Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Izzy

Combined, Isabella & Isabelle are easily the most popular girls' name. Chances are many were named to get that to that cool Bella, but just as many likely go by Izzy (to preemptively avoid Bella).

• Aliza (ah-lee-ZAH, Hebrew)--"joyful"
• Isabeau (ee-sah-BOH, French)--Archaic variant of Isabel/Elizabeth.
• Isadora (iz-ah-DOH-rah, English)--from Greek, "gift of Isis". Also spelled Isidora.
• Isaura (ee-SOW-rah, Spanish)
• Iscah (IS-kah, Hebrew)--original form of Jessica
• Iseul (ee-sul, Korean)--"dew"
• Isis (EYE-sis, Greek)--from Egyptian. Egyptian goddess of nature and the sky. Also written as Iset.
• Iskra (EES-krah, Slavic)--"spark"
• Ismene (is-MAY-nee, Greek)--"knowledge"
• Isolde (ee-ZOL-deh, English)--from Celtic, meaning uncertain. Variants include Isotta & Iseult.
• Isra (IS-rah, Arabic)
• Izar (ee-sar [r is trilled/rolled], Basque)--"star"
• Izdihar (is-dee-HAR, Arabic)--"blossoming"
• Izumi (ee-zoo-mee, Japanese)--"fountain"
• Mizuki (mee-zoo-kee, Japanese)

Bi-Cultural Names--Spanish/English (girls)

Spelled the same, but (usually) with slight pronunciation difference:

• Abigail--English, AB-ih-gayl; Abigaíl--Spanish, ah-bee-gah-EEL
• Adela--English, ah-DEL-ah; Spanish, ah-DEH-lah
• Adriana--English, ay-dree-AN-ah; Spanish, ah-dree-AH-nah
• Alicia--English, ah-LEE-shah; Spanish, ah-LEE-see-ah
• Amanda--English, ah-MAN-dah; Spanish, ah-MAHN-dah
• Anastasia--English, an-ah-STAY-zhah; Spanish, ahn-nah-STAHS-yah
• Angela--English, AN-jeh-lah; Ángela--Spanish, AHN-gel-ah or AHN-heh-lah
• Angelica--English, an-JEL-ih-kah; Angélica--Spanish, ahn-GEL-ee-kah
• Anita--English, an-EE-tah; Spanish--ah-NEE-tah
• Antonia--English, an-TOH-nee-ah; Spanish, ahn-TOH-nyah
• Aurora--English, aw-ROHR-ah; Spanish, ow-ROH-rah
• Calista--English, kah-LIS-tah; Spanish, kah-LEES-tah
• Carla--English & Spanish, KAHR-lah
• Carmen--English & Spanish, KAHR-men
• Carolina--English, kayr-oh-LYE-nah; Spanish, kah-roh-LEE-nah
• Cecilia--English, seh-SIL-yah; Spanish, seh-SEEL-yah
• Clara--English, KLAYR-ah; Spanish, KLAH-rah
• Diana--English, dye-AN-ah; Spanish, dee-AH-nah
• Dolores--English, dol-OR-ez; Spanish, doh-LOH-rehs
• Esmeralda--English, ez-mer-AL-dah; Spanish, es-meh-RAHL-dah
• Felicia--English, feh-LEE-shah; Spanish, feh-LEE-see-ah
• Gloria--English & Spanish, GLOH-ree-ah
• Isabel--English, IZ-ah-bel; Spanish, ees-ah-BEL
• Julia--English, JOO-lee-ah; Spanish, HOOL-yah
• Laura--English, LOHR-ah; Spanish, LOUR-ah
• Liliana--English, lil-ee-AH-nah; Spanish, leel-YAH-nah
• Lucia--English, LOO-shah or loo-SEE-ah; Lucía--Spanish, loo-SEE-ah
• Marcia--English, MAR-shah or MAHR-see-ah; Spanish, MAHR-syah
• Maria--English, mar-EE-ah, María--Spanish, mah-REE-ah
• Monica--English, MON-ih-kah; Mónica--Spanish, MOH-nee-kah
• Olivia--English, oh-LIV-ee-ah; Olívia--Spanish, oh-LEEV-yah
• Patricia--English, pah-TRISH-ah; Spanish, pah-TREES-yah
• Paula--English, PAW-lah; Spanish, POW-lah
• Ramona--English & Spanish, rah-MOH-nah
• Roberta--English, rob-ER-tah; Spanish, roh-BEHR-tah
• Sara--English, SAYR-ah; Spanish, SAH-rah
• Selena--English, sel-EE-nah; Spanish, seh-LEH-nah
• Sonia--English & Spanish, SOHN-yah
• Tatiana--English & Spanish, tah-TYAH-nah
• Ursula--English, UR-sul-ah; Spanish, oor-SOO-lah
• Veronica--English, ver-ON-ih-kah; Verónica--Spanish, vehr-OH-nee-kah
• Victoria--English, vik-TOR-ee-ah; Spanish, veek-TOHR-yah
• Yolanda--English & Spanish, yoh-LAHN-dah

Spelled nearly the same, but with Spanish version ending in '-a' or '-ia':

• Adelaide--English, AD-el-ayd; Adelaida--Spanish, ah-deh-lah-EE-dah
• Ariadne--English, ahr-ee-AHD-nee, air-ee-AD-nee; Ariadna--Spanish, ahr-YAHD-nah
• Bethany--English, BETH-ah-nee; Bethania--Spanish, bet-AHN-yah
• Clementine--English, KLEM-en-tine; Clementina--Spanish, klem-en-TEE-nah
• Emily--English, EM-il-ee; Emilia--Spanish, eh-MEEL-yah
• Gabrielle--English, gab-ree-EL; Gabriela--Spanish, gah-bree-EH-lah
• Giselle--English, jih-ZEL; Gisela--Spanish, gee-SEH-lah
• Grace--English, GRAYS; Gracia--Spanish, GRAH-syah
• Hilary--English, HIL-ah-ree; Hilaria--Spanish, ee-LAHR-yah
• Melanie--English, MEL-an-ee; Melania--Spanish, mel-AHN-yah
• Natalie--English, NAT-ah-lee; Natalia--Spanish, nah-TAHL-yah
• Noelle--English, noh-EL; Noelia--Spanish, noh-EHL-yah
• Rosalind--English, ROZ-ah-lind; Rosalinda--Spanish, roh-sah-LEEN-dah
• Rose--English, ROHZ; Rosa--Spanish, ROH-sah
• Roxanne--English, roks-AN; Roxana--Spanish, rohks-AHN-ah
• Valerie--English, VAL-er-ee; Valeria--Spanish, vah-LEHR-yah
• Violet--English, VYE-oh-let; Violeta--Spanish, vee-oh-LEH-tah
• Vivian--English, VIV-ee-an; Viviana--Spanish, vee-vee-AH-nah

Some other difference, but still recognizable:

• Agatha--English, AG-ah-thah; Agata--Spanish, ah-GAH-tah
• Alexandra--English, al-eks-AN-dra; Alejandra--Spanish, ah-leh-HAHN-drah
• Annabelle--English, AN-nah-bel; Anabel--Spanish, AHN-ah-bel
• Beatrice--English, BEE-ah-tris; Beatriz--Spanish, beh-ah-TREES
• Camilla--English, kah-MIL-lah; Camila--Spanish, kah-MEE-lah
• Clarissa--English, klayr-IS-sah; Clarisa--Spanish, klah-REE-sah
• Chloe--English, KLOH-ee; Cloe--Spanish, KLOH-eh
• Constance--English, KON-stants; Constanza--Spanish, kohn-STAHN-sah
• Christina--English, kris-TEE-nah; Cristina--Spanish, krees-TEE-nah
• Dahlia--English, DAHL-yah or DAYL-yah; Dalia--Spanish, DAHL-yah
• Daniella--English, dan-YEL-lah; Daniela--Spanish, dahn-YEH-lah
• Deborah--English, DEB-or-ah; Débora--Spanish, DEH-boh-rah
• Dorothy--English, DOR-o-thee; Dorotea--Spanish, doh-roh-TEH-ah
• Eleanor--English, EL-en-or; Leonor--Spanish, LEH-on-ohr
• Ellen--English, EL-len; Elena--Spanish, el-EH-nah
• Emmeline--English, EM-el-een; Emelina--Spanish, eh-meh-LEE-nah
• Estelle--English, es-TEL; Estela--Spanish, es-TEH-lah
• Esther--English, ES-ter; Ester--Spanish, ES-tehr
• Frances--English, FRAN-ses; Francisca--Spanish, frahn-SEES-kah
• Genevieve--English, JEN-eh-veev; Genoveva--Spanish, heh-noh-VEH-vah
• Josephine--English, JOH-sef-een; Josefina--Spanish, hoh-seh-FEE-nah
• Lorraine--English, lor-AYN; Lorena--Spanish, loh-REH-nah
• Louisa--English, loo-EEZ-ah; Luisa--Spanish, loo-EE-sah
• Lydia--English, LID-ee-ah; Lidia--Spanish, LEED-yah
• Margaret--English, MAR-gah-ret; Margarita--Spanish, mar-gah-REE-tah
• Marissa--English, mah-RIS-sah; Marisa--Spanish, mah-REE-sah
• Martha--English, MAR-thah; Marta--Spanish, MAHR-tah
• Matilda--English, mah-TIL-dah; Matilde--Spanish, mah-TEEL-day
• Melissa--English, mel-IS-sah; Melisa--Spanish, meh-LEE-sah
• Michaela--English, mih-KAY-lah; Micaela--Spanish, mee-KYE-lah
• Myra--English, MYE-rah; Mayra--Spanish, MYE-rah
• Naomi--English, nay-OH-mee or nye-OH-mee; Noemí--Spanish, no-eh-MEE
• Ophelia--English, oh-FEE-lee-ah; Ofelia--Spanish, oh-FEHL-yah
• Pearl--English, PERL; Perla--Spanish, PEHR-lah
• Priscilla--English, pris-SIL-lah; Priscila--Spanish, pree-SEE-lah
• Prudence--English, PROO-dens; Prudencia--Spanish, proo-DEN-syah
• Rebecca--English, reh-BEK-kah; Rebeca--Spanish, reh-BEH-kah
• Sophia--English, soh-FEE-ah; Sofía--Spanish, soh-FEE-ah
• Stephanie--English, STEF-an-ee; Estefanía--Spanish, es-teh-fah-NEE-ah
• Susanna--English, soo-ZAN-nah; Susana--Spanish, soo-SAH-nah
• Sylvia--English, SIL-vee-ah; Silvia--Spanish, SEEL-vyah
• Theodora--English, thee-oh-DOHR-ah; Teodora--Spanish, teh-oh-DOH-rah
• Theresa--English, ter-EE-sah; Teresa--Spanish, teh-REH-sah

For the boys' list, go here. 

Usual Name, Unexpected Nickname--Alexander

For such a long time, Alex was the favored nickname for Alexander, but in recent years, you're just as likely to hear Xander. Thanks to Alexander the Great, his name spread throughout Europe and the Middle East, and while the variants of Alexander all bear strong resemblance to the original (Eskandar, Alistair, Oleksander, to name a few), the nicknames have surprising variety.

• Ace (AYS)--English
• Ace/Atse (ATS-eh)--Macedonian
• Aleš (AH-lesh)--Czech & Slovak
• Lekso (LEK-so)--Serbian
• Sandy (SAN-dee)--English
• Santeri (SAHN-teh-ree)--Finnish
• Sasha (SAH-shah)--Russian
• Sawney (SAW-nee)--Scottish
• Shurik (SHOOR-eek)--Russian
• Skender (SKEN-der)--Albanian

Although it's technically a full name in its own right, the related Alexis and variant forms are sometimes used as a nickname for Alexander and company. While Alexander means "defender of man", Alexis is simply "defender". 

• Aleix (ah-LAYSH)--Catalan
• Alejo (ah-LEH-hoh)--Spanish
• Aleksei (ah-lyek-SAY)--Russian
• Alessio (ah-LES-syoh)--Italian

If you saw this post when it first went up, I apologize! I'm not sure how I managed to only publish part of it, but I've added in the missing Alexis segment. :)

Virtues in Other Languages

English virtue names tend to have a polarizing effect--you can find them pretty or fun... or you can just think of Puritans & Great-Aunt Prudence. Virtue- and other intangible-object names are probably the most widely-accepted type of "new" and imported names (after variants of common American/English names, of course). It's amazing how naming your daughter Love is considered cheesy at best, but Carys? Not only tolerable, but stylish.
It seems a bit hypocritical to me, but I admit, I'm guilty of those sorts of thoughts as well.

And unless noted, these names are feminine.

Clarity:

• Masumi (mah-soo-mee)--Japanese

Patience:

• Subira (soo-bee-rah)--Swahili

Truth:

• Alethea (ah-LEE-thee-ah or ahl-ah-THEE-ah)--Latin
• Minori (mee-noh-ree)--Japanese [unisex]. Masculine is Minoru (mee-noh-roo).
• Sidika (SID-ih-kah)--Turkish

Faith/Trust:

• Imani (ee-MAHN-ee)--Swahili
• Usko (OOS-koh)--Finnish [masculine]
• Vera (VYEHR-ah)--Russian
• Yori (yoh-ree)--Japanese [masculine]

Charity/Kindness:

• Atifa (ah-TEE-fah)--Arabic
• Caridad (kah-ree-DAHD)--Spanish
• Carita (kah-REE-tah)--Swedish
• Cemil (jem-eel)--Turkish [masculine]
• Eun (OON)--Korean [unisex]

Wisdom:

• Dara (dah-rah)--Hebrew
• Hye (hee-ay)--Korean
• Nuha (NOO-hah)--Arabic
• Sophia (soh-FEE-ah)--Greek
• Tomo (toh-moh)--Japanese

Mercy/Compassion:

• Chesed (kheh-SEHD)--Hebrew [unisex]
• Daya (dah-YAH)--Hindi
• Ebele (eh-BEL-eh)--Igbo
• Eira (AY-rah)--Norse
• Eskarne (ehs-kahr-neh)--Basque
• Hanan (HAN-an)--Arabic

Grace:

• Amara (ah-MAH-rah)--Igbo
• Armo (AHR-mo)--Finnish [masculine]
• Charis (KAH-ris)--Greek. Other forms include Charissa, Karissa, and Chariton (KAH-rih-tahn, masculine).
• Gratian (GRAY-shan)--Latin [masculine]
• Grazia (GRAHTS-yah)--Italian
• Lavanya (LAHV-ahn-yah)--Hindi
• Sulo (SOO-loh)--Finnish [masculine]
• Zayn (ZAYN)--Arabic [masculine]. Feminine is Zayna.

Hope:

• Amal (ah-mahl)--Arabic [unisex]
• Asha (ah-shah)--Hindi
• Elpida (EL-pee-dah)--Greek
• Esperanza (es-pehr-AN-zah)--Spanish
• Espérance (es-peh-RAWNCE)--French
• Itxaro (eet-shah-roh)--Basque
• Nadezhda (nahd-YEZ-dah)--Russian. Other forms include Nadya/Nadia & Nadine.
• Omid (oh-MEED)--Persian [masculine]
• Themba (TEM-bah)--Zulu [unisex]
• Tikva (teek-VAH)--Hebrew
• Toivo (TOY-voh)--Finnish [masculine]
• Ümit (OO-meet)--Turkish [masculine]. Unisex is Umut (OO-mut).

Peace:

• An (AN)--Chinese [usually masculine]
• Aştî (ahsh-tee)--Kurdish [unisex]
• Bariş (bar-ish)--Turkish [masculine]
• Fedde (FED-deh)--Frisian [masculine]
• Frida (FREE-dah)--German. Also spelled Frieda and Friede. 
• Irene (eye-REEN or ee-REH-neh)--Greek 
• Maluhia (mah-loo-hee-ah)--Hawaiian [unisex]
• Menuha (meh-noo-khah)--Hebrew
• Mira (MEER-ah)--Slavic. Other forms include Miruna (MEER-oo-nah), Mircea (MEER-chah, masculine),  Miran (MEER-an, unisex), and Mirek (MEER-ek, masculine).
• Naim (nah-eem)--Arabic [masculine]. Feminine is Naima. 
• Pau (POW)--Catalan [unisex]
• Sakina (sah-kee-nah)--Arabic
• Rauha (ROW-hah)--Finnish
• Yasu (yah-soo)--Japanese [unisex]

Love:

• Ahava (ah-hah-VAH)--Hebrew
• Aroha (ar-oh-hah)--Maori
• Carys (KAH-ris)--Welsh. Other forms are Cerys (KEHR-is), Ceri (KEHR-ee, masculine), and Caron (KAH-ron, unisex).
• Cinta (CHEEN-tah)--Indonesian
• Dilan (dee-LAHN)--Turkish
• Kama (kah-mah)--Hindi [masculine]
• Kasih (KAH-see)--Indonesian
• Kerensa (keh-REN-sah)--Cornish
• Libĕna (LIB-yeh-nah)--Czech. Other forms are Libuše (LIB-oo-sheh) and Luboš (LOO-bosh, masculine).
• Lyuben (LYOO-ben)--Bulgarian [masculine]
• Maya (mah-yah)--Nepali [multiple meanings in other languages as well]
• Philo (FYE-loh)--Greek [masculine]
• Prem (PREM)--Hindi [masculine]. Feminine is Prema (preh-mah).
• Sevda (sehv-DAH)--Turkish
• Widad (wee-DAHD)--Arabic

Joy/Happiness:

• Anand (AH-nahd)--Hindi [masculine]. Feminine forms are Anandi and Ananda.
• Añuli (ang-OO-lee)--Igbo
• Aylen (eye-len)--Mapudungun
• Ayo (AH-yoh)--Yoruba [unisex]
• Chara (KAH-rah)--Greek
• Desta (DES-tuh)--Amharic [unisex]
• Farah (fah-rah)--Arabic [unisex]
• Felicity (fel-IH-sih-tee)--English
• Freyde (frye-deh or fray-deh)--Yiddish
• Gil (GEEL)--Hebrew [masculine]. Feminine is Gilah (gee-LAH).
• Hana (hah-nah)--Arabic
• Harshal (har-shahl)--Hindi [masculine]
• Kalea (kah-leh-ah)--Hawaiian [unisex]
• Laetitia (leh-TEE-syah)--Latin
• Levenez (leh-VAY-lehz)--Breton
• Lykke (lewk-eh)--Danish
• Rina (ree-NAH)--Hebrew
• Shadi (shah-DEE)--Persian
• Thabo (TAH-boh)--Tswana [masculine]
• Yuki (yoo-kee)--Japanese [can also mean "snow"]
• Zorion (soh-ree-ohn)--Basque [unisex]. Feminine is Zorione (soh-ree-oh-neh).

Same Name?!--Christian

Christian is an interesting case. Originally used for both males and females, in the last 100 years or so, it's become almost completely masculine--probably due in part to several Danish King Christians. Consequently, there are several more female variants than male.

Original Latin form: Christianus (kris-tee-ahn-oos)
English form: Christian (KRIST-yen, KRIS-chen)

Modern masculine forms:

• Carsten (KAHR-sten)--German. Also spelled Karsten. 
• Christer (KRIS-tehr)--Danish, Swedish. Also spelled Krister.
• Cristian (kris-TYAHN)--Romanian, Spanish
• Kristen (KRIS-ten)--Danish, Norwegian. Also spelled Christen.

Modern feminine forms:

• Cairistìona (kah-ris-TEEN-ah)--Scottish
• Christiane (kris-tee-AHN)--French
• Christine (kris-TEEN)--French
• Cristiana (krees-TYAHN-ah)--Italian, Portuguese
• Kerstin (KER-sten)--German
• Kilikina (kee-lee-kee-nah)--Hawaiian
• Kirsten (KEER-sten)--Scandinavian
• Kistiñe (kees-tee-nyeh)--Basque
• Kristin (KRIS-ten)--German, Scandinavian
• Krysia (KRISH-yah)--Polish

Bi-cultural Names: Spanish/English (boys)

Quite often on message boards I see people needing names that work in English, as well as in another language. Spanish is by far the most common, but occasionally other languages pop up too. So, here goes--the first in a series of (traditional) bi-cultural names.

Spelled the same, but with slight pronunciation difference:

• Aaron--English, AYR-on; Aarón--Spanish, ah-ROHN
• Abel--English, AY-bel; Spanish, ah-BEL
• Adrian--English, AY-dree-an; Adrián--Spanish, ah-dree-AHN
• Ariel--English, AYR-ee-el; Spanish, ahr-ee-EL
• Daniel--English, DAN-yel; Spanish, dahn-YEL
• David--English, DAY-vid; Spanish, dah-VEED
• Elias--English, EL-ee-as or ee-LYE-as; Elías--Spanish, eh-LEE-as
• Felix--English, FEE-liks; Félix--Spanish, FEH-leeks
• Gabriel--English, GAYB-ree-el; Spanish, gah-bree-EL
• Hector--English, HEK-tohr; Héctor--Spanish, EK-tohr
• Hugo--English, HYOO-goh; Spanish, OO-goh
• Ivan--English, EYE-van; Iván--Spanish, ee-VAHN
• Joel--English, JOHL; Spanish, hoh-EL
• Jordan--English, JOR-dan; Jordán--Spanish, hohr-DAHN
• Julian--English, JOO-lee-an; Julián--Spanish, hoo-lee-AHN
• Leon--English, LEE-on; León--Spanish, leh-OHN
• Lucas--English, LOO-kas, Spanish, LOO-kahs
• Oscar--English, AHS-kar; Óscar--Spanish, OHS-kahr
• Samuel--English, SAM-yul; Spanish, sahm-ooEL
• Sebastian--English, seh-BAST-yen; Sebastián--Spanish, seh-bahs-TYAHN
• Simon--English, SYE-mon; Simón--Spanish, see-MOHN
• Tristan--English, TRIS-tan; Tristán--Spanish, trees-TAHN

Spelled nearly the same, but with Spanish version ending in '-o' or '-io':

• Alfred--English, AL-fred; Alfredo--Spanish, ahl-FREH-do
• Antony--English, AN-ton-ee; Antonio--Spanish, ahn-TOH-nyoh
• August--English, AW-gust; Augusto--Spanish, aw-GOOS-toh
• Basil--English, BAZ-il; Basilio--Spanish, bah-SEEL-yoh
• Cecil--English, SES-il or SEE-sil; Cecilio--Spanish, seh-SEEL-yoh
• Conrad--English, KON-rad; Conrado--Spanish, cohn-RAH-do
• Edmund--English--ED-mund; Edmundo--Spanish, ed-MOON-doh
• Ernest--English, UR-nest; Ernesto--Spanish, ehr-NES-toh
• Eugene--English, YOO-jeen; Eugenio--Spanish, eh-oo-HEN-yoh
• Gerald--English, JEHR-ald; Geraldo--Spanish, hehr-AHL-doh
• Gerard--English, jer-ARD; Gerardo--Spanish, hehr-AHR-doh
• Gilbert--English, GIL-bert; Gilberto--Spanish, heel-BEHR-toh
• Gregory--English, GREG-oh-ree; Gregorio--Spanish, greh-GOHR-yoh
• Horace--English, HOR-as; Horacio--Spanish, ohr-AH-see-oh
• Jacob--English, JAY-kob; Jacobo--Spanish, hah-KOH-boh
• Leonard--English, LEN-ard; Leonardo--Spanish, leh-oh-NAHR-doh
• Leopold--English, LEE-oh-pold; Leopoldo--Spanish, leh-oh-POHL-doh
• Lucian--English, LOO-shen or LOO-see-an; Luciano--Spanish, loo-see-AH-noh
• Maximilian--English, maks-ih-MIL-yan; Maximiliano--Spanish, maks-ee-meel-YAH-noh
• Patrick--English, PAT-rik; Patricio--Spanish, pah-TREE-see-oh
• Robert--English, ROB-ert; Roberto--Spanish, roh-BEHR-toh
• Roland--English, ROH-land; Rolando--Spanish, roh-LAHN-doh

Some other difference, but still recognizable: 

• Adam--English, AD-am; Adán--Spanish, ah-DAHN
• Alexander--English, al-ex-AN-der; Alejandro--Spanish, ah-leh-HAHN-droh
• Alphonso--English, al-FON-zoh; Alfonso--Spanish, ahl-FOHN-soh
• Andrew--English, AN-droo; Andrés--Spanish, ahn-DREHS
• Ansel--English, AN-sel; Anselmo--Spanish, ahn-SEL-moh
• Arthur--English, AR-thur; Arturo--Spanish, ahr-TOO-roh
• Bartholomew--English, bar-THOL-oh-myoo; Bartolomé--Spanish, bahr-toh-loh-MEH
• Bennett--English, BEN-net; Benito--Spanish, ben-EE-toh
• Christian--English, KRIS-chen; Cristián--Spanish, krees-TYAHN
• Clement--English, KLEM-ent, klem-ENT; Clemente--Spanish, kle-MEHN-teh
• Darius--English, DAYR-ee-us; Dario--Spanish, DAH-ree-oh
• Edgar--English, ED-gar; Edgardo--Spanish, ehd-GAHR-doh
• Edward--English, ED-ward; Eduardo--Spanish, ehd-ooAHR-doh
• Emmanuel--English, em-MAN-yoo-el; Manuel--Spanish, man-ooEL
• Ezekiel--English, ee-ZEE-kee-el; Ezequiel--Spanish, eh-zeh-KYEL
• Francis--English, FRAN-sis; Francisco--Spanish, frahn-SEES-koh
• Frederick--English, FRED-er-ik; Federico--Spanish, feh-deh-REE-koh
• Godfrey--English, GOD-free; Godofredo--Spanish, goh-doh-FREH-doh
• Henry--English, HEN-ree; Enrique--Spanish, en-REE-kay
• Ishmael--English, ISH-may-el; Ismael--Spanish, ees-mah-EL
• James--English, JAYMZ; Jaime--Spanish, HYE-may
• Jasper--English, JAS-per; Gaspar--Spanish, gahs-PAHR
• Jeremy--English, JEHR-eh-mee; Jeremías--Spanish, heh-reh-MEE-as
• John--English, JAHN; Juan--Spanish, HWAHN
• Joseph--English, JOH-sef; José--Spanish, hoh-SAY
• Joshua--English, JOSH-yoo-ah; Josué--Spanish, hahs-ooAY
• Laurence--English, LAWR-ens; Lorenzo--Spanish, loh-REHN-zoh
• Leander--English, lee-AN-der; Leandro--Spanish, leh-AHN-droh
• Louis--English, LOO-is; Luis--Spanish, loo-EES
• Marcus--English, MAR-kus; Marcos--Spanish, MAHR-cohs
• Matthew--English, MATH-yoo; Mateo--Spanish, mah-TEH-oh
• Matthias--English, math-EYE-as; Matías--Spanish, mah-TEE-ahs
• Michael--English, MYE-kel; Miguel--Spanish, mih-GEHL
• Moses--English, MOH-zes; Moisés--Spanish, moy-SEHS
• Nathaniel--English, nah-THAN-yel; Natanael--Spanish, nah-tah-NAYL
• Nicholas--English, NIK-oh-las; Nicolás--Spanish, nee-koh-LAHS
• Noah--English, NOH-ah; Noé--Spanish, noh-AY
• Oliver--English, OL-ih-ver; Álvaro--Spanish, AHL-vah-roh
• Oswald--English, OZ-wahld; Osvaldo--Spanish, ohs-VAHL-doh
• Philip--English, FIL-ip; Felipe--Spanish, feh-LEE-pay
• Raphael--English, rah-fee-EL; Rafael--Spanish, rah-fah-EL
• Raymond--English, RAY-mond; Ramón--Spanish, rah-MOHN
• Reuben--English, ROO-ben; Rubén--Spanish, roo-BEHN
• Richard--English, RICH-ard; Ricardo--Spanish, ree-KAR-doh
• Roderick--English, ROD-er-ik; Rodrigo--Spanish, rohd-REE-goh
• Rufus--English, ROO-fus, Rufino--Spanish, roo-FEE-noh
• Solomon--English, SOL-oh-mon; Salomón--Spanish, sah-loh-MOHN
• Steven--English, STEE-ven; Esteban--Spanish, est-EH-bahn
• Sylvester--English, sil-VES-ter; Silvestre--Spanish, seel-VES-tray
• Thaddeus--English, THAD-ee-us, Tadeo--Spanish, tah-DEH-oh
• Theobald--English, THEE-oh-bahld; Teobaldo--Spanish, teh-oh-BAHL-doh
• Theodore--English, THEE-oh-dohr; Teodoro--Spanish, teh-oh-DOH-roh
• Thomas--English, TOM-as; Tomás--Spanish, toh-MAHS
• Timothy--English, TIM-oh-thee; Timoteo--Spanish, tee-moh-TEH-oh
• Titus--English--TYE-tus; Tito--Spanish, TEE-toh
• Ulysses--English, yoo-LIS-eez; Ulises--Spanish, oo-LEE-ses
• Vincent--English, VIN-sent; Vicente--Spanish, vee-SEN-tay
• Xavier--English, ZAY-vee-er; Javier--Spanish, hah-vee-EHR
• Zachary--English, ZAK-ah-ree; Zacarías--Spanish, sah-kah-REE-ahs

And here is the girls' list. 

For the Birds

I admit it--I have a soft spot for bird-names: Wren, Lark, Robin, even the "weird" ones like Kestrel, Peregrine, & Heron. Unfortunately, when your last name is an English word, pretty much any other word-name is off-limits. Thankfully, bird-names are pretty common in just about every language! And since it's my birthday, and what I want to write about fits in nicely with an Easter/Spring-type-post, here're a bunch of names with avian meanings.

Boys:

• Ákos (AK-osh, Hungarian)--from Turkish, "white falcon"
• Aras (AH-rahs [r is trilled/rolled], Lithuanian)--"eagle"
• Ari (ah-ree, Icelandic, Finnish)--from Old Norse, "eagle" [also means "lion" in Hebrew, and "brave" in Armenian]
• Arne (AR-neh, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "eagle"
• Astor (AS-tor, English)--from Provençal, "hawk"
• Bertram (BER-tram, English, German)--from Germanic, "bright raven"
• Bran (BRAN, Irish or BRAHN, Welsh)--"raven"
• Callum (KAL-lum, Scottish)--from Latin, "dove". Other versions include Colum (Irish) and Koloman (German).
• Corbin (KOR-bin, English)--from French, "raven"
• Einín (EH-neen, Irish)--"little bird"
• Ezio (ETS-yoh, Italian)--from Greek, "eagle"
• Gawain (gah-WAYN or GAH-wine, English)--from Welsh, "white hawk". Variant is Gavin.
• Haytham (HYE-thahm, Arabic)--"young eagle"
• Jonah (JOH-nah, Hebrew)--"dove". Variants include Jonas.
• Lonan (LOH-nan, Irish)--"blackbird"

Girls:

• Aderyn (ah-DEHR-un, Welsh)--"bird"
• Alcyone (al-SYE-on-ee, Greek)--"kingfisher"
• Alondra (ah-LOHN-drah, Spanish)--"lark"
• Branwen (BRAHN-wen,Welsh)--"blessed raven"
• Celandine (SEL-an-deen, English)--from Greek, "swallow"
• Circe (SEER-see, Greek)--"falcon"
• Geiléis (gel-AYSH, Irish)--"bright swan". Variant is Gelace (gel-AYS).
• Gwennol (GWEN-nol, Welsh)--"swallow"
• Gwylan (GWEE-lan, Welsh)--"seagull"
• Idriya (ee-dree-yah, Hebrew)--"duck"
• Jemima (jeh-MYE-mah, English)--from Hebrew, "dove"
• Lærke (LAHR-keh, Danish)--"lark"
• Llinos (HLEE-nos, Welsh)--"finch" or "linnet"
• Paloma (pah-LOH-mah, Spanish)--"dove"
• Parastu (pahr-ahs-too, Persian)--"swallow"
• Philomel (FIL-oh-mel, English)--"nightingale"
• Sarika (sah-rih-kah, Indian [Hindi])--"talking bird" [parrot, cuckoo, myna, etc]
• Sazume (sah-zoo-meh, Japanese)--"sparrow"
• Séanait (SHAY-nat, Irish)--"hawk"
• Svana (SVAH-nah, Icelandic)--from Germanic, "swan"
• Tsubame (tsoo-bah-meh, Japanese)--"swallow"
• Usoa (oo-soh-ah, Basque)--"dove". Variant is Uxue (oo-shoo-eh).
• Zipporah (zip-POR-ah, English)--from Hebrew, "bird". Other versions include Tzipporah (Hebrew), Sepphora (Greek), and Seffora (Latin).

Unisex: 

• Aquila (ah-KWEE-lah, Latin)--"eagle"
• Columba (col-UM-bah, Latin)--"dove"
• Merle (MURL, English)--from French, "blackbird"
• Shahin (sha-heen, Persian)--"falcon". Also spelled Shaheen.

Tough Girls' Names

Boys' names with stalwart, warrior-type names are pretty darned common--Ethan ("enduring"), Alexander ("defender of men"), William ("willful protector"), Nicholas ("people's victory")--the list goes on and on. For girls' names, though, most cultures historically have tended towards pretty, poetic, or virtuous names--Sophia ("wisdom"), Elizabeth/Isabella ("God's promise"), Chloe ("green shoot"), Sarah ("princess"), etc.
Trying to find a fighting name for a girl can be tough, unless you want to use a feminization of a boys' name, like Nicole, Alexandria, and Louise ("famous warrior"), or an originally male name, like Riley ("valiant"), Alexis ("defender"), and Aubrey ("elven power").
And before you even look, yes, this is a very Germanic-heavy list.

• Audrey (AW-dree, English)--"noble strength"
• Bellatrix (BEL-lah-triks, Latin)--"warrior"
• Bellona (bel-LOH-nah, Latin)--"fight"
• Berenice (behr-en-EYE-see, English, or behr-en-EE-cheh, Italian)--from Greek, "bringing victory". Variants include Veronica and Bernice.
• Boudica (BOH-dih-kah, Celtic)--"victorious"
• Brava (BRAH-vah, Esperanto)--"valiant"
• Brenda (BREN-dah, English)--from Old Norse, "sword"
• Edith (EE-dith, English)--"blessed war"
• Efigénia (ef-ih-ZHEN-yah, Portuguese)--from Greek, "born strong"
• Eunice (YOO-nis, English)--from Greek, "good victory"
• Gertrude (GER-trood, English, or gehr-TROO-deh, German)--"spear of strength"
• Hilda (HIL-dah, Germanic)--"battle"
• Hillevi (HIL-eh-vee, Finnish)--from Germanic, "healthy in battle"
• Jaya (jah-yah, Indian [Hindi])--"victory"
• Jördis (YOR-dis, German)--from Old Norse, "sword goddess"
• Katsumi (kaht-soo-mee, Japanese)--"victorious beauty"
• Koa (koh-ah, Hawaiian)--"brave, bold"
• Lalama (lah-lah-mah, Hawaiian)--"daring, clever"
• Lanakila (lah-nah-kee-lah, Hawaiian)--"victorious"
• Liv (LEEV, Scandinavian)--"protection" [also means "life" in modern Swedish & Danish]
• Makana (mah-kah-nah, Hawaiian)--"fierce"
• Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, English, Swedish)--from Germanic, "strength in battle"
• Móirne (MORN-yeh, Irish)--"great"
• Nanna (NAHN-nah, Scandinavian)--"daring"
• Nahoa (nah-hoh-ah, Hawaiian)--"bold, defiant"
• Nessa (NES-sa, Irish)--"not gentle". Anglicized from Neasa (NYAS-ah).
• Rhonwen (RHON-wen, Welsh)--"blessed spear"
• Romilda (roh-MIL-dah, Italian)--from Germanic, "famous battle"
• Rosamund (ROZ-ah-mund or ROHZ-ah-mund, English)--from Germanic, "horse protection"
• Roswitha (roz-VEE-thah, German)--"famous strength"
• Saskia (SAS-kee-ah or ZAHS-kee-ah, German & Dutch)--from Germanic, "knife"
• Shamira (shah-meer-ah, Hebrew)--"guardian"
• Shinobu (shin-oh-boo, Japanese)--"endurance"
• Shun (shoon, Japanese)--"speed"
• Signy (SIG-nee, Scandinavian)--"new victory"
• Sigrid (SIG-rid, Scandinavian)--"beautiful victory"
• Solveig (SOL-vay, Scandinavian)--"strength of the sun"
• Tisiphone (tih-SIH-foh-nee, Greek"--"avenging murder"
• Toril (TOR-il, Scandinavian)--"Thor's battle"
• Tressa (TRES-sah, Irish)--"strength". Anglicized from Treasa/Trása (TRAH-sah).
• Valda (VAHL-da, Germanic)--"power" 
• Valencia (vah-LEN-see-ah, Spanish)--from Latin, "power"
• Venka (VEN-kah, Esperanto)--"victorious"
• Victoria (vik-TOR-ee-ah, Latin)--"victory"
• Ylva (EEL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "she-wolf"
• Yumi (yoo-mee, Japanese)--"[archery] bow"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name: Kate/Kat/Kitty

Wow. This was a hard one. I challenged myself to not use any Katherine-variants on this list. Consequently, this list has a lot less Western Europe than usual. :)

• Ankita (ahn-kee-tah, Indian [Hindi])
• Arcadia (ar-KAY-dee-ah, English; or ahr-KAH-dee-ah, Greek & Portuguese)
• Carita (kah-REE-tah, Swedish)--from Latin, "dear one" or "charity"
• Christine (kris-TEEN, French & English)--from Latin, form of Christian. Other forms include Christina & Kristin.  [if you think this one's odd--Kit is a nickname for Christopher, so why not for the feminine Christ-names?]
• Chrysanta (kris-AN-tah, English)--from Latin, "golden flower"
• Giachetta (jah-KET-tah, Italian)--feminine form of Jacob
• Kanti (kahn-tee, Indian [Hindi])--"beauty"
• Katar (kah-TAHR, Armenian)--"peak, summit"
• Katida (kah-TEE-dah, Esperanto)
• Katriela (kah-tree-EL-lah, Hebrew)--"crown of God"
• Katsumi (kaht-soo-mee, Japanese)--"victorious beauty"
• Kavita (kah-vee-tah, Indian [Hindi])--"poem"
• Keturah (keh-TOO-rah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Ketziah (ket-ZYE-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--original form of Keziah
• Kirtida (keer-tee-dah, Indian [Hindi])
• Kvĕta (KVEH-tah, Czech)--"flower"
• Leocadia (leh-oh-KAH-dee-ah, Spanish, Italian)
• Markéta (mar-KEH-tah, Czech)--form of Margaret. Spelled Marketta in Finnish.