"Boyish" Girl Names

Thanks at least partially to Latin, girls are seriously lacking in ending-letter diversity. Girls have the majority of -a, e, y, ah, and i, but all the rest are more common for boys! Some aren't noticeably more common, but many definitely are: -ch, k, b, o, p, c, f, sh, d, m, x......

So, for this post, I thought I'd track down girls' names that have "boyish" endings (with special consideration for names that also have significantly more "boyish" beginning letters as well: W, U, J, & D).

• Brigid (BRIJ-id, English; BREED, Irish)--also spelled Brid or Brighid
• Brónach (BROH-nakh, Irish)
• Callisto (kah-LIS-toh, [ancient] Greek)--"most beautiful" [masculine in Italian]
• Caridad (kah-ree-DAHD, Spanish)--form of Charity
• Carmo (KAHR-moh, Portuguese)--from Hebrew, "garden"
• Cleo (KLEE-oh, English)--from Greek, "glory". Also spelled Clio. 
• Dagmar (DAHK-mar, German; DAHG-mar, Scandinavian)--from Germanic, "day maiden"
• Deitlind (DEET-lint, German)--from Germanic, "gentle people"
• Derehild (DEHR-eh-hild, Old English)--prob. "precious battle" or "beast battle"
• Diamanto (dee-ah-MAHN-toh, Greek)--"diamond"
• Dido (DEE-doh, DYE-doh, Latin)
• Ellisif (EL-lis-eef, Scandinavian)--form of Elizabeth. Also spelled Elisif or Ellisiv (EL-lis-eev). 
• Fedelm (FEH-delm, Irish [mythology])--poss. from Old Irish, "constant"
• Hero (HEER-oh, [ancient] Greek)--Modern form is Iro (EER-oh).
• Kinborough (KIN-bur-roh, [medieval] English)--"royal fortress"
• Ingrid (EEN-grid, English, German, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "beautiful Ing"
• Isfrid (EES-frid, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, poss. "beautiful ice"
• Jochebed (JAHK-ah-bed, YAHK-ah-bed, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"Yahweh is glory"
• Jorund (YOHR-oond, Norwegian)--from Old Norse, "horse love" or "chief love"
• Juno (JOO-noh, Latin)
• Leto (LEE-toh, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "gentle" or "forgotten"
• Lilach (lee-LAHKH, Hebrew)--"lilac"
• Lilias (LIL-ee-as, Scottish)--form of Lily. Also spelled Lillias. 
• Liv (LEEV, Scandinavian; LIV, English)--from Old Norse, "protection"
• Loreto (loh-REH-toh, Italian, Spanish)--prob. from Latin, "laurel"
• Luned (LIN-ed, Welsh)
• Nahid (nah-HEED, Persian)--form of Anahita, poss. "pure". Also spelled Naheed. 
• Neus (NEH-oos, Catalan)--"snow"
• Pallas (PAL-las, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "maiden" or "spear". [unisex]
• Ravid (rah-VEED, Hebrew)--"necklace"
• Ríonach (REE-ah-nahkh, Irish)--"queen". Feminine of Rían/Ryan.
• Rocío (roh-SEE-oh, Spanish)--"dew"
• Rosalind (RAHZ-ah-lind, English)--from Germanic "gentle horse"
• Rosamund (ROHZ-ah-mund, RAHZ-ah-mund, English)--"horse protection"
• Solfrid (SOHL-frid, Scandinavian)--"beautiful house" or "beautiful sun"
• Timo (TEE-moh, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "honored" [masculine in other languages]
• Turid (TOOR-eed, Norwegian)--from Old Norse, "beautiful Thor"
• Waltraud (VAHL-trowt, German)--from Germanic, "strong ruler" or "foreign strength"
• Winifred (WIN-ah-fred, English)--anglicized from Welsh Gwenfrewi "blessed peace"
• Xeno (KSEN-oh, ZEE-noh, [ancient] Greek)--"foreign"
• Yanick (YAH-neek, French)--form of John/Jane. Also spelled Yannick. [unisex]

Big A, little a

What begins with A?
Lots of smallish girls' names, and they also end that way:

• Abha (ahb-hah, Hindi)--"light, luster"
• Achsa (AHK-sah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Ada (AY-dah, English; AH-dah, German, Polish, Scandinavian, Turkish) [multiple derivations]
• Adla (AHD-lah, Swedish)--form of Adela/Adelaide
• Adva (ahd-vah, Hebrew)--"little wave"
• Aella (EYE-lah, [ancient] Greek)--"whirlwind"
• Agda (AG-dah, Swedish)--form of Agatha
• Aida (ah-EE-dah, English, Italian)--from Arabic, "returning"
• Aika (ah-ee-kah, Japanese)
• Ailsa (AYL-sah, Scottish)
• Aina (EYE-nah, Finnish, Spanish; ah-ee-nah, Japanese) [separate derivations]
• Aira (EYE-rah, Finnish)
• Aisha (ah-EE-shah, Arabic)--"life, alive". Other forms include Asha (Swahili).
• Alba (AHL-bah, Italian, Latin, Spanish)
• Alda (AHL-dah, Italian, Portuguese)
• Alka (AHL-kah, Croatian)
• Alma (AL-mah, English; AHL-mah, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish)
• Alta (AL-tah, English)
• Alva (AHL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "elf"
• Ambra (AHM-brah, Italian)--form of Amber
• Anca (AHN-kah, Romanian)
• Anna (AN-nah, English; AH-nah, everywhere else)--Also spelled Ana. Other forms include Ania, Anka, & Anya.
• Ansa (AHN-sah, Finnish)
• Arja (AHR-yah, Finnish)
• Arla (AHR-lah, Swedish)
• Arna (AHR-nah, Germanic, Scandinavian)--"eagle"
• Arwa (UR-wah, Arabic)
• Åsa (OH-sah, Norwegian, Swedish)
• Asha (AH-shah, Hindi)--"hope"
• Asta (AHS-stah, Scandinavian)--form of Astrid and other Ast-names. 
• Auda (OW-dah, Germanic)--form of Otto/Odette
• Audra (OH-drah, Lithuanian; AW-drah, English) [separate derivations]
• Aura (OW-rah, Finnish)
• Aušra (OH-shrah, Lithuanian)--"dawn"
• Ava (AY-vah, English; AH-vah, German, Persian, Scandinavian) [multiple derivations]
• Avra (AH-vrah, Greek)--"aura, breeze"
• Aya (ah-yah, Japanese, Scandinavian) [separate derivations]
• Ayça (eye-jah, Turkish)--"crescent moon"
• Ayla (AY-lah, English; eye-LAH, Turkish) [separate derivations]
• Azra (AZ-rah, Arabic, Bosnian, Turkish)

D-Dun-Dun-Dun-Duuuuunn

Did you know there're no D-names for girls in the Top 100? Destiny is the highest-ranked, at #113, followed by Delilah, Daniela, Daisy, & Delaney also in the Top 250.
In the past, a few different D-names have been common for girls (several currently are for boys!), but I guess most must be 'unstylish' right now.

• Daciana (dah-chee-AH-nah, Romanian)
• Dagny (DAHG-nee, Norwegian; DAHNG-nee, Swedish; DAG-nee, English)--from Old Norse, "new day". Latvian form is Dagnija (DAHG-nee-yah).
• Dahlia (DAH-lee-ah or DAY-lee-ah, English)--Spanish form is Dalia (DAHL-yah)
• Daina (DAY-nah, Lithuanian; DYE-nah, Latvian)--"song"
• Dáiríne (DAH-rin-yeh, Irish)--Anglicized as Darina. 
• Damaris (DAM-ah-ris, English; DAH-mah-ris, German; dah-MAH-rees, Spanish)
• Damhnait (DAV-nat, DOW-nat, Irish)--"fawn". Anglicized as Devnet or Dymphna (DIMF-nah)
• Damiana (dah-mee-AH-nah, Italian)--feminine of Damian. 
• Danaë (dah-NAH-ee, Greek)
• Danica (DAN-ik-ah, English; DAH-nee-kah, Slavic)--"morning star"
• Daniyah (DAN-ee-ah, Arabic)
• Daphne (DAF-nee, English; DAHF-neh, Dutch & German)--from Greek, "laurel". Other forms include Dafna (Hebrew), Dafne (Italian), & Dafina (Albanian & Macedonian)
• Dara (DAH-rah, Slavic)--"gift". Other forms include Darinka, Darina & Daryna.  [masculine in other languages/origins]
• Darcy (DAR-see, English)
• Daria (DAH-ree-ah, Italian, Polish)--feminine of Darius. Other forms include Dareia (Greek), Darija (Croatian, Serbian), Darja (Czech), and Darya (Russian)
• Darya (dahr-YAH, Persian)--"sea"
• Davina (dah-VEE-nah, English)--feminine of David
• Deirdre (DEER-dreh, English; DEHR-dreh, Irish)
• Delphine (del-FEEN, French)--other forms include Delphina (Latin), Delfina (Italian, Spanish), & Delphia (English)
• Delwen (DEL-wen, Welsh)--"pretty & blessed"
• Delyth (DEL-ith, Welsh)--"pretty"
• Demeter (deh-MEE-ter, English; deh-MEH-tehr, Greek)--"earth mother"
• Demetria (deh-MEE-tree-ah, English; deh-MEH-tree-ah, Greek, Italian)
• Denica (deh-NEETZ-ah, Macedonian, Bulgarian)--"day, morning"
• Despina (DES-pee-nah, Greek, Russian, Macedonian)
• Desta (DEH-stah, Amharic)--"joy"
• Devi (DEV-ee, Hindi)--"goddess"
• Devika (DEV-ee-kah, Hindi)--"little goddess"
• Diantha (dee-AHN-thah, Dutch, English)--from Greek, "heavenly flower"
• Dilan (dee-LAHN, Turkish)--"love"
• Dinah (DYE-nah, English; dee-NAH, Hebrew)
• Dionisia (dee-oh-NEE-see-ah, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian)--form of Denise. 
• Doina (DOH-ee-nah, Romanian)--"folk song"
• Domenica (doh-MEH-nee-kah, Italian)--feminine of Dominic. Other forms include Dominga (Spanish), Dominica (Latin), Dominika (Czech, Russian, Polish, Slovak), and Domnika (Macedonian)
• Donata (doh-NAH-tah, Italian)
• Dorothea (doh-roh-THEE-ah, English; doh-roh-TE-ah, German)--other forms include Dorete (doh-REH-teh, Danish, Swedish), Dorotea (doh-roh-TEH-ah, Italian, Spanish, Croatian) & Dorit (DOHR-it, Scandinavian). 
• Drusa (DROO-sah, Latin)--another (Latin) form is Druscilla.
• Dua (DOO-ah, Arabic)--"prayer"
• Dulcinea (dool-sin-EH-ah, Spanish, English)
• Dunja (DOON-yah, Slavic)
• Dušana (doo-SHAH-nah, Slavic)--"soul"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Ari

A Top 500 boy name on the rise, Ari has begun to gain momentum as a girls' nickname--nothing new in the naming world, of course--thanks to the doubly-Top 100 Ariana/Arianna, and wow-it's-rising-fast!-Aria. Ari on its own also had a respectable rise on the girls' charts, now sitting a bit below the Top 1000 at 1326. Although it is a full name in its own right, wanting a full name for Ari is understandable: while it's masculine in most cultures, it's easily mistaken for a girl's name in English.

Boys:

• Aram (AH-rahm, Armenian)--"excellence"
• Aravind (AHR-ah-vind, Hindi)--"lotus"
• Archibald (AHR-chih-bahld, English, Scottish)
• Ardal (AHR-dahl, Irish)--"high valor". Anglicized from Ardghal. 
• Arduino (ahrd-WEE-noh, Italian)
• Argus (AHR-goos, [ancient] Greek)--"shining"
• Arkadiy (ahr-KAH-dee, Russian)--Also spelled Arkady or Arkadi. 
• Arnor (AHR-nohr, Scandinavian)
• Arrigo (ahr-REE-goh, Italiah)--from of Harry
• Arthur (AHR-thur, English)--other forms include Artair (Scottish), Arturo (Spanish, Portuguese), Artturi (Finnish), & Artūrus (Lithuanian)

Girls:

• Araceli (ah-rah-SEH-lee, Spanish)
• Araminta (ah-rah-MIN-tah, English)
• Aranka (AW-rahn-kah, Hungarian)--"gold"
• Arantxa (ah-rahnt-shah, Basque)
• Arendse (ah-REND-seh, Danish)--feminine of Arendt/Arnold
• Arezoo (ah-reh-ZOO, Persian)--also spelled Arezu or Arezou.
• Argiñe (ahr-gee-nyeh, Basque)--"light"
• Ariadne (ah-ree-AHD-nee, [ancient] Greek)--"most holy". Other forms include Ariadna (Spanish), Ariane (French), & Arianna (Italian)
• Arilda (ah-RIL-dah, Scandinavian)--feminine of Arild/Harold. 
• Arlette (ahr-LET, French)
• Armida (ahr-MEE-dah, Italian, Spanish)
• Arneke (AHR-neh-keh, Dutch, German)--from Germanic, "eagle". Also spelled Arnika or Arnike. 
• Arundhati (ah-ROOND-hah-tee, Hindi)
• Aruzhan (ah-roo-ZHAHN, Kazakh)--"beautiful soul"

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"

Same Name?!?--Mini Grab Bag II (girls)

• Clara/Klara (KLEHR-ah, KLAH-rah)
• Claire (KLEHR, French)
• Chiara (KYAH-rah, Italian)
• Clarisse (klah-REES, French)
• Emma (EM-mah)
• Erma (UR-mah, English)
• Irma (EER-mah, German, Italian, Portuguese, Scandinavian)
• Imke (IM-keh, Dutch, German)
• Gertrude (GER-trood, English, gehr-TROO-deh, German)
• Geltrude (jel-TROO-deh, Italian)
• Gertrudis (jehr-TROO-dees, Spanish)
• Kerttu (KEHRT-too, Finnish)
• Roxanne (roks-AN, English)
• Roshanak (roh-shan-AK, Persian)
• Rossana (rohs-SAN-nah, Italian)
• Ruxandra (rewks-AN-drah, Romanian)

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Cam

Cam is one of the few nicknames I can easily see on either gender. Whether sort for Cameron and Camden for boys, or Cameron and Camilla (or more recently, Cambria) for girls, it's quite versatile.

(there is a surprisingly high number of coincident names in this post--names of different origins that are spelled/pronounced alike. Apparently 'kam' is a common construction in many languages!)

Boys:

• Camillo (kah-MEEL-loh, Italian)
• Kamal (kah-MAHL, Arabic, Hindi)--"perfection" [Arabic]; "lotus" [Hindi]
• Kambiz (kahm-BEEZ, Persian)
• Kamen (KAH-men, Bulgarian)--"stone"
• Kamik (kah-meek, Greenlandic, Bengali)
• Kamil (KAH-meel, Arabic, Polish)--"perfect" [Arabic] or form of Camillo [Polish]

Girls:

• Camellia (kah-MEL-yah, kah-MEE-lee-ah, English)
• Kamala (KAM-ah-lah, Hindi)--feminine of Kamal, "lotus"
• Kamaria (kah-mah-REE-ah, Swahili)--from Arabic, "moon"
• Kamarina (kah-mah-REE-nah, [Ancient] Greek)--nymph of the Sicilian city Kamarina. Also spelled Camarina.
• Kamini (kah-MEE-nee, Hindi)
• Kamma (KAHM-mah, Danish)

Unisex:

• Camlin (KAM-lin, English)--from English, "camel-cloth seller", or Irish, "crooked line"
• Kamea (kah-meh-ah, Hawaiian)
• Kamon (kah-MOHN, Thai)--"heart" or "lily"

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"

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"

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.

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Ellie/Ella

*dies under avalanche of Ellas*
I kid, I kid. Ella/Ellie is potentially one of the most popular nicknames right now, though, with Isabella, Elizabeth, Ella, Gabriella, Elena, Isabel, Annabelle, & Giselle all in the top 100. Adding Eliana, just-plain-Ellie, Gabrielle, Daniela, Michelle, Elise, Ariel, Eleanor, & Eliza from the top 200, and well, that's a lot of El-s. If you still adore Ella, and want a more stand-out name, here're some for you:

• Andela (ahn-DEL-ah, Czech)
• Antonella (an-toh-NEL-lah, Italian)--feminine form of Anthony
• Ayelet (eye-EL-et, Hebrew)--"gazelle"
• Camellia (cam-EL-ee-ah, English)
• Ĉiela (chee-EL-ah, Esperanto)
• Cyrielle (see-ree-EL, French)--feminine form of Cyril
• Elettra (el-LET-trah, Italian)--modern form of Electra
• Elaheh (el-ah-HAY, Persian)--"goddess"
• Eleni (el-EN-ee, Greek)--modern form of Helen
• Eleri (el-EHR-ee, Welsh)
• Eliora (el-ee-OHR-ah, Hebrew)--"my God is my light"
• Elodia (ehl-OH-dee-ah, Spanish)--modern form of St. Alodia. French form is Elodie.
• Elowen (el-OH-en, Cornish)
• Eluned (el-EE-ned, Welsh)
• Eumelia (yu-MEL-ee-ah, Greek)--"melody"
• Finella (fin-EL-lah, Scottish)--anglicized from Fionnuala
• Fiorella (fee-or-EL-lah, Italian)--"little flower"
• Ionela (yoh-NEL-ah, Romanian)--feminine form of John
• Mirella (meer-EL-lah, Italian)--form of Mireio

My Hero!

Every kid wants a cool name. You could hope that a kids' TV show comes along featuring your child's name--all the Tommys and Jasons suddenly became cool during Power Rangers when I was small--or you could find a more classic namesake.

Boys:

• Adrastos (ah-DRAS-tos, Greek)--warrior king of Argos
• Aeneas (eye-NEE-as, Latin)--son of Aphrodite, warrior, progenitor of the Roman empire
• Aias (EYE-as, Greek)--hero of the Trojan war, anglicized as Ajax
• Árpád (ahr-pad, Hungarian)--Magyar prince, forefather of Hungary
  
• Bedivere (BED-ih-veer, English)--anglicized from Welsh Bedwyr, one of the original Knights of the Round Table
• Bran (BRAHN, Irish & Welsh)--an Irish adventurer & mariner, and a legendary Welsh king
• Caradoc (CAYR-a-doc, Welsh)--several figures in Welsh history & legend, including a Knight of the Round Table
• Conall (CON-all, Irish & Scottish)--several Irish & Scottish kings, and a mythic Irish warrior
• Damon (DAY-mon, Greek)--one half of the Greek symbol of true friendship, the other half being Pythias
• Diarmuid (DEER-mid, Irish)--legendary Irish warrior, and founder of the Scottish Campbell clan. Anglicized as Dermot.
• Egill (AY-gill, Norse)--Icelandic berserker & poet. Modern spelling is Egil.
• Eoghan (OH-en or YOH-en, Irish & Scottish)--several Irish kings & other historical figures. Anglicized as Owen in Ireland and Euan or Ewan in Scotland.    
• Evander (ee-VAN-der, Latin)--another hero of the Trojan war
• Fergus (FER-gus, Irish & Scottish)--several Scottish & Irish kings and warriors
• Fionn (FEEN or FYON, Irish)--mythic warrior and hero. Also spelled Finn and (via faulty Anglicization) Fingal.
• Herakles (HER-a-kleez, Greek)--original form of Hercules, an important mortal in both Roman & Greek mythologies. Other versions include Heraclius (Greek), Heraclio (Spanish), and Ercole (Italian).
• Jarl (YAHRL, Norse)--progenitor of a race of warriors
  
• Jason (JAY-son, Greek)--adventuring leader of the Argonauts
• Kalev (KAH-lev, Estonian)--hero and king, said to be buried under Tallinn, the capital of Estonia
• Kaveh (kah-vay, Persian)--blacksmith who led a rebellion against the evil tyrant Zahhak
• Owain (OH-ine, Welsh)--an Arthurian knight, and several Welsh princes; anglicized as Owen
• Perseus (PUR-see-us, Greek)--mythic hero, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa
• Roland (RO-land, English; roh-LAWN, French)--heroic knight and leader under Charlemagne
• Rostam (ros-tam, Persian)--legendary pre-Islamic Iranian warrior and champion. Also spelled Rustam.
• Taliesin (tal-ee-ESS-in, Welsh)--a bard and prophet who served at least 3 Welsh kings 
• Theseus (THEE-see-us, Greek)--Athenian king and warrior
   

Girls:

• Ariadne (ahr-ee-ahd-nee, Greek)--princess who helped Theseus escape the Minotaur in the labyrinth
• Atalanta (at-ah-lan-tah, Greek)--huntress and legendary athlete
• Awilda (AH-wil-dah, Scandinavian)--princess who fled marriage by becoming a pirate, sometimes spelled Alwilda; traditionally spelled Alfhild
• Bevin (BAY-vin, Irish)--several figures, both mortal and goddess, in Irish mythology, traditionally spelled Bébinn
• Cloelia (KLOY-lee-ah, Latin)--Roman hostage who led her fellow captives to freedom. Modern Italian form is Clelia.
• Elva (EL-vah, Irish)--Fianna (mercenary) warrior, traditionally spelled Ailbhe
• Embla (EM-bla, Norse)--the first human woman, founder of the human race with her husband Ask
• Maeve (MAYV, Irish)--legendary warrior-queen. Traditionally spelled Madb.

Usual Nicknames; Unexpected Names: Andy

Andy is usually short for the Biblical Andrew and its feminine spin-off Andrea. If you love the nickname, but are bored with the usuals, here're some alternates.

• Boys
• Alexander/Alesander
• Anand (AHN-and, Indian [Hindi])--"happiness"
• Anders (AN-derz, Scandinavian)--form of Andrew
• Andrius (AHN-dree-us, Lithuanian)--another form of Andrew
• Antero (AHN-teyr-o, Finnish)--yet another form of Andrew
• Armando (ar-MAHN-do, Italian, Spanish, & Portuguese)--"soldier"
• Eskandar (es-KAN-dar, Iranian [Persian])--form of Alexander
• Evander (ev-AN-der, Latin)--"good man"
• Ferdinand (FER-de-nand, Germanic)--"brave journeyer"
• Leander (lee-AN-der, Greek)--"lion man"
• Loránd (LOR-ahnd, Hungarian)
• Lysander (lye-SAN-der, Greek)
• Rembrandt (REM-brahnt, Dutch)
• Girls
• Amandine (ahm-ahn-deen, French)
• Andela (ahn-DEL-ah, Czech)--form of Angela
• Andraste (an-DRAHST, Celtic)--Briton goddess of war
• Anthea (an-THAY-ah, Greek)--"flower"
• Celandine (SELL-an-deen, English)
• Coriander (COR-ee-an-der, English)
• Endzela (end-ZEL-a, Georgian)
• Lavender (LAV-en-der, English)
• Melisande (mel-ih-sahnd, French)
• Miranda (meer-AN-da, English)--"wonderful"
• Rosenda (roh-SEN-dah, Spanish)
• Ruxandra (REWKS-ahn-dra, Romanian)--form of Roxana