Franken-Names

Happy Halloween! This seemed like a good time to highlight those names that are mash-ups, but work. They may inspire thoughts of pitchforks & fire for some, but they've proven the test of time (well, decades or so, anyway).
For some reason, combination-names are nearly exclusively feminine.

• Aeronwen (eye-RON-wen, Welsh)--Aeron, "berry" + Gwen, "fair, blessed"
• Annabella (an-nah-BEL-lah, English, Italian)
• Annalee (an-nah-LEE, English)
• Annalisa (ahn-nah-LEE-sah, Italian)
• Annegret (AHN-ne-gret, German)--Anna + Margaret
• Annelien (ahn-ne-LEEN, Dutch)--Anna + Carolien, Evelien, Angelien,  or Paulien
• Anneliese (ah-nah-LEEZ-eh, German; an-nah-LEES, English)--Anna + Elisabeth
• Annemarie (ah-nah-mah-REE, Dutch, German)
• Arianwen (ahr-ee-ON-wen)--Arianell, "silver", + Gwen
• Belphoebe (bel-FEE-bee, English)--Belle, "beautiful" + Phoebe, "bright, pure"
• Carreen (cahr-REEN, English)--Caroline + Irene
• Charmaine (shar-MAIN, English)--Charmion, "delight", + Lorraine
• Christabel (KRIS-ta-bel, English)--Christine + Belle
• Claribel (CLAIR-ih-bel, English)
• Fioralba (fee-or-AHL-bah, Italian)--Fiore, "flower", + Alba, "dawn"
• Hannelore (HAH-ne-lor-eh, German)--Hanna + Eleonore
• Leanne (lee-AN, English)
• Lilou (lee-LOO, French)--Lili + Louise
• Lisanne (lis-AHN-neh, Dutch)--Lisa + Anne
• Liselotte (lee-zeh-LOT-teh, German)--Lisa + Charlotte
• Mairwen (MIRE-wen, Welsh)--Mair [Mary] + Gwen
• Maite (MYE-teh, Portuguese)--Maria + Teresa
• Maribel (mar-ee-BEL, Spanish)--Maria + Isabel
• Maricela (mar-ee-SEHL-ah, Spanish)--Maria + Celia, "heaven"
• Maricruz (MAH-ree-crooz, Spanish)--Maria + Cruz, "cross"
• Marilène (mar-ih-LEHN, French)--Marie + Helene
• Marilou (mair-ee-LOO, English)
• Marisol (mahr-ee-SOHL, Spanish)--Maria + Soledad, "solitude" or Sol, "sun"
• Marlis (MAHR-lis, German)--Mary + Elisabeth
• Maryanne (mair-ee-AN, English)
• Mylène (mee-LEHN, French)--Marie + Helene
• Rosabel (ROHZ-ah-bel, English)
• Rosangela (roh-zahn-JEL-ah, Italian)
• Rosanna (roh-ZAN-nah, English)
• Rosemarie (ROH-seh-mah-ree, German, Scandinavian; rohz-mah-REE, English)
• Tegeirian (teg-EYE-ryen, Welsh)--Tegan, "pretty", + Eirian, "shining"

Random Fact of the Day:

Although the R sound is made mainly with the lips in standard American English, in most languages and even some English dialects, the R is pronounced almost exclusively with the tongue, similar to the L. This accounts for the R to L shift in old nicknames (Mary to Molly, Sarah to Sally, for example) and the difficulty new English learners have with our Rs ("flied lice", anyone?); as well as the inability of most English speakers to roll their Rs.

X Marks the Spot

Like J & K, Xs are relatively rare in English words, and so they're memorable & eye-catching. Unlike J & K, however, it's hard to find (or adapt) acceptable names containing X. One small problem is that X's pronunciation varies greatly from language to language. But, if you don't mind correcting people, there are quite a few fun X names out there.

Boys:

• Ajax (AY-jaks, Greek)
• Anxo (AN-shah, Galician)--form of Angel
• Axel (AKS-el, German, Scandinavian)--form of Absolom
• Dax (DAKS, English)--from Old English Dæcca, "day"
• Dexter (DEKS-ster, English)
• Felix (FEE-liks or FEHL-iks, Latin)--"lucky"
• Ganix (JAHN-eesh, Basque)--form of John
• Lennox (LEN-oks, Scottish)
• Mannix (MAN-niks, Irish)--Anglicized from either Mainchin or Mag Aonghuis
• Ximun (SHEE-mun, Basque)--form of Simon

Girls:

• Arantxa (ah-RANT-shah, Basque)
• Axelle (aks-EL-leh, French)--feminine of Axel
• Beatrix (BEE-ah-triks, or BEH-ah-triks, Latin)--"traveller"
• Eudoxia (yu-DOKS-ee-ah, Greek)--"good fame" 
• Itxaro (eet-SHAH-roh, Basque)--"hope"
• Ixchel (ee-SHEL, Mayan)--Mayan goddess of the earth, medicine, and the moon
• Meritxell (mur-eet-CHEL, Catalan)--"midday"
• Polyxena (pol-ih-KSEE-ah, Greek)--"much hospitality"
• Roxelana (roks-el-AH-nah, Turkish)
• Ruxandra (rewks-AN-drah, Romanian)--form of Roxana, "dawn"
• Uxia (oo-SHEE-ah, Basque)--form of Eugenia
• Xanthe (ZAN-theh or ZAN-thee, Greek)
• Xenia (KSEN-ya or ZEN-ee-ah, Greek)
• Xiomara (see-oh-MAHR-ah, Spanish)
• Xoana (shoh-AW-nah, Galician)--form of John

Either!:

• Alexis (ah-LEKS-ish, Greek)--"defender"
• Calix (CAHL-iks, Latin)
• Lux (LEWKS, Latin)--"light"
• Pax (PAKS, Latin)--"peace"
• Phoenix (FEE-niks, Greek)
• Xuan (sooun, Vietnamese)--"spring"
• Xue (shooeh, Chinese)--"snow" or "learning"
• Xun (shooen, Chinese)--"fast, sudden"