Names of Ghibli (girls)

I'm a massive Studio Ghibli fan, so I have no idea how this post never occurred to me before now. ;)

Miyazaki especially is known for his strong, well-developed female characters, so I thought it'd be fun to go through all the Ghibli films (totally not an excuse for a movie binge night....or week, really) and collect every girls' name mentioned.
[in some cases, the characters are only named in the credits]

Main / important secondary characters:

• Anna (When Marnie Was There)
• Arrietty (The Secret World of Arrietty)
• Chihiro "Sen" (Spirited Away)
• Dola (Castle in the Sky)
• Eboshi (Princess Mononoke)
• Fio (Porco Rosso)
• Gina (Porco Rosso)
• Haru (The Cat Returns)
• Homily (The Secret World of Arrietty)
• Kaguya (The Tale of Princess Kaguya)
• Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service)
• Kushana (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind [okay, not strictly Studio Ghibli, made before its formation, but I'm including it anyway])
• Lin (Spirited Away)
• Lisa (Ponyo)
• Lusheeta  "Sheeta" (Castle in the Sky)
• Marnie (When Marnie Was There)
• Matsuko (My Neighbors the Yamadas)
• Mei (My Neighbor Totoro)
• Nahoko (The Wind Rises)
• Nausicaä (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)
• Nonoko (My Neighbors the Yamadas)
• Osono (Kiki's Delivery Service)
• Ponyo (Ponyo)
• Rikako (Ocean Waves)
• San (Princess Mononoke)
• Satsuki (My Neighbor Totoro)
• Sayaka (When Marnie Was There)
• Setsuko (Grave of the Fireflies)
• Shige (My Neighbors the Yamadas)
• Shizuku (Whisper of the Heart)
• Sophie (Howl's Moving Castle)
• Taeko (Only Yesterday)
• Tenar (Tales from Earthsea)
• Therru (Tales from Earthsea)
• Umi (From Up on Poppy Hill)
• Yubaba (Spirited Away)
• Yuki (The Cat Returns)

Minor characters / only mentioned:

• Aiko, Kiyoko, Naoko, Rie, Suzuki, Toko, Tsuneko (Only Yesterday)
• Akiko, Yumi (Ocean Waves)
• Anna, Constance, Donna, Giliora, Laura, Maria, Marietta, Monica, Sandra, Silvana, Sophia, Tina, Valentina (Porco Rosso)
• Asako, Kinuyo, Louise, Nao, Shiho, Yuko (Whisper of the Heart)
• Dora, Kokiri, Maki, Ursula (Kiki's Delivery Service)
• Emily, Hisako, Nobuko, Setsu, Yoriko (When Marnie Was There)
• Hana, Miki, Nobuko, Ryoko, Sachiko, Saori, Sora, Yuko (From Up on Poppy Hill)
• Hara, Jessica (The Secret World of Arrietty)
• Hiromi, Naoko (The Cat Returns)
• Honey, Lettie, Madge (Howl's Moving Castle)
• Karen, Kayo, Kumiko, Noriko, Toki, Yoshie (Ponyo)
• Kaya, Kiyo, Moro, Toki (Princess Mononoke)
• Kayo, Kinu (The Wind Rises)
• Kita, Me, Sagami (The Tale of Princess Kaguya)
• Lastelle, Obaba (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds)
• Madge, Okami (Castle in the Sky)
• Michiko, Ryouko, Yasuko (My Neighbor Totoro)
• Yuko, Zeniba (Spirited Away)

Un Otro Reto Alfabético

Names ending in "oh" are trending pretty nicely right now, mostly for boys, but definitely a bit for girls as well. The boys' names mostly tend to actually end with -o, but for girls they're more mixed--some -o, some -ot, some -ow/owe.
For some crazy reason, I felt like setting myself another alphabet challenge--for both genders.
The rules are simple: one name for each letter, and it can't be a name I've mentioned before on this blog.

Boys:

• Aro (AH-roh, Swedish, Finnish [trilled R in Finnish])--form of Aaron
• Breno (BREH-noo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--from Latinized Gaelic, prob. "prince" or "raven" [making it a form of either Brendan or Bran]
• Cisco (SIS-koh, Spanish)--short form of Francisco
• Darrow (DEHR-oh, DA-row, Scottish [surname])--prob. from darach "oak"
• Ensio (EN-see-oh, Finnish)--"first"
• Franco (FRAHN-koh, Italian)--form of Frank or short form of Francesco, both from the Germanic tribe name 'Franks'. 
• Gaio (GYE-oh, Italian)--from Latin Gaius/Caius, origin uncertain
• Hanno (HAHN-no, German)--short form of Johannes
• Ícaro (EE-kah-roo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese; EE-kah-oh, Spanish)--form of Icarus
• Jesco / Jesko (YES-koh, German; JES-koh, English)--nickname for Slavic jar/yar- names, "spring [the season]" or "power"
• Kenno (KEN-noh, Danish, Finnish)--nickname for Germanic kun/cun-names, "kin"
• Laszlo (LAZ-loh, English)--from Hungarian László, itself from Slavic Vladislav, "rule-glory"
• Miro (MEE-roh, Croatian, Italian, Finnish, Slovene, Swedish)--short form of Slavic mir- names, "peace"
• Nilo (NEE-loh, Italian, Spanish; NEE-loo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--form of 'Nile' [the river], or short form of Danilo
• Odino (oh-DEE-noh, Italian)--form of Odin
• Pelayo (pel-EYE-oh, Spanish)--from Ancient Greek Pelagius, "sea"
• Quincio (KEEN-see-oh, Spanish) / Quíncio (KEEN-see-oo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--form of Quintius/Quincy
• Renzo (REN-tsoh, Italian; REN-soh, Spanish; REN-zoo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--short form of Lorenzo
• Sidlow (SID-loh, English [surname])--origin uncertain, poss. "south hill" or "wide hill"
• Távio (TAHV-yoo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--short form of Otávio/Octávio
• Usebio (oo-SEH-bee-oh, Aragonese, Spanish)--from Ancient Greek, "good worship" or "well-respected"
• Vico (VEE-koh, Italian)--nickname for Ludovico/Louis
• Wilko / Wilco (VIL-koh, Dutch, German)--diminutive of William and other Wil-names.
• Xanto (KSAHN-toh, Italian)--from Ancient Greek, "yellow" [a masculine form of name-nerd favorite Xanthe]
• Y--gah, I've got nothing I haven't mentioned before (although I really thought it'd be Q or X that got me, so yay!)
• Zaccheo (zak-KEH-oh, Italian)--from Biblical Hebrew Zacchaeus, "pure"

Girls:

• Argyro (ahr-gee-ROH, Greek)--"silver"
• Bio (bee-OH, [ancient] Greek; BEE-oh, Anglicized)--prob. "life" or "force"
• Caro (KEHR-oh, KA-roh, KAH-roh, English; KAH-roh, Dutch, German, Spanish)--nickname for Caroline/Carolina and other Car-names
• Damaro (dah-mah-ROH, [ancient] Greek; dah-MAH-roh, Anglicized)--prob. "taming" or "wife"
• Emmelot (em-meh-LOH, [medieval] French)--diminutive of Emma-names
• Fairlow / Fairlowe (FEHR-loh, FAYR-loh, English [surname])--poss. "pleasant hill" or "fern hill". 
• Gwenno (GWEN-noh, Welsh)--diminutive of Gwen-names
• Haido (HYE-doh, Greek)--prob. "caress" [likely source of the literary name Haidee/Haydée]
• Ivalo (EE-vah-loh, Danish, Greenlandic)--from Greenlandic, "sinew, thread"
• Jurietto (joo-ree-et-toh, Japanese [pop culture])--gairaigo ["Japanization"] of Juliet
• Kallo (kah-LOH, [ancient] Greek; KAL-loh, Anglicized)--prob. "beautiful"
• Laino (lahn-yoh, Basque)--"cloud, mist"
• Margalo (MAR-gah-loh, English)--contraction of Margaret Lorraine
• Nikeso (nik-ay-SOH, [ancient] Greek; nik-EE-soh, Anglicized)--prob. "victory" or "victor"
• Orvo (OR-voh, Finnish)--short form of Orvokki "violet flower" [unisex]
• Phaio (fye-OH, Greek [mythology]) / Phaeo (FEE-oh, Anglicized)--"shining"
• Q--nada. Lost twice over. :/
• Runo (ROO-noh, Finnish)--"poem" [unisex]
• Siro (SEE-roh, Finnish)--"graceful"
• Tayloe / Taylo (TAY-loh, English [surname])--poss. form of Taylor, or from 'teal' [a type of duck]
• Ushio (oo-shee-oh, Japanese)--"tide" [unisex]
• Vireo (VEER-ee-oh, English [word, quite rare as a name])--a type of bird, from Latin "green"
• Wealthow / Wealtheow (WEL-thoh / WEL-theh-oh, [literary] English)--origin uncertain, poss. "foreign servant"
• Xenno (ksen-NOH, [ancient] Greek; ZEN-noh, Anglicized)--prob. "guest, hospitality"
• Ysabeau (ee-zah-BOH, [medieval] French)--form of Isabel/Elizabeth
• Zafiro (sah-FEE-roh, Spanish)--"sapphire"

Flowers, Please

The holidays are over; winter can be over now too, thanks. ;)
I was thinking the other day about names with "flower" meanings, specifically Greek -antha/anthe names, but I wonder if other languages have a fun selection as well....
(unless otherwise noted, all names are feminine)
[Anglicized spellings/pronunciations given for the ancient Greek names]

• Acalanthis (ak-ah-LAN-this, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "thorn-flower"
• Aika (ah-ee-kah, Japanese)--"indigo flower" or "love flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Amaranthis (am-ah-RAN-this, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "ditch flower" [specifically, usually catchfly or basil]. Masculine form was Amaranthus. 
• Anthemion (an-THEM-ee-on, [ancient] Greek)--"little flower" [unisex; spelled/pronounced the same for both genders in English, but not in Greek]
• Arianthes (ar-ee-AN-theez, ehr-ee-AN-theez, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "best flower" [masculine]. Another form was Arianthus [also masculine]. 
• Ayaka (ah-yah-kah, Japanese)--"color flower"
• Bellaflor (BEL-lah-flohr, [medieval] Italian)--from Latin, "beautiful flower". Other forms included Fiorabella and Belleflos. 
• Blanchefleur (blawn-sheh-fleur, [medieval] French)--"white flower"
• Bláthnat (BLAH-nat, Irish)--"little flower". Variants include Bláithín (BLAH-een) and Bláithnaid (BLAH-nad). 
• Blodwen (BLAHD-wen, Welsh)--"white flower"
• Bryanthis (brye-AN-this, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "full flower". Masculine form was Bryanthus. 
• Calanthe (kah-LAN-thee, English)--from Greek, "beautiful flower" [an orchid genus]
• Calfuray (kal-foo-RYE, Spanish, Mapuche)--from Mapudungan, "violet flower"
• Callistanthe (kal-lis-TAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"most beautiful flower"
• Charianthe (kar-ee-AN-thee, kehr-ee-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "graceful flower". Masculine form was Charianthus. 
• Chrysanthe (kris-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"golden flower". Other forms included Chrysanthis and Chrysanthus [masculine]. 
• Cleanthes (klee-AN-theez, [ancient] Greek)--"glory flower" [masculine]. Other forms include Cleanthus [ancient, masculine], Cleanthis [klee-AN-this, ancient, feminine], Kleanthis [kleh-AHN-theez, modern, masculine], and Kleanthi [kleh-AHN-thee, modern, unisex]
• Cyminanthe (kim-in-AN-thee, sim-in-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "cumin flower"
• Diantha (dee-AHN-thah, Dutch; dee-AN-thah, dye-AN-thah, English)--from Greek "divine flower" [from another flower genus, Dianthus]
• Edanthe (eh-DAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "delightful flower"
• Evanthe (ev-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"good flower". Other forms include Evantha [ancient], Evanthus [ancient, masculine], Evanthis [ev-AN-this, ancient, feminine], and Evanthis [ev-AHN-theez, modern, masculine]. 
• Finscoth (FEEN-skuh, Irish [mythology])--prob. "vine flower" or "white flower"
• Fioralba (fee-or-AHL-bah, Italian, Albanian)--"dawn flower"
• Fiorella (fee-oh-REL-lah, Italian)--"little flower". Another form is Fioretta. 
• Florimel (FLOH-rim-el, [literary] English)--from Latin "honey flower"
• Fumika (foo-mee-kah, Japanese)--"history flower" or "wealth flower"
• Fuyuka (foo-yoo-kah, Japanese)--"winter flower"
• Golnar (gohl-NAHR, Persian)--"pomegranate flower"
• Golnaz (gohl-NAHZ, Persian)--"pride flower"
• Glycanthis (glye-KAN-this, [ancient] Greek)--"sweet flower"
• Haruka (hah-roo-kah, Japanese)--"spring flower" [other translations possible, some unisex/masculine, depending on characters]
• Helianthe (hee-lee-AN-thee, English; heh-lee-AHN-theh, Dutch)--"sun flower" [from another flower genus, Helianthus]
• Hiroka (hee-roh-kah, Japanese)--"wise flower" or "wealth flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Honoka (hoh-noh-kah, Japanese)--"harmony flower"
• Ianthe (eye-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"violet flower"
• Iolanthe (eye-oh-LAN-thee, [literary] English)--prob. from Greek "violet flower"
• Melantho (mel-AN-thoh, [ancient] Greek)--"dark flower". Other forms include Melanthe [ancient], Melanthus [ancient, masculine], Melanthis [mel-AN-this, ancient, feminine], and Melanthis [mel-AHN-theez, modern, masculine]
• Melianthus (mel-ee-AN-thus, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "honey flower" [masculine]
• Mika (mee-kah, Japanese)--"beautiful flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Millaray (mee-yah-RYE, Spanish; meel-lah-RYE, Mapuche)--from Mapudungan, "golden flower"
• Neantho (nee-AN-thoh, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "new flower". Other forms included Neanthis and Neanthes [masculine]. 
• Nicanthe (nik-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"victory flower"
• Nonoka (noh-noh-kah, Japanese)--"field flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Oenanthe (ee-NAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"vine-flower" or "wine flower" [specifically usually grape, sometimes dropwort]. Other forms included Oenanthis and Oenanthes [masculine].
• Philantho (fil-AN-thoh, [ancient] Greek)--"beloved flower". Masculine form was Philanthus. 
• Polyanthis (pahl-ee-AN-this, [ancient] Greek)--"many flowers". Masculine form was Polyanthus. 
• Prianthe (pree-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "oak flower" or "ridge flower". Another form was Prianthis.
• Pualani (poo-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly flower"
• Puanani (poo-ah-nah-nee, Hawaiian)--"beautiful flower"
• Reika (ray-kah, Japanese)--"beautiful flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Rika (ree-kah, Japanese)--"pear flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Rodanthi (roh-DAHN-thee, Greek)--"rose flower". Another [ancient] form was Rhodanthis. 
• Ruka (roo-kah, Japanese)--"lapis flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Setsuka (set-soo-kah, Japanese)--"snow flower"
• Sonoka (soh-noh-kah, Japanese)--"garden flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Timantha (tim-AN-thah, [ancient] Greek)--"prized flower". Other forms included Timanthis and Timanthes [masculine]. 
• Tomoka (toh-moh-kah, Japanese)--"wise flower" or "companion flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Yuka (yoo-kah, Japanese)--"fond flower" or "reason flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Dora/Dolly/Dotty

I know, it seems weird to group those together. But, Dolly & Dotty were nicknames for Dorothy thanks to that R-to-L/T/D shift that Middle English pulled (see also: Sarah --> Sadie; Mary --> Molly), so I think they could also work for any 'Dora' name. :)
The usual full names for Dora include Dorothy/Dorothea, Doris, Theodora, & Isadora, although none are at all common today.
(I would also like you all to know that I now have the "Dora the Explorer" theme song stuck in my head. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah.)

• Adora (ah-DOR-ah, English, Spanish)--from Spanish adoración. Catalan form is Adoració.
• Adorinda (ah-doh-REEN-dah, Esperanto)--"adorable"
• Anesidora (ah-nee-sih-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"sender of gifts"
• Cassiodora (kahs-see-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)
• Christodora (kris-toh-DOR-ah), [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Christ"
• Cleodora (kleh-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of glory"
• Devorah (deh-voh-RAH, Hebrew)--form of Deborah
• Dinorah (dee-NOR-ah, Portuguese, Spanish)
• Diodora (dee-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Zeus"
• Doralice (doh-rah-LEE-cheh, Italian; doh-rah-LEE-see, Portuguese)--poss. from Greek, "gift of the dawn". Other forms include Doralys (Spanish) & Doralise (English).
• Doriane (doh-ree-AHN, French)--feminine of Dorian. Another form is Doriana (Italian, Portuguese).
• Dorina (doh-REE-nah, Hungarian, Romanian)
• Dorit (DOR-it, Scandinavian)--form of Dorothea
• Eldora (el-DOR-ah, English)
• Eudora (yoo-DOR-ah, English)--from Greek, "good gift"
• Halldóra (HAL-doh-rah, Icelandic)--another form is Aldora (Norwegian)
• Heliodora (ay-lee-oh-DOR-ah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Greek, "gift of the sun"
• Medora (meh-DOR-ah, English)
• Menodora (men-ah-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of the moon". Romanian form is Minodora.
• Metrodora (met-roh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of the mother"
• Midori (mee-doh-ree, Japanese)--"green"
• Nicodora (nee-koh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of victory"
• Polydora (pol-ee-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"many gifts"
• Teodora (teh-oh-DOR-ah, Bulgarian, Italian, Spanish, Scandinavian)--form of Theodora. Other forms include Feodora (Russian) and Deodora (Norwegian).
• Zenodora (zee-noh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Zeus"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Sam

I was surprised to find that Samuel & Samantha are currently ranked #25 & 29 in the US (for boys & girls, respectively, of course). Admittedly, they peaked 20-30 years ago, and have been dropping since, but still--30 years is decent staying power for a girls' name! Most don't stick around that long.
Of course, all this means that you probably know a Sam or two of either gender (or both), so finding new ways to get to spunky, solid Sam is understandable.
(note: I did start to delve into boy-Sam possibilities on a previous post, so if you feel a bit of déjà vu, you're not crazy)

Boys:

• Bassam (bah-SAHM, Arabic)--"smiling"
• Isamu (ee-sah-moo, Japanese)--"courage"
• Salman (SAL-mahn, Arabic)--"safe"
• Samad (sam-AHD, Arabic)--"eternal"
• Samang (sahm-ANG, Khmer)--"lucky"
• Samay (sam-EYE, Khmer)--"daydream"
• Sambor (SAM-bor, Polish)
• Samir (sah-MEER, Arabic, Hindi)
• Samson (SAM-son, English)--from Hebrew "sun". Another form is Sampson.
• Samuli (SAH-moo-lee, Finnish)--form of Samuel
• Stamatis (stah-MAH-tis, Greek)--another form is Stamatios.

Girls:

• Belisama (bel-ee-SAH-mah, Gaulish mythology)--poss. "brightest one"
• Gethsemane (geth-SEM-ah-nee, [Biblical] Greek)
• Ibtisam (ib-tee-SAM, Arabic)--"smile"
• Psamathe (SAM-ah-thee, [Ancient] Greek)--"sand goddess". Another form is Psamathea. 
• Salima (sah-LEE-mah, Arabic)--"safe"
• Samar (SAM-ar, Arabic)
• Samara (sah-MAHR-ah, sam-EHR-ah, English)
• Samaria (sah-MAHR-ee-rah, sah-MEHR-ee-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Samika (SAM-ik-ah, Hindi)
• Samina (sah-MEEN-ah, Arabic)--"healthy"
• Samira (sah-MEER-ah, Arabic)
• Samiya (sah-MEE-yah, Arabic)--"sublime, supreme". Also transliterated as Samia.
• Samuela (sam-WEL-ah, Italian)--feminine of Samuel
• Samuline (sah-moo-LEE-neh, Norwegian)--feminine of Samuel
• Stamatia (stah-MAH-tee-ah, Greek)

Unisex:

• Masami (mah-sah-mee, Japanese)

Y Not?

Perhaps a bit of a cheat, as tons of names contain the letter Y. However, almost none have it as an initial letter...in English, anyway.
I was surprised at how many Y-names actually do appear in the Top 1000. Most are Spanish, Native American, or Arabic (or a mixture thereof!)--Yahir, Yandel, Yusuf/Yosef/Yousef, & Yadiel for boys, Yaretzi/Yaritza, Yareli, Yasmin/Yazmin, Yesenia, Yoselin, & Yamilet/Yamileth for girls, and Yael for both.
In the past, Yolanda, Yvette, Yvonne, & Yancy have charted, but no longer.

Boys:

• Yachin (yah-KHEEN, Hebrew)
• Yago (YAH-goh, Portuguese, Spanish)--form of Jacob/James
• Yakim (yah-KEEM, Russian)--form of Joachim/Joaquin
• Yalçin (yahl-CHIN, Turkish)
• Yaniv (yah-NEEV, Hebrew)--"he will prosper"
• Yannick (YAHN-neek, Breton, French)--form of John
• Yannis (YAHN-nis, Greek)--another form of John
• Yared (yah-RED, Hebrew)--original form of Jared
• Yaron (yah-ROHN, Hebrew)--"he sings"
• Yasen (YAH-sen, Bulgarian)--"ash tree" or "serene"
• Yavor (YAH-vohr, Bulgarian)--"maple tree"
• Yefim (yeh-FEEM, Russian)--from Greek, "speaks well"
• Yefrem (yeh-FREM, Russian)--form of Ephraim
• Yildirim (YIL-dih-rim, Turkish)--"lightning"
• Yishai (yee-SHYE, Hebrew)--original form of Jesse
• Ylur (IL-oor, Icelandic)--"warmth"
• Yoram (yoh-RAHM, Hebrew)
• Yorath (YOHR-ath, Welsh)--"worthy lord"
• Yori (yoh-ree, Japanese)--"trust"
• Yorick (YOHR-ik, English)--form of George
• Yrian (EER-ee-ahn, Scandinavian)--another [archaic] form of George
• Yulian (yoo-lee-AHN, Russian)--form of Julian
• Yuri (yoo-ree, Russian)--yet another form of George
• Yvo (EE-voh, Dutch, German)
• Ywain (ee-WAYN, French)--form of Owen

Girls:

• Yadira (yah-DEER-ah, Spanish)--from Arabic, "worthy"
• Yakira (yah-kee-rah, Hebrew)--"beloved, precious"
• Yamila (yah-MEE-lah, Spanish)--from Arabic, "beautiful"
• Yamuna (YAHM-uh-nah, Hindi)
• Yarona (yah-roh-nah, Hebrew)--feminine of Yaron
• Yara (YAH-rah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Tupi, "water lady". Also spelled Iara.
• Yelena (yel-YEH-nah, Russian)--form of Helen
• Yemima (yeh-mee-mah, Hebrew)--"dove"
• Yên (ee-en, Vietnamese)--"peaceful"
• Yeşim (yeh-SHEEM, Turkish)--"jade"
• Yeva (YEH-vah, Russian)--form of Eve
• Yıldız (YIL-diz, Turkish)--"star"
• Yiskah (yees-KAH, Hebrew)--original form of Jessica
• Ylja (EEL-yah, Icelandic)--from Old Norse, "warm"
• Ylva (EEL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "she-wolf"
• Yngva (EENG-vah, Scandinavian)
• Yoana (yoh-AHN-nah, Bulgarian)--form of Joan/Jane/Jean
• Yonca (YOHN-jah, Turkish)--"clover"
• Yonit (yoh-NEET, Hebrew)--feminine of Jonah
• Yrja (EER-yah, Icelandic)--from Old Norse, "drizzling rain"
• Yseult (ee-zoolt, French)--form of Isolde
• Yuliana (yool-YAH-nah, Russian)--form of Juliana
• Yuliya (YOO-lee-ah, Bulgarian, Russian)--form of Julia
• Yumi (yoo-mee, Japanese)
• Yusra (YOOS-rah, Arabic)--"wealth"
• Yuzuki (yoo-zoo-kee, Japanese)

Unisex:

• Yağmur (yah-MOOR ['ah' is very long], Turkish)--"rain"
• Yarden (yar-DEN, Hebrew)--original form of Jordan
• Yasu (yah-soo, Japanese)--"peace, peaceful"
• Yuki (yoo-kee, Japanese)
• Yun (YOON, Chinese, Korean)
• Yuval (yoo-VAHL, Hebrew)--"stream"

Elementary

I've done quite a few nature-name posts, but I realized I'd left out a lot of names! Captain Planet would be ashamed.

Earth:

• Avani (ah-vah-NEE)--Hindi, feminine
• Bhumi (bhoo-mee)--Hindi, feminine
• Daichi (dah-ee-chee)--Japanese, masculine; "great earth/land" [other meanings possible dep. on characters]
• Demeter (deh-MEE-ter, deh-MEH-tehr)--Ancient Greek, feminine; "earth mother" 
• Gaia (GAH-yah)--Greek, feminine
• Ila (EE-lah)--Hindi, feminine
• Kun (KOON)--Chinese, usually masculine
• Terra (TEHR-rah)--English [from Latin], feminine

Wind:

• Anemone (ah-NEM-ah-nee)--English [from Greek], feminine
• Anil (an-NEEL), masculine; Anila (ah-NEE-lah), feminine--Hindi
• Era (EH-rah)--Albanian, feminine
• Ghobad (ghoh-BAHD)--Persian, masculine
• Haizea (eye-seh-ah)--Basque, feminine
• Ilma (EEL-mah)--Finnish, feminine; "air"
• Meltem (mel-TEM)--Turkish, feminine; "breeze"
• Nasim (nah-SEEM)--Arabic, feminine; "breeze"
• Tuula (TOO-lah)--Finnish, feminine. Other forms include Tuuli, Tuulia, & Tuulikki (TOO-lik-kee).
• Vayu (VAH-yoo)--Hindi, masculine
• Zephyr (ZEF-er)--Greek, masculine; "west wind". French feminine form is Zéphyrine.

Fire:

• Agni (AHG-nee)--Hindi, masculine
• Aodhán (AY-ahn, AY-dahn), masculine; Aodnait (AY-nat), feminine--Irish, "little fire". Anglicized as Aidan & Enat, respectively.
• Azar (ah-ZAR)--Persian, feminine
• Cináed (KIN-ee, KIN-ay, KIN-ahd)--Scottish, masculine; "born of fire". Anglicized as Kenneth.
• Fiammetta (fee-ah-MEH-tah)--Italian, feminine; "little fire"
• Jehoash (jeh-HOH-ash)--English [from Hebrew], masculine; "fire of God". Another form is Joash (JOH-ash).
• Nina (NEE-nah)--Quechua, feminine
• Plamen (PLAH-men)--Slavic, masculine
• Shula (SHOO-lah)--Arabic, feminine
• Şule (shoo-LEH)--Turkish, feminine
• Ugnė (OOG-nee)--Lithuanian, feminine

Water:

• Aysu (eye-SOO)--Turkish, feminine; "moon & water"
• Damla (dahm-LAH)--Turkish, feminine; "water droplet"
• Douglas (DUG-las)--Scottish, masculine; "dark water"
• Kelda (KEL-dah)--English [from Old Norse], feminine, "spring, fountain"
• Maayan (mah-ah-yahn)--Hebrew, feminine; "spring, fountain"
• Mayim (mah-yeem)--Hebrew, feminine. Another form is Maya.
• Mortimer (MOR-tim-er)--English [from Old French], masculine; "still water"
• Neith (NEETH, NAYTH)--English [from ancient Egyptian], feminine
• Nerio (NEHR-yoh)--Italian [from Greek], masculine
• Shui (shoo-ee)--Chinese, usually masculine
• Su (SOO)--Turkish, feminine
• Tirto (TEER-toh)--Javanese, masculine; "holy water"

Ideals & Imagery

While doing my virtue-names post a while back, I came across many names with meanings that weren't quite virtues. While naming your daughter Beauty would probably be seen as presumptuous (not to mention a bit too Disney), there are plenty of names that mean 'beauty', as well as many other poetic inspirations.

Boys:

• Argi (ahr-gee, Basque)--"light"
• Argider (ahr-gee-dehr, Basque)--"beautiful light"
• Arman (ahr-MAHN, Kazakh)--"dream"
• Asher (ASH-er, English)--from Hebrew, "blessed"
• Ayman (AY-man, Arabic)--"blessed, lucky"
• Barak (bah-RAHK, Arabic)--"blessing"
• Benedict (BEN-eh-dikt, English)--from Latin, "blessed"
• Bhaskar (BHAHS-kar, Hindi)--"shining"
• Cemal (jem-AHL, Turkish)--"beauty"
• Daiki (dah-ee-kee, Japanese)--"great radiance" or "great & noble"
• Enver (en-VEHR, Turkish, Albanian)--"radiance"
• Eyal (eh-YAHL, Hebrew)--"strength"
• Jamal (jah-MAHL, Arabic)--"beauty"
• Kallias (KAHL-lee-as, Greek)--"beauty"
• Kibwe (KEE-bweh, Swahili)--"blessed"
• Krešimir (KRESH-ih-meer, Croatian)--"bringer of peace"
• Macario (mah-KAHR-yoh, Spanish)--from Greek, "blessed"
• Prakash (prah-KAHSH, Hindi)--"light"
• Roshan (roh-SHAN, Persian)--"light"
• Sisu (SEE-soo, Finnish)--"strength, willpower"
• Taiki (tah-ee-kee, Japanese)--"great radiance"

Girls:

• Abha (ahb-hah, Hindi)--"splendor"
• Aditi (ah-DEE-tee, Hindi)--"freedom"
• Aiman (eye-MAHN, Kazakh)--"beauty of the moon"
• Áine (AW-nyeh, Irish)--"radiance"
• Aisling (AHSH-leeng, Irish)--"dream"
• Aoibhe (EE-vah, Irish)--"beauty"
• Argiñe (ahr-gee-nyeh, Basque)--"light"
• Audrey (AW-dree, English)--"noble strength"
• Beata (beh-AH-tah, Latin)--"blessed"
• Bracha (BRAH-khah, Hebrew)--"blessing"
• Caoimhe (KWEE-vah, Irish)--"beauty". Anglicized to Keeva.
• Carwen (KAHR-wen, Welsh)--"pure love"
• Daina (DAY-nah, Lithuanian; DYE-nah, Latvian)--"song"
• Dipika (dee-PEE-kah, Hindi)--"light"
• Duana (DOO-an-ah, Irish)--"poem, song"
• Feray (feh-RYE, Turkish)--"radiance of the moon"
• Fotini (foh-tee-NEE, Greek)--"light"
• Gita (GEE-tah, Hindi)--"song"
• Hikari (hee-kah-ree, Japanese)--"light"
• Indira (IN-dih-rah, Hindi)--"beauty"
• Jyoti (jyot-EE, Hindi)--"light"
• Kanti (KAHN-tee, Hindi)--"beauty"
• Kavita (KAH-vee-tah, Hindi)--"poem, poetry"
• Keren (keh-rehn, Hebrew)--"ray of light"
• Lesedi (leh-seh-DEE, Tswana)--"light"
• Lucy (LOO-see, English)--from Latin, "light". Other forms include Lucia, Luce, Lucille, Lucette, Lux, Luz, and Luzia.
• Luule (LOO-leh, Estonian)--"poetry"
• Masego (mah-seh-hoh, Tswana)--"blessing"
• Megumi (meh-goo-mee, Japanese)--"blessing"
• Mele (meh-leh, Hawaiian)--"song"
• Nadra (NAH-drah, Arabic)--"radiance"
• Nima (NEE-mah, Arabic)--"blessing"
• Noya (no-yah, Hebrew)--"beauty"
• Nur (NOOR, Arabic)--"light". Other forms include Nuru (NOO-roo, Swahili).
• Säde (SAD-eh, Finnish)--"ray of light"
• Sana (SAH-nah, Arabic)--"brilliance"
• Saoirse (SEER-shah, Irish)--"freedom"
• Sanja (SAHN-yah, Croatian, Serbian)--"dream"
• Shira (shee-rah, Hebrew)--"poetry"
• Solveig (SOHL-vay, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "strength of the sun"
• Svajonė (svah-YOH-nyeh, Lithuanian)--"dream"
• Svatava (svah-tah-VAH, Czech)--"light" or "world". Another form is Svetlana (Russian, Slavic)
• Thi (TEE, Vietnamese)--"poem"
• Treasa (TRAH-sah, Irish)--"strength"

Unisex:

• Amets (ah-mehts, Basque)--"dream"
• Li (LEE, Chinese)--"reason" or "strength" [several other meanings possible depending on the characters]
• Liron (lee-rohn, Hebrew)--"my song"
• Noa (noh-ah, Hawaiian)--"freedom"
• Ori (oh-ree, Hebrew)--"my light"
• Shir (SHEER, Hebrew)--"song"

U-La-La!

Well, I've done I-names and O-names, so now it time for me to continue the trend of underused letters, this time with U.
Only 4 names starting with U appear in the US top 1000--Urijah, Uriel, Uriah, & Ulises.
Ursula charted in the past, and Unique more recently, but currently there are zero U-names in the girls' Top 1000!


Boys:

• Ualan (ooAH-lan, WAH-lan, Scottish)--form of Valentine
• Uberto (oo-BEHR-toh, Italian)--form of Hubert
• Ùisdean (OOSH-jun, Scottish)
• Ulderico (ool-deh-REE-koh, Italian)
• Ulfilas (ool-FEE-las, Gothic/Germanic)--"little wolf"
• Uljas (OOL-yahs, Finnish)--"noble, valiant"
• Ulric (OOL-rik, English)--from Germanic, "rich heritage"
• Ultan (UL-tan, Irish)
• Ulvi (ool-VEE, Turkish)--"exalted"
• Umar (OO-mar, Arabic)
• Ümit (EU-meet, Turkish)--"hope"
• Unathi (oo-NAH-tee, Xhosa)--"God is with us"
• Untamo (oon-TAH-moh, Finnish)
• Uolevi (OO-oh-leh-vee, Finnish)--form of Olaf/Oliver
• Urard (UR-ard, Irish)--"tall"
• Urban (OOR-bahn, German, Scandinavian, Slovene)--from Latin, "city dweller"
• Usko (OOS-koh, Finnish)--"faith"
• Usman (OOS-mahn, Arabic)
• Uspaig (OOS-pek, Scottish)--from Old Norse, "wild"
• Uxío (oo-SHEE-ah, Galician)--form of Eugene
• Uzziel (oo-zee-EL, UZ-ee-el, English)--from Hebrew, "God is my power"

Girls:

• Uaine (oo-AHN-yeh, WAHN-yeh, Irish)--"greenish"
• Udane (oo-dah-neh, Basque)--"summer"
• Uliana (ool-YAH-nah, Russian)--form of Juliana
• Ülkü (eul-KEU, Turkish)--"ideal"
• Ulrika (ool-REE-kah, Scandinavian, German)--feminine of Ulric
• Ulviye (ool-VEE-yeh, Turkish)--feminine of Ulvi
• Umeko (oo-meh-koh, Japanese)
• Una (OON-ah, Irish)
• Undine (oon-DEE-neh, UN-deen, English & German)--from Latin, "wave"
• Unelma (OON-el-mah, Finnish)--"dream"
• Ursa (UR-sah, OOR-sah, Latin)--"bear"
• Usha (OO-shah, Hindi)--"dawn"
• Usoa (oo-soh-ah, Basque)--"dove". Another form is Uxue (oo-shoo-eh). 
• Ustinya (oos-TEEN-yah, Russian)--form of Justine
• Uxía (oo-SHEE-ah, Galician)--form of Eugenia

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Emma/Emmy

Yet another "nickname" that's actually a full name in its own right. Emma is definitely a hot name right now, and not just in the US--it's a top 100 name in more than a dozen countries! So, even though it is a full name, wanting a more uncommon given name is understandable. Quite a few names that lead to Emma/Emmie are already common in the US, or fast on the rise (Emily, Emilia, Emery, Emerson, Emmelyn, Ember).
So, what else can we find...?

• Emanuela (eh-man-WEL-ah, Italian)--from Hebrew, "God is with us". French form is Emmanuelle. 
• Embla (EM-blah, Scandinavian)
• Emerald (EM-er-ald, English)
• Emerentia (em-ehr-ENTZ-ee-ah, German)--from Latin, "praiseworthy"
• Emerita (em-eh-REE-tah, German)--from Latin, "respected"
• Emese (EM-eh-sheh, Hungarian)
• Emika (eh-mee-kah, Japanese)
• Emina (eh-MEE-nah)--Bosnian, from Arabic, "truthful"; Scandinavian, form of Emma.
• Emira (eh-MEER-ah, Bosnian)--from Arabic, "commander"
• Emperatriz (em-peh-rah-TREEZ, Spanish)--"empress"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Kai

Okay, technically, Kai is quite an established name in many parts of the world (with several different origins).
But, in the U.S., where nicknames like Ty for Tyler & Sy for Silas/Simon are fairly expected, I can see how Kai can feel incomplete, especially since Kyle is still quite a common name.

And yes, Kai is unisex, but it's overwhelmingly more common for boys in the U.S., and besides, boy-only posts are in the minority on this blog. :)

• Arkaitz (ahr-kites, Basque)--"rock"
• Caetano (kye-eh-TAH-noh, Portuguese)
• Caius (KYE-us, Latin)--prob. the original form of Kai (in Europe)
• Chaim (KHIME, Hebrew)--"life"
• Ekain (eh-kine, Basque)
• Ekaitz (eh-kites, Basque)--"storm"
• Hezekiah (hez-eh-KYE-ah, Hebrew)--"God strengthens"
• Ikaia (ee-kye-ah, Hawaiian)--form of Isaiah
• Ikaika (ee-kye-kah, Hawaiian)--"strong"
• Kaino (KYE-noh, Finnish)
• Kaito (kah-ee-toh, Japanese)
• Makaio (mah-kye-oh, Hawaiian)--form of Matthew
• Malachi (MAL-ah-kye, Hebrew)--"my angel"
• Micaiah (mih-KYE-ah, Hebrew)--original [unisex] form of Micah
• Mordecai (MOHR-deh-kye, Hebrew)
• Nikolai (NIK-oh-lye, Russian)--form of Nicholas

April Showers Bring....

May flowers! Happy, uh, May Day? We'll go with that.
On the heels of my bird-themed post, a flower-themed post also seemed like a fun idea. So, here're various flower-names from other languages. Unless otherwise noted, these are female.

• Aoi (ah-oh-ee, Japanese)--"hollyhock"
• Aravind (ahr-ah-vind, Hindi)--"lotus" [masculine]
• Amaranta (ah-mah-RAHN-tah, Spanish & Italian)--"amaranth"
• Ayame (ah-yah-may, Japanese)--"iris"
• Azucena (ah-soo-SEH-nah, Spanish)--"madonna lily"
• Brânduṣa (brahn-DOO-shah, Romanian)--"crocus"
• Briallen (bree-AHL-len, Welsh)--"primrose"
• Capucine (kah-poo-SEEN, French)--"nasturtium"
• Crina (KREE-nah, Romanian)--"lily"
• Cullen (KUL-len, Irish)--"holly" [masculine]. Variant is Quillan.
• Celyn (KEL-in, Welsh)--"holly" [masculine]
• Daphne (DAF-nee, Greek)--"laurel"
• Đurđica (joor-JITS-ah, Croatian)--"lily of the valley" [also the Croatian form of Georgia]
• Eirlys (IRE-lis or AYR-lis, Welsh)--"snowdrop"
• Endzela (end-ZEL-ah, Georgian)--"snowdrop"
• Ffion (FEE-on, Welsh)--"rose" or "foxglove"
• Hollis (HOL-lis, English)--"holly tree" [usually masculine]
• Ianthe (ee-AN-thee or eye-AN-thee, Greek)--"violet"
• Ibolya (ee-boy-ah, Hungarian)--"violet"
• Ivančica (ee-vahn-CHEE-tsah, Croatian)--"daisy"
• Irit (ee-reet, Hebrew)--"asphodel"
• Jessamine (JES-sah-min, English)--"jasmine"
• Kamala (kah-mah-lah, Hindi)--"lotus"
• Kielo (KEE-eh-loh, Finnish)--"lily of the valley"
• Kiku (kee-koo, Japanese)--"chrysanthemum"
• Laleh (lah-LAY, Persian)--"tulip"
• Lan (LAHN, Chinese & Vietnamese)--"orchid"
• Liên (LEE-en, Vietnamese)--"lotus"
• Madara (mah-DAH-rah, Latvian)--"galium"
• Madelief (mah-deh-LEEF, Dutch)--"daisy"
• Marganita (mahr-gah-nee-tah, Hebrew)--"scarlet pimpernel"
• Margarita (mahr-gah-REE-tah, Spanish)--"daisy" [also the Spanish form of Margaret]
• Marguerite (mahr-ge-REET, French)--"daisy" [also the French form of Margaret]
• Mawar (MAH-wahr, Indonesian)--"rose"
• Melati (mel-AH-tee, Indonesian)--"jasmine"
• Nasrin (nahs-REEN, Persian)--"wild rose"
• Nóinín (NOH-neen, Irish)--"daisy"
• Nurit (noo-REET, Hebrew)--"buttercup"
• Orvokki (OHR-voh-kee, Finnish)--"pansy"
• Raisa (rye-sah or rye-zah, Yiddish)--"rose"
• Ren (ren, Japanese)--"lotus" [can also mean "love"]
• Rhoda (ROH-dah, English)--from Greek, "rose"
• Rotem (roh-TEM, Hebrew)--"retama" [unisex, more often masculine]
• Rozenn (ROH-zen, Breton)--"rose"
• Růžena (roo-ZHEN-ah, Czech)--"rose"
• Sakura (sah-koo-rah, Japanese)--"cherry blossom"
• Sayuri (sah-yoo-ree, Japanese)--"small lily"
• Spomenka (spoh-MEHN-kah, Croatian)--"forget-me-not"
• Vartan (VAHR-tahn, Armenian)--"rose" [masculine]
• Vered (veh-REHD, Hebrew)--"rose"
• Vuokko (VOO-oh-ko, Finnish)--"anemone"
• Yolanda (yoh-LAHN-dah, Spanish)--from Latin, "violet"
• Yuri (yoo-ree, Japanese)--"lily"

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)

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"

Weathering the Weather

I admit, sometimes I come across fun new names, and have to come up with a way to work them into a post (without being ridiculously obvious, of course). So, we'll say these names are in honor of this unusual winter.
I covered rain & other bad-weather names pretty well in the Hurricane Names post, so here're (mostly) happy meteorological names.


Boys:

• Edur (ED-oor, Basque)--"snow"
• Elio (EL-yoh, Italian)--from Latin Aelius, "sun"
• Frediano (fred-YAH-noh, Italian)--"cold"
• Pyry (PÜ-rü, Finnish [ü is roughly between the English 'ih' & 'uh'] )--"snowstorm"
• Ravi (rah-VEE, Indian [Hindi])--"sun"
• Ryo (ryoh, Japanese)--"cool, refreshing" [can also mean "reality"]
• Sorin (soh-REEN, Romanian)--"sun"

Girls:

• Bora (BOH-rah, Albanian)--"snow"
• Edurne (eh-DOOR-nay, Basque)--"snow"
• Eira (AY-rah or EYE-rah, Welsh)--"snow"
• Fanna (FAHN-nah, Swedish)--from Old Norse, "snowdrift"
• Haizea (eye-ZAY-ah, Basque)--"wind"
• Heulwen (HAYL-wen, Welsh)--"sunshine"
• Kasumi (kah-soo-mee, Japanese)--"misty"
• Lumi (LOO-mee, Finnish)--"snow"
• Nasim (nah-seem, Arabic)--"breeze"
• Soleil (soh-LAY, French)--"sun"
• Sorina (soh-REEN-nah, Romanian)--"sun"
• Sunčana (SOON-chah-nah, Croatian)--"sunny"
• Terhi (TEHR-hee, Finnish)--"mist"
• Tesni (TES-nee, Welsh)--"warming sunshine"
• Yuki (yoo-kee, Japanese)--"snow" [can also mean "happiness"]

Unisex:

• Haru (hah-roo, Japanese)--"sunlight" [can also mean "spring"]
• Makani (mah-kah-nee, Hawaiian)--"wind"
• Noe (noh-ay, Hawaiian)--"mist"
• Xue (shooeh, Chinese)--"snow" [can also mean "learning"]

The 'I's Have It.

It occurred to me the other day that I is a most underused vowel. If you're watching the final round of Wheel of Fortune, no one ever picks I as their vowel. If you ask someone to start listing names that start with I, they'll probably go though Isaac, Ian, Isaiah, Isabel/Isabella, Irene, Iris, maybe even Imogen, Ivan, Ivy, or Isla. The popular list pretty much stops there, though. Admittedly, O & U are even rarer as name-starters, but from some reason, I feel I-names should be more common.

Boys:

• Iago (ee-AH-goh, Galician & Welsh)--from Hebrew James/Jacob
• Idan (ee-dahn, Hebrew)--"era"
• Idris (ID-ris, Welsh)
• Ignatius (ig-NAY-shus, English)--from Latin/Etruscan. Other forms include Ignacio (ig-NAH-cee-oh, Spanish), Iñaki (een-YAH-kee, Basque), and Ignace (IN-yahs, French)
• Iker (EE-ker, Basque)
• Ikram (ik-rahm, Arabic)--"honor"
• Imre (EEM-reh, Hungarian)--form of Emmerich
• Ingo (ING-oh, German)
• Ingram (ING-ram, English)
• Iokua (ee-oh-KOO-ah, Hawaiian)--form of Joshua
• Isamu (ih-sah-moo, Japanese)--"courage"
• Ishmael (ISH-may-el, English)--from Hebrew, "God will hear".
• Isidore (IZ-ih-dor or ees-ih-DOR, English & French)--from Greek. Also spelled Isadore, Isador, Isidor, or Izidor.
• Iskandar (is-KAN-dar, Arabic & Indonesian)--from Greek Alexander.
• Ivailo (ee-VYE-loh, Bulgarian)--"wolf". Also spelled Ivaylo.
• Ivor (EE-vor or EYE-vor, English)--from Norse, "bow warrior"

Girls:

• Ianthe (ee-AN-thee or eye-AN-thee, Greek)
• Idonea (id-OH-nee-ah, English)--from Norse Iðunn. Other versions include Idony (ID-oh-nee) and Idun (ee-DUN).
• Idoya (ee-DOY-ah, Spanish)--Also spelled Idoia.
• Idriya (ee-dree-ah, Hebrew)
• Ilana (ee-lah-nah, Hebrew)
• Ilaria (ee-LAR-ee-ah, Italian)--form of Hilary.
• Ilkay (il-KYE, Turkish)--"new moon"
• Ilona (EE-lon-ah or ee-LOH-nah, Hungarian)--from of Helen.
• Imelda (ee-MEL-dah, Spanish)--from German Irmhild.
• Indira (in-THEER-ah, Indian [Hindi])--"beauty"
• Iolana (ee-oh-LAH-nah, Hawaiian)--"to soar"
• Iro (EER-oh, Greek)--modern form of Hero.
• Ismene (IS-men or ees-MAY-nay)--Greek, "knowledge"
• Isolde (ee-ZOL-deh, German & English)--poss. from Celtic "fair to behold". Variants include Eseld, Esyllt, Iseult, Isotta, and Yseult.
• Izumi (iz-oo-mee, Japanese)--"fountain"

Names for Every Palette

With autumn vanishing, and the world turning brown and white, it seems an appropriate time to distract myself with thoughts of color.

Boys:

• Alban (AHL-ban)--German, English; from Latin, "white"
• Arun (ah-roon)--Indian [Hindi], "reddish brown"
• Blaine (BLAYN)--English, from Gaelic, "yellow"
• Blake (BLAYK)--from English blæc "black" or blac "pale"
• Bruno (BROO-noh)--German, French, Polish, Spanish; from Latin, "brown"
• Ciar (KEER)--Irish, "black, dark"
• Donovan (DON-o-van)--Irish, "dark brown". Anglicized from Donndubhán.
• Fionn (FIN or FYUN)--Irish, "white". Anglicized as Finn.
• Flynn (FLIN)--Irish, "red". Anglicized from Floinn.
• Fulvio (FUL-vee-oh)--Italian, from Latin, "yellow"
• Gláucio (GLOUS-yoh)--Portuguese; from Latin, "bluish grey"
• Lloyd (LOID)--Welsh, "grey". Another variant is Floyd.
• Gray, Grey (GRAY)--English
• Reed, Reid (REED)--English, "red"
• Roy (ROY)--English, Scottish; from Gaelic Ruadh, "red"

Girls:

• Ai (ah-ee)--Japanese, "indigo" [can also mean "love"]
• Amber (AM-ber)--English--"yellow-orange". Other forms include Ambre (French) & Ambra (Italian)
• Baila (BYE-lah or BAY-lah)--Yiddish, "white"
• Blanche (BLANCH or BLAWNSH)--English; from French, "white". Other forms include Blanca (Spanish) & Bianca (Italian).
• Ciara (KEER-ah)--Irish, "black, dark"
• Azzurra (ah-DZOO-rah)--Italian, "sky-blue". English form is Azure.
• Emerald (EM-er-ald or EM-rald)--English; from Greek, "green"
• Garnet (GAR-net)--English, "dark red"
• Glesni (GLES-nee)--Welsh, "blueness"
• Gwen (GWEN)--Welsh, "white, pure"
• Iole (YO-lay)--Greek, "violet". English form is Iola.
• Kamala (KAH-mah-lah)--Indian [Hindi], "pale red"
• Lavender (LAV-en-der)--English, "pale purple"
• Livna (leev-nah)--Hebrew, "white"
• Melanie (MEL-an-ee)--English; from Greek, "black, dark"
• Midori (mih-doh-ree)--Japanese, "green"
• Nila (nee-lah)--Indian [Hindi], "dark blue". Sometimes transliterated as Neela.
• Ruby (ROO-bee)--English; from Latin, "red"
• Saffron (SAF-fron)--English, "yellow-orange"
• Scarlet (SKAR-let)--English
• Sienna (see-EN-nah)--English, "orange-red"
• Sigal (see-GAHL)--Hebrew, "violet"
• Sini (SEE-nee)--Finnish, "blue"
• Uaine (WAN-yeh or OO-in-yeh)--Irish, "green"
• Violet (VYE-oh-let)--English; from Latin Viola.
• Xanthe (ZAN-theh or ZAN-thee)--Greek, "yellow"
• Zuriñe (soo-REEN-yeh)--Basque, "white"

Unisex:

• Ailbhe (ALV-yeh)--Irish, "white". Anglicizations include Alva, Elva, Alby & Alvy.
• Cyan (sye-AN)--English, from Greek, "green-blue"
• Phoenix (FEE-niks)--English; from Greek, "dark red"
• Sable (SAY-bl)--English, "black"
• Shani (shah-nee)--Hebrew, "scarlet red"

What's in a Nickname?

Modern American English has a pretty regular system for making nicknames (the fancy word is hypocoristics)--take the main phoneme/syllable (or at least a prominent one) and add "ee" or "a", or just leave it as is. Ex: Jackson-->Jack or Jax; Eleanor-->Ella; Madison-->Maddy. Foreign, or even archaic English, nicknames thus can seem pretty strange or unintuitive to modern American ears, but they sure can be fun!

• Arabic: take the root consonants (3, sometimes 4), and follow this pattern--first consonant/A/second consonant/second consonant (or 3rd, if 4)/U or O/U/final consonant. 
• Barak --> Barruuk, Maryam --> Maryuum
• archaic English: adding '-kin' or rhyming (or both!).  
• Robert --> Robin. Rick --> Dick. John --> Jankin --> Hankin --> Hank.
• Australian English: adding '-az' or 'azza' if a prominent central/end R is present; add '-o' or 'ooey' to any other name. 
• Caroline --> Caz, Cazza. Daniel --> Danno. Moses --> Moey.
• older French: adding '-ot' for male; '-ette' or '-ine' for female. 
• Pierre --> Pierrot. Jeanne --> Jeannette. Amanda --> Amandine.
• even older French: adding '-on'.  
• Alice --> Alison.
• Hindi: adding '-u'.  
• Anita --> Nitu.
• Italian: adding '-ino', '-etto', or '-ello' for male; '-ina', '-etta', or '-ella' for female.  
• Cesar --> Cesarino. Clara --> Claretta. Fiore --> Fiorella.
• Japanese: simply dropping a syllable, and/or adding '-chan' for either sex, or sometimes '-ko' for females.
• Koyomi --> Yomi. Kyou --> Kyou-chan. Usagi --> Usako.
• Russian: adding '-ka', '-sha' or '-ya'. 
• Ekaterina --> Katenka. Mikhail --> Misha. Tatiana --> Tanya. 
• Scottish: adding '-an', '-agan' or '-aidh' for male; '-ag' for female. 
• Angus -->Angaidh. Dubh -->Dubhagan. Bran --> Branan. Anne --> Annag.

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Kori/Corey

Although I generally write this sort of posts for very popular (some would say overused) nicknames, today I'm writing about Cory. Originally a surname of unknown/varied origins (possibilities include French, Norse, & Scottish), it became a boys' name, peaking in popularity in the 70s & 80s. As expected, it also started being used as a girls' name, but oddly enough, never became popular. Currently, Corey is the most popular male form, sitting down in the 300s on the SSA chart. Kori is the most popular girls' form, but it doesn't even rank in the top 1000. While it is a full name on its own, the "ee" ending may sound a bit too informal for some.

Boys:

• Corbin (KOR-bin, English)--"raven"
• Cordell (kor-DELL, English)
• Corentin (KOR-en-tin, Breton)
• Corin (kor-in, French)
• Cormac (KOR-mac, Irish)
• Cornelius (kor-NEE-lee-us, Latin)
• Cornell (kor-NELL, English)
• Corrado (kor-RAH-do, Italian)--form of Conrad
• Corwin (KOR-win, English)
• Krikor (KRIH-kohr, Armenian)--form of Gregory

Girls:

• Coralie (KOR-ah-lee, French)
• Cordelia (kohr-DEE-lee-ah or kohr-DEHL-ee-ah, English)
• Cordula (KOR-doo-lah, German)--"heart"
• Coriander (KOH-ree-an-der, English)
• Corinna (koh-RIN-nah or koh-REE-nah, English)
• Corinne (koh-reen, French)
• Corisande (koh-ih-SAHND, French)
• Cornelia (kor-NEE-lee-ah or kohr-NEHL-ee-ah, Latin)
• Corona (koh-ROH-nah, Latin)--"crown"
• Kishori (kee-shohr-ee, Indian [Hindi])
• Kokoro (koh-koh-roh, Japanese)--"heart, spirit"
• Socorro (soh-KOR-roh, Spanish)--"help" or "relief"