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

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Finn

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

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

Flowers, Please

The holidays are over; winter can be over now too, thanks. ;)
I was thinking the other day about names with "flower" meanings, specifically Greek -antha/anthe names, but I wonder if other languages have a fun selection as well....
(unless otherwise noted, all names are feminine)
[Anglicized spellings/pronunciations given for the ancient Greek names]

• Acalanthis (ak-ah-LAN-this, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "thorn-flower"
• Aika (ah-ee-kah, Japanese)--"indigo flower" or "love flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Amaranthis (am-ah-RAN-this, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "ditch flower" [specifically, usually catchfly or basil]. Masculine form was Amaranthus. 
• Anthemion (an-THEM-ee-on, [ancient] Greek)--"little flower" [unisex; spelled/pronounced the same for both genders in English, but not in Greek]
• Arianthes (ar-ee-AN-theez, ehr-ee-AN-theez, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "best flower" [masculine]. Another form was Arianthus [also masculine]. 
• Ayaka (ah-yah-kah, Japanese)--"color flower"
• Bellaflor (BEL-lah-flohr, [medieval] Italian)--from Latin, "beautiful flower". Other forms included Fiorabella and Belleflos. 
• Blanchefleur (blawn-sheh-fleur, [medieval] French)--"white flower"
• Bláthnat (BLAH-nat, Irish)--"little flower". Variants include Bláithín (BLAH-een) and Bláithnaid (BLAH-nad). 
• Blodwen (BLAHD-wen, Welsh)--"white flower"
• Bryanthis (brye-AN-this, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "full flower". Masculine form was Bryanthus. 
• Calanthe (kah-LAN-thee, English)--from Greek, "beautiful flower" [an orchid genus]
• Calfuray (kal-foo-RYE, Spanish, Mapuche)--from Mapudungan, "violet flower"
• Callistanthe (kal-lis-TAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"most beautiful flower"
• Charianthe (kar-ee-AN-thee, kehr-ee-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "graceful flower". Masculine form was Charianthus. 
• Chrysanthe (kris-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"golden flower". Other forms included Chrysanthis and Chrysanthus [masculine]. 
• Cleanthes (klee-AN-theez, [ancient] Greek)--"glory flower" [masculine]. Other forms include Cleanthus [ancient, masculine], Cleanthis [klee-AN-this, ancient, feminine], Kleanthis [kleh-AHN-theez, modern, masculine], and Kleanthi [kleh-AHN-thee, modern, unisex]
• Cyminanthe (kim-in-AN-thee, sim-in-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "cumin flower"
• Diantha (dee-AHN-thah, Dutch; dee-AN-thah, dye-AN-thah, English)--from Greek "divine flower" [from another flower genus, Dianthus]
• Edanthe (eh-DAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "delightful flower"
• Evanthe (ev-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"good flower". Other forms include Evantha [ancient], Evanthus [ancient, masculine], Evanthis [ev-AN-this, ancient, feminine], and Evanthis [ev-AHN-theez, modern, masculine]. 
• Finscoth (FEEN-skuh, Irish [mythology])--prob. "vine flower" or "white flower"
• Fioralba (fee-or-AHL-bah, Italian, Albanian)--"dawn flower"
• Fiorella (fee-oh-REL-lah, Italian)--"little flower". Another form is Fioretta. 
• Florimel (FLOH-rim-el, [literary] English)--from Latin "honey flower"
• Fumika (foo-mee-kah, Japanese)--"history flower" or "wealth flower"
• Fuyuka (foo-yoo-kah, Japanese)--"winter flower"
• Golnar (gohl-NAHR, Persian)--"pomegranate flower"
• Golnaz (gohl-NAHZ, Persian)--"pride flower"
• Glycanthis (glye-KAN-this, [ancient] Greek)--"sweet flower"
• Haruka (hah-roo-kah, Japanese)--"spring flower" [other translations possible, some unisex/masculine, depending on characters]
• Helianthe (hee-lee-AN-thee, English; heh-lee-AHN-theh, Dutch)--"sun flower" [from another flower genus, Helianthus]
• Hiroka (hee-roh-kah, Japanese)--"wise flower" or "wealth flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Honoka (hoh-noh-kah, Japanese)--"harmony flower"
• Ianthe (eye-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"violet flower"
• Iolanthe (eye-oh-LAN-thee, [literary] English)--prob. from Greek "violet flower"
• Melantho (mel-AN-thoh, [ancient] Greek)--"dark flower". Other forms include Melanthe [ancient], Melanthus [ancient, masculine], Melanthis [mel-AN-this, ancient, feminine], and Melanthis [mel-AHN-theez, modern, masculine]
• Melianthus (mel-ee-AN-thus, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "honey flower" [masculine]
• Mika (mee-kah, Japanese)--"beautiful flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Millaray (mee-yah-RYE, Spanish; meel-lah-RYE, Mapuche)--from Mapudungan, "golden flower"
• Neantho (nee-AN-thoh, [ancient] Greek)--prob. "new flower". Other forms included Neanthis and Neanthes [masculine]. 
• Nicanthe (nik-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"victory flower"
• Nonoka (noh-noh-kah, Japanese)--"field flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Oenanthe (ee-NAN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"vine-flower" or "wine flower" [specifically usually grape, sometimes dropwort]. Other forms included Oenanthis and Oenanthes [masculine].
• Philantho (fil-AN-thoh, [ancient] Greek)--"beloved flower". Masculine form was Philanthus. 
• Polyanthis (pahl-ee-AN-this, [ancient] Greek)--"many flowers". Masculine form was Polyanthus. 
• Prianthe (pree-AN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "oak flower" or "ridge flower". Another form was Prianthis.
• Pualani (poo-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly flower"
• Puanani (poo-ah-nah-nee, Hawaiian)--"beautiful flower"
• Reika (ray-kah, Japanese)--"beautiful flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Rika (ree-kah, Japanese)--"pear flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Rodanthi (roh-DAHN-thee, Greek)--"rose flower". Another [ancient] form was Rhodanthis. 
• Ruka (roo-kah, Japanese)--"lapis flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Setsuka (set-soo-kah, Japanese)--"snow flower"
• Sonoka (soh-noh-kah, Japanese)--"garden flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Timantha (tim-AN-thah, [ancient] Greek)--"prized flower". Other forms included Timanthis and Timanthes [masculine]. 
• Tomoka (toh-moh-kah, Japanese)--"wise flower" or "companion flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]
• Yuka (yoo-kah, Japanese)--"fond flower" or "reason flower" [other translations possible, depending on characters]

Win-ning Names

Anybody else feel like Winnie-names might be starting to trend? I did a post on Winnie-names for girls a bit back (and somehow missed Elowen, my goodness!), and it recently struck me how much I like -win names for boys, as well.

Surprisingly, -win/wyn names are split about evenly for girls and boys in the U.S.; I expected them to be mostly feminine (although if you include -wen, the boys end up with a huge majority, thanks pretty much exclusively to Owen). 

Most turn out to be Welsh (where wyn means "white" or "blessed") or Old English/Germanic (where win means "friend"). Great meaning in both origins! :D
(many of the Old English names survive only as surnames today)

• Aelwyn (ILE-win, Welsh)--"white brow". Also spelled Aylwyn. 
• Alwyn (AL-win, Welsh, English)--from Welsh, poss. "white hillside"
• Ashwin (ASH-win, Old English)--"ash [tree] friend" or "spear friend"
• Baldwin (BALD-win, Old English)--"bold friend"
• Berwyn (BEHR-win, Welsh)--"white top"
• Brandwin (BRAND-win, Old English)--prob. "sword friend"
• Brithwin (BRITH-win, Old English)--poss. "bright friend"
• Burgwin (BURG-win, Old English)--"castle friend"
• Caldwin (KAHLD-win, Old English)--poss. "cold friend"
• Carwyn (KAR-win, Welsh)--"blessed love"
• Cedwyn (KED-win, Welsh)--poss. "white woods"
• Cenwyn (KEN-win, Welsh)--poss. "white ridge" or "blessed chief"
• Christwin (KRIST-win, Old English)--"Christ-friend"
• Cledwyn (KLED-win, Welsh)--poss. "blessed sword"
• Colwyn (KAHL-win, Welsh)--poss. "enclosed thicket"
• Cuthwin (KUTH-win, Old English)--"famous friend"
• Darwin (DAR-win, English)--"dear friend"
• Delwyn (DEL-win, Welsh)--"pretty + blessed"
• Dilwyn (DIL-wyn, Welsh)--"genuine + blessed"
• Dunwin (DUN-win, Old English)--"brown friend"
• Edwin (ED-win, English)--"old friend" or "wealthy friend". An older form is Aldwin. 
• Elwyn (EL-win, English)--prob. "noble friend", "old friend", or "elf friend"
• Everwin (EV-er-win, Old English)--"boar friend". Another form is Irwin. 
• Geldwin (GELD-win, Old English)--prob. "tribute friend"
• Gerwin (GUR-win, Old English)--"spear friend"
• Gladwin (GLAD-win, Old English)--"bright friend". Also spelled Gladwyn.
• Goldwin (GOLD-win, Old English)--"gold friend"
• Godwin (GAHD-win, Old English)--"god-friend". Another form is Goodwin.
• Goswin (GAHZ-win, Old English; GOHZ-veen, German)--"Goth-friend"
• Hadwin (HAD-win, Old English)--poss. "battle-friend"
• Hartwin (HART-win, Old English; HART-veen, German)--"strong friend"
• Heddwyn (HETH-win ['th' like in "the"], Welsh)--"blessed peace"
• Hildwin (HILD-win, Old English)--"battle-friend". Another form is Hildewin. 
• Kenwyn (KEN-win, Cornish [surname])--"white ridge"
• Lewin (LOO-win, English)--"beloved friend". An older form is Lefwin. 
• Merewin (MEHR-eh-win, Old English)--poss. "famous friend" or "sea-friend"
• Merwin (MUR-win, English)--poss. from Merewin or Welsh Mervyn
• Morwin (MOHR-win, Old English)--poss. "moor friend"
• Ortwin (ORT-win, Old English; OHRT-veen, German)--"sharp-point friend"
• Oswin (OZ-win, English; OHZ-veen, German)--"god-friend"
• Rhydwyn (RID-win, Welsh)--prob. "white ford"
• Rodwin (RAHD-win, Old English)--"famous friend"
• Selwyn (SEL-win, English)--prob. "manor-friend" or "blessed friend"
• Stanwin (STAN-win, Old English)--"stone friend" [yes, the reverse of Winston]
• Tilwin (TIL-win, Old English)--poss. "good friend"
• Wulfwin (WULF-win, Old English)--"wolf friend"

(As an aside, if you do prefer any of the "white/blessed" Welsh names for girls, changing -wyn to -wen generally gets you the feminine spelling. :) 
To complicate matters further, for some of the Old English "friend" names there are related feminine names, deriving from -wynn "joy", which usually became -wen in names that survived to Middle/early Modern English; e.g. Brithwen "bright joy"; Edwen "wealthy joy". The masculine -win names are traditionally feminized to -wina/vina, and the feminine -wen names often became -wina/vina as well!)

Girls's Names

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

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

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

"Girlish" Boy Names

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

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

"Boyish" Girl Names

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

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

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

Vowel-Names for Boys

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

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

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Evie/Evvie

That's a double-V, not a W. ;)
Evie is one of the fasting-rising nicknames, from traditional picks like Evelyn, Eva, & Evangeline, modern choices like Everly, Evianna, & Ever, and even imports like Ivanna, Evelina, & Evelia. There's possibilities for every style.

• Eavan (EE-van, Irish)--"beautiful radiance". Anglicized from Aoibheann.
• Evadne (eh-VAHD-nee, [ancient] Greek)--"good and holy"
• Evalda (EH-vahl-dah, Scandinavian)
• Evalill (EH-vah-lil, Scandinavian)--combination of Hebrew Eve ("life") & Old Norse "little"
• Evangeliya (eh-vahn-geh-LEE-yah, Bulgarian)--"good messenger" [angel]
• Evanthe (eh-VAHN-thee, [ancient] Greek)--"good flower". Latin form is Evanthia.
• Evdokia (ev-doh-KEE-ah, Greek)--"good thought"
• Eveliese (eh-veh-LEE-zeh, German)--combination of Eva & Elisabeth
• Evena (EH-veh-nah, Scandinavian)--other forms are Evinda & Evina.
• Everild (EV-er-ild, English)
• Everina (eh-veh-REE-nah, Scandinavian)--feminine of Evert [Everett]. Another form is Everta.
• Evgenia (ev-GEN-yah, Greek)--feminine of Evgenios [Eugene]
• Évike (AY-vih-keh, Hungarian)--form of Eve
• Evita (eh-VEE-tah, Spanish)--another form of Eve
• Evren (ev-REHN, Turkish)--"the universe" [unisex]
• Ewara (EH-vah-rah, German)--"law and protection"
• Ifanwy (ee-VAN-wee, Welsh)
• Ivančica (ee-vahn-CHEE-tsah, Croatian)--"daisy"

Same Name?!?--Agnes

Oh, poor Agnes. Once one of the most popular girls names in all the English-speaking world, she fell off the charts in the early 70s, and has hardly been seen since. If the "hundred-year rule" holds true, we may be seeing more of her soon, but thanks to a celebrated saint, you can already find a different version in nearly every language in the Western world.

Original Greek form: Hagne [Άγνη] (HAHG-nee)
Latin form: Agnes (AHG-nes)

Other forms:

• Agnė (AHG-nay)--Lithuanian
• Agnese (ahn-YEH-zeh)--Italian
• Agnese (AHG-neh-seh)--Latvian
• Agnessa (ahg-NYEH-sah)--Russian
• Agneta (ang-NEH-tah)--Scandinavian. Also spelled Agnetha.
• Agneza (ahg-NEH-zah)--Croatian
• Agnieszka (ag-NYESH-kah)--Polish
• Agnija (AHG-nee-ah)--Macedonian, Serbian
• Annis (AN-nis)--English
• Aune (OW-neh)--Finnish
• Inès (ee-NEZ)--French
• Inês (EE-nez)--Portuguese
• Inés (ee-NES)--Spanish
• Inez (ee-NEZ, EYE-nez)--English
• Jagusia (yah-GOO-shah)--Polish
• Nancy (NAN-see)--English
• Nesta (NES-tah)--Welsh
• Neža (NEH-zhah)--Slovene
• Oanez (WAHN-ez)--Breton

Y Not?

Perhaps a bit of a cheat, as tons of names contain the letter Y. However, almost none have it as an initial letter...in English, anyway.
I was surprised at how many Y-names actually do appear in the Top 1000. Most are Spanish, Native American, or Arabic (or a mixture thereof!)--Yahir, Yandel, Yusuf/Yosef/Yousef, & Yadiel for boys, Yaretzi/Yaritza, Yareli, Yasmin/Yazmin, Yesenia, Yoselin, & Yamilet/Yamileth for girls, and Yael for both.
In the past, Yolanda, Yvette, Yvonne, & Yancy have charted, but no longer.

Boys:

• Yachin (yah-KHEEN, Hebrew)
• Yago (YAH-goh, Portuguese, Spanish)--form of Jacob/James
• Yakim (yah-KEEM, Russian)--form of Joachim/Joaquin
• Yalçin (yahl-CHIN, Turkish)
• Yaniv (yah-NEEV, Hebrew)--"he will prosper"
• Yannick (YAHN-neek, Breton, French)--form of John
• Yannis (YAHN-nis, Greek)--another form of John
• Yared (yah-RED, Hebrew)--original form of Jared
• Yaron (yah-ROHN, Hebrew)--"he sings"
• Yasen (YAH-sen, Bulgarian)--"ash tree" or "serene"
• Yavor (YAH-vohr, Bulgarian)--"maple tree"
• Yefim (yeh-FEEM, Russian)--from Greek, "speaks well"
• Yefrem (yeh-FREM, Russian)--form of Ephraim
• Yildirim (YIL-dih-rim, Turkish)--"lightning"
• Yishai (yee-SHYE, Hebrew)--original form of Jesse
• Ylur (IL-oor, Icelandic)--"warmth"
• Yoram (yoh-RAHM, Hebrew)
• Yorath (YOHR-ath, Welsh)--"worthy lord"
• Yori (yoh-ree, Japanese)--"trust"
• Yorick (YOHR-ik, English)--form of George
• Yrian (EER-ee-ahn, Scandinavian)--another [archaic] form of George
• Yulian (yoo-lee-AHN, Russian)--form of Julian
• Yuri (yoo-ree, Russian)--yet another form of George
• Yvo (EE-voh, Dutch, German)
• Ywain (ee-WAYN, French)--form of Owen

Girls:

• Yadira (yah-DEER-ah, Spanish)--from Arabic, "worthy"
• Yakira (yah-kee-rah, Hebrew)--"beloved, precious"
• Yamila (yah-MEE-lah, Spanish)--from Arabic, "beautiful"
• Yamuna (YAHM-uh-nah, Hindi)
• Yarona (yah-roh-nah, Hebrew)--feminine of Yaron
• Yara (YAH-rah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Tupi, "water lady". Also spelled Iara.
• Yelena (yel-YEH-nah, Russian)--form of Helen
• Yemima (yeh-mee-mah, Hebrew)--"dove"
• Yên (ee-en, Vietnamese)--"peaceful"
• Yeşim (yeh-SHEEM, Turkish)--"jade"
• Yeva (YEH-vah, Russian)--form of Eve
• Yıldız (YIL-diz, Turkish)--"star"
• Yiskah (yees-KAH, Hebrew)--original form of Jessica
• Ylja (EEL-yah, Icelandic)--from Old Norse, "warm"
• Ylva (EEL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "she-wolf"
• Yngva (EENG-vah, Scandinavian)
• Yoana (yoh-AHN-nah, Bulgarian)--form of Joan/Jane/Jean
• Yonca (YOHN-jah, Turkish)--"clover"
• Yonit (yoh-NEET, Hebrew)--feminine of Jonah
• Yrja (EER-yah, Icelandic)--from Old Norse, "drizzling rain"
• Yseult (ee-zoolt, French)--form of Isolde
• Yuliana (yool-YAH-nah, Russian)--form of Juliana
• Yuliya (YOO-lee-ah, Bulgarian, Russian)--form of Julia
• Yumi (yoo-mee, Japanese)
• Yusra (YOOS-rah, Arabic)--"wealth"
• Yuzuki (yoo-zoo-kee, Japanese)

Unisex:

• Yağmur (yah-MOOR ['ah' is very long], Turkish)--"rain"
• Yarden (yar-DEN, Hebrew)--original form of Jordan
• Yasu (yah-soo, Japanese)--"peace, peaceful"
• Yuki (yoo-kee, Japanese)
• Yun (YOON, Chinese, Korean)
• Yuval (yoo-VAHL, Hebrew)--"stream"

Ideals & Imagery

While doing my virtue-names post a while back, I came across many names with meanings that weren't quite virtues. While naming your daughter Beauty would probably be seen as presumptuous (not to mention a bit too Disney), there are plenty of names that mean 'beauty', as well as many other poetic inspirations.

Boys:

• Argi (ahr-gee, Basque)--"light"
• Argider (ahr-gee-dehr, Basque)--"beautiful light"
• Arman (ahr-MAHN, Kazakh)--"dream"
• Asher (ASH-er, English)--from Hebrew, "blessed"
• Ayman (AY-man, Arabic)--"blessed, lucky"
• Barak (bah-RAHK, Arabic)--"blessing"
• Benedict (BEN-eh-dikt, English)--from Latin, "blessed"
• Bhaskar (BHAHS-kar, Hindi)--"shining"
• Cemal (jem-AHL, Turkish)--"beauty"
• Daiki (dah-ee-kee, Japanese)--"great radiance" or "great & noble"
• Enver (en-VEHR, Turkish, Albanian)--"radiance"
• Eyal (eh-YAHL, Hebrew)--"strength"
• Jamal (jah-MAHL, Arabic)--"beauty"
• Kallias (KAHL-lee-as, Greek)--"beauty"
• Kibwe (KEE-bweh, Swahili)--"blessed"
• Krešimir (KRESH-ih-meer, Croatian)--"bringer of peace"
• Macario (mah-KAHR-yoh, Spanish)--from Greek, "blessed"
• Prakash (prah-KAHSH, Hindi)--"light"
• Roshan (roh-SHAN, Persian)--"light"
• Sisu (SEE-soo, Finnish)--"strength, willpower"
• Taiki (tah-ee-kee, Japanese)--"great radiance"

Girls:

• Abha (ahb-hah, Hindi)--"splendor"
• Aditi (ah-DEE-tee, Hindi)--"freedom"
• Aiman (eye-MAHN, Kazakh)--"beauty of the moon"
• Áine (AW-nyeh, Irish)--"radiance"
• Aisling (AHSH-leeng, Irish)--"dream"
• Aoibhe (EE-vah, Irish)--"beauty"
• Argiñe (ahr-gee-nyeh, Basque)--"light"
• Audrey (AW-dree, English)--"noble strength"
• Beata (beh-AH-tah, Latin)--"blessed"
• Bracha (BRAH-khah, Hebrew)--"blessing"
• Caoimhe (KWEE-vah, Irish)--"beauty". Anglicized to Keeva.
• Carwen (KAHR-wen, Welsh)--"pure love"
• Daina (DAY-nah, Lithuanian; DYE-nah, Latvian)--"song"
• Dipika (dee-PEE-kah, Hindi)--"light"
• Duana (DOO-an-ah, Irish)--"poem, song"
• Feray (feh-RYE, Turkish)--"radiance of the moon"
• Fotini (foh-tee-NEE, Greek)--"light"
• Gita (GEE-tah, Hindi)--"song"
• Hikari (hee-kah-ree, Japanese)--"light"
• Indira (IN-dih-rah, Hindi)--"beauty"
• Jyoti (jyot-EE, Hindi)--"light"
• Kanti (KAHN-tee, Hindi)--"beauty"
• Kavita (KAH-vee-tah, Hindi)--"poem, poetry"
• Keren (keh-rehn, Hebrew)--"ray of light"
• Lesedi (leh-seh-DEE, Tswana)--"light"
• Lucy (LOO-see, English)--from Latin, "light". Other forms include Lucia, Luce, Lucille, Lucette, Lux, Luz, and Luzia.
• Luule (LOO-leh, Estonian)--"poetry"
• Masego (mah-seh-hoh, Tswana)--"blessing"
• Megumi (meh-goo-mee, Japanese)--"blessing"
• Mele (meh-leh, Hawaiian)--"song"
• Nadra (NAH-drah, Arabic)--"radiance"
• Nima (NEE-mah, Arabic)--"blessing"
• Noya (no-yah, Hebrew)--"beauty"
• Nur (NOOR, Arabic)--"light". Other forms include Nuru (NOO-roo, Swahili).
• Säde (SAD-eh, Finnish)--"ray of light"
• Sana (SAH-nah, Arabic)--"brilliance"
• Saoirse (SEER-shah, Irish)--"freedom"
• Sanja (SAHN-yah, Croatian, Serbian)--"dream"
• Shira (shee-rah, Hebrew)--"poetry"
• Solveig (SOHL-vay, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "strength of the sun"
• Svajonė (svah-YOH-nyeh, Lithuanian)--"dream"
• Svatava (svah-tah-VAH, Czech)--"light" or "world". Another form is Svetlana (Russian, Slavic)
• Thi (TEE, Vietnamese)--"poem"
• Treasa (TRAH-sah, Irish)--"strength"

Unisex:

• Amets (ah-mehts, Basque)--"dream"
• Li (LEE, Chinese)--"reason" or "strength" [several other meanings possible depending on the characters]
• Liron (lee-rohn, Hebrew)--"my song"
• Noa (noh-ah, Hawaiian)--"freedom"
• Ori (oh-ree, Hebrew)--"my light"
• Shir (SHEER, Hebrew)--"song"

Modern But Not (boys)

I've dedicated quite a few posts to names that stand out. But what if you want a name that's modern, but not too weird or derivative--that is, blends in?
Modern American names tend to follow certain phonetic trends--the biggest trend for boys is the Aidens (I'll be bypassing this one; pretty much any iteration is probably already in use!). In general, modern boys' names tend to start with 'Br', J, K, T, Z; contain A, J, K, Q, X, Z; and end in 'en', 'on', or 'er'.

• Aeson (EE-son, Greek)
• Ariston (AH-ris-ton, Greek)--"the best"
• Andon (AHN-don, Bulgarian)--form of Anthony
• Anson (AN-son, English)
• Azhar (AZ-har, Arabic)--"shining"
• Berker (BEHR-kehr, Turkish)
• Bhaskar (BHAS-kahr, Hindi)--"shining"
• Brynjar (BRIN-yar, Scandinavian)--"armoured warrior"
• Brynmor (BRIN-mohr, Welsh)
• Cebrian (seb-ree-AHN, Spanish)
• Dathan (DAY-tahn, DAH-than, English)--from Hebrew, "fountain"
• Davorin (DAH-vor-in, Croatian)
• Dražen (DRAH-zen, Croatian)--"precious"
• Demir (deh-MEER, Turkish)--"iron"
• Eifion (AYV-yon, EYE-vyon, Welsh)
• Elystan (eh-LIS-tan, Welsh)
• Evren (ev-REHN, Turkish)--"the universe"
• Fintan (FIN-tan, Irish)--"white fire"
• Imran (im-RAHN, Arabic)
• Karsten (KAR-sten, German)--form of Christian
• Kayetan (KYE-eh-tahn, German)
• Kenyon (KEN-yon, English)
• Kynaston (KIN-ah-ston, English)
• Macsen (MAK-sen, Welsh)--form of Maximus
• Nayden (NYE-den, Bulgarian)
• Nevan (NEV-an, Irish)--anglicized from Naomhán, "little saint"
• Rayner (RAY-ner, English)
• Saxon ( SAKS-on, English)
• Torsten (TOR-sten, German, Scandinavian)
• Tychon (TYE-kon, Greek)
• Zaman (zah-MAN, Arabic)--"time, era"
• Zorion (soh-ree-ohn, Basque)--"happiness"

Same Name?!--Mini Grab Bag (boys)

• Benedict (BEN-eh-dikt, English)
• Bengt (BENGT, Swedish)
• Benito (ben-EE-toh, Italian)
• Bennett (BEN-net, English)
• Benoit (ben-WAH, French)
• Laurence (LAW-rents, LOH-rents, English)
• Labhrás (LAHV-rahs, LOW-rahs, Irish)
• Lars (LAHRS, Scandinavian)
• Steven (STEE-ven, English)
• Esteban (es-TEH-bahn, Spanish)
• Étienne (ay-TYEN, French)
• István (EEST-vahn, Hungarian)
• Tapani (TAH-pah-nee, Finnish)
• Thomas (TOM-as, English)
• Tavish (TAH-vish, Scottish)--anglicized from Támhas
• Tommaso (toh-MAH-zoh, Italian)
• William (WIL-yam, English)
• Guillaume (gee-OHM, French)
• Guillermo (gee-EHR-moh, Spanish)
• Gwilym (GWIL-um, Welsh)
• Willis (WIL-lis, English)

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Bree

Bree-names are big right now. From the fairly-established Aubrey, Brianna, & Gabriella, to the modern Cambria, Brielle, & Bria, and even new inventions, like Aubrianna, Abriella, & Mabree, Bree is a nickname we're likely to keep seeing more and more of. But if you're not willing to use a top 100 name, or a recent innovation, what's left?

• Briallen (bree-AHL-len, Welsh)--"primrose"
• Bricia (BREE-see-ah, Spanish)--origin uncertain; prob. a  form of Bridget or of Bricius/Bryce
• Brighde (BREE-jeh, Scottish)--form of Bridget
• Brigida (BREE-zhee-dah, Portuguese; BREE-hee-dah, Spanish)--yet another form of Bridget
• Briseida (bree-SAY-dah, Spanish)-form of Briseis
• Brisen (BREE-sen, Welsh)
• Brîska (BREE-skah, Kurdish)--"glitter"
• Brizo (BREE-zoh, Greek)
• Bryndis (BRIN-dees, Norwegian)
• Fabrizia (fah-BREE-tzee-ah, Italian)
• Sabriye (SAH-bree-eh, Turkish)--"patient"

The Long of It

Quite a ways back, I did a post on mini-names (which could probably use an update, or maybe a sequel). In general, American names are getting simpler, especially boys. Although Alexander is still pretty popular, parents are much more likely to skip the full name and just go with Alex or Xander than they used to be. For girls, the frilly, princess-y name trend (especially the newest influx of -annas & -ellas) ensures that there's still lots of long names in use, but a lot of the older appellations are now too "stuffy".

Boys:

• Algernon (AL-jer-non, English)
• Aloysius (al-oh-IH-shus, English)--form of Louis
• Antonius (an-TOH-nee-us, Latin)--original form of Anthony
• Apolinar (ah-poh-lee-NAHR, Spanish)
• Aurélian (oh-rayl-YAWN, French)--from Latin, "golden"
• Archibald (AHR-chih-bahld, English)
• Barnabas (BAHR-nah-bus, English)
• Bartholomew (bar-THOL-ah-myew, English)
• Benedict (BEN-eh-dikt, English)--from Latin, "blessed"
• Cornelius (kohr-NEEL-yus, English)
• Demetrius (deh-MEE-tree-us, Latin)
• Ebenezer (eb-en-EE-zer, English)
• Ferdinand (FER-dih-nand, English)
• Frederick (FRED-er-ik, English)
• Gioachino (joh-ah-KEE-noh, Italian)--form of Joachim/Joaquín
• Jedidiah (jed-ih-DYE-ah, English)
• Korbinian (kohr-BEE-nee-ahn, German)
• Leberecht (LEH-beh-rekht, German)--"lives rightly"
• Lysander (lye-SAN-der, Greek)
• Matthias (mah-THYE-as, English; mah-TEE-ahs, German)--form of Matthew
• Montgomery (mont-GOM-er-ee, English)
• Mortimer (MOHR-tih-mer, English)
• Nicostrato (nee-koh-STRAH-toh, Italian)
• Peregrine (PEHR-eh-grin, English)--from Latin, "traveller"
• Reginald (REJ-in-ahld, English)--form of Ronald
• Roderick (ROD-er-ik, English)
• Silvanus (sil-VAH-nus, Latin)--original form of Silas
• Sylvester (sil-VES-ter, English)
• Taliesin (tal-ee-ES-in, Welsh)
• Teodosio (teh-oh-DOHS-yoh, Spanish)
• Thaddeus (THAD-ee-us, English)
• Zacchaeus (zak-KEE-us, English)--from Hebrew, "pure"

Girls:

• Adelinde (ah-deh-LEEN-deh, Germanic)--"noble and mild"
• Alastríona (al-as-TREE-on-ah, Irish)--feminine of Alastar/Alexander
• Amaryllis (ah-mah-RIL-lis, English)--from Greek, "sparkling"
• Augustine (oh-goos-TEEN, French)
• Bernadette (ber-nah-DET, English)
• Calanthe (kah-LAN-thee, English)--from Greek, "beautiful flower"
• Celandine (SEL-an-deen, English)
• Chrysanta (krih-SAN-tah, English)--from Greek, "golden flower"
• Clementina (klem-en-TEE-nah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
• Coriander (KOH-ree-an-der, English)
• Demetria (deh-MEE-tree-ah, Greek)
• Dezirinda (deh-zee-REEN-dah, Esperanto)
• Dominique (doh-mee-NEEK, French)--feminine of Dominic
• Emerentia (eh-meh-REN-tsee-ah, German)--from Latin, "praiseworthy"
• Federica (feh-deh-REE-kah, Italian)
• Felicitas (feh-LEE-tzee-tahs, German)--from Latin, "good luck"
• Gennadiya (gee-NAH-dee-ah, Russian)--from Greek, "noble"
• Karesinda (kah-reh-SEEN-dah, Esperanto)
• Katarzyna (kah-tahr-ZHEE-nah, Polish)--form of Katherine
• Katelijne (kah-teh-LYE-neh, Dutch)--another form of Katherine
• Kazimiera (kah-zee-MYE-rah, Polish)
• Liselotte (LEE-zeh-lot-teh, Danish, German)
• Marjolaine (mahr-zhoh-LEHN, French)--"marjoram"
• Millicent (MIL-lih-sent, English)
• Octavia (ok-TAY-vee-ah, English; ok-TAH-vee-ah, Latin)
• Seraphina (sehr-ah-FEE-nah, English)--from Hebrew, "fiery one"
• Temperance (TEM-per-ants, English)--"self-restraint"
• Willemina (wil-leh-MEE-nah, Dutch)--feminine of William/Willem

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Tess

Teresa is the perfect example of a trendy full name dying, and its nickname rising to take its place. It peaked around 1960, and was surpassed by Tessa in the mid-90s. Although Teresa isn't unheard of for a new babe, it's definitely not rising in popularity, either. Tessa on the other hand, is becoming more common--not the mercurial rise of a trendy name; but the gradual, rambling climb of a modern classic.
Understandably, Tess still feels a bit too nickname-y; and if you're hoping for a rarer name, Tessa isn't likely to fit the bill for much longer.

• Teresia (teh-RAY-see-ah, Scandinavian; teh-RAY-zee-ah, German)--form of Teresa. Also spelled Theresia.
• Teodosia (teh-oh-DOHS-yah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)--"giving to God"
• Tesni (TES-nee, Welsh)
• Tessan (TES-sahn, Swedish)--another form of Teresa [usually only a nickname for Teresia]
• Tethys (TEE-this, TETH-is, Greek)--Greek goddess [Titan] of the sea
• Thais (tah-EES, French, Portuguese)--Russian form is Taisiya (tah-ee-SEE-ah)
• Tressa (TRES-sah, Irish)--Anglicized from Treasa, "strength"

Same Name?!?--Charles/Charlotte

It's funny how feminine forms come about. Different languages of course have different masculine & feminine indicators, but quite often a masculine name gets new feminine forms in a different languages despite having an established feminine form in its language of origin. This is one reason the feminine forms of classic names can look quite dissimilar, even though the masculine forms are quite similar, or even the same (the other reason is that, historically, daughters were named after fathers fairly often, but boys almost never after their mothers).
Joseph has Josepha, Josefina, Jozika, Josée, Josephine, Giuseppa; Henry has Henrietta, Heinrike, Hendrika, Henna, Enrica. Charles is no exception.

In this case, however, the translation gets rather interesting. Charles is the French form of the Germanic Karl which means "free man" (that is, neither a noble or a serf), so the technical translation of Charlotte and other feminine forms is the same. The more placating baby-name books & websites often change it to "womanly", but that simply isn't accurate. There was no Germanic feminine equivalent of Karl. "Free" was a purely masculine quality at that point--women were either wives or daughters, not independent individuals.
A more faithful modern translation, therefore, isn't "womanly", it's "free person" or "citizen".

Original Germanic form: Karl (KAHRL)
Latinized form: Carolus (kah-ROH-lus)
French form: Charles (SHAHRL)

Other forms:

• Carles (KAHR-les)--Catalan
• Carlo (KAHR-loh)--Italian
• Kaarlo (KAAHR-loh)--Finnish
• Kale (KAH-leh)--Hawaiian
• Karel (KAH-rel)--Czech, Dutch
• Károly (KAH-roy)--Hungarian
• Séarlas (SHAHR-las)--Irish
• Siarl (SHAHRL)--Welsh

• Carla (KAHR-lah)--Dutch, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish...
• Carlota (kahr-LOH-tah)--Spanish, Portuguese
• Carlotta (kahr-LOHT-tah)--Italian
• Carol (KEHR-ol)--English [formerly masculine]
• Carola (kah-ROH-lah)--Dutch, German, Italian
• Carole (kahr-OHL)--French
• Carolien (kah-roh-LEEN)--Dutch
• Carolina (kehr-oh-LYE-nah)--English
• Carolina (kah-roh-LEE-nah)--Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
• Caroline (KEHR-oh-line)--English
• Caroline (kah-loh-LEEN)--French
• Carolyn (KEHR-oh-lin)--English
• Charline (shahr-LEEN)--English, French
• Charlotte (SHAHR-lot)--English
• Charlotte (shahr-LOHT)--French
• Charlotte (shahr-LAW-teh)--Dutch, German
• Séarlait (SHAHR-lat)--Irish

O My...

(bonus points if you read the title in George Takei's voice)

Like I, O is a relatively rare first letter in American names. Olivia may the the #3 girls name in the U.S., but you have to go down the list quite a ways to find the next O-name--Olive, at #423! The boys have a few more options, with Owen and Oliver in the top 100, and Oscar and Omar in the top 200, but still, that's not much.
So if you want a name that stands out, forget J, K, & Z! Use an O name. :)

Boys:

• Obadiah (oh-bah-DYE-ah, Hebrew)--"servant of God"
• Oberon (OH-ber-on, English)--form of Aubrey
• Obrad (OH-brahd, Serbian)--"brings joy"
• Octavio (ohk-TAHV-yoh, Spanish; ahk-TAY-vee-oh, English)
• Omri (OHM-ree, Hebrew)
• Onisim (AHN-ee-seem, Russian)
• Oran (OH-ran, Irish)--Also spelled Orrin.
• Orbán (OHR-bahn, Hungarian)--form of Urban.
• Oren (oh-REN, Hebrew)
• Oroitz (oh-royts, Basque)--"memory"
• Orson (OHR-son, English--from French, "little bear"
• Orvar (OHR-vahr, Swedish)--from Norse, "arrow"
• Oswin (OZ-win, English)
• Otis (OH-tis, English)--from of Otto.
• Otto (AHT-toh, English; AW-toh, German)--"wealth"
• Ozan (oh-ZAHN, Turkish)--"bard"

Girls:

• Octavia (ohk-TAHV-yah, Spanish; ahk-TAY-vee-ah, English)--Italian form is Ottavia.
• Odilia (oh-DEE-lee-ah, Germanic)--feminine of Otto. Other forms include Ottilie (aw-TEE-lee-eh, German; or oh-tee-lee, French), Odalys (oh-DAH-leez, Spanish), Odelia (oh-DEH-lee-ah, English), and Odette (oh-DET, French, English).
• Ofelia (oh-FEH-lyah, Spanish, Italian)--form of Ophelia. French form is Ophélie (oh-fay-LEE).
• Oihana (oy-ah-nah, Basque)--"forest"
• Olalla (oh-LAH-yah, Spanish)--form of Eulalia
• Olwen (OHL-wen, Welsh)
• Onóra (on-OH-rah, Irish)--form of Honora
• Oona (OO-nah, Irish, Finnish)
• Opal (OH-pal, English)
• Orinthia (oh-RIN-thee-ah, English)
• Orla (OHR-lah, Irish)--"golden princess"
• Orsolya (OHR-shoh-yah, Hungarian)--form of Ursula
• Osanna (oh-ZAHN-nah, Italian)--from Biblical term hosanna. French form is Osanne.