Friday, August 31, 2012

Same Name?!--Guy

Guy is a bit odd. Most people today consider it a slang term rather than a name, and that's not completely unreasonable, since it's probably one of the oldest bits of slang in use today--coined in the mid 1800s! Guy was a name long before that, most famously borne by Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. It's also thanks to him that guy is now a term for "man"--his tale was romanticized in a popular book, and guy entered general terminology meaning "shabby man", later expanded to any male.
Despite this, Guy remained in common use for quite some time, only dropping off the US charts 5 years ago.

And for such a short name, it has a surprising amount of variation from language to language. This is partially because its original form sounded almost identical to a Latin name, Vitus, and where the two languages overlapped, they were treated as the same name. Consequently, it's difficult to separate which modern form evolved from Vitus, and which from Wido.

Original Germanic form: Wido (VEE-doh)
Modern French form: Guy (GEE)

Other forms:
  • Guido (GEE-doh)--German
  • Guido (GWEE-doh)--Italian
  • Gvidas (GVEE-dahs)--Lithuanian
  • Veit (FITE)--German
  • Vid (VEED)--Croatian, Slovene. Feminine is Vida.
  • Wide (WEE-deh)--Frisian
  • Wit (VEET)--Polish

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Bi-cultural Names--French/English (boys)

Spelled the same, but with pronunciation difference:
  • Abel--English, AY-bel; French, ah-BEL
  • Adam--English, AD-am; French, ah-DAHM
  • Albert--English, AL-bert; French, ahl-BEHR
  • Alexis--English, ah-LEKS-is; French, ah-leks-EE
  • Alfred--English, AL-fred; French, ahl-FREHD
  • Arthur--English, AR-thur, French, ar-TYOOR
  • Benjamin--English, BEN-jah-min; French, ben-zhah-MEHN
  • Bernard--English, ber-NARD; French, behr-NAHR
  • Blaise--English, BLAYZ; French, BLEZ
  • Charles--English, CHARLZ; French, SHAHRL
  • Christian--English, KRIS-chen; French, krees-TYAWN
  • Claude--English, KLAWD; French, KLOHD
  • Cyril--English, SEER-il; French, see-RIL
  • Daniel--English, DAN-yel; French, dah-YEL
  • David--English, DAY-vid; French, dah-VEED
  • Denis--English, DEN-is; French, deh-NEE
  • Dorian--English, DOHR-ee-an; French, doh-ree-AHN
  • Edgar--English, ED-gar; French, ed-GAHR
  • Eric--English, EHR-ik; French, ehr-EEK
  • Ethan--English, EE-than; French, eh-TAHN
  • Ferdinand--English, FER-dih-nand; French, fehr-dee-NAWN
  • Francis--English, FRAN-sis; French, frawn-SEES
  • Gabriel--English, GAY-bree-el; French, gah-bree-EL
  • Gilbert--English, GIL-bert; French, zheel-BEHR
  • Guy--English, GYE; French, GEE
  • Hector--English, HEK-tor; French, ek-TOHR
  • Jason--English, JAY-son; French, zhah-SOHN
  • Joseph--English, JOH-sef; French, zhoh-SEF
  • Justin--English, JUS-tin; French, zhoos-TAHN
  • Kevin--English, KEV-in; French, keh-VEEN
  • Louis--English, LOO-is; French, loo-EE
  • Lucas--English, LOO-kas; French, loo-KAH
  • Martin--English, MAR-tin; French, mahr-TAHN
  • Matthias--English, mah-THYE-as; French, mah-tee-AHS
  • Morgan--English, MOHR-gan; French, mohr-GAWN
  • Nathan--English, NAY-than; French, nah-TAWN
  • Patrick--English, PAT-rik; French, pah-TREEK
  • Paul--English, PAWL; French, POHL
  • Quentin--English, KWEN-tin; French--kawn-TAHN
  • Raphael--English, RAF-ay-el; French, rah-fah-EL
  • Raymond--English, RAY-mond; French, ray-MAWN
  • Richard--English, RICH-ard; French, ree-SHAHR
  • Robert--English, ROB-ert; French, roh-BEHR
  • Roger--English, ROJ-er; French, roh-ZHEH
  • Roland--English, ROHL-and; French, roh-LAWN
  • Samuel--English, SAM-yul; French, sam-yoo-EL
  • Simon--English, SYE-mon; French, see-MAWN
  • Thomas--English, TOM-as; French, toh-MAH
  • Tristan--English, TRIS-tan; French, trees-TAWN
  • Victor--English, VIK-tor; French, veek-TOHR
  • Vincent--English, VIN-sent; French, ven-SAWN
  • Xavier--English, eks-AY-vyer, ZAY-vyer; French, zah-vee-AY

One- or two-letter difference:
  • Adrian--English, AY-dree-an; Adrien--French, ah-dree-AWN
  • Alan--English, AL-an; Alain--French, ah-LEHN
  • Alexander--English, al-eks-AN-der; Alexandre--French, ahl-eks-AWN-der
  • Ambrose--English, AM-brohz; Ambroise--French, am-BWAWZ
  • Andrew--English, AN-droo; André--French, awn-DRAY
  • Ansel--English, AN-sel; Anselme--French, awn-SELM
  • August--English, AW-gust; Auguste--French, oh-GOOST
  • Barnaby--English, BAR-nah-bee; Barnabé--French, bar-nah-BAY
  • Basil--English, BAZ-il; Basile--French, bah-ZEEL
  • Bryce--English, BRIS [long I, "eye"]; Brice--French, BREES
  • Christopher--English, KRIS-toh-fer; Christophe--French, krees-TOHF
  • Clement--English, KLEM-ent; Clément--French, klay-MAWN
  • Damian--English, DAY-mee-an; Damien--French, dah-mee-AWN
  • Edmund--English, ED-mund; Edmond--French, ed-MON
  • Edward--English, ED-ward; Édouard--French, ay-DWAHR
  • Eugene--English, YOO-jeen; Eugène--French, oo-ZHEN
  • Felix--English, FEE-liks; Félix--French, fay-LEEKS
  • Frederick--English, FRED-er-ik; Frédéric--French, fray-day-REEK
  • George--English, JOHRJ; Georges--French, ZHOHRZH
  • Gerald--English, JEHR-ald; Gérald--French, zhay-RAHLD
  • Gerard--English, jer-AHRD; Gérard--French, zhay-RAHR
  • Henry--English, HEN-ree; Henri--French, awn-REE
  • Harvey--English, HAR-vee; Hervé--French, ehr-VAY
  • John--English, JON; Jean--French, ZHAWN
  • Jeremy--English, JEHR-eh-mee; Jérémie--French, zhay-ray-MEE
  • Joel--English, JOHL; Joël--French, zhoh-EL
  • Julian--English, JOO-lee-an; Julien--French, zhoo-lee-AWN
  • Laurence--English, LAW-rens; Laurent--French, loh-RAWN
  • Leo--English, LEE-oh; Léo--French, lay-oh
  • Leonard--English, LEN-ard; Léonard--French, lay-oh-NAHR
  • Leopold--English, LEE-oh-pohld; Léopold--French, lay-oh-POHLD
  • Mark--English, MARK; Marc--French, MARK
  • Nicholas--English, NIK-oh-las; Nicolas--French, nee-koh-LAH
  • Noah--English, NOH-ah; Noé--French, noh-AY
  • Noel--English, NOHL; Noël--French, noh-EL
  • Oliver--English, OL-ih-ver; Olivier--French, oh-lee-vee-AY
  • Philip--English, FIL-ip; Philippe--French, feel-EEP
  • Roman--English, ROH-man; Romain--French, roh-MAHN
  • Sebastian--English, seh-BAS-chen; Sébastien--French, say-bas-TYAWN
  • Stephen--English, STEE-fen; Stéphane--French, stay-FAHN
  • Theodore--English, THEE-oh-dohr; Théodore--French, tay-oh-DOHR
  • Timothy--English, TIM-oh-thee; Timothée--French, tee-moh-TAY
  • Zachary--English, ZAK-ah-ree; Zacharie--French, zah-kah-REE

Some other difference, but still recognizable:
  • Anthony--English, AN-ton-ee, AN-thon-ee; Antoine--French, awn-TWAWN
  • Arnold--English, AR-nohld; Arnaud--French, ar-NOH
  • Bartholomew--English, bar-THOL-oh-myoo; Barthélémy--French, BAR-tay-lay-MEE
  • Everett--English, EV-er-ett; Évrard--French, ayv-RAHR
  • Jasper--English, JAS-per; Gaspard--French, gahs-PAHR
  • Jeffrey--English, JEF-free; Geoffroy--French, zhof-FWAH
  • Gregory--English, GREG-oh-ree; Grégoire--French, gray-GWAHR
  • Hugh--English, HYOO; Hugues--French, OOG
  • Jacob--English, JAY-kob; Jacques--French, ZHAHK
  • Joshua--English, JOSH-yoo-ah; Josué--French, zhoh-zoo-AY
  • Jordan--English, JOR-dan; Jourdain--French, zhoor-DEHN
  • Matthew--English, MATH-yoo; Mathieu--French, mah-TYOO
  • Roderick--English, ROD-er-ik; Rodrigue--French, rohd-REEG

Friday, August 24, 2012

Unearthly Creatures--Nymphs

I've done quite a few mythological name lists, but it occurred to me that limiting myself to gods & goddesses, and a few heroes and tragic figures, I've missed a ton of cool names & stories.
I was originally just going to do two lists--humans & non, but there are a ton of Greek nymphs! They'll need a list all their own.

Nymphs were minor deities, the personifications of various parts of nature--water, forest, earth, heavens/sky, or underworld--and they were all female.
Although 'nymph-' doesn't exactly have the best connotation in modern English, the nymphs of Greek mythology were not sex-crazed spirits--rather, many tales revolve around them running away from over-amorous gods!

(note: this is nowhere near a complete listing--just a compilation of a few names that are relatively "easy" in English!)
  • Acantha (ah-KAHN-thah)
  • Aethria (EYE-three-ah, ETH-ree-ah)
  • Alcyone (al-SYE-on-ee)
  • Anthe (AN-thee)
  • Arethusa (ah-reh-THOO-sah)
  • Asia (ah-SEE-ah, AY-zhah)
  • Caliadne (kal-ee-AHD-nee)
  • Calypso (kah-LIP-soh)
  • Corycia (koh-REE-see-ah)
  • Cyane (SYE-an-ee)
  • Danais (DAN-ah-is, dah-nah-EES)
  • Daphne (DAF-nee, DAHF-neh)
  • Deaira/Daira (deh-EYE-rah / DYE-rah)
  • Dione (dee-OH-nee)
  • Doris (DOH-ris)
  • Echo (EH-koh)
  • Eidothea (ay-doth-EH-ah)
  • Electra (el-EK-trah)
  • Ephyra (eh-FEE-rah)
  • Eudora (yoo-DOH-rah)
  • Eurydice (yoo-RID-ih-see)
  • Euadne/Evadne (yoo-AHD-nee / ev-AHD-nee)
  • Eupheme (yoo-FEE-mee)
  • Ianeira (yan-AY-rah)
  • Ianthe (ee-AN-thee, YAN-theh)
  • Ione (eye-OH-nee, EYE-oh-nee, YOH-neh)
  • Kallirhoe/Calliroe (kal-lih-ROH-ee)
  • Kallisto (kah-LEES-toh)
  • Karya/Carya (KAHR-ee-ah)
  • Klaia (KLYE-ah)
  • Kleodora/Cleodora (kleh-o-DOH-rah)
  • Koronis/Coronis (kor-OH-nis)
  • Lara (LAH-rah)
  • Larisa (lah-REE-sah)
  • Lilaia (lil-EYE-ah)
  • Maia (MYE-ah)
  • Memphis (MEM-fis)
  • Melaina (mel-EYE-nah)
  • Melia (MEL-ee-ah)
  • Melissa (meh-LIS-sah)
  • Merope (MEHR-oh-pee)
  • Morea (mor-EH-ah)
  • Neaira (neh-EYE-rah)
  • Nephele (NEF-el-ee)
  • Nomia (nom-EE-ah)
  • Oenone (ee-NOH-nee)
  • Orseis (or-SEH-is)
  • Phoebe (FEE-bee)
  • Rhene (REE-nee)
  • Samia (sah-MEE-ah)
  • Sose (SOH-see)
  • Thetis (THEH-tis)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Tess

Teresa is the perfect example of a trendy full name dying, and its nickname rising to take its place. It peaked around 1960, and was surpassed by Tessa in the mid-90s. Although Teresa isn't unheard of for a new babe, it's definitely not rising in popularity, either. Tessa on the other hand, is becoming more common--not the mercurial rise of a trendy name; but the gradual, rambling climb of a modern classic.
Understandably, Tess still feels a bit too nickname-y; and if you're hoping for a rarer name, Tessa isn't likely to fit the bill for much longer.

  • Teresia (teh-RAY-see-ah, Scandinavian; teh-RAY-zee-ah, German)--form of Teresa. Also spelled Theresia.
  • Teodosia (teh-oh-DOHS-yah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)--"giving to God"
  • Tesni (TES-nee, Welsh)
  • Tessan (TES-sahn, Swedish)--another form of Teresa [usually only a nickname for Teresia]
  • Tethys (TEE-this, TETH-is, Greek)--Greek goddess [Titan] of the sea
  • Thais (tah-EES, French, Portuguese)--Russian form is Taisiya (tah-ee-SEE-ah)
  • Tressa (TRES-sah, Irish)--Anglicized from Treasa, "strength"

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Weird Name Journey--Tiffany

Every now and again I come across a etymology that astounds me. Many names are fairly straightforward, some are so old their origins have been lost, while others have followed an odd & twisting journey to the forms we know today. And so, a new series of posts is born. :p

Chances are, unless you're a very devout Christian (in the Western tradition, anyway), you never really observe the holiday Epiphany. Traditionally, it marks the date the Magi came to visit Jesus, as well as his baptism years later by John the Baptist, and his first miracle of water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
In Western Christian churches, the date is set on Jan. 6--the day after the Twelve Days of Christmas--and the Magi's visit is the most emphasized aspect.
In Eastern Christian churches, it is the 3rd most important holy day of the year, celebrated on either Jan. 6 or Jan. 19 (depending on whether the church follows the Julian or Gregorian calendar); and Jesus' baptism is most celebrated.
In any case, you may notice an underlying theme between the 3 celebrated events--Jesus' first Gentile visitors, his baptism, his first miracle--all have to do the revelation that He is indeed the Son of God. And this is where Epiphany gets its name--it means "manifestation, shining upon" in Greek. Another name for Epiphany, fallen into disuse for quite some time now, is 'Theophany'--"appearance of God".

Children born on holy days were often given special commemorative names, especially during the Medieval period--Noel/Noelle & Natalie are still in use in English today; Dominic is quite fashionable; Pascal, although more common abroad, is fairly recognizable; and you'll even find records of girls called Easter.
Where on earth is all this going? Well, in the Middle Ages, Epiphany was more commonly called Theophany (which, back then, would have been roughly pronounced t'hee-OF-an-ee), and English girls born on this feast where often named Theophania. The name didn't last into modern English; however, it must have been decently used, because matronymic surnames derived from it persist. Poor Theophania was all but forgotten until 1961.
And then came Hollywood.

Even if you've not really one for old movies, chances are you recognize Audrey Hepburn and the long cigarette-holder. Breakfast at Tiffany's is still considered a classic. The titular jewelry store was named for its founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, and this once-obscure surname leapt onto the SSA charts at #782 the year after the film was released.
Although uncommon today, Tiffany peaked at #13 in 1982 and again in 1988; and even spurred a French resurgence of its cognate Tiphaine (tee-fehn), another rare surname and forgotten Medieval prénom.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Surnames for Girls

I admit, surname-names aren't usually my style. I can see the appeal, though--modern but not made up, has history, familiar to most people. In the past, surnames were often given as first or middle names to pass down a name that might otherwise be lost, or to pay tribute to the mother's side. Consequently, boys have been the main recipients of surnames as first names. So what are girls to do? Even if the surname in question has never caught on for boys, her parents will still likely get accused of using a boys' name (Reagan and Tatum come to mind).
So, here's a list of names that were originally surnames, but first caught on for feminine use in the U.S.; as well as a few surnames that are currently underused for either.
In many cases, the rise of these names can be directly attributed to a prominent female figure.

  • Adair (ah-DAYR)
  • Ansley (ANZ-lee)--variant is Ainsley
  • Arden (AHR-den)
  • Averill (AV-er-il)
  • Baxter (BAKS-ter) [technically, this has only ever gotten use as a male name, but since it's the extremely rare example of a feminine occupational name--"female baker"--I had to include it!]
  • Bellamy (BEL-ah-mee)
  • Blythe (BLITHE)
  • Cassidy (KAS-ih-dee)
  • Chanel (shan-EL)--Coco Chanel
  • Chantal (shahn-TAHL)
  • Charisse (shah-REES)--Cyd Charisse
  • Darcy (DAR-see) [masc. in Australia, however]
  • Delaney (deh-LAY-nee)
  • Ellery (EL-er-ee)
  • Fallon (FAL-lon)
  • Flannery (FLAN-er-ee)--Flannery O'Connor
  • Greer (GREER)--Greer Garson
  • Halle (HAL-lee, HAHL-leh)--Halle Berry
  • Harlow (HAR-loh)
  • Harper (HAR-per)--Harper Lee
  • Hayley (HAY-lee)--Hayley Mills
  • Joyce (JOYS)
  • Kimberly (KIM-ber-lee)
  • Laverne (lah-VERN)
  • Macy (MAY-see)
  • Mallory (MAL-oh-ree)
  • Marley (MAR-lee) [masculine in France, however]
  • Paige (PAYJ)
  • Piper (PYE-per)--"Piper Halliwell", Charmed
  • Presley (PREZ-lee)
  • Reagan (RAY-gan)
  • Romilly (ROH-mil-ee)
  • Scarlett (SKAR-let)--"Scarlett O'Hara", Gone With the Wind
  • Sheridan (SHEHR-ih-dan)
  • Sloane (SLOHN)
  • Tatum (TAY-tum)--Tatum O'Neal
  • Tiffany (TIF-an-ee)
  • Zola (ZOH-lah)

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Same Name?!?--Charles/Charlotte

It's funny how feminine forms come about. Different languages of course have different masculine & feminine indicators, but quite often a masculine name gets new feminine forms in a different languages despite having an established feminine form in its language of origin. This is one reason the feminine forms of classic names can look quite dissimilar, even though the masculine forms are quite similar, or even the same (the other reason is that, historically, daughters were named after fathers fairly often, but boys almost never after their mothers).
Joseph has Josepha, Josefina, Jozika, JoséeJosephineGiuseppa; Henry has Henrietta, Heinrike, Hendrika, Henna, EnricaCharles is no exception.

In this case, however, the translation gets rather interesting. Charles is the French form of the Germanic Karl which means "free man" (that is, neither a noble or a serf), so the technical translation of Charlotte and other feminine forms is the same. The more placating baby-name books & websites often change it to "womanly", but that simply isn't accurate. There was no Germanic feminine equivalent of Karl. "Free" was a purely masculine quality at that point--women were either wives or daughters, not independent individuals.
A more faithful modern translation, therefore, isn't "womanly", it's "free person" or "citizen".

Original Germanic form: Karl (KAHRL)
Latinized form: Carolus (kah-ROH-lus)
French form: Charles (SHAHRL)

Other forms:
  • Carles (KAHR-les)--Catalan
  • Carlo (KAHR-loh)--Italian
  • Kaarlo (KAAHR-loh)--Finnish
  • Kale (KAH-leh)--Hawaiian
  • Karel (KAH-rel)--Czech, Dutch
  • Károly (KAH-roy)--Hungarian
  • Séarlas (SHAHR-las)--Irish
  • Siarl (SHAHRL)--Welsh

  • Carla (KAHR-lah)--Dutch, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish...
  • Carlota (kahr-LOH-tah)--Spanish, Portuguese
  • Carlotta (kahr-LOHT-tah)--Italian
  • Carol (KEHR-ol)--English [formerly masculine]
  • Carola (kah-ROH-lah)--Dutch, German, Italian
  • Carole (kahr-OHL)--French
  • Carolien (kah-roh-LEEN)--Dutch
  • Carolina (kehr-oh-LYE-nah)--English
  • Carolina (kah-roh-LEE-nah)--Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
  • Caroline (KEHR-oh-line)--English
  • Caroline (kah-loh-LEEN)--French
  • Carolyn (KEHR-oh-lin)--English
  • Charline (shahr-LEEN)--English, French
  • Charlotte (SHAHR-lot)--English
  • Charlotte (shahr-LOHT)--French
  • Charlotte (shahr-LAW-teh)--Dutch, German
  • Séarlait (SHAHR-lat)--Irish

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

I Am Going to Hell....

You may have noticed a new page up there a day or so ago.^^
I was inspired by a couple recently-spotted modern names, brushed up on my Java, and came up with this:

The Modern Name Generator


Thanks to Niels over at Name-Generators.com for his tutorial & starting script!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Popular vs. Trendy...

...and other semantics.

We seem to have our own vocabulary among name-nerds. When the average person comes on a forum, asking for a "unique" name, they're likely to get suggestions like Anaïs, Acacia, or Avalon....but what they probably want is something along the lines of Annalise, Aviana, or Ashlyn. It can be quite frustrating to those of us obsessives when someone claims to want to avoid trendy names, but then asks if Kaedin or Brantley is the better option. ("How can they be trendy? They're not popular at all!")

I'd love to find a way to uniformly standardize vocabulary in all naming forums, but I'll have to settle for preaching to the choir. :p

So, here's my take on common naming terms:

Popular--Top 10-20 or so on the spelling-adjusted charts. Ex: Jacob, Emily, Aiden, Madison
Common--Top 100ish. Ex: Alexis, Gabriel, Colton, Brianna
Uncommon--Top 100-500. Ex: Malachi, Jude, Eleanor, Fiona
Very uncommon--Top 500-1000. Ex: Dashiell, Susana, Deacon, Selah
Unique/Rare--Below 1000. Ex: Tobin, Ramsay, Cordelia, Priya
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trendy--suddenly spiking in use, or having characteristics that have quickly become more common. Ex: Jayden, Ava, Mackenzie, Keegan
Classic--maintaining a relatively stable level of usage (regardless of popularity). Ex: William, August, Elizabeth, Nina.
Outdated--a name that was once classic/trendy, but has fallen out of common usage. Ex. Amanda, Ronald, Gary, Barbara
Vintage--a formerly outdated name that is coming back into usage. Ex: Hazel, Stella, Theo, Asa.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Traditional: a name that has been in use for at least several generations. Ex: Michael, Mary, Sophia, Ethan
Modern: a name relatively new in usage, whether through gender-switch, cultural borrowing, invention, or some other means. Ex: Avery (for girls), Teagan (surname), Mia (cultural borrowing), Cambria (place name).


IMHO, a name can be both traditional and trendy (Olivia, Isabella), or modern and classic (Ashley, Brooke, Ryan). A name could also be unique but trendy (Maxson, Breelyn), or unique but traditional (Coral, Josephina, Otto).


*disclaimer--I did previously write this up on a certain forum, so if it seems vaguely familiar; that's why. ;)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

O My...

(bonus points if you read the title in George Takei's voice)

Like I, O is a relatively rare first letter in American names. Olivia may the the #3 girls name in the U.S., but you have to go down the list quite a ways to find the next O-name--Olive, at #423! The boys have a few more options, with Owen and Oliver in the top 100, and Oscar and Omar in the top 200, but still, that's not much.
So if you want a name that stands out, forget J, K, & Z! Use an O name. :)

Boys:
  • Obadiah (oh-bah-DYE-ah, Hebrew)--"servant of God"
  • Oberon (OH-ber-on, English)--form of Aubrey
  • Obrad (OH-brahd, Serbian)--"brings joy"
  • Octavio (ohk-TAHV-yoh, Spanish; ahk-TAY-vee-oh, English)
  • Omri (OHM-ree, Hebrew)
  • Onisim (AHN-ee-seem, Russian)
  • Oran (OH-ran, Irish)--Also spelled Orrin.
  • Orbán (OHR-bahn, Hungarian)--form of Urban.
  • Oren (oh-REN, Hebrew)
  • Oroitz (oh-royts, Basque)--"memory"
  • Orson (OHR-son, English--from French, "little bear"
  • Orvar (OHR-vahr, Swedish)--from Norse, "arrow"
  • Oswin (OZ-win, English)
  • Otis (OH-tis, English)--from of Otto.
  • Otto (AHT-toh, English; AW-toh, German)--"wealth"
  • Ozan (oh-ZAHN, Turkish)--"bard"

Girls:
  • Octavia (ohk-TAHV-yah, Spanish; ahk-TAY-vee-ah, English)--Italian form is Ottavia.
  • Odilia (oh-DEE-lee-ah, Germanic)--feminine of Otto. Other forms include Ottilie (aw-TEE-lee-eh, German; or oh-tee-lee, French), Odalys (oh-DAH-leez, Spanish), Odelia (oh-DEH-lee-ah, English), and Odette (oh-DET, French, English).
  • Ofelia (oh-FEH-lyah, Spanish, Italian)--form of Ophelia. French form is Ophélie (oh-fay-LEE).
  • Oihana (oy-ah-nah, Basque)--"forest"
  • Olalla (oh-LAH-yah, Spanish)--form of Eulalia
  • Olwen (OHL-wen, Welsh)
  • Onóra (on-OH-rah, Irish)--form of Honora
  • Oona (OO-nah, Irish, Finnish)
  • Opal (OH-pal, English)
  • Orinthia (oh-RIN-thee-ah, English)
  • Orla (OHR-lah, Irish)--"golden princess"
  • Orsolya (OHR-shoh-yah, Hungarian)--form of Ursula
  • Osanna (oh-ZAHN-nah, Italian)--from Biblical term hosanna. French form is Osanne.