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.

Medieval World Tour--Spain & Catalonia

Up today on the Medieval World Tour is Spain & Catalonia! As always, I'm looking particularly for names/forms that didn't survive to the modern age (although some are still around in surname-form).
Also, I especially had a lot of fun saying this list out loud. :p
[For this post (and possibly from now on), consider 'RR' to indicate a rolled/trilled R. This list is full of them!
Also, while there was a lot of overlap between Spanish and Catalan, some forms I found only in Catalan, those are marked as such ]

Boys:

• Auderico (ow-deh-RREE-koh ['ow' like in "cow"])--prob. from Germanic "wealth-ruler" or poss. "old-ruler"
• Berenguer (beh-ren-GEHR)--from Germanic, "bear-spear" [Catalan]. Spanish form was Berenguel (beh-ren-GEL). 
• Bonanat (boh-nah-NAHT)--prob. from Latin, "good birth"
• Ferro (FEHRR-oh)--prob. short form of Fernando and other Germanic Fer/Far- names, "journey" [also means "iron" in modern Catalan]
• Gauceran (gow-tseh-RAHN ['ow' like in "cow"])--from Germanic, "Goth-raven". Another form was Golceran (gohl-tseh-RAHN). [both Catalan]
• Guerau (geh-ROW ['ow' like in "cow"])--form of Gerald [Catalan]
• Guillen (gee-LYEN ['ly' like the 'lli' in "million"])--form of Guillermo/William. Also spelled Guillén. 
• Gutierre (goot-YEHRR-ay)--form of Walter
• Merino (meh-RREE-noh)--prob. from Latin Marinus, making it a masculine form of Marina. [coincides with a medieval title Merino, that prob. from Latin maiorino "of a large area"]
• Monnio (MOHN-nee-oh)--origin uncertain, poss. a Spanish form of medieval Basque Munio (origin unknown), or a form of Monica
• Ordonio (orr-DOHN-yoh)--origin uncertain, poss. from Latin Fortunatus. Also spelled Ordoño. 
• Savarico (sah-vah-RREE-koh)--origin uncertain, poss. from Germanic Suebi ("Swabian"), Latin Sabini ("Sabine"), or Latin Sabius ("wise") + Germanic ric, "ruler"
• Teodemiro (teh-oh-deh-MEE-rroh)--prob. from Germanic, "people-famous" [making it a form of modern German Dietmar]
• Vastian (vahst-YAHN)--prob. a short form of Sebastián
• Vermudo (vehrr-MOO-doh)--prob. from Germanic, "vigilant protection". 

Girls:

• Adalez (ah-dah-LEDZ)--form of Adelaide
• Aiculina (eye-koo-LEE-nah)--poss. a diminutive of a Germanic Aic-name, "to possess", or a form of Latin Aquilina, "little eagle" [Catalan]
• Aldonça (ahl-DOHN-tsah, ahl-DOHN-sah)--poss. from Germanic, "noble-ready" or "battle-ready" [making it a feminine form of Alonso/Alphonse].
  Other forms included Aldonza (ahl-DOHN-dzah) and Eldonza (el-DOHN-dzah). 
• Amaltruda (ah-mahl-TROO-dah)--from Germanic, "bravery-strength" or "bravery-maiden"
• Berengaria (beh-ren-GAH-rree-ah)--from Germanic "bear-spear". A Catalan form was Berenguera (beh-ren-GEH-rah).
• Bonanata (boh-nah-NAH-tah)--prob. from Latin, "good birth"
• Brunissenda (broon-ee-SEN-dah)--from Germanic, "brown-strength", or poss. "breastplate-strength". A Catalan form was Brunissen (broon-EE-sen). 
• Castellana (kahs-teh-LYAH-nah ['ly' like the 'lli' in "million"])--"castellan"
• Ermesenda (ehrr-meh-SEN-dah)--from Germanic, "great strength". A Catalan form was Ermessen (ehr-MES-sen). 
• Geralla (zheh-RAH-lyah ['ly' like the 'lli' in "million")--prob. feminine of Gerald [Catalan]
• Guialma (gee-AHL-mah)--feminine of Guillermo/William
• Jaumeta (zhow-MEH-tah ['ow' like in "cow"])--feminine of Jaume/James [Catalan]
• Marquesia (mar-KEH-see-ah)--"marquise/marchioness". Another form was Marquesa (mar-KEH-sah)
• Mayor (mah-YOHR, mye-OR)--prob. from Latin maior "greater, older". Also spelled Maior. [still means "greater, older" in modern Spanish]
• Monnia (MOHN-nee-ah)--origin uncertain, poss. a Spanish form of medieval Basque Munia (origin unknown), or a form of Monica
• Nofra (NO-frah)--feminine of Onophrius, from Hellenized Egyptian, "he who is happy"
• Rica (RREE-kah)--short form of Germanic Ric-names, "ruler". [also means "rich" in modern Spanish and Catalan]
• Rogera (roh-ZHEHR-ah)--feminine of Roger, "fame-spear" [Catalan]
• Sesilda (seh-SEEL-dah)--poss. from Germanic, "lament-battle", or a form of Cecilia
• Sonifreda (soh-nee-FREH-dah)--from Germanic, "truth-peace", or poss. "sun-peace"
• Urraca (oo-RRAH-kah)--"magpie". Another form was Oreka (oh-RREK-ah). 

You're a Star, pt. 3

I've already done a post on named stars, as well as one on names that mean 'star'. However, that overlooks one very narrow category of stellar names: those referring to one specific star--in this case, the morning and evening star (both are actually Venus, but let's not get too semantic). ;)

Danica and Lucifer are probably the only ones familiar in the US, but there are a quite a few others....
(surprisingly, most of the names I found are commonly used on people; the few that are mainly mythological/literary are marked with an *. Also, almost all the names refer to the morning star--or Venus in general--the ones referring to only the evening star are noted as such)

Feminine:

• Arusiak (ah-ROOS-yak, Armenian)--also transliterated as Arusyak. 
• Aušrinė (oh-SHREEN-ay [trilled/rolled R], Lithuanian)
• Ayelet (ah-YEH-let, Hebrew)--lit. "gazelle". 'Ayelet hashachar ("gazelle of dawn") is the Hebrew name for the morning star.
• Berlewen (behr-LEOO-en ['EOO' roughly sounds like the short 'e' of English "let" and the short 'oo' of "took" smashed together], Cornish)--a modern revival Cornish name. Another form is Borlowen* (bor-LOO-en). 
• Danica (DAN-ik-ah, English; DAH-neets-ah, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovenian)
• Jitřenka (yih-TRZHENK-ah [no close English equivalent for the ř, sort of a buzzy rolled R], Czech)
• Lucero (loo-SEH-roh, Spanish)--lit. "light-giver, brilliance". Lucero del alba ("light-giver of dawn") is the Spanish name for the morning star. 
• Quetzalli (ket-SAHL-lee, Nahuatl)--lit. "feather". Quetzalcoatl is the god of the morning star in Aztec mythology. Modern Spanish spelling is Quetzali.
• Sagal (sah-GAL, Somali)
• Vakarinė* (vah-kah-REE-nay [trilled/rolled R], Lithuanian) [evening]
• Zornitsa (zor-NEET-sah, Bulgarian)
• Zorya* (ZOHR-yah, Russian, Ukrainian)--lit. "dawn". Zorya Vechernyaya and Zorya Utrennyaya are the goddesses of the evening star and morning star, respectively, in Slavic mythology.
  [related names Zora/Zoran/Zorana are common in the Slavic languages]

Masculine:

• Ēarendel* (AYR-en-del, Old English)--Old Norse form is Aurvandil* (AWR-vahn-dil). Orentil*, Orendel*, and Erentil* are related names found in medieval German literature.
  [Tolkien fans might notice the similarity between Ēarendel and Eärendil--well, Tolkien was an Old English scholar. ;) ]
• Lucifer* (LOO-sif-er, [anglicized] Latin)--lit. "bringer of light"
• Tariq (TAH-rik, Arabic)--lit. "knocker, striker"
• Tāwera (TAH-weh-rah, Maori)
• Vesper* (VES-per, [anglicized] Latin)--Original Greek form is Hesperos*. [evening]

Unisex:

• Khwezi (KWEH-zee, Zulu)
• Tsolmon (TSAHL-mun, Mongolian)

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"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name: Bess/Beth/Betty

I originally started this post looking for new full forms for Beth, but it struck me that most could also work for Bess and/or Betty as well! All three are, of course, traditionally nicknames for Elizabeth, and generally considered "outdated", but Beth did have a bit of a revival in the 80s/90s thanks to Bethany.

Chances are, a lot of new babies today have a Bess, Betty, or Beth somewhere in their family line, and there are plenty of other names one could use to get those nicknames. :)

• Bestla (BEST-lah, Icelandic, Norse mythology)--from Old Norse, poss. "wife" or "tree bark"
• Bethan (BETH-an, Welsh)--diminutive of Elizabeth.
  Other forms include Besseta (BESS-et-ah, [archaic] Scottish), Betha (BETH-ah, [archaic] English), Betheline (BETH-eh-lyn, [archaic] English), Betsan (BET-san, Welsh), Bettan (BET-tan, Swedish), Bettina (bet-TEE-nah, German), Bettis (BET-tis, Swedish), Bettline (bet-LEE-neh, [archaic] German), Lisbet (LIS-bet, Scandinavian), and Lisbeth (LEEZ-bet, German).
• Bethania (beth-AHN-yah, [Biblical] Latin & Greek; bet-AHN-yah, Spanish)--form of Biblical Hebrew Bethany, poss. "house of dates".
  Other forms include Betania (bet-AHN-yah, Italian, Swedish, Spanish), Betânia (bet-AHN-yah, Portuguese), and Béthanie (bay-tah-NEE, French).
• Bethel (BETH-el, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"house of God"
• Bethia (BETH-ee-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"daughter of God"
  [more commonly transliterated as Bithiah; sometimes used as an 'Anglicization' of Scottish Beathag, "life"]
• Bethsabée (bet-sah-BAY, French)--from Biblical Hebrew Bathsheba, prob. "daughter of oath".
  Other forms include Betsabá (bet-sab-AH, Portuguese), Betsabé (bet-sah-BAY, Spanish), Betsabea (bet-sah-BEH-ah, Italian), & Betsabeia (bet-sab-AY-ah, Portuguese). 
• Bethuela (bet-oo-EL-ah, Spanish; beth-WEL-ah, beth-yoo-EL-ah, [archaic] English)--from Biblical Hebrew, prob. "man of God".
  Another (very rare) form is Bethuelle (bet-oo-EL, French).
• Betlinde (bet-LEEN-deh, Germanic)--prob. "bright & soft" [possible source of the name Belinda]
• Betony (BET-ah-nee, English)
• Betrys (BET-ris, Welsh)--form of Beatrice
• Betsaida (bet-SYE-dah, Spanish)--from Biblical Hebrew Bethsaida, prob. "house of fishing"
• Bettina (bet-TEE-nah, Italian)--diminutive of Elisabetta or Benedetta.

Of course, many international forms & contractions of Elizabeth also work, especially for Betty:

• Arisbeth / Elibeth / Elisabet / Isabet (Spanish)
• Elisabet /Elsebeth / Elsebet (Scandinavian)
• Elisabete (Portuguese)
• Elisabetta (Italian)
• Elizabeta (Croatian, Slovenian)
• Elsabeth / Lilibeth (English)
• Erzsébet (Hungarian)
• Ilsebet / Ilsebeth (German, Danish)

And even more! Elizabeth has been used to form new combination names all over the western world (many overlapping between multiple languages), quite a few of which could also lead to Beth or Betty. Here's a small sampling:

• Annabeth / Annebet 
• Elínbet
• Embeth
• Evabeth
• Ingebeth
• Kajsabet
• Lillibeth / Lilibet / Lilybeth
• Marybeth / Maribeth / Maribet
• Rosabeth / Rosbet
• Sarabeth
• Ullabeth

Never Say 'Ever' Again...

Well, probably not. Since Everett (boys) and Everly (girls) are amongst the quickest rising names in the US (admittedly, that might change in a couple weeks, but I really doubt it, especially for Everly), I thought it'd be fun to see what other Ever- names we can find.
(And as amusing as they are to say, I'll be skipping some of the OE options that don't translate well into Modern English, like Evergrim and Everbald ;) )

Boys:

• Everald (EV-er-ald, English)--from OE/Germanic, "boar power". Another form is Everaldo (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Everard (EV-er-ard, English)--from OE/Germanic, "strong boar". Another form is Everardo (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).  [the original form of Everett]
• Everelm (EV-er-elm, [medieval] English)--from OE/Germanic, "boar helmet"
• Everin (EH-veh-reen, [archaic] Swedish)--diminutive of Evert and other Ever-names, pretty much all of which are from OE/Germanic eofor/ebur, "boar"
• Evermund (EV-er-mund, Old English)--"boar protection"
• Everold (EH-ver-ohlt, Germanic)--"friendly boar"
• Evert (AY-vert, EH-vert, Dutch, German, Swedish)--form of Everard/Everett
• Everulf (EV-er-ulf, Old English)--"boar-wolf"
• Everwin (EV-er-win, [medieval] English)--from OE/Germanic, "boar friend"

Girls:

• Everalda (ev-eh-RAHLD-dah, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese)--feminine of Everaldo
• Everarda (ev-eh-RAHR-dah, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese)--feminine of Everardo/Everard
• Everild (EV-er-ild, Old English)--"boar battle". Latinized form is Everilda (also the modern Spanish & Italian form). 
• Everina (ev-eh-REE-nah, English, Scandinavian)--feminine of Evert/Everett or other Ever-names. Another form is Everine (Scandinavian).
• Everta (eh-VEHR-tah, Swedish)--feminine of Evert/Everett. Another form is Everdina (Dutch).

Surname possibilities?

• Everdon (EV-er-don)--"boar hill". Another form is Eversden.
• Everest/Everist (EV-er-est)--from the area Évreux in France, prob. from Gaulish eburo, "yew". Another form is Everiss. [the mountain was named after a geographer with the surname Everest]
• Everick (EV-er-ik)--prob. "boar ruler" [presumably a patronymic from something like Everic/Eoforic/Eberich, but with the exception of one early medieval King Eboric, I can't find any records of those or similar actually being used]
• Everill/Everall/Everell (EV-er-ell)--prob. matronymic from Everild
• Evers (EV-ers)--patronymic from Everard or another Ever-name
• Eversley (EV-ers-lee)--"boar field" or "Ever/Eofor's field"
• Everson (EV-er-son)--patronymic from Everard or another Ever-name
• Everton (EV-er-ton)--"boar town"

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]

Iamb What I Am (boys)

I've been wondering--why do we have so many iambic names for girls, but not for boys? (if you need a reminder, an "iamb" is a word/name with a 'weak' syllable followed by a stressed syllable. e.g. Denise, Renee, Marie)
Iambic names are often the go-to names for girls' middles, but boys don't seem to have that many options. I think we should try to remedy that. :)
(before we even start, yes, this list leans heavily French)

• Achille (ah-SHEEL, French)--form of Achilles
• Adair (ah-DEHR, English [surname])--form of Edgar
• Adán (ah-DAHN, Spanish)--form of Adam
• Aimé (eh-MAY, French)--masculine of Amy/Aimée
• Alain (ah-LEN, French)--form of Alan
• Aleix (ah-LEHSH, Catalan)--form of Alexis
• Amir (ah-MEER, Arabic, Hebrew) [separate derivations]
• Armand (ar-MAWN, French)--from Germanic, "army man"
• Armel (ar-MEL, French)--from Old Breton, "bear-prince"
• Arnaud (ar-NOH, French)--form of Arnold
• Aviv (ah-VEEV, Hebrew)--"spring" [the season]
• Benoit (ben-WAH, French)--form of Benedict/Bennett
• Bohdan (boh-DAHN, Czech, Ukrainian)--from Slavic, "given by God"
• Canute (kah-NOOT, English)--from Old Norse, "knot"
• Charlot (shar-LOH, French)--masculine of Charlotte
• Cornell (kor-NEL, English [surname])--form of Cornelius
• Darnell (dar-NEL, English [surname])
• Denzel (den-ZEL, English [surname])--also spelled Denzell
• Eloy (eh-LOY, Spanish)--from Latin, "chosen". Also spelled Eloi (Catalan) and Elói (Portuguese). 
• Emil (eh-MEEL, English)--masculine of Emily. French form is Émile (ay-MEEL).
• Eugene (yoo-JEEN, English)--from Greek, "born good". French form is Eugene (oo-ZHEN). 
• Fernand (fehr-NAWN, French)--from Germanic, "brave journey". Other forms include Ferran (fehr-RAHN [rolled Rs], Catalan) and Hernan (ehr-NAHN, Spanish). 
• Gaspar (gahs-PAHR, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan)--form of Jasper/Casper
• Gawain (gah-WAYN, English)--older form of Gavin
• Gerard (jer-ARD, English)--from Germanic, "brave spear". French form is Gérard (zhay-RAHR). 
• Ivan (ee-VAHN, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Czech, Polish, Slovak, Portuguese)--form of John. Spanish spelling is Iván.  
• Javier (hahv-YEHR, Spanish)--form of Xavier
• Jermaine (jur-MAYN, English)--from Latin, "brother". French form is Germain (zhehr-MAHN). 
• Jerome (jeh-ROHM, English)
• Jourdain (zhor-DAHN, French)--form of Jordan. Other forms include Jordán (hor-DAHN, Spanish), Jordão (zhor-DOW, Portuguese), and Yarden (yar-DEN, Hebrew).
• Lamar (lah-MAHR, English [surname])--from French, "the pond"
• Lazare (lah-ZAHR, French)--form of Lazarus, "God has helped"
• Louis (loo-EE, French)--from Germanic, "famous battle". Other forms include Luis (loo-EES, Spanish), Luís (loo-EESH, Portuguese) and Loïc (loh-EEK, Breton).
• Manuel (man-WEL, English; mahn-WEL, Spanish, Catalan, Italian)--form of Emmanuel
• Marcel (mar-SEL, English, French, Catalan)--from Latin, poss. "of Mars"
• Martell (mar-TEL, English [surname])--form of Martin, or from French "hammer"
• Maurice (mor-EES, French, English)
• Pascal (pas-KAL, French, pahs-KAHL, Dutch, German)--from Latin "Easter". Other forms include Pascual (pahs-KWAHL, Spanish), Pasqual (pahs-KWAHL, Catalan), and Paskal (pas-KAHL, Bulgarian).
• Ramón (rah-MOHN, Spanish)--form of Raymond. 
• Renard (reh-NAHR, French)--from Germanic, "brave advisor" [also means "fox" in modern French]
• Rennell (ren-NEL, English [surname])--form of Reynold/Reginald
• Ruslan (roos-LAHN, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian)--poss. from Turkish, "lion". 
• Salim (sah-LEEM, Arabic)--"safe"
• Sinclair (sin-CLEHR, English [surname])--"Saint Clair"
• Stephane (stay-FAHN, French)--form of Stephen. Other forms include Stepan (stee-PAHN, Russian). 
• Tyrone (tye-ROHN, English)--from Irish place-name, "Owen's land"
• Yefim (yeh-FEEM, Russian)--masculine of Euphemia

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"

Squeé!

(I'm being fancy. It's pronounced "skay")

After sorting through all those modern -lee names, I need good dose of classic/established -lee names. Weeeellll, let's just expand that to -ee names, otherwise this'll be a pretty short list. :) Most are French and said "ay", but there are a few exceptions.

• Adorée (ah-doh-RAY, French)--"adored"
• Adrastée (ah-drahs-TAY, French)
• Aimée (eh-MAY, French)--form of Amy, from Latin, "beloved"
• Aleshanee (ah-lesh-AH-nee, Coosan)--prob. "she plays all the time"
• Alizée (ah-lee-ZAY, French)--"trade wind". 
• Andrée (awn-DRAY, French)--feminine of André/Andrew
• Anicée (ah-nee-SAY, French)--poss. a form of Greek Anicetus "unconquerable"
• Azalée (ah-zah-LAY, French)--form of Azalea. German form is Azalee (AHTS-ah-lay). 
• Bethsabée (bet-sah-BAY, French, Dutch)--form of Bathsheba
• Bree (BREE, English)--Anglicized from Irish Brígh, "power"
• Cleophée (kleh-oh-FAY, French)--from [Biblical] Greek, poss. "father's glory"
• Désirée (day-zee-RAY, French; dez-er-AY, English)--from Latin, "desired"
• Dieudonnée (dyoo-doh-NAY, French)--"given by God"
• Dorothée (doh-roh-TAY, French)--form of Dorothy. German form is Dorothee (DOHR-oh-tay). 
• Edmée (ed-MAY, French)--feminine of Edmund
• Esmée (es-MAY, Dutch, English)--prob. from French, "esteemed".
• Esmerée (es-mer-AY, [medieval] French)--poss. "pure"
• Galatée (gah-lah-TAY, French)--from Greek, prob. "milk-white" or "gentle goddess"
• Haidee (HAY-dee, English)--poss. from Greek "modest". Another form is Haydée (eye-DAY, French, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Honorée (oh-noh-RAY, French)--from Latin, "honored"
• Isaree (IS-ah-ree, Thai)--prob. "freedom"
• Josée (zhoh-ZAY, French)--feminine of Joseph
• Jubilee (JOO-bil-ee, English)
• Mérovée (may-roh-VAY, French)--prob. from Germanic, "famous battle" [unisex]
• Nyree (NYE-ree, English)--Anglicized from Maori Ngaire (NGYE ['ng' like "sing"] -reh) poss. "swamp" or "swamp flower"
• Renée (reh-NAY, French, English)--from Latin, "born again"
• Romée (roh-MAY, French, Dutch)--feminine of Romeo
• Vaudrée (voh-DRAY, French)--prob. from Germanic, "wise rule"

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

X-cellent.

(I know, my puns are getting worse. Sorry.)

Continuing my posts of rare-letter names, it is now time for X. X is the third-least-common starting letter in American names for both boys and girls, after U and Q. Chances are you can name Xavier and Xander for boys, but girls are more difficult--perhaps rare name-nerd favorite Xanthe springs to mind, or Spanish imports Xiomara and Ximena.
X-names may be hard to come by in English, but I bet we can find plenty abroad....
(if you're feeling a bit of deja vu, I did indeed do an X-themed post a few years ago, but this time I'm focusing solely on names starting with X ;) )

Boys:

• Xabier (shah-bee-ehr, Basque, Galician)--form of Xavier. Other forms include Xaver (KSAH-vehr, German).
• Xacobe (shah-KAW-bay, Galician)--form of Jacob
• Xanthus (KSAHN-toos, ZAN-thus, [ancient] Greek)--"yellow, blond". Other forms include Xanthias (ksahn-TEE-ahs, ZAN-thee-as).
• Xanti (shahn-tee, Basque)--form of Santiago
• Xenios (KSEN-ee-os, ZEN-ee-os, [ancient] Greek)--"hospitality".
• Xenophon (ZEN-ah-fon, ksen-ah-FOHN, [ancient] Greek)--"foreign voice"
• Xesús (shay-SOOS, Galician)--form of Jesus/Joshua. Other forms include Xosué (shaw-soo-AY).
• Xherdan (JEHR-dahn, Albanian)--poss. "necklace"
• Xhevahir (jev-ah-HEER, Albanian)--from Turkish, "jewel"
• Xhevdet (JEV-det, Albanian)--poss. from Arabic [via Turkish], "excellence"
• Xian (SHEE-ahn, Galician)--form of Julian
• Xicu (SHEE-koo, Asturian)--poss. a form of Francis/Francisco
• Ximeno (hee-MAY-noh, Spanish)--poss. a form of Simon
• Ximo (SHEE-moh, Catalan)--short form of Joaquín/Joaquim
• Ximun (shee-moon, Basque)--form of Simon
• Xoán (shoh-AHN, Galician)--form of John. Other forms include Xuan (SHOO-ahn, Asturian).
• Xulio (SHOO-lee-oh, Galician)--form of Julio/Julius
• Xunio (SHOO-nee-oh, Galician)--form of Junius
• Xurxo (SHOOR-shoh, Galician)--form of George
• Xustino (shoos-TEE-noh, Galician)--form of Justin

Girls:

• Xabierra (shah-bee-ehr-rah, Basque)--feminine of Xabier/Xavier. Other forms include Xaveria (ksah-VEHR-ee-ah, German), Xaverine (ksah-ver-REE-neh, German; zah-veh-REEN, French), Xaviera (zay-vee-EHR-ah, English; ksah-vee-EHR-ah, Dutch), and Xavière (zahv-YEHR, French), 
• Xana (SHAH-nah, Portuguese)--short form of Alexandra
• Xandra (KSAHN-drah, Dutch; SHAHN-drah, Galician; ZAN-drah, English)--short form of Alexandra
• Xanthe (KSAHN-tay, ZAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"yellow, blond". Other forms include Xanthis (KSAHN-tis, ZAN-this) and Xantho (KSAHN-toh, ZAN-thoh).
• Xanthippe (ksahn-TEE-pay, zan-THIP-ee, [ancient] Greek)--"yellow horse". Other forms include Xanthippi (ksahn-TIP-pee, Greek), and Xantippa (zan-TIP-pah, Latin).
• Xelha (SHEL-hah, Mayan)--"spring of water". Also spelled Xel-Ha.
• Xenia (ksen-EE-ah, Greek)--"hospitality". Other forms include Xene (KSEN-ee, Greek) and Xenie (ksen-EE-eh, Czech). 
• Xènia (SHEN-yah, Catalan)--short form of Eugenia. Portuguese form is Xenia (shen-EE-ah).
• Xenoveva (shen-aw-VEH-vah, Asturian, Galician)--form of Genevieve
• Xesca (SHES-kah, Catalan)--form of Francesca
• Xheneta (jen-EH-tah, Albanian)--poss. "paradise"
• Xhevahire (jev-ah-HEER-eh, Albanian)--from Turkish, "jewel"
• Xia (shee-AH, Mandarin)--"daybreak" or "summer" [also a surname]
• Xiana (shee-AH-nah, Galician)--feminine of Xian/Julian
• Ximena (hee-MAY-nah, Spanish)--feminine of Ximeno
• Xiomara (see-oh-MAHR-ah, Spanish)--poss. from Germanic, "famous battle"
• Xoana (shoh-AH-nah, Galician)--form of Joan/Jane
• Xochitl (SHOH-chee-tl, Nahuatl)--"flower"
• Xulia (SHOO-lee-ah, Asturian, Galician)--form of Julia
• Xunia (SHOO-nee-ah, Galician)--form of Junia

Unisex:

• Xiu (shee-oo, Mandarin)--"beautiful" [usually fem.], or "rest" or "build" [both masc.]
• Xuan (soo-un, Vietnamese)--"spring"
• Xue (shoo-eh, Mandarin)--"snow" or "learning"
• Xun (shoon, Mandarin)--"fast, sudden"

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).