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). 

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"

Medieval World Tour--Italy

Next stop (going in no particular order, BTW) is Italy, again focusing on names/forms that didn't survive to modern day. Here we go!
(the evolution of Latin to Italian did not progress evenly across what we now call Italy, which is why some names look 'Italian' and other 'Latin')
*names marked with an asterisk are still actual words in Italian today.

Boys:

• Aiuto* (ah-YOO-toh)--"help, support" [not one I would necessarily recommend, as it literally means "help!", but the Studio Ghibli nerd in me just had to include it]
• Alamannus (ahl-ah-MAHN-noos)--"German". Another form is Alamanno* (ahl-ah-MAHN-noh)
• Ardovino (ahr-doh-VEEN-oh)--prob. form of Arduino/Hartwin
• Attaviano (aht-tah-vee-AH-noh)--prob. form of Octavian
• Azzo (AHTZ-zoh)--short form of -azzo diminutives
• Bertoldus (behr-TOHL-doos)--from Germanic "bright-graceful". Another form is Bertollo (behr-TOHL-loh). 
• Biasio (BYAHZ-yoh)--prob. form of Biagio/Blaise
• Bonaiuto (bohn-ah-YOO-toh)--"good help"
• Borso (BOR-soh)--origin unknown
• Calandro* (kah-LAHN-droh)--poss. from Greek kalandros, a type of lark. [in modern Italian, calandro is a type of pipit]
• Castello* (kahs-TEL-loh)--"castle"
• Clario (KLAH-ree-oh)--masculine of Chiara/Clara. Another form is Chiaro (KYAHR-oh). 
• Collino (kohl-LEEN-oh)--diminutive of Niccolò/Nicholas
• Dionigi (dee-oh-NEE-jee)--form of Dionisio/Dennis
• Duccio (DOOCH-yoh)--short form of -duccio names, like Balduccio or Guiduccio. Another form was Duccino (doo-CHEE-noh).
• Galeazzo (gah-leh-AHTZ-zoh)--prob. "helmet". Another form was Galeotto (gah-leh-OHT-toh). 
• Giannozzo (jahn-NOHTZ-zoh)--diminutive of Giovanni/John. Another form was Giannotto (jahn-NOHT-toh). 
• Gionta (JOHN-tah)--prob. form of Giovanni/John. Another form was Zonta (ZOHN-tah). 
• Giovenco* (joh-VEN-koh)--"young bull"
• Landolfus (lahn-DOHL-foos)--from Germanic "land wolf". Another form is Landolfo (lahn-DOHL-foh). 
• Mafeo (mah-FEH-oh)--form of Matteo/Matthew. Other forms include Mazzeo (mahtz-EH-oh) and Masseo (mahs-SEH-oh).
• Onofrio (oh-NOH-free-oh)--from Egyptian "he who is always happy" or "he who is perfect". Also spelled Honofrio. Other forms include Noffrio (NOHF-free-oh), Nofri (NOH-free), and Nofrius (noh-FREE-oos). 
• Pierozzo (pyehr-OHTZ-zoh)--diminutive of Pietro/Peter
• Prospero (prohs-PEHR-oh)--"prosperous, thriving"
• Rigo (REE-goh)--short form of -rigo names, most of which are from Germanic, "ruler". 
• Rubeus (ROO-beh-oos)--"red"
• Salvi (SAHL-vee)--short form of Salvador. Another form was Salvetto (sahl-VET-toh). 
• Sforza* (SFOR-tzah)--"to force"
• Smeraldo (smehr-AHL-doh)--masculine of Smeralda/Esmeralda
• Talomeo (tah-loh-MEH-oh)--prob. form of Bartolomeo/Bartholomew or poss. Tolomeo/Ptolemy
• Tedesco* (ted-ES-koh)--from Germanic "of the people, German" [means 'German' in modern Italian]
• Venuto* (ven-OO-toh)--"come"
• Vieri (VYEHR-ee)--prob. form of Uliviero/Oliver, or poss. "weave, plait"
• Zenobi (tzen-OH-bee)--from Greek Zenobios, "life of Zeus". Another form was Zanobio (tzah-NOH-bee-oh). 

Girls:

• Adelasia (ah-deh-LAHZ-yah)--form of Adelaide. Other forms included Adelagia (ah-deh-LAH-jah) and Adelaisa (ah-del-EYE-sah). 
• Aldiana (ahl-dee-AH-nah)--form of Germanic Ald- names, "old". 
• Allegrezza* (ahl-leh-GRETZ-ah)--"joyfulness"
• Alovigia (ah-loh-VEE-jah)--prob. form of Luigia/Louise. Another form was Alovisa (ah-loh-VEE-sah).
• Alteria (ahl-TEHR-ee-ah)--"other one"
• Amata* (ah-MAH-tah)--form of Amy, "beloved"
• Angeletta (ahn-jeh-LET-tah)--diminutive of Angela
• Bartolomea (bar-toh-loh-MEH-ah)--feminine of Bartolomeo/Bartholomew
• Benetta (ben-ET-tah)--feminine of Benedetto/Benedict
• Biagia (BYAH-jah)--feminine of Biagio/Blaise
• Bonavera (boh-nah-VEHR-ah)--"good-true"
• Brisca (BREES-kah)--origin unknown. Also spelled Brisscha.
• Caradonna (kah-rah-DOHN-nah)--"dear lady"
• Clemenza* (kleh-MEN-tzah)--form of Clementine, "mildness, mercy"
• Cleofe (KLEH-oh-feh)--form of Cleophée
• Crescentia (kreh-SHEN-tee-ah)--"rising, growing"
• Cristofana (krees-toh-FAH-nah)--feminine of Cristoforo/Christopher
• Deodata (deh-oh-DAH-tah)--"given by God"
• Divitia (dee-VEE-tee-ah)--"wealth". Later form is Dovizia* (doh-VEETZ-yah). 
• Fiordelise (fyor-de-LEE-zeh)--prob. from French fleur de lys, "lily flower"
• Franchetta (frahn-KET-tah)--form of Francesca
• Gaita (gah-EE-tah)--origin unknown, but probably Germanic. Also spelled Gayta. 
• Genevria (jen-EV-ree-ah)--form of Guinevere. Another form was Ginevria (jee-NEV-ree-ah). 
• Ieronima (yehr-OH-nee-mah)--feminine of Girolamo/Jerome
• Isabetta (ee-zah-BET-tah)--form of Elisabetta/Elizabeth. Also spelled Ysabeta or Isabeta.
• Lella (LEL-lah)--short form of -ella names
• Leonetta (leh-oh-NET-tah)--diminutive of Leona
• Loisia (loh-EES-yah)--prob. form of Luigia/Louise
• Lucida* (loo-CHEE-dah)--"shining, lucid"
• Lucieta (loo-CHEH-tah)--diminutive of Lucia
• Mabilia (mah-BEE-lee-ah)--form of Mabel
• Nicolosa (nee-koh-LOH-sah)--feminine of Niccolò/Nicholas. Also spelled Niccolosa. 
• Nofra (NOH-frah)--prob. feminine of Nofri/Onofrio. 
• Oretta (oh-RET-tah)--origin unknown
• Polita (poh-LEE-tah)--form of Hippolyta, "horse-freer"
• Regalis (reh-GAH-lees)--"regal"
• Richa (REE-kah)--short form of Germanic -ric- names, "ruler". Also spelled Riccha or Ricca. 
• Richelda (ree-KEL-dah)--from Germanic, "ruler-battle"
• Rugiada* (roo-JAH-dah)--"dew"
• Samaritana* (sah-mah-ree-TAH-nah)--"Samaritan", ultimately from Hebrew, "keep watch"
• Santesa (sahn-TEH-sah)--prob. "saint"
• Savia* (SAHV-yah)--"wise"
• Sibilia (see-BEEL-yah)--form of Sybil
• Sovrana* (sohv-RAH-nah)--"sovereign"
• Taddea (tahd-DEH-ah)--feminine of Taddeo/Thaddeus. Also spelled Tadea. 
• Tedesca* (ted-ES-kah)--from Germanic "of the people, German" [means 'German' in modern Italian]
• Viridis (VEER-ee-dees)--"green, verdant". Other forms are Verdiana (vehr-dee-AH-nah) and Virdiana (veer-dee-AH-nah). 
• Zilia (ZEEL-yah)--poss. form of Cecilia
• Zuanna (zoo-AHN-nah)--form of Gianna/Jane. Also spelled Zuana. 

Purists will probably notice that not only Latin & Italian forms mixed together indiscriminately, but differing dialects are as well-Venetian, Tuscan, etc. Sorry! :p

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]

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]

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"

"Girlish" Boy Names

I did "boyish" girl names, so now I have to do the reverse, of course! Boys have much more diversity when it comes to name endings, but girls do have a higher proportion of names ending in -a, ah, ne, le, th, i, and y. Boys also have the minority of names starting with A, E, P, S, & V, so I'll be looking especially for those. :)
(I do not have room to list all the Biblical -iah names for boys, so just look here if those strike your fancy)

• Achille (ah-SHEEL, French; ah-KEEL-leh, Italian)--form of Achilles
• Adlai (AD-lay, AD-lye, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Alexei (ah-leks-AY, al-leks-EE, Russian, Ukrainian)--form of Alexis. Other forms include Aleksi (AH-lek-see, Finnish) and Aleksy (AH-lek-see, Polish).
• Alvah (AL-vah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--poss. "ascending". Also spelled Alva.
• Alwi (AL-wee, Old English)--prob. "elf battle". Also spelled Alwy. 
• Amaury (ah-moh-REE, French)--form of Emmerich/Emery
• Arkady (ar-KAH-dee, Russian)--also spelled Arkadi or Arkadiy
• Arne (AHR-neh, Scandinavian, German)--from Germanic, "eagle"
• Artemiy (ar-TEM-ee, Russian)--from ancient Greek, "of Artemis"
• Asa (AY-sah, English; ah-sah, Hebrew)--from Biblical Hebrew, prob. "healer"
• Aulay (AW-lee, Scottish)--form of Olaf
• Augustine (AW-gus-teen, aw-GUS-tin, English)--from Latin, "great"
• Braith (BRAYTH, English)--prob. from Old Norse, "broad"
• Columba (koh-LUM-bah, Latin)--"dove"
• Conleth (KAHN-leth, Irish)
• Dara (DAH-rah, Irish)--"oak tree" or "fruitful". Also spelled Darragh. [feminine in other languages]
• Davi (DAH-vee, Portuguese)--form of David. Another form is Daveth (DAV-eth, Cornish).
• Éanna (AY-nah, Irish)--also spelled Énna. Anglicized form is Enda. 
• Elisha (ee-LYE-shah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"God is my salvation"
• Emrys (EM-ris, Welsh)--form of Ambrose
• Fiachra (FEE-ahk-rah, Irish)--"raven". French form is Fiacre (fee-AH-creh). 
• Harith (HAH-rith, Arabic)--prob. "cultivator"
• Heath (HEETH, English)
• Hirah (HYE-rah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"splendor"
• Iorwerth (YOR-werth, Welsh)--"handsome lord". Anglicized as Yorath.
• Kuisma (KOO-ees-mah, Finnish)--form of Cosmo. Other forms include Cosme (KAHZ-mee, Portuguese; COHM, French) and Kuzma (kooz-MAH, Russian).
• Lorne (LORN, English)--from Scottish place name
• Malachy (MAL-ah-kee, Irish)
• Perry (PEHR-ree, English)--from English "pear tree" or Welsh "son of Harry". Also spelled Parry. 
• Pryderi (prid-EHR-ee, Welsh)--prob. "cared for"
• Rishi (rish-EE, Hindi)--"poet"
• Savely (sah-VEL-ee, Russian)--form of Sabine. Also spelled Saveliy or Saveli. 
• Selby (SEL-bee, English)--from Old Norse, "willow farm"
• Sindre (SIN-dreh, Scandinavian)--another form is Sindri (SIN-dree)
• Visti (VEES-tee, Danish)--from Old Norse, "west". Other forms include Vesti (VES-tee, Danish) and Vestri (VES-tree, Old Norse).

"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--Nora

Really? I haven't done Nora yet? Yikes, what an oversight! Nora is currently quite a popular name on its own, all over the world, but it was originally a nickname for Eleanor and related.

• Arnora (ar-NOR-ah, Norwegian)--from Old Norse, "eagle of Thor"
• Azenor (ah-ZEN-or, Breton)--French form is Azénor (ah-zay-NOR).
• Dainora (day-NOH-rah, Lithuanian)--poss. "wish to sing"
• Dianora (dee-ah-NOH-rah, Italian)--poss. a form of Eleanora
• Dinorah (dee-NOH-rah, Spanish, Italian)--poss. related to Arabic nur "light". Also spelled Dinora.
• Gunnora (goon-NOR-ah, [archaic] English)--from Old Norse, "spring battle" or "battle woman"
• Gwenora (gwen-OR-ah, Cornish)--form of Guinevere/Jennifer
• Honora (ah-NOR-ah, hah-NOR-ah, English, Irish)--from Latin, "honor". Other forms include Annora (an-NOR-ah, English), Enora (eh-NOH-rah, Breton, French), Honoria (ah-NOR-ee-ah, Latin), Honorata (ah-nor-AH-tah, Latin), Honorée (oh-noh-RAY, French), Honorina (ah-noh-REE-nah, Latin), Honorine (oh-noh-REEN, French), and Onóra (oh-NOR-ah, Irish).
• Nordis (NOR-dees, Norwegian)--"northern goddess"
• Norfrida (nor-FREE-dah, Norwegian)--"beautiful north"
• Norilda (nor-EEL-dah, Spanish)--poss. from Germanic "north battle"
• Norunn (NOR-oon [oo like in "took"], Norwegian, Swedish)--"northern wave"
• Norveig (NOR-vye, Norwegian; NOR-vay, Swedish)--"northern strength"
• Sonora (soh-NOR-ah, English)--poss. from Spanish señora "lady", or Mayan ts'onot "well, sinkhole"
• Vanora (vah-NOR-ah, English, Scottish)--poss. a form of Guinevere/Jennifer

Same Name?!--Raymond

If you're anything like me, you consider Raymond a "grandpa name" (and I'm not trying to be mean; it is literally my grandpa's name). But, like many Germanic names, it has spread far and wide across Europe, helped by several saints.

Original Germanic form: Raginmund ("RAH-gin-moont")
English form: Raymond (RAY-mund)

Other forms:

• Erramun (ehr-rah-moon)--Basque
• Ramón (rah-MOHN)--Spanish
• Raimo (RYE-moh)--Finnish
• Raimondas (rye-MAWN-das)--Lithuanian
• Raimondo (rye-MOHN-doh)--Italian
• Raimund (RYE-moont)--German. Also spelled Reimund.
• Raimundo (rye-MOON-doh)--Spanish, Portuguese. Also spelled Raymundo.
• Raymond (ray-MAWN)--French
• Raymond (RYE-mond)--Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish
• Réamann (RAY-man)--Irish
• Redmond (RED-mund)--[Anglicized] Irish
• Reima (RAY-mah)--Finnish

Feminine forms:

• Erramona (ehr-rah-moh-nah)--Basque
• Raimonda (rye-MOHN-dah)--Italian
• Raimunde (rye-MOON-deh)--German
• Ramona (rah-MOHN-ah)--English, Italian, Romanian, Spanish)
• Ramóna (raw-MOHN-ah)--Hungarian
• Raymonde (ray-MAWND)--French

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Rory

Yes, yes, I know: Rory isn't a nickname; it's a full boys' name. But, thanks at least partially to Gilmore Girls, Rory is increasingly common on girls, both as a full name and as a nickname for Lorelei.

Boys:

• Aurelio (ow-RAY-lee-oh, Italian, Spanish)--from Latin, "golden". Other forms include Aurélien (oh-ray-lee-AWN, French), Aurélio (ow-RAY-lee-oh, Portuguese) & Aurelius (aw-RAY-lee-us, or-EE-lee-us, Latin).
• Florian (FLOH-ree-ahn, Danish, French, German, Polish, Swedish)--Italian form is Floriano (floh-ree-AH-noh).
• Gregory (GREG-oh-ree, English)--from ancient Greek, "watchful". Other forms include Gregorius (Latin), Gregorio (greh-GOH-ree-oh, Italian, Spanish), Grigore (gree-GOR-eh, Romanian), and Grigoriy (gree-GOR-ee, Russian).
• Horatio (hoh-RAY-shee-oh, English)--other forms include Horacio (oh-RAH-see-oh, Spanish), Horatius (hoh-RAH-tee-us, hor-AY-shus, Latin), and Orazio (oh-RAHTZ-yoh, Italian).
• Laurence (LAW-rens, LOR-ens, English)--also spelled Lawrence. Other forms include Laurynas (lor-EE-nas, Lithuanian) and Laurentius (law-REN-tee-us, lor-EN-shus, Latin).
• Maurice (moh-REES, French; mor-REES, MOR-is, English)--other forms include Mauricio (mow-REE-see-oh, Spanish), Mauritius (maw-REE-tee-us, mor-ISH-us, Latin), Maurizio (mow-REE-zee-oh, Italian), and Maurycy (mow-RITS-ih, Polish).
• Rörik (ROH-rik, Swedish)--form of Roderick, from Germanic "famous power". Other forms include Rodrigue (rohd-REEG, French), Rodrigo (rohd-REE-goh, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), Rorik (ROH-rik [Old] Danish), and Rurik (ROO-reek, Russian).
• Roland (ROH-land, English; roh-LAWND, French)--other forms include Orlando (ohr-LAHN-doh, Italian), Loránd (LOH-rahnd, Hungarian), Lóránt (LOH-rahnt, Hungarian), Rolando (roh-LAHN-doh, Italian, Portuguese), Roldán (rohl-DAHN, Spanish), and Roldão (ROHL-dow, Portuguese).

Girls:

• Aurelia (ow-RAY-lee-ah, Spanish, Italian; or-REE-lee-ah, English)--feminine of Aurelio. Other forms include Aurélia (ow-RAY-lee-ah, Portuguese), Aureliana (ow-ray-lee-AH-nah, Italian), Aurélie (oh-ray-LEE, French), and Aurélienne (oh-ray-lee-EN, French).
• Aurora (ah-ROR-ah, English; ow-ROH-rah, Danish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish; OW-roh-rah, Finnish)--from Latin "dawn". French form is Aurore (oh-ROHR).
• Dolores (doh-LOHR-es, English, Spanish)
• Florence (FLOR-ens, English; floh-RAWNS, French)--from Latin, "flourishing". Other forms include Florencia (floh-REN-see-ah, Spanish), Florentia (floh-REN-tee-ah, flor-EN-shah, Latin), Florentina (floh-ren-TEE-nah, German, Romanian, Spanish), and Fiorenza (fee-oh-REN-tsah, Italian).
• Floriane (floh-ree-AN, French)--from Latin, "flower". Feminine of Florian. Other forms include Floriana (floh-ree-AH-nah, Italian), Florina (floh-REE-nah, Romanian), and Florinda (floh-REEN-dah, Portuguese, Spanish).
• Gloria (GLOH-ree-ah, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish)--other forms include Glória (GLOH-ree-ah, Portuguese), Gloriana (glor-ee-AN-ah, English; gloh-ree-AH-nah, Spanish), and Gloriela (gloh-ree-EL-ah, Spanish).
• Laurencia (law-REN-see-ah, lor-EN-shah, English)--feminine of Laurence. Other forms include Laurence (loh-RAWNS, French), Laurentia (law-REN-tee-ah, lor-EN-shah, Latin), Laurentina (law-ren-TEE-nah, Latin), Laurentine (loh-rawn-TEEN, French), Lorena (loh-REE-nah, English), and Lorenza (loh-REN-tsah, Italian; loh-REN-sah, Spanish).
• Liora (lee-oh-rah, Hebrew)--"my light". Another form is Liorit (lee-oh-reet). 
• Mallory (MAL-oh-ree, English)
• Marjorie (MAR-jor-ree, English)--form of Margaret
• Oriana (oh-ree-AH-nah, Italian)--from Latin "gold". French form is Oriane (oh-ree-AN).
• Regnora (reng-NOR-ah, Norwegian, Swedish)
• Roberta (rah-BERT-ah, English; roh-BEHT-tah, Danish, Italian, Spanish, Swedish)
• Rolanda (roh-LAHN-dah, Italian, Spanish)--feminine of Roland. Another form is Orlanda (or-LAHN-dah, Italian). 
• Rosaria (roh-SAH-ree-ah, Italian)--from Latin, "rosary". Other forms include Rosario (roh-SAH-ree-oh, Spanish), Rosário (roh-SAH-ree-oh, Portuguese), and Rosaire (roh-ZEHR, French).
• Rosemary (ROHZ-mehr-ee, English)--other forms include Rosemarie (ROH-zeh-mah-ree, German; rohz-meh-REE, English, ROHZ-mah-ree, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish).

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

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

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

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Ben

Ben! How have I forgotten good, dependable Ben for so long? Benjamin is the usual choice, of course, and just as in style as ever. Bentley & Bennett are modern up-and-comers, and while I wouldn't be surprised to see Benedict get a bit more usage, it's still likely to be a bit too Arnold, Cumberbatch, and/or breakfast-y for many.
So what else.....?

• Balendin (bah-len-deen, Basque)--form of Valentine
• Bastian (BAST-yen, English)
• Benaiah (ben-EYE-ah, ben-AY-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"God has built"
• Benedetto (beh-neh-DET-toh, Italian)--form of Benedict. Other forms include Benas (Lithuanian), Benedek (Hungarian), Benedito (Portuguese), Benito (Spanish, Italian), & Benoit (French)
• Bengeir (BEN-gire, Old Norse)
• Benhail (ben-HAY-il, ben-HYE-il, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"son of might"
• Benigno (beh-NEEG-no, Spanish, Portuguese; beh-NEEN-yoh, Italian)--from Latin, "kind"
• Beñat (ben-yaht, Basque)--form of Bernard
• Benno (BEN-noh, German)--from Germanic, "bear"
• Bentein (BEN-tine, Norwegian)
• Ebenezer (eh-ben-EE-zer, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Esben (ES-ben, Danish, Norwegian)--from Old Norse, "god-bear"
• Iben (EE-ben, Norwegian)--short form of Ibenhard/Ebenhard
• Kolben (KOL-ben, [archaic] Swedish)--another form is Kulben (archaic Danish) [coincides with the German word for 'piston']
• Preben (PRAY-ben, Danish)--from Slavic, "first battle"
• Reuben (ROO-ben, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Torben (TOR-ben, Danish)

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name: Etta/Ettie

Despite the fact that Etta rose higher than any of her long forms, I still think of her as a nickname. I'm not sure why--because -etta is a diminutive suffix, perhaps?
Anyway, she's usually listed as a nickname for Henrietta on sites and in books, but there are tons of fun possibilities...

• Agneta (ahng-NET-ah, Swedish)--form of Agnes. Other forms include Aunetta (Finnish).
• Aleta (ah-LET-ah, English, Scandinavian)--form of Adelaide or Alethea. Also spelled Aletta.
• Aniceta (ah-nee-SEH-tah, Spanish; ah-nee-TSEH-tah, Polish)--from Greek, "unconquerable"
• Annetta (ah-NET-tah, Italian)
• Antonietta (ahn-tohn-YET-tah, Italian)
• Arletta (ar-LET-tah, English)
• Benedetta (beh-neh-DET-tah, Italian)--feminine of Benedict
• Bernetta (bur-NET-tah, English)--form of Berenice/Veronica
• Caieta (kye-ET-ah, Latin)
• Claretta (clah-RET-tah, Italian)
• Concetta (kon-CHET-tah, Italian)
• Coretta (koh-RET-tah, English)
• Dionetta (dee-oh-NEH-tah, Italian, English)--form of Denise/Dionysia
• Elettra (eh-LET-trah, Italian)--form of Electra
• Elisabetta (eh-lee-zah-BET-tah, Italian)--form of Elizabeth. Other forms include Alžbeta (Slovak), Elżbieta (Polish), Elisaveta (Macedonian), & Yelizaveta (Russian).
• Etelka (ET-el-kaw, Hungarian)
• Etelvina (et-el-VEE-nah, Spanish)--from Germanic, "noble friend"
• Eteri (eh-teh-ree, Georgian)--"air, ether"
• Étiennette (ay-tee-en-ET, French)
• Fiammetta (fee-ah-MET-tah, Italian)--"little flame"
• Fioretta (fee-oh-RET-tah, Italian)--"little flower"
• Floretta (floh-RET-tah, English)
• Georgeta (jor-JEH-tah, Romanian)
• Giosetta (joh-ZET-tah, Italian)
• Iveta (ee-VEH-tah, Czech, Latvian, Slovak)--form of Yvette
• Jacquetta (jah-KET-tah, English)--form of Jacqueline
• Julieta (joo-lee-ET-ah, English. Portuguese; hoo-lee-EH-tah, Spanish)--also spelled Julietta
• Lauretta (law-RET-tah, lohr-ET-tah, English; low-RET-tah, Italian)--form of Laura. Another form is Loretta.
• Lucetta (loo-SET-tah, English)--form of Lucy
• Margaretta (mar-gah-RET-tah, English)--other forms include Margareta (Dutch, German, Scandinavian), Margrete (Scandinavian), Marjeta (Slovene), Marketta (Finnish), & Merete (Dutch).
• Marietta (mah-ree-ET-tah, Italian)
• Nicoletta (nee-koh-LET-tah, Italian)--other forms include Nikoleta (Greek) & Nicoleta (Romanian)
• Odetta (oh-DET-tah, English)
• Pauletta (paw-LET-tah, English)
• Rosetta (roh-ZET-tah, Italian)
• Stenetta (sten-EH-tah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "stone"
• Violeta (vee-oh-LEH-tah, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish)--Italian form is Violetta.
• Žaneta (zhah-NET-ah, Czech, Slovak)--form of Jane/Jean/Joan. Another form is Żaneta (Polish)

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)

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Sam

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

Boys:

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

Girls:

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

Unisex:

• Masami (mah-sah-mee, Japanese)

Vowel-Names for Boys

It occurred to me the other day that I do a lot of 'names by construction' posts for girls, but not really many for boys. So then I had to think of what I could do--besides the overplayed -aidens, and surname-y -sons & -tons, boys' names don't really have a lot of distinct patterns.
However, while vowel-y names for girls are in abundance, there aren't a lot for boys....

• Abijah (ah-BYE-jah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Adamo (ah-DAH-moh, Italian)--form of Adam. Other forms include Adão (ah-DOW, Portuguese) and Akamu (ah-kah-moo, Hawaiian)
• Adino (ah-dee-noh, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Adlai (AD-lay, AD-lye, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Aimo (EYE-moh, Finnish)--"good, real"
• Aldo (AHL-doh, English, Italian, Swedish)
• Alejo (ah-LEH-hoh, Spanish)--form of Alexis. Other forms include Aleksey (Russian), Aleksi (Finnish), & Alessio (Italian)
• Arlo (AR-loh, English)
• Asa (AY-sah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Elio (EL-yoh, Italian)--from Greek, "sun"
• Eliseo (eh-lee-ZEH-oh, Italian; eh-lee-SEH-oh, Spanish)
• Eloy (eh-LOY, Spanish)--from Latin, "chosen". French form is Éloi (AYL-wah). 
• Ezio (ETS-yoh, Italian)--from Latin, "eagle"
• Iago (ee-AH-goh, English, Portuguese; YAH-goh, Welsh)--form of Jacob. Spanish form is Yago. 
• Ibai (ee-bye, Basque)--"river"
• Ingo (EEN-goh, German)
• Ithai (ith-EYE, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"with me". Also transliterated as Ittai or Itai.
• Ivailo (ee-VYE-loh, Bulgarian)--prob. "wolf". Also transliterated as Ivaylo.
• Obadiah (oh-bah-DYE-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Obi (OH-bee, Igbo)--"heart"
• Omri (AHM-ree, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Orsino (or-SEE-noh, Italian)--from Latin "bear". Another form is Orso.  
• Otto (AH-toh, English, Danish, German, OH-toh, Swedish)--from Germanic, "wealth". Other forms include Ottone (Italian) & Udo (German). 
• Yermolai (YEHR-moh-lye, Russian)--also transliterated as Ermolai.

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Molly

Poor Molly. Is she a nickname, or a full given name? I guess the answer is 'both': Molly was originally a regional pronunciation of Mary (that pesky R-to-L shift), but became widespread as a nickname during medieval times.
So, nowadays, she's rather in limbo--too "nickname-y" for a full name, but Mary to Molly isn't really intuitive in Modern English.

• Amalia (ah-MAH-lee-ah, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish)--form of Amelia
• Amalthea (ah-mahl-THEE-ah, ah-mahl-THEH-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"soothing"
• Magali (mah-gah-LEE, Provençal)--form of Magdalene. Also spelled Magalie. 
• Mahalah (mah-hah-lah, mah-khah-lah [Biblical] Hebrew)--also written as Mahlah (mah-lah, mah-khlah) or Maala (mah-ah-lah).
• Mahalath (mah-hah-lahth, mah-khah-laht, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"lyre"
• Mahalia (mah-HAY-lee-ah, English)--form of Mahalah or Mahalath. 
• Mahulena (mah-hoo-LEH-nah, Czech). Slovak form is Mahuliena (mah-hoo-LYEH-nah).
• Malaika (mah-LYE-kah, Arabic, Swahili)--from Arabic "angels"
• Malati (MAHL-uh-tee, Hindi)--"jasmine"
• Malena (mah-LEH-nah, Czech, Scandinavian, Spanish)--form of Magdalena or Mahulena.
• Malie (mah-lee-eh, Hawaiian)--"calm"
• Malika (mah-LEE-kah, Arabic)--"queen"
• Malina (MAH-lin-ah, mah-LEE-nah, Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak)--"raspberry"
• Malini (MAH-lin-ee, Hindi)--"sweet-smelling"
• Marilena (mah-ree-LEH-nah, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian)--contraction of Maria Elena
• Marsaili (MAR-sah-lee, Scottish)--also spelled Marsali
• Maryla (mah-RIL-ah, Polish)--form of Maria

Matilda and Her Sisters

There's a category of names that I love that really doesn't get much play anymore: the -ildas & -eldas. Maybe it's the medieval feel, or the Germanic clunkiness, or the way the L & D roll together, regardless, I love them all.
Chances are you can only think of Matilda and maybe Clotilda (or Romilda & Bathilda, Harry Potter nerds), since Germanic names have been on the decline in English for quite some time. Most are derived from Germanic -hild- "battle", but I'm sure we can find a few from different origins....

• Agenilda (ah-gayn-EEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"sharp" or "enclosure" + "battle"
• Aitilde (eh-TEELD, [archaic] French)--from Germanic, "brilliant battle"
• Altilde (ahl-TEELD, [archaic] French)--from Germanic, "old battle"
• Alvilda (ahl-VIL-dah, Scandinavian)--"elf battle". Other forms include Alfilda (archaic English), Alwilda, Awilda, & Elfilda (archaic English). 
• Arilda (ah-RIL-dah, Scandinavian)--feminine of Arnold or Harold
• Åshilde (ohs-HIL-deh, Norwegian)--"god-battle". Other forms include Åsilde & Áshilda. 
• Batilda (bah-TEEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"bold" or "battle" + "battle". Other forms include Bathilda.
• Benilda (beh-NEEL-dah, Spanish)--poss. "bear battle"
• Bertilda (behr-TIL-dah, German)--"bright battle". Other forms include Berthilde.
• Brunilda (broo-NEEL-dah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)--"battle protection". Other forms include Brynhilde & Brynilda (both Scandinavian)
• Casilda (kah-SEEL-dah, Spanish)--origin unknown, poss. Arabic
• Clotilda (kloh-TIL-dah, English)--"famous battle".
• Ermenegilda (ehr-meh-neh-JEEL-dah, Italian)--"whole sacrifice". Other forms include Ermenilda (archaic English)
• Estrilda (ays-TREEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"Easter-battle". Other forms include Estrelda.
• Everilda (ay-ver-REEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"boar battle". Other forms include Averilde.
• Farhilde (fahr-HIL-deh, German)--"battle journey" 
• Götilda (yu [u like in English "put"]-TIL-tah, Swedish)--"Goth battle"
• Griselda (grih-ZEL-dah, English, Spanish)--poss. "grey battle" or "Christ's battle"
• Gunilda (goon-EEL-dah, Old Swedish)--"battle" + "battle". Other forms include Gunhilda.
• Imelda (ee-MEL-dah, Italian, Spanish)--"whole battle"
• Ishilde (ees-HILD-eh, German)--"iron battle", poss. older form of Isolde. 
• Lantilde (lahn-TEELD, [archaic] French)--from Germanic "land battle"
• Leonilda (leh-oh-NEEL-dah, Italian)--poss. "lion battle"
• Luilda (loo-EEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"beloved battle"
• Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, English, Scandinavian)--"battle strength"
• Merilda (meh-REEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"famous battle"
• Mirielda (meer-ee-EL-dah, [archaic] English)--form of Muriel
• Norhilde (nohr-HIL-deh, German)--"north battle"
• Orielda (oh-ree-EL-dah, [archaic] English)--origin unknown, poss. "without battle"
• Otilda (oh-TIL-dah, Swedish)--"battle wealth" or a form of Ottilia
• Quenilda (kwayn-EEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"queen battle"
• Ragnhilda (rahng-HIL-dah, Scandinavian)--"battle advisor". Other forms include Raginilda (archaic English), Reinhilde (archaic French), & Reynilda (archaic English).
• Rikilda (ree-KEEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"brave battle". Other forms include Richilda & Richelda.
• Romilda (roh-MEEL-dah, Italian)--"famous battle"
• Rosilda (roh-SEEL-dah, Italian)--poss. "horse battle" or a form of Rose
• Runilda (roo-NEEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"secret battle". Other forms include Ronilda & Runhilde (German).
• Seilda (seh-IL-dah, [archaic] English)--"sea battle"
• Sonnhilde (son-HIL-deh, German)--"sun battle"
• Swanhilda (svahn-HIL-dah, German)--"swan battle". Other forms include Sunilda, Svanhilda, & Swanilda (archaic English)
• Sygnilde (sing-NIL-deh, Norwegian)--"battle victory" or a combination of Signy & Hilde. Other forms include Søgnilde. 
• Torilde (toh-RIL-deh, Norwegian)--"Thor's battle". Other forms include Durilda (archaic English), Torhilda & Turilde.
• Ursilda (oor-SEEL-dah, [archaic] German)--origin unknown