Triple Goddesses!

No, that's not an anime (that I know of, anyway).
Goddess-trios are a common theme in mythology, and while the Greeks are most famous for them, they do exist in many ancient pantheons. And many of them have fun names! (perhaps better for cats than human babies, but still fun!)

The Charites (Greek) [sing.: Charis, "grace"]; goddesses of beauty and creativity:

• Aglaea (ah-GLYE-ah, ah-GLEE-ah) "glory"
• Euphrosyne (yoo-FROS-in-ee) "mirth"
• Thalia (THAHL-yah) "festivity"

The daughters of Maderakka (Sami); goddesses of childbirth and children:

• Sarakka (SAH-rahk-kah) "separating woman"
• Juksakka (YOOK-sahk-kah) "bow [archery] woman"
• Uksakka (OOK-sahk-kah) "door woman"

The Erinyes (Greek) [sing.: Erinys, poss. "angered" or "dark"]; goddesses of vengeance:

• Alecto (ah-LEK-toh) "unceasing"
• Tisiphone (tis-IF-oh-nee) "avenging murder"
• Megaera (meh-JEER-ah) "grudge"

The goddesses of Mecca (pre-Islamic Arabian):

• Allat (al-LAT) poss. "the goddess"
• Al-‘Uzzá (al-OOZ-ah) poss. "the mightiest"
• Manat (man-AT) poss. "fate"

The Gorgons (Greek) ["terrible"]; personifications of the dangers of the sea:

• Medusa (meh-DOO-sah) "queen"
• Euryale (yoo-RYE-ah-lee) prob. "wide step" or "wide sea"
• Stheno (STHEN-oh) "strength"

The Graeae (Greek) [sing.: Graea, "gray woman, old woman"]; personifications of sea foam:

• Pemphredo (pem-FREE-doh), poss "alarm" or "guide"
• Enyo (EN-yoh) "warlike"
• Deino (DEE-noh) "dread"

The Hesperides (Greek) [sing.: Hesperis, "of the evening"]; personifications of the evening:

• Aegle (EG-lee) "shining"
• Erytheia / Erytheis (eh-REETH-ay-ah / eh-REE-thays) "red"
• Hesperethousa (hes-pehr-eh-THOO-sah) "swift evening"; sometimes replaced with Hespere (HES-peh-ree) or Hesperia (hes-PEHR-ee-ah)

The Horae (Greek) [sing.: Hora, "hour" or "season"]; goddesses of nature, or of law and order:

• Thallo (THAH-loh) "blossom"
• Carpo (KAR-poh) "fruit"
• Auxo (OWKS-oh) "growth"
  
  

• Dike (DYE-kee) "justice"
• Eunomia (yoo-NOH-mee-ah) "good order"
• Eirene (eye-REE-nee) "peace"

The Hyperboreiai (Greek) [sing: Hyperboreia, "beyond the North Wind']; Artemis' archery attendants:

• Oupis (OO-pis) "sighting"
• Hecaerge (heh-SEER-jee) "distancing"
• Loxo (LOKS-oh) "angling"

The Moirai (Greek) [sing.: Moira, "portion"]; controllers of each person's fate:

• Clotho (KLOH-thoh) "spinner"
• Lachesis (LAK-eh-sis) "allotter"
• Atropos (AT-rop-ohs) "inevitable"

The Morrigna (Irish) [sing.: Morrigan, prob. "phantom queen"]; war & sovereignty goddesses:

• Badhbh (BIVE) "crow" 
• Macha (MAH-khah), prob. "field"
• Neamhain (NYAV-an), prob. "poison" or "seizer"; sometimes replaced with Anand or Morrigan

The (three original) Muses (Greek); goddesses of the arts:

• Aoide (ah-EE-dee, ay-EE-dee) "voice"
• Melete (MEL-eh-tee, mel-ET-ee) "practice"
• Mneme (NEE-mee) "memory"

The Norn (Norse) [prob. "whisper" or "twine"]; goddesses of destiny:

• Urd/Urth (OORD / OORTH [hard 'th', like "the"]) "fate"
• Verdandi/Verthandi (VEHR-dahn-dee / VEHR-thahn-dee [hard 'th']) "becoming"
• Skuld (skoold ['oo' like in "foot"]) "future" or "blame"

The Parcae (Roman) [sing.: Parca, prob. "frugal" or "slight"]; equivalent to the Greek Moirai:

• Nona (NOH-nah) "ninth"
• Decima (DES-ee-mah) "tenth"
• Morta (MOR-tah) "death"

The patron goddesses of Ireland:

• Éire (EHR-eh) poss. "abundant"
• Banbha (BAHN-uh-vah) poss. "unplowed land" or "sow"
• Fodhla (FOH-lah) poss. "sod"

The Praxidicae (Greek) ["exacting justice"]; goddesses of justice:

• Praxidike (prak-SID-ik-ee) "exacting justice"
• Arete (EHR-eh-tee) "virtue"
• Homonoea (hoh-MOH-nee-ah) "unanimity"

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

Same Name?!--Ronald

Oh, Ronald. He's probably your uncle or grandfather, or maybe even great-grandfather. Thanks to a certain awkward teen wizard, he may be looking good for a comeback, but if not, there are some nice substitutes.

Original Norse form: Ragnvaldr (RAHNGN-valdr)
Scottish form: Ronald (RON-ahld)

Modern forms:

• Reginald (REJ-in-ahld)--English
• Reinhold (RINE-holt)--German
• Reino (RAY-no)--Finnish
• Renaud (ren-OH)--French
• Reynaldo (hray-NAL-doh)--Portuguese, Spanish
• Reynold (REN-old)--English

It's A Tragedy

Maybe it's the cynic in me, but I've never seen the point in Valentine's Day. I can totally get behind a good romance, but a whole holiday dedicated to it? *coughcommercialismcough*
Anyway, because I am a cynic, and because I enjoy a bit of contrariness, a list of mythological tragic characters:
(and I can already predict that there'll be so, so many more girls' name than boys' names. Sigh.)

Boys:

• Alvis (AHL-vis, Norse)--a dwarf beloved of Thor's daughter, Þrúð (anglicized to Thrud). Thor disapproved, and turned him into stone. Anglicized as Elvis.
• Leander (lee-AN-der, Greek)--Swam across a river nightly to meet his love Hero, until he drowned in a storm. 
• Tristan (TRIS-tan, English)--a knight who fell in love with the already-betrothed Isolde, leading to their deaths.

Girls:

• Cassandra (kas-SAN-drah, Greek)--Rejected the god Apollo's advances, so he cursed her to foretell the future, but never be believed.
• Daphne (DAF-nee, Greek)--Another girl chased by Apollo, her father turned her into a laurel tree so she could escape him permanently.
• Deirdre (DEER-dreh, Irish)--Legendary beauty who died of grief after King Conchobhar [Conor] killed her love, Naoise, and forced her to marry him.
• Echo (EK-oh, Greek)--A nymph cursed to only repeat what others said; she pined away for Narcissus until only her voice remained.
• Hero (HEER-oh, Greek)--A priestess who killed herself when her love, Leander, drowned.
• Isolde (ee-ZOL-deh, English)--A princess whose accidental ingestion of a love potion leads to her & Tristan's deaths.  Variants include Eseld, Esyllt, Iseult, Isotta, and Yseult.
• Klytië (klye-TEE-eh, Greek)--A nymph who pined for the sun-god Helios, until she turned into a flower. Latinized as Clytia.
• Melusine (MEL-oo-seen or mel-oo-ZEEN, English & French)--fairy cursed to turn half-serpent one day a week. Should her husband see her in that state, she disappears forever. Sometimes written Melusina.
• Phaedra (FAY-drah, Greek)--Fell in love with Hippolytus (despite already being married to Theseus), and killed herself when he rejected her.
• Phyllis (FIL-lis, Greek)--despaired and killed herself when her husband Demophon temporarily left to help his father. 
• Sadhbh (SIVE, Irish)--turned into a deer (while pregnant) because she rejected the advances of a druid. Her son was later found; she was never seen again. Anglicized as Sive or Sabia.
• Semele (SEM-el-ee, Greek)--accidentally killed by her lover, the god Zeus. 

You're a God, Part D

I admit, I've having a lot of fun doing this series. Apparently, I'm not as well-taught in history & mythology nearly as well as I thought, and I'm learning quite a bit!
Today's god-names are Germanic, a family of mythology that includes Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and of course, ancient German.

Boys:

• Bragi (BRAHG-ee, Norse)--god of poetry
• Delling (DEL-ling, Norse)--father of the day, poss. god of the dawn
• Donar (DON-ar, Germanic)--god of thunder, healing, protector of mankind. Norse equivalent is Thor.
• Freyr (FRAYR, Norse)--god of sunshine, rain, & fertility. Also written as Frey.
• Odin (OH-din, Norse)--god of war, poetry, death, & wisdom (among others). Anglo-Saxon equivalent is Woden; Germanic is Wodan or Wotan.
• Tyr (TYUR or TEERH, Norse)--god of combat & justice. Anglo-Saxon equivalent is Tiw; Germanic is Ziu.

Girls:

• Eir (AYRH, Norse)--healing goddess. Modern form is Eira.
• Ostara (OS-tah-rah, Germanic)--poss. goddess of dawn, or goddess of spring. Anglo-Saxon form is Eostre, from which the holiday Easter gets its name.
• Freyja (FRAY-yah, Norse)--goddess of love, war, beauty, & fertility (among others). Modern form is Freya.
• Iðunn (ee-THUN [th like in 'that'], Norse)--goddess of youth. Modern form is Idun. Anglicized as Idunn or Ithun.
• Saga (SAH-gah, Norse)--goddess of poetry & history. Possibly another name for major goddess Frigg.
• Siv (SEEV, Norse)--earth goddess. Also spelled Sif.
• Skaði (SKAH-thee [th like in 'that'], Norse)--goddess of mountains & hunting. Anglicized as Skadi or Skathi.
• Sól (SOHL, Norse)--sun goddess. Germanic equivalent is Sunna.
• Vár (VAHR, Norse)--goddess of oaths & promises. Also written as Vór.
• Verðandi (ver-THAHN-dee [th like in that], Norse)--one of the three goddesses of destiny, the others being Urðr & Skuld. Anglicized as Verdandi or Verthandi.
• Vör (VURH, Norse)--goddess of wisdom.

Names derived from deities:

Boys:

• Andor (AHN-dor)--Norwegian, "Thor's eagle"
• Tollak (TOL-lak)--Norwegian, "Thor's play"
• Tore (TOO-reh)--Scandinavian, "Thor's warrior". Variants include Thore & Ture.
• Tormod (TOR-mod)--Norwegian, "Thor's mind"
• Torsten (TOR-sten)--Norwegian, "Thor's stone". Variants include Thorsten (Swedish, Danish) & Torsti (Finnish)
• Torvald (TOR-vald)--Scandinavian, "Thor's ruler"

Girls:

• Idonea (ih-DOHN-ee-ah)--English, from Iðunn. Variant is Idony.
• Inga (EEN-gah)--Scandinavian, from Germanic fertility god Ing. Variants include Inka.
• Ingrid (EEN-grid)--Scandinavian, German; "beautiful Ing". Variants include Inger (Scandinavian) & Inkeri (Finnish).
• Thora (THOR-ah)--Scandinavian, from Thor
• Toril (TOR-il)--Norwegian, "Thor's battle"
• Tyra (TYE-rah or TEE-rah)--Scandinavian,  from Thor

Part 1 (Roman)--Part Deux (Greek)--Part III (Celtic)--Part the Final (Misc)

Breaking the Patterns, Part 1

Earlier this week I added to my SSA analysis, discovering trends and sounds that describe American names. Knowing what most people are drawn to means one has a better shot of avoiding a "boring" or trendy-sounding name.

The average American boys' name:

• Is 4-7 letters long
• Ends in N, R, S, or a vowel-sound
• Will likely start with  J, A, D, C, M, K, R, B, T, or L.
• Contains the vowels A and/or E.

The average American girls' name:

• Is 5-7 letters long
• Ends in a vowel sound, usually "ah" or "ee", or in N.
• Will likely start with A, M, K, J, or L.
• Contains A, and E or I.

While I doubt that a future parent will narrow their name list to ones don't fit the above criteria, it's a good starting point to find a truly stand-out name. Onto the inevitable lists:

Boys:

• Basil (BAH-sil, Arabic; or BAZ-il, English)
• Briscoe (BRIS-ko, English)
• Burke (BURK, English)
• Caius (KYE-us, Latin)
• Christoph/Kristof (KRIS-tof, German/Hungarian)
• Ciro (SEE-roh, Spanish; or CHEE-roh, Italian)--form of Cyrus
• Clement (KLEM-ent, English)
• Colm (COL-um, Irish)--"dove"
• Conleth (CON-leth, Irish)
• Elek (EL-ek, Hungarian)--form of Alexis
• Ezio (ETZ-ee-oh, Italian)--"eagle"
• Ford (FOHRD, English)
• Frey (FRAY, Norse)
• Gero (GEH-roh, German)--"spear"
• Giles (JILES, English)
• Griffith (GRIF-fith, Welsh)--anglicized from Gruffudd
• Gwillym/Gwillim (GWIL-lem, Welsh)--form of William
• Hemming (HEM-ming, Scandinavian)--"shape-changer" 
• Hugh (HEW, English)
• Ivor (EE-vohr or EYE-vor, Irish & Scottish)
• Menno (MEN-noh, German)
• Merrick (MEHR-rik, English)
• Murdoch (MUR-dok, Scottish)
• Nye (NYE, Welsh)
• Omri (OHM-ree, Hebrew)
• Orfeo (or-FAY-oh, Italian & Spanish)
• Otto (OT-toh, Germanic)
• Priam (PREE-am, Greek)
• Roald (ROO-all or ROE-ald, Norwegian)
• Rurik (RUR-ik, Russian)--form of Roderick
• Savio (SAH-vee-oh, Italian)--"clever"
• Sem (SEM, Dutch)--form of Biblical Shem
• Somerled (SOM-er-led, Scottish)--"summer traveller". Sometimes anglicized to Sorley.
• Tygo (TYE-goh, Dutch)--form of Greek Tycho. Swedish form is Tyko.

Girls:

• Beryl (BEHR-il, English)--a type of gemstone
• Bertille (behr-TEE, French)
• Celeste (sehl-EST, French)--"heavenly"
• Chryseis (krih-SAY-is, Greek)--"golden"
• Dilys (DIL-is, Welsh)--"genuine"
• Dione (dee-OH-nay, Greek)
• Echo (EH-koh, Greek)
• Emer (EE-mur, Irish)--"swift"
• Eris (EHR-is, Greek)--goddess of chaos
• Eseld (ES-ehld, Cornish)--form of Isolde
• Esen (ES-en, Turkish)--"the wind"
• Eydis (AY-dees, Icelandic)
• Fen (FEN, Chinese)--"fragrance"
• Ffion (FEE-on, Welsh)--"rose"
• Idril (ID-ril, Sindarin)--"sparkle-briliance". From J.R.R. Tolkien's invented elvish language.
• Ines (ee-NES, French, Spanish, Italian, & Slovene)--form of Agnes
• Jonquil (JON-kwil, English)--a type of flower
• Josette (zho-ZET, French)--feminine form of Joseph
• Lilou (lee-loo, French)
• Lykki (LEWK-kee, Danish)--"good luck, happiness"
• Neith (NEETH or NAYTH, Greek)--form of Nit, Egyptian goddess of war & hunting.
• Nurit (NOO-reet, Hebrew)--"buttercup" [flower]
• Olwen (OHL-wen, Welsh)
• Pernille (pehr-NEEL-eh, Danish & Norwegian)--modern form of Petronilla
• Peronel (PEHR-o-nel, English)--another form of Petronilla
• Sive (SIVE, Irish)--"sweet, good". Anglicized from Sadb.
• Tempest (TEM-pest, English)--"storm"
• Tinuviel (tin-OO-vee-el, Sindarin)--"nightingale". Another from J.R.R. Tolkien.

My Hero!

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

Boys:

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

Girls:

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

Mini Names

The average American name (based on 2010's top 1000) is 6 letters long. Boys' names are slightly more likely to be shorter (5.8 ± 1.3 characters); girls are slightly more likely to be longer (6.0 ± 1.3 characters). So, if you want a name that stands out, or you want to balance a long or complex last name, a short name is the way to go.

Boys:

• Áed (AID, Irish)--"fire", precursor to Aidan
• Alv (AHLV, Norwegian)--"elf"
• Anu (ah-nu, Sumerian)--Sumerian god of the heavens
• Ari (AH-ree, Hebrew, Scandinavian, Armenian)
• Asa (AY-sa, Hebrew)
• Avi (AH-vee, Hebrew)
• Cai/Kai (KYE, Welsh, Scandinavian, Hawaiian)
• Dai (DYE, Welsh)--"shine"
• Dax (DAKS, English)
• Dov (DOHV, Hebrew)--"bear"
• Ean (EE-an, Manx)--form of John
• Eli (EE-lye, Hebrew)
• Gil (GEEL, Hebrew)--"happiness"
• Ira (EYE-ra, Hebrew)
• Ivo (EE-voh, Germanic)
• Jay (JAY, Indian [Hindi])--"victory"
• Kir (KEER, Russian)--form of Cyrus
• Lir (LEER, Irish)--Irish god of the sea
• Paz (PAHZ, Hebrew)
• Sem (SEM, Dutch)
• Tyr (TIHR, Norse)--Norse god of justice & war
• Udo (OO-do, German)--form of Otto
• Uri (OO-ree, Hebrew)--"my light"
• Wyn (WIN, Welsh)--"blessed"

Girls:

• Adi (ah-DEE, Hebrew)--"jewel"
• Aki (ah-kee, Japanese)--"bright", "sparkle", or "autumn"
• Anu (AH-noo, Finnish)--form of Anna
• Aya (ah-ya, Japanese)--"design" or "color"
• Dua (doo-ah, Arabic)--"prayer"
• Eda (eyd-ah, Turkish)
• Eha (ay-ha, Estonian)--"dusk"
• Emi (em-ee, Japanese)--"blessing"
• Ena (EE-na, Irish)--traditionally spelled Eithne
• Eos (AY-ohs, Greek)--Greek goddess of the dawn
• Fay/Faye (FAY, English)--"fairy"
• Ida (EYE-da or EE-da, Germanic)
• Ila (ee-la, Indian [Hindi])
• Io (EYE-oh or EE-oh, Greek)
• Ivy (EYE-vee, English)
• Jaya (jah-yah, Indian [Hindi])--"victory"
• Liv (LEEV, Scandinavian)
• Mae/May (MAY, English)
• Mei (MAY, Chinese & Japanese)
• Mio (mee-oh, Japanese)
• Nia (NEE-ah, Welsh)--form of Niamh
• Noa (noh-ah, Biblical Hebrew, Japanese)
• Oda (OH-da, German)--feminine of Otto
• Rei (RAY, Japanese)--"bell" or "lovely"
• Rue (ROO, English)
• Una (OO-na, Irish & Scottish)
• Wynne (WIN, Welsh)--"blessed"

More Subtle than Princess, Diamond, or Heaven

Your name reflects who you are, or what your parents wanted for you. Word names are funny things--some are seen as quirky, but acceptable. Others are scoffed at by a good portion of society. So, you want to name your daughter Queen, but want to make sure she won't legally change her name the nanosecond she turns 18? Here're some less overt choices:

• Adi (ah-DEE, Hebrew)--"jewel"
• Alina (ah-LEE-nah, Arabic)--"noble"
• Alya (AHL-ya, Arabic)--"heaven" or "sky"
• Anthea (an-THAY-ah, Greek)--"flower"
• Anwen (AHN-wen, Welsh)--"very beautiful"
• Astrid (AST-rid, Scandinavian)--"beautiful goddess"
• Bevin (BEY-vin, Irish)--"fair lady"
• Bijou (bee-zhoo, French)--"jewel"
• Calantha (cahl-AN-tha, Greek)--"beautiful flower"
• Despina (DEHS-pee-na, Greek)--"lady"
• Diantha (dye-AN-tha, Greek)--"heavenly flower"
• Dulcibella (dul-see-BELL-a, Latin)--"sweet and pretty"
• Donna (DAH-nah, Italian)--"lady"
• Eirian (eye-REE-an, Welsh)--"bright"
• Freya (FRAY-ah, Norse)--"lady", Norse goddess of love and beauty
• Gytha (GEETH-a, English)--"beautiful goddess"
• Inanna (in-AH-nah, Sumerian)--"lady of the sky", Sumerian goddess of love, earth, war, and fertility
• Ixchel (ee-SHEL, Mayan)--"rainbow lady", Mayan goddess of the moon, earth, and medicine
• Keeva (KEE-va, Irish)--"beautiful", traditionally spelled Caoimhe
• Líadan (LEE-ah-dahn, Irish)--"grey lady" 
• Mabel (MAY-bel, English)--"lovable"
• Malika (mah-lee-kah, Arabic)--"queen"
• Mio (mee-oh, Japanese)--"beautiful cherry blossom"
• Mona (MOH-na, Irish)--"little noble one"
• Naomi (nah-oh-mee, Japanese)--"honest and beautiful"
• Nerys (NEHR-iss, Welsh)--"lady"
• Neve (NEEV, Irish)--"bright", traditionally spelled Niamh
• Orla (OR-la, Irish)--"golden princess"
• Ourania (ou-RAN-ee-ah, Greek)--"heavenly", Greek muse of astronomy
• Peninnah (pen-IN-nah, Biblical Hebrew)--"precious stone"
• Rani (rah-nee, Indian [Hindi])--"queen"
• Regina (re-GEE-na, Latin)--"queen"
• Reina/Reyna (REY-na, Spanish)--"queen"
• Rhiannon (ree-AN-on, Welsh)--"great queen", Welsh goddess of the moon and fertility
• Ríona (ree-OH-nah, Irish)--"queen"
• Sarah (SAIR-a, Biblical Hebrew)--"princess"
• Talulla (tah-LOO-lah, Irish)--"princess of abundance"
• Theia (THAY-ah, Greek)--"goddess"
• Yakira (yah-KEER-ah, Hebrew)--"precious"
• Ziva (ZEE-va, Hebrew)--"radiant"