an, English; form of Mary
• Marit, Merit, Merritt (MEHR-it)
• Marit, Merit, ♀, Swedish, form of Margaret, "pearl"
• Merit, ♀, Egyptian, "beloved"
• Merit, ♂♀, English, from the English word, or from the surname Merritt
• Merritt, ♂, English, "boundary gate"
• Noa, Noah (no-ah)
• Noa, ♂ ♀ , Hawaiian, "free"
• Noa, ♀, Japanese, "my love" or "from love"
• Noah, ♀, Hebrew, "motion". Sometimes spelled Noa.
• Noah, ♂, English, from Hebrew Noach, "comfort".
• Noe (no-ay)
• ♂, French, Portuguese, Spanish; from Hebrew, form of Noah
• ♂ ♀ , Hawaiian, "mist"
• Ora (oh-ra)
• ♂♀, English; from Latin, "to pray"
• ♀, Hebrew, "light"
• Paz (PAHZ)
• ♂♀, Hebrew, "gold"
• ♀, Spanish, "peace"
• Reine, Ren, Wren (REN)
• Reine, ♀, French, "queen"
• Ren, ♂ ♀, Japanese, "lotus" or "love"
• Wren, ♂ ♀, English
• Su (SOO)
• ♂♀, Chinese, "respectful"
• ♀, Turkish, "water"
• Yuri (yoo-ree)
• ♀, Japanese, "lily"
• ♂, Russian, Ukrainian; form of George, "farmer"

Same Name?!--Anna

Poor Anne is often held as the epitome of 'boring' names. And yet, she's also one of the most common contributors to compound names (e.g. Leanne, Marianne, Roseanna, Anneliese). Easy to say, with a sweet meaning, and a Biblical namesake, it's no wonder that Anna has been popular throughout the ages and all over the world.

Original Hebrew form: Channah [חַנָּ] (khah-nah)
Greek transliteration: Anna (AHN-nah)
English transliteration: Hannah (HAN-nah)


Modern versions:

• Anaïs (ah-nah-EES)--French, Catalan
• Aneta (ah-NET-ah)--Czech, Polish
• Anika, Annika (AH-nee-kah)--German, Dutch, Scandinavian
• Aniko (AW-nee-ko)--Hungarian
• Anina (ah-NEE-nah)--German
• Anita (ah-NEE-tah)--Spanish, Portuguese
• Annag (AHN-nak)--Scottish
• Annette (an-NET)--French
• Annick (AHN-eek)--Breton
• Anouk (ah-NOOK)--Dutch, French
• Anu (AH-noo)--Estonian, Finnish
• Anya (AHN-ya)--Russian
• Hana (HAH-nah)--Croatian, Czech
• Hania (HAHN-yah)--Polish
• Nancy (NAN-see)--English
• Ninon (nee-NOHN)--French
• Ona (OH-nah)--Lithuanian

International Names (Girls)

Yet again, my boys' list ran too long for something. So, in continuation--here's a list of girls' names used, recognizable, and mostly pronounced the same throughout the Western world. Perfect for the little future world traveller, or multi-national corporation CEO.

• Ada (AY-dah, AH-dah)
• Adelina (ah-deh-LEE-nah)
• Adriana, Adrianna (ah-dree-AHN-ah, ay-dree-AN-nah)
• Agata (ah-GAH-tah)
• Agnes (AG-nes, ahg-NES)
• Albina (ahl-BEE-nah)
• Aleksandra, Alexandra (ahl-eks-AN-drah)
• Alina (ah-LEE-nah)--Bonus! It's a name in Arabic, too!
• Amalia (ah-MAL-yah)
• Amanda (ah-MAN-dah, ah-MAHN-dah)
• Amelia (ah-MEEL-yah, ah-MEH-lee-ah)
• Ana, Anna (AH-nah, AN-nah)
• Andrea, Andreia, Andreja (AN-dree-ah, ahn-DREH-ah)
• Angela (AN-jel-ah, AHN-jel-ah, AHN-gel-ah)
• Angelina (an-jel-EE-nah, ahn-GEH-lee-nah)
• Anita (ah-NEE-tah)
• Anne (AN, AHN-neh)
• Anica, Anika, Anneke, Annika (AH-nik-ah)
• Antonia (ahn-TOH-nyah)
• Augusta (aw-GUS-tah, au-GOOS-tah)
• Aurora (aw-RO-rah)
• Barbara (BAHR-bar-ah)
• Beata (beh-AH-tah)
• Berta (BEHR-tah)
• Carla, Karla (KAHR-lah)
• Carmen (KAHR-men)
• Carolina, Karolina (kah-roh-LEE-nah, cair-oh-LYE-nah)
• Cecilia (seh-SEEL-yah, seh-SIL-yah)
• Christina, Kristina (kris-TEE-nah)
• Clara, Klara (KLAIR-ah, KLAH-rah)
• Claudia, Klaudia (KLAW-dee-ah, KLOW-dee-ah)
• Cornelia (kor-NEE-lee-ah, kor-NEH-lee-ah)
• Dalia (DAHL-yah, DAH-lee-ah)
• Daniela, Daniella (dan-YEL-ah, dahn-YEH-lah)
• Daria, Darija (DAHR-ee-ah)
• Delia (DEEL-yah, DEHL-yah)
• Diana (dye-AN-ah, dee-AHN-ah)
• Dorothea, Dorotea, Doroteia, Doroteja (doh-roh-THEH-ah, doh-roh-TEH-ah)
• Elena (EE-lehn-ah, ee-LEHN-ah)
• Eleonora (eh-leh-oh-NOR-ah)
• Ema, Emma (EM-mah, EE-mah)
• Emilia (em-EEL-yah)
• Erica, Erika (EHR-ik-ah, EE-ree-kah)
• Ester, Esther (ES-ter, es-TEHR)
• Eva (EH-vah, AY-vah)
• Filimena, Filomena, Philomena (fil-loh-MEE-nah, fil-oh-MEHN-ah)
• Filipa, Filippa, Philippa (FIL-lip-ah, FEE-lip-ah)
• Fiona (fee-OH-nah)
• Flora (FLOHR-ah)
• Frida (FREE-dah)
• Gabriela, Gabriella (gah-bree-EL-ah)
• Gloria (GLOR-ee-ah, GLOR-yah)
• Hannah, Hanna, Hanne (HAN-nah, HAH-nah)
• Helena (hel-EH-nah)
• Ida (EE-dah, EYE-dah)
• Ilona (EE-loh-nah, ee-LOH-nah)
• Ines, Inez (ee-NES, ee-NEZ)
• Iolanda, Jolanda, Yolanda (yoh-LAHN-dah)
• Irene (eye-REEN, ee-REH-ne)
• Iris (EYE-ris, EE-ris)
• Isabela, Isabella (iz-a-BEL-lah, ee-zah-BEL-lah)
• Isadora, Isidora (iz-ah-DOR-ah, ee-sah-DOR-ah)
• Jana, Janna (JAN-nah, YAHN-ah)
• Jessica, Jessika, Gessika (JES-ih-kah, YES-ee-kah)
• Johanna, Joanna (yoh-AHN-nah, joh-AN-nah)
• Kamila, Kamilla, Camila, Camilla (kah-MEE-lah, kah-MIL-lah)
• Karen, Karin (KAIR-en, KAH-ren)
• Karina, Carina (kah-REE-nah)
• Katarina, Katerina (kaht-ah-REE-nah)
• Laura, Lora (LOHR-ah, LOW-rah)
• Lea, Leah, Lia (LEH-ah, LEE-ah)
• Lidia, Lidija, Lidiya, Lydia (LID-ee-ah, LEE-dee-ah)
• Liliana (leel-YAHN-ah)
• Linda (LIN-dah, LEEN-dah)
• Lisa, Lise (LEE-sah)
• Lorena (loh-REH-nah)
• Luna (LOO-nah)
• Magda (MAHG-dah)
• Magdalena (mahg-dah-LEHN-ah)
• Maia, Maja, Maya (MYE-ah)
• Margareta (mar-gar-EH-tah)
• Maria, Marija, Mariya (mahr-EE-ah, MAHR-yah)
• Mariana, Marianna (mahr-ee-AHN-nah, mahr-ee-AN-nah)
• Marika, Marike (mah-REE-kah)
• Marina (mah-REE-nah)
• Marta (MAHR-tah)
• Martina (mahr-TEE-nah)
• Mathilda, Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, mah-TEEL-dah)
• Melania, Melanija (mel-AHN-yah)
• Micaela, Michaela, Mikaela (mi-KAY-lah, mee-KYE-lah)
• Milena (mee-LEH-nah)
• Monica, Monika (MON-ih-kah, MOH-nee-kah)
• Nadia, Nadja, Nadya (NAHD-yah, NAH-dee-ah)
• Natalia, Nataliya, Natalija, Natalya (nat-AHL-yah)
• Noa (noh-ah)
• Olga (OHL-gah, OL-gah)
• Olimpia, Olympia (oh-LEEM-pyah)
• Olivia (oh-LIV-ee-ah, oh-LEE-vee-ah)
• Paula (PAWL-ah, POW-lah)
• Petra (PEH-trah)
• Pia (PEE-ah)
• Rebeca, Rebecca, Rebeka, Rebekka (reh-BEK-kah, ree-BEK-kah)
• Renata (reh-NAH-tah)
• Rita (REE-tah)
• Romana (roh-MAH-nah)
• Rosa, Roza (ROH-sah, ROH-zah)
• Sabina (sah-BEE-nah)
• Sara, Sarah (SAIR-ah, SAH-rah)
• Silvia, Sylvia (SIL-vee-ah, SEEL-vyah)
• Simona (see-MOH-nah)
• Sofia, Sofiya, Sophia (soh-FEE-ah, zoh-FEE-ah)
• Sonia, Sonja, Sonya (SOHN-yah, SAWN-yah)
• Susana, Susanna, Susannah, Suzana (soo-ZAN-nah)
• Tanja, Tanya (TAHN-yah)
• Tatiana, Tatjana (taht-YAHN-ah)
• Tekla (TEK-lah)
• Teodora (te-oh-DOHR-ah)
• Teresa, Tereza, Theresa (tehr-EE-sah, tehr-EH-sah, tehr-EH-zah)
• Ursula (UR-soo-lah, oor-SOO-lah)
• Valentina (vah-len-TEE-nah)
• Valeria, Valerija, Valeriya (vah-LEHR-ee-ah)
• Vera (VEHR-ah, VEER-ah)
• Veronica, Veronika (vehr-ON-ik-ah, vehr-oh-NEE-kah)
• Vilma (VEEL-mah, VIL-mah)

International Names (Boys)

I admit, it may be the serious nerd in me, but I've always been fascinated by names/words that are in use in many different languages. Culture and phonetics can vary incredibly, so the fact that there are names acceptable (and pronounceable) in many disparate regions is amazing! Most of these are familiar throughout the Western world.

Boys:

• Abel (AY-bel, AH-bel, ah-BEL)
• Adam (AD-am or ah-dahm)
• Adrian (AY-dree-an, AH-dree-an)
• Alan (AL-an, AH-lahn)
• Albert (AL-bert or AHL-bert)
• Alexander, Aleksander, Aleksandar, Aleksandr (al-ek-SAN-der)
• Alfons, Alphonse / Alfonso, Alphonso (ahl-fons / ahl-FON-soh)
• Andreas (ahn-DREH-ahs)
• Anton (AN-tahn, or ahn-TAHN)
• Arthur, Artur (AR-thur, AR-tur, ar-TOOR)
• Bruno (BROO-noh)
• Cai, Kai (KYE)
• Christian, Cristian, Kristian (KRIS-tyen, krees-TYAHN)
• Christoffer, Christopher, Kristoffer (KRIS-tof-fer)
• Ciril, Cyril (SIHR-el, SEE-rel)
• Constantine, Konstantin (KON-stan-teen, kon-stahn-TEEN)
• Daniel (DAN-yel, dahn-YEL)
• David (DAY-vid, dah-VEED)
• Denis, Dennis, Denys, Dinis (DEN-nis, DEH-nees)
• Dominic, Dominik (DOM-in-ik, DOH-mee-nik)
• Donat (DON-aht)
• Dylan (DIL-an, DEE-lahn, DUL-an)
• Eduard, Edward (EE-doo-ard, ED-ward)
• Elias (EE-lee-ahs, eh-LEE-ahs)
• Emanuel, Emmanuel, Immanuel (ee-MAN-yu-el, eh-man-WEL)
• Emil (ee-MEEL, EE-meel)
• Eric, Erik (EHR-ik, EE-rik)
• Felix (FEE-liks, FEH-liks)
• Ferdinand (FEHR-dee-nand, FER-dih-nand)
• Filip, Philip (FIL-lip, FEE-lip)
• Frederick, Frederik, Fredrick (FRED-er-ik, freh-ehr-eek, FREED-rik)
• Gabriel (GAY-bree-el, gah-bree-EL)
• Hugo (HYOO-goh, HOO-goh)
• Ian (EE-an)
• Isidor, Isidore (IS-ih-dor, EEZ-ih-dor)
• Ivan (EYE-van, ee-VAHN)
• Kevin (KEV-in)
• Leon (LEE-on, leh-ON)
• Leopold (LEE-o-pold, leh-OH-pold)
• Liam (LEE-am)
• Lucas, Lukas / Luca (LOO-kahs / LOO-kah)
• Manuel (man-ooEL, MAHN-oo-el)
• Marcel (mahr-SEL, MAR-sel)
• Marco, Marko (MAHR-koh)
• Mario (MAHR-ee-oh)
• Marius (MAHR-ee-oos)
• Marten, Martin (MAR-tin, mahr-TEEN)
• Noel (NOHL, no-EL)
• Oliver (OL-ih-ver, OL-ee-ver)
• Omar (OH-mar)
• Oscar, Oskar (OS-kar)
• Patrick, Patrik (PAT-rik)
• Petar, Peter (PEE-ter, PEH-ter)
• Rafael, Raphael (rah-fah-EL, RAH-fah-el)
• Ralf, Ralph (RAHLF, RALF)
• Robert (ROB-ert, ROH-bert)
• Roman (rom-AHN, ROM-ahn, ROH-man)
• Ruben, Reuben (REU-ben, ROO-ben)
• Rudolf, Rudolph (ROO-dolf)
• Salomon, Solomon (sah-loh-MON, SOL-oh-mon)
• Samuel (SAM-yul, sahm-WEL)
• Sebastian, Sebastjan, Sebastien (seh-BAST-yen, seh-bahs-TYEN)
• Simon (SYE-mon, SEE-mon, ZEE-mon)
• Stefan, Steffan, Steffen (stef-AHN, STEF-fan)
• Teodor (TEH-oh-dor, TEE-oh-dor)
• Thomas, Tomas (TOM-as, TOH-mas, toh-MAHS)
• Tristan (TRIS-tan, TREES-tahn)
• Valentin (VAL-en-teen, vah-len-TEEN)
• Victor, Viktor (VIK-tor, VEEK-tor)

Usual Nickname; Unexpected Name--Jenny/Ginny

Jenny is an interesting case. As a quick look at the SSA's charts will show, Jennifer/Jenifer has only been around since about 1940, and was the top girls' name for a whopping 15 years--1970-1984. As a result, it feels a bit dated (despite the fact that it's still reasonably common for new babes). It's usual nickname, though, Jenny, been on the SSA lists for as long as the lists have been around! Usually nicknames only become popular as given names when the full form has become tired and boring.
The secret to Jenny's longevity? It was originally a nickname for Jane!

• Efigenia (ef-fih-ZHEN-yah, Portuguese)--form of Iphigenia (if-ih-jen-EYE-ah, Greek)
• Eugenia (yu-JEN-ee-ah, English, Italian, Polish)--feminine form of Eugene.
• Geneva (jen-EE-vah, English)--either from Genevieve or the Swiss city
• Genevieve (JEN-e-veev, English; or zhen-e-vee-ev, French)
• Genista (jen-IS-tah, English)
• Gennadiya (gee-NAH-dee-ah, Russian)--"noble, generous"
• Ginevra (jin-EV-rah, Italian)--form of Guinevere 
• Imogen (IM-o-jen, English)
• Jeanette (jen-ETTE, English; or zhen-net, French)
• Jessamine (JES-sah-min, English)--from an older version of Jasmine
• Jinan (jih-NAHN, Arabic)--"garden, paradise"
• Virginia (ver-JIN-yah, English)

You're a God (Part III)

And now for a change of pace! Roman & Greek gods & goddesses have been part of the general culture for a while. Their names have been used for superheroes, brand names, scientific terminology, and yes, for baby names, too. Celtic mythologies, however, despite being just as old as Greek & Roman, have remained relatively untouched in modern culture. Unfortunately, this is likely because Celtic mythologies (especially continental/Gallic) merged with Roman, and the god-names were interchanged. Early Christian missionaries also attempted to "de-paganize" Celtic legends, leading to confusion over which legendary figures were gods, fairies, heroes, or mortals, and even whether they were really even part of the Celtic religions. Because of this, I've limited this list to gods with strong cultural or archaeological evidence.

Boys:

• Aengus (AYN-gus, Irish)--god of youth and love. Anglicized to Angus.
• Aeron (EYE-ron, Welsh)--god of war 
• Alaunus (al-AW-nus, Gallic)--god of healing & prophesy
• Amaethon (ah-MY-thon, Welsh)--god of agriculture
• Dylan (DUL-an, Welsh)--sea-god
• Govannon (goh-VAN-non, Welsh)--smith-god. Irish equivalent is Goibnu.
• Lenus (LEHN-us, Gallic)--god of healing
• Lir (LEER, Irish)--god of the sea. Welsh equivalent is Llŷr.
• Lugus (LOO-gus, Gallic)--god of trade, commerce, & travellers. Irish equivalent is Lugh; Welsh is Lleu.
• Mabon (MAH-bon, Welsh)--god of youth
• Taranis (TAHR-an-is, Gallic)--god of thunder

Girls:

• Agrona (ah-GROH-nah, Gallic)--goddess of war
• Andraste (an-DRAHST, Brythonic)--goddess of victory
• Brighid (BREED, Irish)--goddess of fire, poetry, & wisdom. Modern forms include Brigid (Irish), Bridget (Irish, English), Brigitta (German, Dutch), & Britta (Scandinavian)
• Ceridwen (KEHR-id-wen, Welsh)--goddess of poetry & inspiration
• Clíodhna (KLEE-o-nah, Irish)--goddess of beauty. Sometimes written as Clíona. Anglicized to Cleena.
• Danu (DAN-oo, Irish)--mother-goddess of a race of ancient Irish. Modern form is Dana ("DAN-yah").
• Epona (EP-ohn-ah or ee-POH-nah, Gallic)--goddess of horses and fertility
• Erecura (ehr-eh-CU-rah, Gallic)--earth-goddess
• Étaín (EH-dan or eh-DEEN, Irish)--goddess of horses. Modern Irish forms are Éadaoin and Eadan. Anglicized as Aideen.
• Fand (FAND, Irish)--sea-goddess. Sometimes written as Fann.
• Rhiannon (hree-AN-non, Welsh)--goddess of fertility & the moon
• Sirona (sih-ROH-nah, Gallic)--healing-goddess

Part 1 (Roman)--Part Deux (Greek)--Part D (Germanic)--Part the Final (Misc.)