Marian Names (Redux)

Waaaaaay back in 2012 I did a post on Marian names, and have since been adding to it one at a time as I came across others. Recently, though, I found even more, which made me wonder just how many I managed to miss the first time. 😅

(I found a lot. In my defense, many are localized and/or rare)

So, instead of updating that older list, I've decided just to publish a new expanded and more detailed version. Enjoy!

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, Marian names are simply names given in honor of the Virgin Mary. As such, they're most common in Catholicism, but are occasionally used in other branches of Christianity as well.

[all are feminine unless otherwise stated]

• Abene (ah-beh-neh, Basque)--"pillar". Basque translation of Pilar. 
• Achiropita (ah-kee-ROH-pee-tah, Italian)--from Greek, "not created by human hands".
     Refers to the Madonna Santissima Achiropita in the Rossano Cathedral, Italy. 
• África (AH-free-kah, Spanish)--"Africa"
     Refers to shrine Our Lady of Africa of Ceuta, Spain.
• Ainhoa (eye-noh-ah, Basque, Spanish)--poss. from Basque, "little place". Spanish variant is Ainoa.
     Refers to town of Ainhoa, France, along the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James). 
• Aintzane (ine-tsah-neh, Basque)--"glory". Another form is Aintza (ine-tsah). Basque translation of Gloria. 
• Aitziber (eye-tsee-behr, Basque, Spanish)--from Basque, meaning unknown
     Refers to the Hermitage of Aitziber, Navarra, Spain.
• Aizpea (eye-speh-ah, Basque, Spanish)--from Basque, "under the rock"
     Refers to the Hermitage of Our Lady of Aizpea, Euskadi, Spain.
• Alazne (ah-lahs-neh, Basque)--"miracle". Basque translation of Milagros. 
• Alegría (ah-leh-GREE-ah, Spanish)--"joy" [much more common as a surname]
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Joy. 
• Almudena (ahl-moo-DEH-nah, Spanish)--from Arabic, "citadel"
     Refers to the Virgen de la Almudena in the Almudena Cathedral, Spain.
• Altagracia (ahl-tah-GRAH-see-ah, Spanish; ahl-tah-grah-SEE-ah, Portuguese)--"high grace"
     Refers to Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, patroness of the Dominican Republic. 
• Amatza (ah-maht-sah, Basque, Spanish)--poss. from Basque ama, "mother".
     Refers to the Hermitage of San Martín de Amatza, Euskadi, Spain.
• Ametza (ah-met-sah, Basque, Spanish)--from Basque, origin unknown [also a type of oak]
     Refers to the dedication Nuestra Señora de Ametza in Euskari, Spain. 
• Amparo (ahm-PAH-roh, Spanish, Portuguese)--"refuge"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Refuge. 
• Ángeles (AHN-jel-es, Spanish)--"angels"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Angels. 
• Angustias (ahn-GOOST-ee-ahs, Spanish)--"anguish"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Anguish. 
• Annunziata (ahn-noon-TSYAH-tah, Italian)--"announced". Masculine form is Annunziato. Respective diminutives, Nunzia (NOON-tsee-ah) and Nunzio (NOON-tsee-oh), are often used independently as well. Spanish form is Anunciación (ah-noon-see-ah-see-OHN).
     Refers to the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
• Aparecida (ah-pah-reh-SEE-dah, Portuguese)--"appeared"
     Refers to Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil. 
• Araceli (ah-rah-SEH-lee, Spanish)--from Latin, "altar of the sky"
     Refers to the Nuestra Señora de Araceli in Andalusia, Spain. 
• Arantzazu (ah-rahnt-sah-soo, Basque, Spanish)--from Basque, "thornbush". Variants are Arantxa (ah-rahn-chah, Basque), Arantza (ah-rahnt-sah, Basque, Spanish), and Arancha (ah-RAHN-chah, Spanish).
     Refers to the apparition Virgen de Arantzazu. 
• Asunción (ah-soon-see-OHN, Spanish)--"assumption". Other forms are Assunta (ah-SOON-tah, Italian), Assumpció (ah-soomp-see-OH, Catalan), and Asun (ah-SOON, Spanish).
     Refer to the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. 
• Auxiliadora (owk-seel-ee-ah-DOR-ah, Spanish)--from Latin, "gift of assistance"
     Refers to the title Mary, Help of Christians.
• Azahar (ah-sah-AR, Spanish)--"orange blossom", from Arabic zahrah, "blossom". Another form is Azahara (ah-sah-AR-ah).
     Refers to the dedication Virgen del Azahar in Región de Murcia, Spain. 
• Begoña (beh-GOHN-yah, Spanish)--from Basque, poss. "at the foot [of a mountain]".
     Refers to apparition Nuestra Señora de Begoña. 
• Bonaria (boh-NAH-ree-ah, Sardinian, Italian)--"good-natured" or "fair winds"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Fair Winds. 
• Callyvorry (kah-luh-vorr [rolled 'rr']-uh, [medieval, Anglicized] Manx)--"servant of Mary". Also appears in records as Calyvorra and Calyvorr.
• Candelaria (kan-deh-LAH-ree-ah, Spanish)--"Candlemas". Variants include Cande (KAHN-deh), Candelas (kahn-DEH-las), & Candela (kahn-DEH-lah). Masculine is Candelario.
     Refers to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Candlemas. 
• Canòlic (cah-NAH-leek, Catalan)--origin unknown
     Refers to the Mare de Déu de Canòlic in Canòlic, Andorra. 
• Caridad (kah-ree-DAHD, Spanish)--"charity"
     Refers to Nuestra Señora de Caridad del Cobre, patroness of Cuba.
• Carmel (KAHR-mel, English; kahr-MEHL, Spanish)--from Hebrew, "garden". Other forms include Carmela (kar-MEH-lah, Spanish, Italian), Carme (KAHR-meh, Catalan, Galician), and Carmella (kar-MEL-lah, English). Masculine is Carmelo (kar-MEH-loh, Spanish, Italian).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Carmel.
• Catena (kah-TEH-nah, Sicilian, Italian)--"chain"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of the Chain.
• Civita (CHEE-vee-tah, Italian)--"city"
     Refers to the Madonna della Civita, in the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Civita, Italy. 
• Concepción (kon-sep-see-OHN, Spanish)--"conception". Other forms include Conchita (cohn-CHEE-tah, Spanish), Concepta (con-SEP-tah, English, Irish), Concetta (cohn-CHET-tah, Italian), and Conceição (cohn-say-SOW, Portuguese).
     Refers to the Immaculate Conception. 
• Consuelo (kohn-SWEH-loh, Spanish)--"consolation". Variants include Consuela (kohn-SWEH-lah), Consolación (kohn-soh-lah-see-OHN), and Chelo (CHE-loh). Italian form is Consolata (con-soh-LAH-tah).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Consolation. 
• Corazón (koh-rah-SOHN, Spanish)--"heart"
     Refers to the title Immaculate Heart of Mary. 
• Coromoto (koh-roh-MOH-toh, Spanish)--prob. of Native American origin, meaning unknown
     Refers to the apparition Nuestra Señora de Coromoto. 
• Covadonga (koh-vah-DOHN-gah, Spanish)--from Latin, "cave of the lady"
     Refers to the shrine Virgen de Covadonga of Asturias, Spain. 
• Deñe (den-yeh, Basque)--"annunciation". Basque translation of Annunciación. 
• Desanges (dez-AWNZH, French)--"of angels". Also spelled Desange. [more common as a surname]
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Angels. 
• Desneiges (deh-NEZH, French)--"of the snows"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of the Snows. 
• Dolores (doh-LOH-rehs, English, Spanish)--from Spanish, "sorrows". Other forms include Lola (LOH-lah, English, Spanish), Dolors (doh-LORZ, Catalan), Dores (DOR-ez, Portuguese), and Addolorata (ah-doh-loh-RAH-tah, Italian).
     Refers to the title Mary of Sorrows. 
• Edurne (eh-door-neh, Basque)--"snow". Masculine is Edur. Basque translation of Nieves. 
• Encarnación (en-kahr-nah-see-OHN, Spanish)--"incarnation"
     Refers to the incarnation of Jesus in Mary's womb.
• Esperanza (es-peh-RAHN-sah, Spanish)--"hope". Frence form is Espérance (es-pay-RAWNs).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Hope. 
• Eunate (eh-oo-nah-teh, Basque, Spanish)--poss. from Basque, "good door".
     Refers to the Church of Saint Mary of Eunate in Navarra, Spain; along the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James). 
• Farners (far-NEHS, Catalan)--prob. from Latin "flour"
     Refers to the Church of Our Lady of Farners, Catalonia, Spain.
• Fátima (FAH-tee-mah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Arabic, "abstaining"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Fátima and the apparitions at Fátima, Portugal. [the town name itself comes from the Arabic name Fatimah]
• Fuencisla (fwen-SEES-lah, Spanish)--prob. "flowing spring"
     Refers to the Virgen de la Fuencisla in Castilla y León, Spain
• Fuensanta (fwen-SAHN-tah, Spanish)--"blessed spring"
     Refers to the Virgen de la Fuensanta, patroness of Murcia, Spain.
• Gloria (GLOH-ree-ah, Spanish)--"glory". Portuguese spelling is Glória. [obvs. used in many different languages, but not necessarily considered a Marian name]
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Glory. 
• Guadalupe (gwah-dah-LOO-peh, Spanish)--prob. from Latin "wolf" + Arabic "river, valley", or Arabic "hidden river" [unisex]. Variants (originally diminutives) are Lupe (LOO-peh) and Lupita (loo-PEE-tah).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Guadalupe and the apparitions at Guadalupe [now part of Mexico City], Mexico; or
     to the shrine Virgen de Guadalupe of Extremadura, Spain. 
• Henar (eh-NAHR, Spanish)--"hayfield"
     Refers to the Virgen del Henar in Castilla y León, Spain.
• Idoia (ee-doy-ah, Basque, Spanish)--poss. from Basque, "pond, swamp". Spanish variant is Idoya (ee-DOY-ah).
     Refers to the shrine Virgen de Idoya of Navarra, Spain.
• Ihintza (ee-heen-tsah, Basque)--"dew". Basque translation of Rocío. 
• Iker (ee-kehr, Basque)--"visitation" [masculine]. Basque translation of Visitación.
• Incoronata (een-koh-roh-NAH-tah, Italian)--"crowned"
     Refers to the title Holy Mary Crowned.
• Inmaculada (een-mah-koo-LAH-dah, Spanish)--"immaculate". Other forms include Immaculada (ee-mah-koo-LAH-dah, Catalan), Immacolata (ee-mah-koh-LAH-tah, Italian), and Imaculada (ee-mah-koo-LAH-dah, Portuguese).
     Refers to the Immaculate Conception. 
• Itatí (ee-tah-TEE, Spanish)--poss. from Guarani, "white stone"
     Refers to the title / shrine Our Lady of Itatí of Itatí, Argentina. 
• Itziar (eet-see-ahr, Basque, Spanish)--poss. "old stone" or "sea". Spanish variant is Icíar (ee-SEE-ahr).
     Refers to the Nuestra Señora de Itziar in Euskari, Spain. 
• Izarbe (ee-sahr-beh, Basque, Aragonese, Spanish)--prob. from Basque, "under stars"
    Refers to the Hermitage of the Virgin of Izarbe, Aragon, Spain.
• Letteria (let-TEHR-ee-ah, Italian)--"letter"
     Refers to Madonna della Lettera, patroness of Messina
• Liernia (lee-ehr-nee-ah, Basque, Spanish)--origin unknown. Another form is Lierni (lee-ehr-nee).
     Refers to the Hermitage of Our Lady of Liernia, Euskadi, Spain. 
• Lledó (yeh-DOH, Valencian, Catalan)--"hackberry"
     Refers to the Mare de Déu del Lledó in Comunitat Valenciana, Spain
• Loreto (loh-REH-toh, Italian, Spanish)--from Latin, "laurel" [unisex]. Variant is Loreta (loh-REH-tah).
     Refers to Loreto, Italy, home of the shrine and pilgrimage site Basilica della Santa Casa.  
• Lourdes (LOOR-dehs, Spanish; LORDZ, LUR-des, English; LORD, French)--origin unknown, poss. from Arabic, "the rose", or Latin, "sallow"
     Refers to the title and apparition Our Lady of Lourdes, Lourdes, France.
• Lujan (loo-HAHN, Spanish)--origin unknown, poss. from Latin lux, "light"
     Refers to Nuestra Señora de Luján, patroness of Argentina, Paraguay, & Uruguay.
• Luz (LOOS, Spanish)--"light"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Light. 
• Macarena (mah-kah-REH-nah, Spanish)--poss. from Latin, "blessed"
     Refers to the title Virgin of Hope of Macarena. 
• Madonna (mah-DON-nah, English)--from Italian, "my lady"
• Maolmoire (mool-MOY-reh, [archaic] Scottish)--"servant of Mary" [masculine]. Medieval Irish form was Maol Mhuire (mwel WID-eh) [unisex].
• Mar (MAHR, Spanish, Catalan)--"sea"
     Refers to the title Saint Mary of the Sea. 
• Maravillas (mah-rah-VEE-yahs, Spanish)--"wonders"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Wonders.
• Maris (MEHR-is, MAH-ris, English)--from Latin, "of the sea"
     Refers to the title Our Lady, Star of the Sea.
• Maristela (mah-ree-STEH-lah, Spanish, Portuguese)--from Latin Stella Maris "star of the sea".
     Refers to the title Our Lady, Star of the Sea.
• Mercedes (mehr-SEH-dehs, Spanish)--"mercies". Catalan form is Mercè (mur-SAY).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Mercy.
• Meritxell (mur-eet-CHEL, Catalan)--from Latin, "midday"
     Refers to Mare de Déu de Meritxell, patroness of Andorra.
• Milagros (mee-LAH-grohs, Spanish)--"miracles"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Miracles.
• Montserrat (mohn-seh-RAHT, Catalan, Spanish)--from Catalan "saw-mountain". Spanish variant is Monserrate (mohn-seh-RAH-teh).
     Refers to Mare de Déu de Montserrat, patroness of Catalonia. 
• Nagore (nah-goh-reh, Basque)--prob. Basque, meaning unknown
     Refers to the Hermitage of Nagore, Navarra, Spain
• Naiara (nah-yah-rah, Basque, Spanish)--from Arabic, "between rocks". Spanish variant is Nayara.
     Refers to Santa María la Real de Nájera monastery in La Rioja, Spain. 
• Nekane (neh-kah-neh, Basque)--"sorrows". Basque translation of Dolores. 
• Nieves (nee-EHV-ehs, Spanish)--"snows". Other forms include Neus (NEH-oos, Catalan), Neves (NEH-ves, Portuguese) and Nives (NEE-ves, Italian).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of the Snows.
• Núria (NOOR-ee-ah, Catalan)--poss. from Arabic, "light". Spanish form is Nuria (NOOR-ee-ah).
     Refers to the shrine Mare de Déu de Núria of Catalonia, Spain.
• Olatz (oh-lahts, Basque, Spanish)--prob. from Basque "cabin" or "forge"
     Refers to the Hermitage of Our Lady of Olatz in Euskadi, Spain. 
• Olvido (ohl-VEE-doh, Spanish)--"forgetfulness, oblivion"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Forgetfulness, Triumph, and Mercies.
• Osane (oh-sah-neh, Basque)--"remedy". Basque translation of Remedios. 
• Panagiota (pah-nah-YOT-ah, Greek)--"all holy". Masculine is Panagiotis.
     Refers to the epithet Mary, All-Holy. 
• Paz (PAHS, Spanish)--"peace"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Peace. 
• Pigi (pee-yee, Greek)--"spring, fountain". Also transliterated as Piyi.
    Refers to the title Life-Giving Spring. 
• Pilar (pee-LAHR, Spanish)--"pillar".
     Refers to title / apparition Our Lady of the Pillar. 
• Purificación (poor-ee-fee-cah-see-OHN, Spanish)--"purification" [unisex, but usually feminine].  Variants (originally diminutives) include Purita (poo-REE-tah) and Pura (POOR-ah).
     Refers to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Candlemas. 
• Queralt (keh-RAHL, Catalan)--poss. "high rock"
     Refers to the Virgen de Queralt in the Sanctuary of Queralt, Spain. 
• Regina (reh-JEEN-ah, English, Italian, Spanish; reh-HEE-nah, Spanish; reh-ZHEE-nah, Portuguese)--from Latin, "queen". [again, used in many different languages, but not necessarily considered a Marian name]
     Refers to the title Mary, Queen of Heaven and All the Earth. 
• Regla (REG-lah, Spanish)--"rule"
     Refers to the dedication Virgen de Regla in several places, including Spain, Cuba, and the Phillipines. 
• Remedios (reh-MEH-dee-ohs, Spanish)--"remedies". Catalan form is Remei (reh-MAY).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Remedies. 
• Reyes (REH-yes, Spanish)--"kings" [unisex]
     Refers to the title Our Lady of the Kings. 
• Rocío (roh-SEE-oh, Spanish)--"dew"
     Refers to the Virgen del Rocío in the Hermitage of El Rocío, Spain. 
• Rosario (roh-ZAHR-yoh, Italian; roh-SAH-ree-oh, Spanish)--"rosary" [masculine in Italian].  Variants include Charo (CHAH-roh, Spanish), Rosaria (roh-ZAHR-yah, Italian) and Roser (roh-ZAY, Catalan).
     Refers to the title Our Lady of the Rosary. 
• Saleta (sah-LEH-tah, Galician, Spanish)--poss. from Germanic "room, house"
     Refers to the apparition Notre-Dame de La Salette.
• Socorro (soh-KOH-roh, Spanish)--"help"
     Refers to the title Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 
• Soledad (soh-leh-DAHD, Spanish)--"solitude"
     Refers to the title Mary of Solitude. 
• Sonsoles (sohn-SOH-les, Spanish)--"Saint Zoilo"
     Refers to the dedication Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles in Castilla y León, Spain. 
• Sorne (sohr-neh, Basque)--"conception". Basque translation of Concepción. 
• Sterpeta (stehr-PEH-tah, Italian)--"brushland"
     Refers to the Madonna dello Sterpeto in Barletta, Italy. 
• Tindara (TEEN-dah-rah, Italian)--from ancient Greek Tyndareos. Masculine form is Tindaro (TEEN-dah-roh).
     Refers to the Madonna di Tindari in Messina, Italy. 
• Txori (choh-ree, Basque, Spanish)--from Basque, "bird"
     Refers to the Leyenda del Txori in Navarra, Spain. 
• Uxue (oo-shoo-eh, Basque, Spanish)--from Basque, "dove"
     Refers to the Virgen de Ujué in the Church of Santa María de Ujué, Spain.
• Visitación (vee-see-tah-see-OHN, Spanish)--"visitation"
     Refers to Mary's visit to Elizabeth.

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Gus

Gus seems to be a rather polarizing nickname: either you find it adorable, or you find it hopelessly dorky. In the US, it's usually short for the various forms of August, occasionally Gustavo or Constantine, but simply Gus on its own is on the rise as well.
And gosh-darn-it, I think Gussie is adorable for a girl, so let's go ahead and see if we can find a few girl Gus-names, too.

Boys:

• Agus (AG-oos, Indonesian)--prob. "handsome"
• Angus (ANG-gus, Irish, Scottish, English)--poss. from Old Irish "one strength" or "one choice". Also spelled Aengus or Aonghus. 
• Argus (AR-gus, [Latinized] Greek)--"shining"
• Fergus (FUR-gus, English, Irish)--from Old Irish "man-strength"
• Gaius (GYE-us, Latin)--origin uncertain, poss. from Latin "rejoice". Another form was Gaianus (GYE-an-us).
• Galenus (gah-LEEN-us, [Latinized] Greek)--"calm"
• Gentius (GEN-tee-us, [Hellenized] Illyrian)--poss. "beget". [the flower gentian is derived from Gentius]
• Goswin (GAHZ-win, [archaic] English; GOHZ-veen, German)--from Germanic, "Goth-friend"
• Gusten (GOOS-ten, Swedish)--from Old Norse, "god-stone"
• Gustin (goos-AHn, French)--form of Augustine
• Lugus (LOO-gus, Celtic mythology [Latinized])--origin uncertain, poss. "light", "black", or "swear an oath"
• Margus (MAHR-goos, Estonian)--form of Marcus

Girls:

• Angustias (ahn-GOOST-yahs, Spanish)--"anguish" [a Marian name]
• Gusta (GOOS-tah, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian; GUS-tah, English)--short form of Gustava or Augusta.
  Other forms include Gustė (GOOS-tay, Lithuanian), Gustel (GOOS-tel, German), and Gusten (GOOS-ten, Swedish [much more common on boys, however]). 
• Gustava (goos-TAH-vah, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish)--feminine of Gustav (Old Norse, "Goth-staff").
  Another [rather rare] form is Gustavia (goos-TAHV-yah, English, Swedish). 

"Bear" with me

(so, so sorry for the title. Punning well is not my strong suit)

I was part of a discussion not long ago about how to honor a Christopher without using a common Chris-name (like Christian, Kristin, Christine, Crystal, etc), and it got me thinking about using the second element -pher/phoros. The only name I could easily come up with was Lucifer, but that seems like a  no-go.
So of course I had to go looking for more, and it turns out it was a reasonably common name element in Ancient Greece. Christopher is "Christ-bearer", and Lucifer is "light-bearer", and it's interesting to see what other things parents wanted their kids to "bear". [yes, if you want to get technical, Lucifer is from Latin, not Greek, but -fer is the Latin cognate of Greek -phor/pher-]
With one exception, all the constructions I found were masculine, some with feminine forms.

I've also included reasonable (IMO) Anglicizations, based on how other Ancient Greek names have been adapted to Modern English (just as a fun exercise for me). :)

• Agathephoros (Agathephore)  -- "bearer of good". Feminine: Agathephoris
• Anthesphoros (Anthespher) -- "flower-bearer" 
• Aristophora -- "bearing the best" [the one exclusively-feminine construction]
• Chrysiforos (Chysipher) -- "gold-bearer" 
• Doryphoros (Dorypher) --"spear-bearer" 
• Elpidephoros (Elpidepher) -- "hope-bearer". Feminine: Elpidephoris, Elpidephoria
• Euphoros (Eupher) -- "well-borne" 
• Halophoros (Halopher) -- "salt-bearer"?? 
• Heosphoros (Eospher or Heosphore) -- "dawn-bearer"?? 
• Kalliphoros (Callipher) -- "bearer of beauty" 
• Karpophoros (Carpophore) -- "fruit-bearer". Feminine: Karpophora, Karpophoria.
   [carpophore is an actual botanical term]
• Kerdophoros (Cerdopher) -- "profit-bearer" 
• Nikephoros (Nicopher) -- "victory-bearer". Far and away the most common -phoros name I found! Feminine: Nikephoris.
  [Nikifor is the modern Slavic form, Nicefor a Polish form, and Nicéphore a rare French form]
• Oinophoros (Oenopher) -- "wine-bearer"
• Onesiphoros (Onesipher) -- "advantage-bearer". Feminine: Onasiphoris.
  [Onésiphore is a rare French form, Onisifor a rare Romanian form]
• Pamphoros (Pamphore) -- "bearing all" 
• Pherekles (Pherecles)-- "bearing glory" 
• Pherekrates (Pherecrates) -- "bearing power"
• Pherekydes (Pherecydes) -- "bearing fame" 
• Pherenikos (Pherenicus) -- "bearing victory". Feminine: Pherenika.
  [although you probably already know this name by its pseudo-Latinized form, Veronica]
• Pheretimos (Pheretimus) -- "bearing honor". Feminine: Pheretima
• Phosphoros (Phosphore) -- "light-bearer" [haha, don't use this one on a human, please; in any form]
• Prophoros (Propher) -- "bearing forward" 
• Stephanephoros, Stephephoros (Stephanepher, Stephepher) -- "crown-bearer". Feminine: Stephanephoria
• Symphoros (Sympher) -- "bear together". Next most common after Nikephoros.
  Feminine: Sympheron, Symphoris
• Telesphoros (Telespher) -- "bearing fulfillment" Feminine: Telesphoris, Telesphoria, Telesphora.
  [Telesfor is the modern Polish form, Telesforo the Spanish, and Télesphore the French]
• Theophoros (Theophore) -- "god-bearer"
  [possibly not actually given to children, but it was the adopted title of at least a couple historic figures]
• Zoophoros (Zoopher) -- "life-bearer" 

Aaaaand now you know what a giant dork does when she's bored. :p

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"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Finn

I know, I know: how have I not done Finn yet? It's trending in several countries across Europe, as well as in the US, Australia, & New Zealand, so if you don't know any Finns yet, you probably will soon. :)
It's a full name on its own in two different origins (Old Irish, "fair, white"; & Old Norse, originally "wanderer", now "Sámi/Lapp", and metaphorically "magician"), but there are several longer names that can also lend themselves to a Finn nickname.

• Alfinn (AHL-finn, Norwegian)--"elf Sámi"
• Arnfinn (ARN-fin, Norwegian)--"eagle Sámi". Another form is Anfinn (AHN-fin). 
• Audfinn (OWD-fin, [archaic] Norwegian)--"wealth Sámi"
• Bergfinn (BEHRG-fin, Norwegian)--"fortress Sámi"
• Eldfinn (ELD-fin, [archaic] Norwegian)--"fire Sámi"
• Elffin (EL-fin, Welsh [mythology])--poss. from Latin or Pictish "white". Also spelled Elphin. 
• Finbar (FIN-bar, Irish)--"fair head"
• Finlay (FIN-lee, Irish, Scottish, English)--"fair warrior". Also spelled Finley. [unisex in the U.S., but exclusively masculine elsewhere]
• Finlo (FIN-loh, Manx)--"fair Lugh" [Irish god]
• Finnegan (FIN-eh-gan, Irish [surname])--"little fair one"
• Finnegas (FIN-eh-gas, Irish [mythology])--poss. "Finn the Seer". Also written as Finegas or Finneces.
• Finnian (FIN-ee-an, Irish)--"fair, white". Other forms include Finnán (FIN-awn) and Finnén (FIN-ayn).
• Finnleif (FIN-life, Norwegian)--"Sámi-heir". An older form is Finnleiv (FIN-live). 
• Finnvid (FIN-vid, [somewhat archaic] Swedish)--"Sámi-tree". Other forms include Finnevid (FIN-eh-vid, also somewhat archaic Swedish), Finnved (FIN-ved, archaic Norwegian), and Finwith (FIN-vit, old Danish, old Swedish)
• Finnulf (FIN-ulf, [archaic] Norwegian)--"Sámi wolf". Also spelled Finulf. 
• Finnur (FIN-nur, Icelandic)--form of Finn (the Old Norse one, not the Irish ;) )
• Finnvald (FIN-vahld, [archaic] Norwegian)--"Sámi-ruler"
• Fintan (FIN-tan, Irish)--poss. "white bull" or "white fire"
• Fiorenzo (fee-oh-REN-tsoh, Italian)--form of Florence
• Franklin (FRANK-lin, English)--from Old English, "free man"
• Geirfinn (GIRE-fin, Norwegian)--"spear Sámi"
• Griffin (GRIF-fin, English)--anglicized form of Welsh Gruffudd, poss. "strong prince"; or from the mythological creature
• Kolfinn (KOHL-fin, [slightly archaic] Norwegian)--"dark Sámi"
• Norfinn (NOR-fin, [slightly archaic] Norwegian)--"north Sámi"
• Philemon (fye-LEE-mon, fil-EE-mon, English; fee-LAY-mohn, [Biblical] Greek)--from ancient Greek, "affectionate, kind"
• Philion (FIL-ee-on, FYE-lee-on, [Anglicized, ancient] Greek)--prob. "beloved". Also spelled Phileon. 
• Phineas (FIN-ee-as, English)--from Hellenized Hebrew, meaning uncertain. Also spelled Phinehas. 
• Phinias (FIN-ee-as, [Anglicized, ancient] Greek)--poss. "vulture", or a form of Phineas
• Phinus (FIN-us, [Anglicized, ancient] Greek)--poss. "vulture"
• Phintias (FIN-tee-as, [Anglicized, ancient] Greek)--poss. "dearest". Other forms include Phintas, Phinteas, and Phinton. 
• Seraphin (SEHR-ah-fin, English; SEHR-ah-feen, German)--masculine of Seraphina. Spanish form is Serafín (seh-rah-FEEN). 
• Tophinus (TOH-fin-us, [Anglicized, ancient] Greek)--poss. "tuff" [a volcanic rock]
• Torfinn (TOR-fin, Norwegian)--"Thor-Sámi". Also spelled Thorfinn. 

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]

Elias, Silas, Titus, Tobias, Cyrus, Leonidas, Matthias....

It's pretty easy to come up with multiple phonetic trends for girls, but I've been trying to even things up and discover some for boys. Surnames, obviously: -ers, -sons, and -dens, but surely there's an alternative trend or two, right?
Well, I think I found one--"eye_as". The names listed in the title: all Top 1000, and all rising! It makes sense--"eye"-sounding names are trending all over the place for both genders, and the softer vintage-y -s ending makes some interesting and handsome combinations.
Can we find more? Of course! :D

• Achaios (ah-kye-AHS, [ancient] Greek)--Latin form is Achaeus (ah-KYE-us). 
• Aelius (EYE-lee-us, Latin)--poss. from Greek Helios, "sun"
• Alkaios (AHL-kye-os, [ancient] Greek)--"strength". Latin form is Alcaeus (al-KYE-us). 
• Amias (ah-MYE-as, English)--poss. from Latin "friend"
• Aineias (eye-NAY-as, [ancient] Greek)--"praise". Latin spelling is Aeneas. 
• Aias (EYE-as, [ancient] Greek)--original form of Ajax, prob. "eagle" or "earth"
• Alphaios (AHL-fye-os, [Biblical] Greek)--from Hebrew, poss. "change, renew". Latin form is Alphaeus (al-FYE-us). 
• Ananias (an-an-EYE-as, [Biblical] Greek)--from Hebrew, "Yahweh is gracious"
• Argyros (ar-GYE-ros, [anglicized] Greek)--"silver"
• Aristaios (ah-ris-TYE-os, [ancient] Greek)--"most excellent". Latin spelling is Aristaeus. [Greek god of rustic occupations: beekeeping, shepherding, cheesemaking, etc]
• Astraios (AS-trye-os, [ancient] Greek)--"of the stars". Latin form is Astraeus (as-TRYE-us). [Greek Titan of the stars and astronomy]
• Azarias (az-ah-RYE-as, [Biblical] Greek)--from Hebrew, "Yahweh has helped"
• Caiaphas (KYE-ah-phas, [Hellenized] Aramaic)--poss. "valley, depression"
• Caelius (KYE-lee-us, Latin)--masculine of Caelia/Celia, "heavenly"
• Esaias (eh-SYE-as, [Biblical] Greek)--form of Hebrew Isaiah, "Yahweh is salvation". Other forms include Isaias (ee-SYE-as, Spanish) and Isaías (ee-ZYE-as, Portuguese). 
• Euryalus (yoo-RYE-ah-lus, [anglicized] Greek)--prob. "wide sea" or "wide roaming"
• Eutychus (yoo-TYE-kus, [anglicized] Greek)--"good luck"
• Ezekias (ez-eh-KYE-as, [Biblical] Greek)--form of Hebrew Hezekiah, "Yahweh strengthens"
• Gaius (GYE-us, Latin)--origin unknown. Other forms include Caius (KYE-us) and Gaianus (GYE-an-us).  
• Hephaistos (HEF-eye-stos, [ancient] Greek)--Latin form is Hephaestus (hef-EYE-stus). [Greek god of fire, smiths, and craftsmen]
• Iairos (YIGH-ros, [Biblical] Greek)--from Hebrew, "he enlightens". Latin spelling is Iairus. 
• Josias (joh-SYE-as, [Biblical] Latin)--form of Hebrew Josiah, "Yahweh supports"
• Kairos (kye-RAHS, [ancient] Greek)--"opportunity". Latin form is Caerus (KYE-rus). [Greek god of opportunity and luck; means "weather" in modern Greek]
• Laelius (LYE-lee-us, Latin)
• Linus (LYE-nus, [anglicized] Greek)--"flax"
• Lycus (LYE-kus, [anglicized] Greek)--"wolf"
• Ozias (oh-ZYE-as, [Biblical] Greek)--from Hebrew, "my strength is Yahweh"
• Phaidros (FYE-dros, [ancient] Greek)--masculine of Phaedra, "bright". Latin spelling is Phaedrus. 
• Phyleus (FYE-lee-us, [anglicized] Greek)--prob. "clan"
• Quirinus (kwer-EYE-nus, Latin)--prob. "spear"
• Tiberius (tye-BEER-ee-us, English)--from Latin "from the Tiber River"
• Timaios (TIM-eye-os, [ancient] Greek)--"honored". Latin form is Timaeus (tim-EYE-us). 
• Tiras (TYE-ras, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Traianus (TRYE-an-us, Latin)--original form of Trajan, origin unknown
• Tydeus (TYE-dee-us, [anglicized] Greek)
• Urias (yoo-RYE-as, [Biblical] Latin)--from Hebrew, "Yahweh is my light"
• Zacharias (zak-ah-RYE-as, [Biblical] Greek)--form of Zachary, "Yahweh remembers"

(I can't seem to get away from the ancient boys' names, can I? Somehow I didn't expect that that's pretty much all this list would consist of......)

F-abulous Names

Considering how many F-names seem to be trending (Finn and variants, Flynn, Ford, Fisher, Fletcher, Felicity, Fiona, Freya), I'm surprised there aren't any except Faith in the SSA Top 100--and it's down at #91! After that, it's Finn for boys at #204 and Finley for girls at #209.
F-names were all the rage at the turn of the century (Frank, Florence, Frances/Francis, Fred, Ferdinand, Floyd, Faye, etc), and I think it's time for a comeback. ;)

(this turned into a much longer list than I had expected. How is it that there are so many F-names world-wide, but so few in use in the US?)

Boys:

• Faolán (FWEE-lawn, FWAY-lawn, Irish)--prob. "little wolf"
• Faiz (FAH-eez, Arabic)--"victorious"
• Fanuel (FAHN-oo-el, Scandinavian)--from Hebrew, "face of God"
• Faramund (FAHR-ah-mund, Germanic)--"journey protection". Old Swedish form is Farmund.
• Faris (FEHR-is, Arabic; FAH-rees, Bosnian)--from Arabic, "knight"
• Farman (FAHR-man, Scandinavian)--"traveller". Also spelled Farmann. 
• Faustin (foh-STAHN, French; FOW ['ow' like "now"] -steen, Russian)--from Latin, "lucky". Other forms include Faustyn (FOW-stin, Polish) and Faustino (fow-STEEN-oh, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish). 
• Fen (FEN, Frisian)--nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace" [coincides with an English word for a type of wetland]
• Ferapont (fyehr-ah-PAHNT, Russian)--from ancient Greek, "servant, caregiver"
• Ferris (FEHR-ris, English [surname], Irish [surname])--from French, "ironworker", or a form of Fergus
• Fife (FIFE, Scottish)--from the Scottish region, origin unknown. Also spelled Fyfe.
• Finlo (FIN-loh, Manx)--"fair Lugh" [Irish god]
• Finnegas (FIN-eh-gas, Irish [mythology])--poss. "Finn the Seer". Also written as Finegas or Finneces.
• Finnvid (FIN-vid, [somewhat archaic] Swedish)--"Finn-tree" or "magician-tree"). Other forms include Finnevid (also somewhat archaic Swedish), Finnved (archaic Norwegian), and Finwith (old Danish, old Swedish)
• Fishel (FISH-el, Yiddish)--"little fish" [also sometimes used as a nickname for Ephraim]
• Fivos (FEE-vos, Greek)--modern masculine form of Phoebe, "light"
• Flemming (FLEM-ming, Scandinavian [esp. Danish!])--"from Flanders" [probably ultimately from Old Frisian "of the flowing water"]. Also spelled Fleming. 
• Flint (FLINT, English [surname])
• Fordel (FOR-del, Norwegian)--from Germanic, "advantage"
• Fosco (FOHS-koh, Italian)--prob. from Latin, "dark"
• Fraser (FRAY-zher, FRAY-zer, Scottish, English)--also spelled Frazier
• Fredmund (FRED-moond, Norwegian)--"peace protection"
• Frey (FRAY, Danish, Swedish)--masculine of Freya "lord". Also spelled Frej.
• Fulton (FUL-ton, English [surname])

Girls:

• Fabia (FAH-bee-ah, Latin, Italian)--other forms include Fabiana (fah-bee-AH-nah, Latin, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), Fabienne (fah-bee-EN, French), and Fabiola (fah-bee-OH-lah, Spanish, Italian).
• Fadime (fah-dee-MAY, Turkish)--form of Fatima
• Faina (fah-EE-nah, Russian)--poss. from ancient Greek Phaenna, "shining"
• Faiza (FYE-zah, Arabic)--"victorious"
• Fanchon (FAN-shawn, French)--nickname for Françoise/Frances
• Fanélie (fah-nay-LEE, French)--form of Françoise/Frances or Stéphanie
• Fara (FAH-rah, Italian, Scandinavian)--nickname for Germanic fara names, "journey"
• Fausta (FOW ['ow' like "now"] -stah, Latin, Italian)--from Latin, "lucky". Other forms include Faustine (foh-STEEN, French), Faustina (fow-STEEN-ah, Latin, Italian), and Faustyna (fow-STIN-ah, Polish). 
• Favonia (fah-VOH-nee-ah, Latin)--"favored"
• Fedea (fed-eh-ah, Basque)--"faith"
• Femke (FEM-keh, Dutch, Frisian)--nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace". [coincides with the Frisian word for "girl"]
• Fenareti (fen-ah-REH-tee, Greek)--"shining virtue". Also transliterated as Fainareti. 
• Fenna (FEN-nah, Dutch, Frisian)--another nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace". Also spelled Fenne. 
• Feray (feh-RYE, Turkish)--poss, "radiance of the moon"
• Ffion (FEE-on, Welsh)--"foxglove"
• Fia (FEE-ah, Scandinavian)--short form of Sofia
• Fiadh (FEE-ah, Irish)--"wild" or "deer"
• Fiadhnait (FYAH-nat, Irish)--"fawn"
• Fiamma (fee-AHM-mah, Italian)--"flame"
• Fiammetta (fee-ahm-MET-tah, Italian)--"little flame"
• Fiorenza (fee-oh-REN-tsah, Italian)--form of Florence. Other forms include Florentia (floh-REN-tee-ah, Latin; floh-REN-shah, English) and Florencia (floh-REN-see-ah, Spanish). 
• Fira (feer-AH, Russian)--nickname for Esfir/Esther
• Flavia (FLAH-vee-ah, Latin, Spanish, Italian)--from Latin, "golden, yellow". Other forms include Flavie (flah-VEE, French), Flavienne (flah-vee-EN, French), and Flaviana (flah-vee-AH-nah, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Freydis (FRAY-dis, Norwegian)--"lady goddess". Another form is Frøydis (FROOY [somewhere between English "ay" and "oy"] -dis). 

Unisex:

• Farah (FAH-rah, Arabic)--"joy". Also spelled Farrah. 
• Firdaus (FEER-dohs, Arabic; fur-DOHS, Persian)--"paradise". Also transliterated as Firdos. [definitely unisex, although more common for boys, in Arabic; might be exclusively masculine in Persian]

Primer: Ancient Greek Names

If you have any sort of background or interest in Ancient Greece, you've probably noticed that I've been rather inconsistent on pronunciation. Part of this is laziness, but another part (especially the further back in my blog you go) was lack of knowledge. I might go back and correct or clarify previous posts later, but for now, I'll just resolve myself to be better going forward!

This is not intended to be a thorough guide to Ancient Greek names, but it should be helpful for the newbie or for passing interest.

First, there are three ways to pronounce Ancient Greek names:
--reconstructed Ancient Greek (what most scholars believe the language actually sounded like)
--Latinized (how the Romans pronounced the names when they imported them)
--Anglicized (how we usually say them today, which is based off the Latinized versions)

The letters are mostly the same as English, but there are some exceptions:

• A (Α, α) -- "ah" (like 'father') in Ancient Greek and Latin. In English, like "a" ('cat') or "ah" ('father') or "ay" ('play').
• C (Κ, κ) -- always hard ('cat') in Ancient Greek and Latin. In English, like our C: hard before a, o, u ('cat'); soft before i, e, y ('cent'). Also soft before 'ae'.
  Latin didn't have the letter K, so older transliterations will have C. More authentic transliterations will use K (which English adopted directly from Greek).
• G (Γ, γ) -- always hard ('gift') in Ancient Greek and Latin. In English, like our G: hard before a, o, u ('go'); soft before e, i, y ('gem'). Also soft before 'ae'.
• I (Ι, ι) -- "ee" in Ancient Greek and Latin; in English, "ih" ('it'), "ee" ('see'), or "eye" ('sight'). Usually 'ih' if followed by two consonants, otherwise whichever is easiest to say, it seems. 
• X (Ξ, ξ) -- "ks" in Ancient Greek and Latin; in English "z" at the start of a word ('xylophone'), "ks" otherwise.
• Y (Υ, υ) -- "eu" in Ancient Greek (doesn't exist in English; think of the French 'u'); "ee" in Latin. In English, like I, basically a toss-up. 
• U (Υ, υ) -- "eu" in Ancient Greek (doesn't exist in English; think of the French 'u'); "oo" in Latin; "oo" in English, or "yoo" when at the beginning of a word.
  (yes, the letter upsilon (Υ, υ) is written either Y or U. If after another vowel, it tends to be written as U, and as Y after consonants)
• CH (Χ, χ) -- "kh" in Ancient Greek and Latin; "k" in English.
• PS (Ψ, ψ) -- "ps" in Ancient Greek; "s" in Latin and English.
• TH (Θ, θ) -- "t'h" in Ancient Greek and Latin (an aspirated T, rather like a 't'-sound followed immediately by a 'h'-sound); "th" in English ("thigh").
  (Interestingly, in Modern Greek, now pronounced "th".)

I've saved the two trickiest for last--E & O. Both are represented by two letters in Ancient Greek, and the pronunciation depends on which.

• E can be either from epsilon (Ε, ε), which is short ('let'), or eta (Η, η), which is similar to the long English "ay" sound ('play'). When Anglicized, the eta says "ee" ('see'), and sometimes the epsilon does too.
• Similarly, O can be either from omicron (Ο, ο), which is short ('cot') or omega (Ω, ω), which is long ('coat'). When Anglicized, both tend to follow English pronunciation rules.
  Names ending in -os are usually changed to -us in Latin and English.

Ancient Greek uses the following digraphs:

• ai (αι) -- "eye". Written as ae in Latin, still pronounced "eye". Often ae in English as well, but then is pronounced "ee" or "eh".
• au (αυ) -- "ow", like 'cow'.
• ei (ει) -- "ay" in Ancient Greek and Latin, usually "eh" ('set') or "ee" ('see') in English. Often written as just e or i in Latin and English (e.g. Rheia --> Rhea; Dareios --> Darius).
• eu (ευ or ηυ) -- "eh-oo" in Ancient Greek and Latin, "yoo" in English ('Europe').
• oi (οι) -- "oy", like 'boy'. Written as oe in Latin, and usually in English as well, but then pronounced "ee" (not to be confused with the name ending -oe, which is two separate vowels, οη or ωη).
• ou (ου) -- "oo", like "boot". Often written as just u in Latin and English (and in English, then pronounced "yoo" at the start of the word, like in 'Uranus').
• yi or ui (υι) -- "oo-ee" in Ancient Greek and Latin, "ee" in English.

So, that was easy, right? :p On to stress!

--Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek used tonal stress, which is something that a native English speaker will have a hard time imagining, let alone pulling off! Most just approximate it by using the dynamic ("loudness") stress we Anglophones are used to.
(aside: stress is something that's generally quite lacking in pronunciation guides, and if you want a really in-depth look, I suggest this page: http://enargea.org/homyth/translit.html, which is amazingly thorough on stress differences in Ancient Greek and Latinized pronunciations)
If you happen to have the actual Greek spelling of the name, you can often quite easily tell where the stress is--many names have the stressed syllable marked with the acute accent (ά, έ, ή, etc).
If the name does not have the accents marked, it can get quite complicated since stress is dependent on word length and vowel length (really, the simplest way might be to just stick the Greek spelling into Forvo)!

• Two-syllable names are usually stressed on the first. 
• Greek often has final-syllable stress, particularly in names ending in -o, -is, -os or -us. 
• If the name ends in -as, -on, -e, -ia, or -ea, it's usually the second-last syllable stressed (but not -eia, however! Those are stressed on the third-last).
  Remember that the vowel pairs -oe, -ia and -ea are separate syllables, so the stress would be on the o, i, or e (Beroe = "beh-RAH-ay"; Delia = "day-LEE-ah"; Leucothea = "lyoo-koth-EH-ah").
• With longer names, the third-last is usually a good guess, especially if the name does not fall into one of the previously mentioned patterns. 

We're used to Latinized pronunciations, so if it sounds awkward, you're probably pretty close. :p


--Latin and English

• If you don't care about attempting Ancient Greek accent, and are content with Latinized or Anglicized, just stress the second-last syllable.
• Common exceptions are when the name ends in -ia or -e (Eumelia = "yoo-MEL-ee-ah; Antigone = "an-TIG-on-ee"), or -ias, -ion, or -eus (Callias = "KAL-ee-us", Endymion = "en-DIM-ee-on", Proteus = "PRO-tee-us").
• With names of 4 syllables. it's sometimes the third-to-last that's stressed (Eidothea = "ed-OTH-ee-ah"), but not always (Amalthea = "am-al-THEE-ah").

Here are a few names, showing common differences in the three pronunciation methods.

	Ancient Greek	Latin	English
Psyche (Ψυχή)	"psoo-KHAY"	"SEE-khay"	"SYE-kee"
Theseus (Θησεύς)	"t'hay-seh-OOS"	"T'HAY-seh-oos"	"THEE-see-us"
Kelaino / Celaeno (Κελαινώ)	"kel-eye-NOH"	"kel-EYE-noh"	"sel-EE-noh"
Chryseis (Χρυσηἰς)	"khroo-say-EES"	"kree-SAY-ees"	"krye-SEE-is" or "kris-AY-is"
Medousa / Medusa (Μέδουσα)	"MED-oo-sah"	"med-OO-sah"	"med-OO-sah"

"Quick primer". Ha!
Well, hopefully that wasn't too confusing, and maybe a little bit helpful. ;)

Girls's Names

Recently I did a breakdown on which letters were "feminine" vs. "masculine", and there were a couple surprises. Specifically, I expected -s names to sway overwhelmingly male, thanks to all the Latin & Greek us/os names, and the impact Latin has had on naming in general. But in fact, -s names only lean masculine by a 6:1 ratio ("only" being relative--it was #15 on my "most masculine endings" analysis, the others being -ch, k, b, o, p, c, f, sh, d, m, x, v, j, & g).
It turns out that while the boys do have -as, es, os, and us names, girls get -ss and ys, and split about even with boys on the -is.

A good number of -is/ys names for girls turn out to be Welsh and ancient Greek, and far be it from me to turn down an opportunity for those!

• Aleidis (ah-LYE-dis, Germanic)--older form of Adelaide/Alice. Other forms include Adelais (AH-del-ah-is, Germanic), Alis (AL-is, Welsh), Alys (AL-is, English, Welsh), and Azalais (ah-zah-LAH-ees, Occitan).
• Alkestis (AHL-kays-tis, [ancient] Greek)--"courageous". Latinized form is Alcestis (al-SES-tis). 
• Amaryllis (am-ah-RIL-lis, English)--from ancient Greek, "sparkling". Spanish and Portuguese form is Amarilis (ah-mah-REE-lees). 
• Anaïs (ah-nah-EES, Occitan, Catalan, French)--form of Anna
• Anaitis (ah-nah-EE-tis, an-EYE-tis, AH-nye-tis, [ancient] Greek)--form of Anahita
• Annis (AN-nis, [medieval] English)--form of Agnes
• Ardis (AR-dis, English, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "eagle goddess"
• Artemis (AR-teh-mis, [ancient] Greek)--origin unknown, poss. "bear", "thrower", "great", or "safe".
• Astris (AS-tris, [ancient] Greek)--"starry"
• Athenais (ath-AY-nah-ees, ah-thay-ah-EES, [ancient] Greek)--"of Athena". French form is Athénaïs/Aténaïs (ah-tay-nah-EES). 
• Avis (AY-vis, English)--prob. from Latin "bird"; or from Germanic Aveza, poss. "desired", or Hadewidis (HAH-deh-vee-dis), "wide battle"
• Belkis (BEL-kees, Spanish)--from Bilqis (BIL-kees), the traditional Arabic name for the legendary Queen of Sheba, origin unknown. Turkish form is Belkıs (BEL-kis). 
• Betrys (BET-ris, Welsh)--form of Beatrice. 
• Briseis (bris-AY-is, bree-say-EES, [ancient] Greek)
• Britomartis (brit-oh-MAR-tis, bree-TOH-mar-tees, [ancient] Greek)--"blessed maiden"
• Bryndis (BRIN-dis, Scandinavian)--from Germanic, "armored goddess"
• Carys (KAH-ris, Welsh)--"love". Another form is Cerys (KEHR-is). 
• Charis (KEHR-is, KAHR-is, [ancient] Greek)--"grace". Modern Greek form is Haris (KHAH-rees). 
• Chloris (KLOR-is, KLOR-ees, [ancient] Greek)--"green bud"
• Chryseis (kree-SAY-is,  [ancient] Greek)--"golden"
• Clematis (klem-AT-is, KLEM-ah-tis, English)
• Damaris (DAM-ah-ris, dah-MEHR-is, English; DAH-mah-rees, Greek)--from ancient Greek, poss. "wife" or "girl"
• Danais (dah-nah-EES, DAN-ah-ees, [ancient] Greek)
• Daphnis (DAHF-nees, DAF-nis, [ancient] Greek)--form of Daphne [unisex]
• Doris (DOHR-is, English, German, Italian, Scandinavian)--from ancient Greek, poss. "spear", "gift", or "forest"
• Dysis (DYE-sis, [ancient] Greek)--"sunset"
• Eirlys (AYR-lis, IRE-lis, Welsh)--"snowdrop" [the flower]
• Elewys (EL-eh-wis, [medieval] English)--form of Eloise
• Endeis (en-DAY-is, en-day-EES, [ancient] Greek)--"at home, native" 
• Gerdis (YEHR-dis, Swedish)--from Germanic, "spear goddess"
• Glenys (GLEN-is, Welsh)--"pure"
• Glynis (GLIN-is, Welsh)--prob. "pure" or "valley"
• Hawys (HOW-is, Welsh)--from Germanic, "wide battle"
• Hesperis (HES-per-is, [ancient] Greek)--"evening"
• Hjördis (YOR-dis, Swedish, Finnish)--from Old Norse, "sword goddess". Also spelled Hjørdis (Danish, Norwegian) or Jördis (German).
• Iraís (ee-rah-EES, Spanish)--prob. from ancient Greek Herais (HEHR-ah-ees), "of Hera"
• Iris (EYE-ris, English; EE-ris, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Scandinavian, Italian, Slovenian, Turkish)--from Greek, "rainbow". Other forms include Íris (EE-rees, Portuguese) and Eirys (AY-ris, EYE-ris, Welsh). 
• Iseldis (ee-SEL-dis, [medieval] English)--form of Isolde
• Isis (EYE-sis, English, EE-zeez, Italian, EE-sees, Spanish)--from Hellenized Egyptian, prob. "throne". Portuguese form is Ísis (EE-zis). 
• Karis (KEHR-is, English)--anglicized form of Carys/Cerys or Charis.
• Laís (lah-EES, Portuguese)--from ancient Greek Lais (LAH-ees), prob. "left-handed", "thrush" [bird], or "of the people"
• Lamis (lam-EES, Arabic)
• Lindis (LIN-dis, Scandinavian)--from Germanic, "gentle"
• Lois (LOH-is, English, Dutch)--from Biblical Greek, poss. "better" [masculine in other languages]
• Maëlys (mah-eh-LEES, French)--from Breton, "chief"
• Maïlys (mye-LEES, French)--form of Maëlys or Maylis.
• Maris (MEHR-is, MAHR-is, English)--from Latin, "of the sea"
• Marlis (MAHR-lis, German)--combination of Maria & Liese. Another combination is Majlis/Mailis (MYE-lis, Scandinavian).
• Marlys (MAHR-lis, English, MAHR-lees, Spanish)--poss. a form of Marlene. 
• Maylis (may-LEES, French)--from the French town, poss from Germanic, "strength", or from Occitan mair, "mother", + French lys, "lily".  
• Melis (meh-LEES, Turkish)--form of Melissa
• Memphis (MEM-fis, [Hellenized] Egyptian)--prob. "enduring beauty" [unisex in modern English]
• Myrtis (MUR-tis, English, [ancient] Greek)--"myrtle"
• Nais (nah-EES, French, NAH-ees, [ancient] Greek)--"water nymph"
• Nephthys (NEF-this, [Hellenized] Egyptian)--prob. "lady of the temple/sky"
• Nerys (NEHR-is, Welsh)--"lordly"
• Odalis (oh-DAH-lees, Spanish)--form of Odette/Ottilie. Also spelled Odalys. 
• Orseis (or-SAY-is, or-say-EES, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "stirred up, excited"
• Persis (PUR-sis, [Biblical] Greek)
• Phyllis (FIL-lis, English)--from ancient Greek, "leafy"
• Ptolemais (tol-EM-ah-ees, ptol-em-ah-EES, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "warlike"
• Rhanis (RAH-nees, RAN-is, [ancient] Greek)--"rain drop"
• Roslindis (roz-LIN-dis, Germanic)--older form of Rosalind. 
• Tanis (TAH-nis, Cree)--"daughter". Another form is Danis (DAH-nis). 
• Tethys (TEE-this, TETH-is, [ancient] Greek)
• Thaïs (THAH-is, [ancient] Greek; tah-ees, French)--from ancient Greek, poss. "bandage". Other forms include Thaís (tah-EES, Portuguese, Spanish) and Taís (tah-EES, Portuguese, Spanish).
• Themis (THEM-is, THEE-mis, [ancient] Greek)--"divine law". 
• Valdis (VAHL-dis, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, prob. "foreign goddess" or "goddess of the slain" [masculine in other languages]
• Viridis (VEER-id-is, [medieval] Italian)--from Latin "verdant, lively"
• Zenais (ZAY-nah-ees, zay-nah-EES, [ancient] Greek)--"of Zeus"

"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]

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name: Ray/Rae

Is it just me, or is everybody using the middle name Ray/Rae right now, for both boys and girls? Although the "cute" factor is probably a big part of it (esp. for girls!), I imagine many have to be honor names as well.
Rachel and Raymond are the usual full forms (and Ray is of course used quite often on its own), but there are a few other ways to get Ray/Rae. :)

Boys:

• Rafe (RAYF, English)--form of Ralph
• Rayburn (RAY-burn, English [surname])--from Old English, "deer stream". Also spelled Raeburn.
• Rayner (RAY-ner, English)--from Germanic, "army advisor"
• Rayson (RAY-son, English [surname])--"reason"
• Réamann (RAY-man, Irish)--form of Raymond
• Reidar (RAY-dar, Swedish)--from Old Norse, "home warrior". Another form is Reier (RAY-er, Swedish).
• Reijo (RAY-yoh, Finnish)--form of Gregory
• Reino (RAY-noh, Finnish)--form of Reynold. Other forms include Reynaldo/Reinaldo (ray-NAHL-doh, Spanish, Portuguese) and Reynaud (ray-NOH, French)
• Rémi (ray-MEE, French)--also spelled Rémy
• Reynir (RAY-neer, Icelandic)--"rowan tree"

Girls:

• Areia (ah-RAY-ah, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "prayer", or from the god Ares
• Dareia (dah-RAY-ah, [ancient] Greek)--feminine of Darius
• Mireille (mee-RAY, French)--from Occitan "admire". Other forms include Mirèio (mee-REH-oh, Occitan), Mireia (mee-RAY-ah, Catalan, Spanish), and Mireya (mee-RAY-ah, Spanish).
• Nereida (neh-RAY-dah, Spanish)--from Ancient Greek, "of Nereus"
• Rayhana (ray-HAH-nah, Arabic)--"basil". Turkish form is Reyhan (ray-HAHN). 
• Raymonde (ray-MAWND, French)--feminine of Raymond
• Rayna (RAY-nah, English)--Anglicized from Spanish Reina, "queen", or Yiddish Reina, "pure"
• Régine (ray-ZHEEN, French)--form of Regina
• Reida (RAY-dah, Swedish)--from Old Norse, "home"
• Reija (RAY-yah, Finnish)--feminine of Reijo/Gregory
• Reynalda (ray-NAHL-dah, Spanish)--feminine of Reynaldo
• Reynilda (ray-NIL-dah, [medieval] English)--from Old Norse, "battle advisor"
• Rheia (RAY-ah, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "flow"

Unisex:

• Rayan (ray-AN, Arabic)--also spelled Rayyan
• Raven (RAY-ven, English)
• Reagan (RAY-gen, English)--Anglicized from Irish surname Ó Riagáin, poss. "king" or "impulsive"
• Wray (RAY, English [surname])--from Old Norse, "nook"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Cal

Handsome Cal! How have I forgotten you? While Cal is starting to gain use on its own, it's still down below the Top 1000. Traditionally short for Calvin, of course, but there are plenty of other great options.
Thanks to Nicole for this suggestion. :)

• Calaïs (KAH-lah-ees, [ancient] Greek)--"turquoise"
• Calamus (KAL-ah-mus, [ancient] Greek)--"reed"
• Calchas (KAL-kas, [ancient] Greek)--uncertain, poss. "purple" or "to make trouble"
• Calbhach (KAL-vak, KAHL-wak, Irish)--cognate of Calvin. Anglicized as Calvagh (KAL-vah). 
• Calidore (KAL-id-or, English)--poss. from Greek, "beautiful gift"
• Calixte (kah-LICKST, French)--from Greek, "most beautiful". Other forms include Callistus (kah-LIS-tus, Latin) and Calisto (kah-LEES-toh, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Callahan (KAL-ah-han, Irish [surname])--diminutive of Ceallach (KAL-akh), the original form of Kelly
• Callan (KAL-lan, Irish [surname])--either from Cathaláin (KAH-hal-ahn, "battle power") or from one of the places named for High King Niall Caill, meaning uncertain, poss. "Niall of the forest".
• Callias (KAL-ee-as, kah-LEE-as, [ancient] Greek)--"beauty"
• Callinus (KAL-in-us, [ancient] Greek)--"beautiful". 
• Callister (KAL-is-ter, Scottish [surname])--shortening of MacAlister, "son of Alistair/Alexander".
• Calloway (KAL-oh-way, English [surname])--poss. from French, "pebble". Also spelled Callaway.
• Callum (KAL-um, Scottish)--from Latin, "dove". Also spelled Calum. Another form is Kalman (KAHL-man, Scandinavian).
• Calydon (KAL-id-ahn, [ancient] Greek)
• Carlisle (KAR-lile, English)
• Carroll (KEHR-ol, English; KAH-rol, Irish)--from Irish, "cutting". Anglicized from Cearbhall (KAH-rool).
• Chalcon (KAL-con, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "copper"
• Kalevi (KAH-lev-ee, Finnish)--poss. from Estonian "cloth". Other forms include Kalervo (KAH-lehr-voh, Finnish) and Kalev (KAH-lev, Estonian).
• Kalle (KAHL-leh, Scandinavian)--form of Charles/Karl. Also spelled Calle. Other forms include Kallu (KAHL-loo, Finnish).
• Kálmán (KAL-man, Hungarian)
• Kalmen (KAHL-men, Yiddish)--from Greek, "good name". Also spelled Kalman.
• Kaloyan (kah-loh-YAHN, Bulgarian)--"handsome John"
• Kalyan (kal-YAHN, Hindi)--"beautiful"
• Pascal (pas-KAL, French)--"Easter"

Chloe, Zoe, Penelope, Phoebe, Daphne, Ariadne......

Is it just me, or are Greek-origin "-ee" names for girls having a good time in the US right now? The titular names are all in the US Top 1000--Zoe & Chloe are #s 32 & 18 respectively (8 & 13 if you go by NameNerds), Penelope has had an amazing rise over the last decade, Phoebe & Daphne have been slowly creeping up, and Ariadne is now in the Top 1000. And while they don't rank yet, I wouldn't be surprised to see Calliope and/or Persephone join them soon.
Think we can find some more? I do too! ;)
(note: I'm mostly listing the "traditional" English pronunciations [Erasmian, for you fellow nerds], which really don't necessarily match the Greek at all.)

• Agathe (AG-ah-thee)--original form of Agatha, "good"
• Agaue (ah-GOW-ee)--"noble"
• Aikaterine (eye-kah-tah-REE-nee)--original form of Katherine
• Aithre (EYE-three)--"clear sky"
• Alexiroe (al-eks-EER-oh-ee)
• Alkimede (al-KIM-ed-ee)--"mighty cunning". Latinized form is Alcimede (al-SIM-ed-ee). 
• Alkinoe (al-KIN-oh-ee)--"strong mind". Latinized form is Alcinoe (al-SIN-oh-ee). 
• Alkyone (al-KYE-on-ee)--"kingfisher" [a bird]. Latinized form is Alcyone (al-SYE-on-ee).  
• Anchiroe (an-KEER-oh-ee)
• Andromache (an-DROM-ah-kee)
• Anthe (AN-thee)--"bloom"
• Antigone (an-TIG-on-ee)
• Anyte (an-EYE-tee)
• Aoide (ay-EE-dee)--"song"
• Arachne (ah-RAK-nee)--"spider" [probably could have guessed that one, right?]
• Ariadne (ar-ee-AHD-nee, ehr-ee-AD-nee)--"most holy"
• Arke (AR-kee)--"swift". Latinized form is Arce (AHR-see). 
• Arsinoe (ar-SIN-oh-ee)--"lifting the mind"
• Atalante (at-ah-LAN-tee)
• Athene (ah-THEE-nee)--form of Athena
• Berenice (behr-en-EE-see)--"bringing victory" [Latinized]
• Beroe (BEHR-oh-ee)
• Caliadne (kal-ee-AD-nee)--"beautiful and holy"
• Calliope (kah-LYE-oh-pee)--"beautiful voice"
• Callirhoe (kal-EER-oh-ee)--"beautiful stream"
• Calliste (kah-LIST-ee)--"most beautiful"
• Carme (KAR-mee)
• Chelone (kel-OH-nee)--"tortoise"
• Chione (KYE-on-ee)--"snow"
• Chloe (KLOH-ee)--"green shoot"
• Chrysanthe (kris-AN-thee)--"golden flower"
• Cleone (klee-OH-nee)--prob. "glory"
• Danaë (DAN-ah-ee)
• Daphne (DAF-nee)--"laurel"
• Dione (DYE-oh-nee, dee-OH-nee)--"of Zeus"
• Eione (AY-oh-nee, ay-OH-nee)
• Eirene (ay-REE-nee)--original form of Irene, "peace"
• Elete (EL-et-ee)
• Enarete (en-AR-et-ee)
• Euadne (yoo-AD-nee)--"very holy". Latinized form is Evadne (eh-VAD-nee, eh-VAHD-nee).
• Euanthe (yoo-AN-thee)--"good flower". Latinized form is Evanthe (eh-VAN-thee).
• Euarne (yoo-AR-nee)--poss. "good lamb". Latinized form is Evarne (eh-VAR-nee). 
• Eudore (yoo-DOHR-ee)--"good gift"
• Eulimene (yoo-LIM-en-ee)--"good harbor"
• Eunoe (yoo-NOH-ee)--"good mind"
• Eupheme (yoo-FEE-mee)--"good speaking"
• Euphrosyne (yoo-FROS-in-ee)--"mirth"
• Gaiane (GYE-an-ee)--"of Gaia"
• Galene (gah-LEE-nee)--"calm"
• Glauke (GLOW-kee)--"blue-grey".
• Helene (hel-EN-ee)--original form of Helen. Modern Greek form is Elene (el-EH-nee).
• Hermione (her-MYE-oh-nee)--"of Hermes"
• Herse (HER-see)--"dew"
• Hesione (hes-EYE-on-ee)--"forethought"
• Hyale (HYE-ah-lee)--"crystal"
• Ianthe (eye-AN-thee)--"violet flower"
• Iole (EYE-oh-lee, eye-OH-lee)--"violet"
• Ione (EYE-oh-nee, eye-OH-nee)--"violet flower"
• Ismene (is-MEE-nee)--"knowledge"
• Kallistrate (kah-LIS-trah-tee, kal-is-TRAH-tee)
• Kleide (KLAY-dee)
• Kore (KOHR-ee)--"maiden"
• Kyane (KYE-an-ee)--"cyan". Latinized form is Cyane (SYE-an-ee). 
• Kyrene (kye-REE-nee)--poss. "lordly". Latinized form is Cyrene (sye-REE-nee).
• Kyriake (keer-ee-ah-KEE)
• Liriope (leer-EYE-op-ee)--"narcissus flower". Another form is Leiriope (lay-RYE-op-ee). 
• Lysistrate (lis-IS-trah-tee, lis-is-TRAH-tee)
• Magdalene (mag-dah-LEE-nee)
• Melaine (mel-EYE-nee)--original form of Melanie, "black". 
• Melete (MEL-eh-tee)
• Melinoe (mel-IN-oh-ee)--prob. "dark mind" or "reconciling mind". Another form is Meilinoe (may-LIN-oh-ee).
• Melite (MEL-it-ee)--"honey"
• Merope (MEHR-op-ee)
• Minthe (MIN-thee)--"mint"
• Mneme (NEE-mee)--"memory"
• Myrrine (meer-EE-nee)--"myrrh"
• Myrsine (meer-SEE-nee)--poss. "myrrh"
• Nakole (nah-KOH-lee)
• Nephele (NEF-eh-lee)--"cloud"
• Nesaie (nes-EYE-ee)--"island"
• Nike (NYE-kee)--"victory"
• Niobe (nye-OH-bee, NYE-ob-ee)
• Oenone (en-OH-nee, ee-NOH-nee)
• Pallene (pal-EE-nee)
• Parthenope (par-THEN-op-ee)
• Penelope (pen-EL-op-ee)
• Persephone (pur-SEF-on-ee)
• Phaisyle (FYE-sil-ee)--"shining". Latinized form is Phaesyle (FEE-sil-ee). 
• Pheme (FEE-mee)--"fame, rumour"
• Phile (FYE-lee)--"beloved"
• Philonoe (fil-ON-oh-ee)--"loving mind" or "beloved mind"
• Philyre (FIL-er-ee)--"linden tree"
• Phoebe (FEE-bee)--"bright" [Latinized]
• Photine (foh-TEE-nee)--"light"
• Phryne (FRYE-nee)
• Psamathe (SAM-ah-thee)--"sand goddess"
• Rhene (REE-nee)
• Roxane (rohks-AH-nee)--form of Roxanne, "dawn"
• Salome (sah-LOH-mee)
• Sappheire (saf-AY-ree)--"sapphire"
• Selene (sel-EE-nee)--"moon"
• Semele (SEM-el-ee)
• Sinoe (SIN-oh-ee)--poss. "mischievous"
• Sophrosyne (soh-FROS-in-ee)--"self-control"
• Sose (SOH-see)--"safe"
• Tereine (ter-AY-nee)--"piercing"
• Thelxinoe (thelks-IN-oh-ee)--"enchanting mind"
• Theone (thee-OH-nee)--"of god"
• Theonoe (thee-ON-oh-ee)--"intelligent goddess"
• Thisbe (THIS-bee)
• Thoe (THOH-ee)--"swift"
• Tyche (TYE-kee)--"luck"
• Xanthe (ZAN-thee)
• Xanthippe (zan-THIP-ee)
• Xene (ZEN-ee)
• Zoe (ZOH-ee)--"life"
• Zosime (ZOH-sim-ee)

As usual, this is nowhere near an extensive list! I narrowed to names that seemed usable in English, had interesting backstories or meanings, or were just fun to say.

Will I have a cat named Thelxinoe someday?
Probably.