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). 

'Arl's All Around

Even though it doesn't really lend itself to many nicknames, the "-arl-" sound seems to be on the rise, especially for girls (Charlotte, Charlie, Scarlett, Marley, Harley, Marlowe, Harlow). And there are so many more fun possibilities!
[yes, multiple forms of Charles/Carlos/Carla/Charlotte belong on this list, but there are just so many that I'm only including the really rare ones]

Boys:

• Arlen (AR-len, English)--origin unknown, poss. from Erlend (Norse, "foreigner"), Harlan (Old English, "hare-land" or "hard land"), or Erlwin (Old English, "earl-friend"). Also spelled Arlan.
• Arlind (ar-LIND, Albanian)--"gold-born".
• Arlindo (ar-LIN-doo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--masculine form of Arlinda, prob. from Erlinde "army-shield", or similar Germanic name
• Arlo (AR-loh, English)--from Irish place name Aherlow, prob. "between two high lands", or poss. a form of Harlow (Old English, "army hill" or "rocky hill")
• Carlin (CAR-lin, English)--from Irish surname O'Caireallán, prob. "little warrior". Also Anglicized as Carlan or Carlon.
• Charlot (shar-loh, [archaic] French)--diminutive of Charles. Another form was Charlon (shar-lohn).
• Carlton (KARL-ton, English)--from Old English "freeman-town". Another form is Charlton (CHARL-ton). 
• Garland (GAR-land, English)--from Old English, "triangle land" or "crown, wreath"
• Harlan (HAR-lan, English)--from Old English, prob. "hare land" or "hard land". Also spelled Harland.
• Jarl (YARL, Scandinavian)--"chief". Another form is Jarle (YAHR-leh, Norwegian).
• Karlis (KAR-lis, Scandinavian)--form of Charles. Another form is Kārlis (KAR-lis [rolled R], Latvian).
• Karlmann (KARL-mahn, German)--"freeman"
• Marlon (MAR-lon, English, German, Scandinavian)--origin unknown, poss. a form of Merlin (English, "falcon"), Marcelin (French, diminutive of Marcel/Marcus), or Marland (Old English, "moorland")
• Varlam (VAR-lam, Russian)--form of Barlaam. Also transliterated as Varlaam.

Girls:

• Arla (AR-lah, Scandinavian)--short form of Arnlaug "eagle-promised" [also means "early" in Swedish]
• Arlette (ar-LET, French)--form of Germanic Herleva, poss. "army battle" or "noble battle"; or similar Her/Earl-name.
  Other forms include Arlete (ar-LEH-teh, ar-LEH-chee, Portuguese), Arletta (ar-LET-tah, English) and Arleta (ar-LEH-tah, Polish, Scandinavian).
• Arlinda (ar-LIND-ah, Albanian)--feminine of Arlind, "gold-born"
• Arlinda (ar-LIND-ah, English, Portuguese)--prob. from Germanic Erlinde "army-shield" or similar
• Arline (ar-LEEN, English)--origin uncertain, poss. from the English surname Arline (prob. from Erlwin, "earl-friend", or similar Erl-name) or an invention based on names like Charline and Arlette. Also spelled Arlene or Arleen.
  Other forms include Arlene (ar-LAYN, Swedish; ar-LEH-neh, Norwegian, Finnish), Arlène (ar-LEN, French), and Arlina (ar-LEEN-ah, English, Spanish)
• Carlijn (KAR-line, Dutch)--form of Caroline. Another form is Carlina/Karlina (kar-LEE-nah, German, Scandinavian)
• Darlene (dar-LEEN, English)--from English word 'darling'. Also spelled Darline or Darleen. Another form is Darla.
• Jarla (YAR-lah, Icelandic, Swedish)--feminine of Jarl, "chief"
• Marla (MAR-lah, English)--short form of Marlene/Marlena
• Marloes (mar-LOOS, Dutch)--contraction of Maria Louise
• Marlis (MAR-lees, German; mar-LEES, Dutch)--contraction of Maria Elisabeth. Also spelled Marlies.
• Sarla (SAR-lah, Hindi)--from Sanskrit, "honest, straight"

Unisex:

• Arlie (AR-lee, English)--from Old English "eagle-meadow". Also spelled Arley or Arleigh.

There are also tons of surname and place-names (mostly Old English), that fit the bill (like the modernly-trending Marlowe, Harley, Harlow, Marley, Charleston, etc), for almost every letter of the alphabet. :p

• Arliss / Arlosh
• Barlow
• Carlyon / Carleon
• Carlow
• Darley
• Darlow
• Darlton
• Farlam
• Farley / Varley
• Farlow / Varlow
• Garley / Jarley
• Parley
• Sharland

Un Otro Reto Alfabético

Names ending in "oh" are trending pretty nicely right now, mostly for boys, but definitely a bit for girls as well. The boys' names mostly tend to actually end with -o, but for girls they're more mixed--some -o, some -ot, some -ow/owe.
For some crazy reason, I felt like setting myself another alphabet challenge--for both genders.
The rules are simple: one name for each letter, and it can't be a name I've mentioned before on this blog.

Boys:

• Aro (AH-roh, Swedish, Finnish [trilled R in Finnish])--form of Aaron
• Breno (BREH-noo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--from Latinized Gaelic, prob. "prince" or "raven" [making it a form of either Brendan or Bran]
• Cisco (SIS-koh, Spanish)--short form of Francisco
• Darrow (DEHR-oh, DA-row, Scottish [surname])--prob. from darach "oak"
• Ensio (EN-see-oh, Finnish)--"first"
• Franco (FRAHN-koh, Italian)--form of Frank or short form of Francesco, both from the Germanic tribe name 'Franks'. 
• Gaio (GYE-oh, Italian)--from Latin Gaius/Caius, origin uncertain
• Hanno (HAHN-no, German)--short form of Johannes
• Ícaro (EE-kah-roo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese; EE-kah-oh, Spanish)--form of Icarus
• Jesco / Jesko (YES-koh, German; JES-koh, English)--nickname for Slavic jar/yar- names, "spring [the season]" or "power"
• Kenno (KEN-noh, Danish, Finnish)--nickname for Germanic kun/cun-names, "kin"
• Laszlo (LAZ-loh, English)--from Hungarian László, itself from Slavic Vladislav, "rule-glory"
• Miro (MEE-roh, Croatian, Italian, Finnish, Slovene, Swedish)--short form of Slavic mir- names, "peace"
• Nilo (NEE-loh, Italian, Spanish; NEE-loo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--form of 'Nile' [the river], or short form of Danilo
• Odino (oh-DEE-noh, Italian)--form of Odin
• Pelayo (pel-EYE-oh, Spanish)--from Ancient Greek Pelagius, "sea"
• Quincio (KEEN-see-oh, Spanish) / Quíncio (KEEN-see-oo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--form of Quintius/Quincy
• Renzo (REN-tsoh, Italian; REN-soh, Spanish; REN-zoo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--short form of Lorenzo
• Sidlow (SID-loh, English [surname])--origin uncertain, poss. "south hill" or "wide hill"
• Távio (TAHV-yoo [short 'oo', like "foot"], Portuguese)--short form of Otávio/Octávio
• Usebio (oo-SEH-bee-oh, Aragonese, Spanish)--from Ancient Greek, "good worship" or "well-respected"
• Vico (VEE-koh, Italian)--nickname for Ludovico/Louis
• Wilko / Wilco (VIL-koh, Dutch, German)--diminutive of William and other Wil-names.
• Xanto (KSAHN-toh, Italian)--from Ancient Greek, "yellow" [a masculine form of name-nerd favorite Xanthe]
• Y--gah, I've got nothing I haven't mentioned before (although I really thought it'd be Q or X that got me, so yay!)
• Zaccheo (zak-KEH-oh, Italian)--from Biblical Hebrew Zacchaeus, "pure"

Girls:

• Argyro (ahr-gee-ROH, Greek)--"silver"
• Bio (bee-OH, [ancient] Greek; BEE-oh, Anglicized)--prob. "life" or "force"
• Caro (KEHR-oh, KA-roh, KAH-roh, English; KAH-roh, Dutch, German, Spanish)--nickname for Caroline/Carolina and other Car-names
• Damaro (dah-mah-ROH, [ancient] Greek; dah-MAH-roh, Anglicized)--prob. "taming" or "wife"
• Emmelot (em-meh-LOH, [medieval] French)--diminutive of Emma-names
• Fairlow / Fairlowe (FEHR-loh, FAYR-loh, English [surname])--poss. "pleasant hill" or "fern hill". 
• Gwenno (GWEN-noh, Welsh)--diminutive of Gwen-names
• Haido (HYE-doh, Greek)--prob. "caress" [likely source of the literary name Haidee/Haydée]
• Ivalo (EE-vah-loh, Danish, Greenlandic)--from Greenlandic, "sinew, thread"
• Jurietto (joo-ree-et-toh, Japanese [pop culture])--gairaigo ["Japanization"] of Juliet
• Kallo (kah-LOH, [ancient] Greek; KAL-loh, Anglicized)--prob. "beautiful"
• Laino (lahn-yoh, Basque)--"cloud, mist"
• Margalo (MAR-gah-loh, English)--contraction of Margaret Lorraine
• Nikeso (nik-ay-SOH, [ancient] Greek; nik-EE-soh, Anglicized)--prob. "victory" or "victor"
• Orvo (OR-voh, Finnish)--short form of Orvokki "violet flower" [unisex]
• Phaio (fye-OH, Greek [mythology]) / Phaeo (FEE-oh, Anglicized)--"shining"
• Q--nada. Lost twice over. :/
• Runo (ROO-noh, Finnish)--"poem" [unisex]
• Siro (SEE-roh, Finnish)--"graceful"
• Tayloe / Taylo (TAY-loh, English [surname])--poss. form of Taylor, or from 'teal' [a type of duck]
• Ushio (oo-shee-oh, Japanese)--"tide" [unisex]
• Vireo (VEER-ee-oh, English [word, quite rare as a name])--a type of bird, from Latin "green"
• Wealthow / Wealtheow (WEL-thoh / WEL-theh-oh, [literary] English)--origin uncertain, poss. "foreign servant"
• Xenno (ksen-NOH, [ancient] Greek; ZEN-noh, Anglicized)--prob. "guest, hospitality"
• Ysabeau (ee-zah-BOH, [medieval] French)--form of Isabel/Elizabeth
• Zafiro (sah-FEE-roh, Spanish)--"sapphire"

Medieval World Tour--Germany

The world tour continues! We're heading to Germany next, still looking especially for names/forms that aren't still in use today (although some do survive as surnames).

Boys:

• Asculf (AHSH-oolf ['oo' like in "foot"])--"spear-wolf"
• Avo (AH-voh)--origin uncertain, poss. "desired" or "strength"
• Berengar (BEH-ren-gar)--"bear-spear". Another form was Pernger (PEHRN-gehr). 
• Bomund (BOH-moont ['oo' like in "foot"])--derivation unknown; after a legendary giant.
  Other forms included Boamund (BOH-ah-moont ['oo' like in "foot"]) and Bohemund (BOH-heh-moont ['oo' like in "foot"]). 
• Eberwin (EH-behr-win)--"boar-friend"
• Herimund (HEHR-im-oont ['oo' like in "foot"])--"army protection".
  Another form was Harimund (HAHR-im-oont ['oo' like in "foot"]). 
• Herrand (HEHR-rahnt)--prob. "army shield-edge"
• Herrich (HEHR-rikh)--"army ruler". Also spelled Herich. 
• Isbrand (EEZ-brahnt)--"iron-fire"
• Landrich (LAHN-drikh)--"land ruler" [probable source of the surname Landry]
• Linhart (LIN-hart)--form of Leonard
• Marculf (MAHR-koolf ['oo' like in "foot"])--"border-wolf"
• Theodulf (TEH-oh-doolf ['oo' like in "foot"])--"people-wolf"
• Wigher (WIG-her)--"battle-army"
• Wilbrand (WIL-brahnt)--"will-fire" or poss. "will-sword"
• Valten (VAHL-ten)--form of Valentine

Girls:

• Aldegarde (ahl-deh-GAHR-deh)--"old protection"
• Duretta (doo-RET-tah)--prob. form of Dorothea
• Engelhaid (EN-gel-hide)--"angelic type". Also spelled Engelheid. 
• Geilsind (GAYL-sind)--"merry path" or poss. "merry strength". Another form was Geilsinde (gayl-SIN-deh). 
• Heidentrude (hay-den-TROO-deh)--prob. "heath-strength" or "heathen-strength"
• Isentrud (EE-zen-trood)--prob. "iron-strength"
• Richlind (RIKH-lind)--"gentle ruler". Another form was Richlinde (rikh-LIN-deh).
• Wistrild (WIS-trild)--"west battle". Another form was Wistrilde (wis-TRIL-deh). 

I also came across a number of girls' names ending in -lin. Usually they appeared to be diminutives (poss. used as given names on their own), sometimes feminizations.
(there were quite a few boys' diminutives ending in -lin as well, e.g. Ullin from Ulrich and Bestlin from Sebastian, but I'm not lacking in boys' names!)

• Aellin (from Adelheid/Alice?)
• Annlin (from Anna)
• Bettlin (from Elisabeth)
• Elsslin (also from Elisabeth)
• Engelin (from Engelhaid and other Engel-names)
• Ennlin/Endlin (from Endres/Andrew?)
• Gerlin (from Gertrude and other Ger-names)
• Gretlin (from Margareta)
• Ketlin (from Katherina)
• Kunlin (from Cunigunde and other Cun-names, or poss. Conrad)
• Marlin/Merlin (from Margareta)
• Matzlin/Metzlin (? from Mathis or Mechthild/Matilda.....maybe??)
• Neslin (from Agnes)
• Riberlin (from Ribert?)

I know, this list is way shorter than the other MWT lists! Most of the names from medieval Germany I found were either still in recent use, or pretty hard to say in Modern English. :/

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"

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]

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"

"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]

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"

-Ric Rollin'

Haha, now that song's in your head!

I love a good -ric name. And unlike many constructions, this one is pretty much exclusively male (well, I did turn up modern unisex word-name Lyric, Irish girls' name Aifric, and Thai girls' name Bundarik, but that's it!).
Eric was a 70s/80s staple, Frederick's been on the downswing for the last century, Patrick is my age (or my parents'), and Maverick is quickly scaling the US charts.
While relatively uncommon today, -rich/ric names used to be fairly widespread in Europe, thanks to good ol' Proto-Germanic, where '-rich' meant "ruler" or "power".

• Adalrich (AHD-al-rik, Germanic)--"noble ruler"
• Alaric (AL-ah-rik, English)--from Germanic "ruler of all"
• Alberich (AHL-beh-rikh, German)--original form of Aubrey
• Aldric (ahl-DREEK, French)--from Germanic "old power". Other forms include Aldéric (ahl-day-REEK) and Audric (oh-DREEK).
• Amalric (AHM-al-rik, ah-MAHL-rik, Germanic, ah-mahl-REEK, French)--from Germanic "work power". One of the possible sources for Emmerich/Emery.
• Ardaric (AR-dah-rik, Germanic)--poss. "brave power"
• Athanaric (ah-THAN-ar-ik, Germanic)
• Baderich (BAH-der-ik. Germanic)--"battle ruler"
• Baldric (BAHL-drik, English)--from Germanic "bold power"
• Berich (BEHR-ik, Germanic)--"bear ruler"
• Brunric (BROON-rik, Germanic)--"armor ruler" or poss. "brown ruler"
• Bystrík (BIS-treek, Slovak)--poss. "quick-witted"
• Cedric (SED-rik, English)
• Cenric (KEN-rik, Old English)--"bold power". One of the sources of surname Kendrick. 
• Cyneric (KIN-eh-rik, Old English)--"royal power". Another possible source for Kendrick.
• Eboric (EB-or-ik, Germanic)--"boar power"
• Edric (ED-rik, Old English)--"wealth ruler"
• Elric (EL-rik, English)--either from Old English Alfric (AL-frik) "elf power" or Athelric (ATH-el-rik) "noble power"
• Embrik (EM-brik, Norwegian)
• Erchamrich (EHR-kam-rik, Germanic)--"chief ruler"
• Ermenrich (EHR-men-rik, Germanic)--"great ruler" Another possible source for Emmerich/Emery.
• Emmerich (EM-er-ikh, German)--other forms include Émeric (ay-meh-REEK, French) and Aymeric (eh-muh-REEK, French).
• Garrick (GEHR-ik, English)--from Occitan "oak tree", or possibly Germanic "spear power"
• Genseric (GEN-ser-ik, Germanic)--poss. "spear power". Variants include Gaiseric (GYE-ser-ik), and Geiserich (GYE-ser-ikh, German)
• Godric (GAHD-rik, English)
• Guerric (gehr-REEK, French)
• Gumerich (GOO-mehr-ik, Germanic)--"ruler of man"
• Gunderic (GOON-deh-rik, Germanic)--"war ruler"
• Heinrich (HINE-rikh, German)--original form of Henry "home ruler". Other forms include Henrik (HEN-rik, German, Scandinavian) and Hendrik (HEN-drik, Dutch). Another possible source for Kendrick, as well as a possible source of Emmerich/Emery.
• Hilderich (HIL-der-ik, Germanic)--"battle ruler"
• Imrich (IM-rik, Czech, Slovak)--form of Emmerich/Emery
• Isanric (EE-san-rik, Germanic)--poss. "iron ruler". Also written as Isenric.
• Jarich (YAH-rikh, Frisian)--poss. from Germanic "spear"
• Landrich (LAHN-drik, Germanic)--"land ruler"
• Leofric (lee-OF-rik. Old English)--"beloved ruler"
• Lorik (LOHR-ik, Albanian)--poss. "quail"
• Merrick (MEHR-rik, English)--from Welsh Meurig (a form of Maurice) or Germanic "famous ruler".
• Odrich (AHD-rik, Germanic)--"ruler of riches". Variants include Audéric (oh-day-REEK, French).
• Osric (OZ-rik, Old English)--"god power"
• Pierrick (PYEHR-eek, French)--form of Pierre/Peter
• Roderick (RAHD-er-ik, English)--from Germanic, "famous ruler". Other forms include Rörik (ROH-rik, Swedish), Rorik (ROH-rik, Old Danish), and Rurik (ROO-rik, Russian).
• Romaric (RAHM-ah-rik, Germanic; roh-mah-REEK, French)--poss. "famous power"
• Serik (SEHR-ik, Kazakh)--"support"
• Shurik (SHOOR-ik, Russian)--diminutive of Alexander
• Sigerich (SEE-geh-rik, Germanic)--"victory ruler"
• Siserich (SEE-ser-ik, Germanic)--"song ruler"
• Tarık (TAHR-ik, Turkish)
• Theodoric (thee-AHD-oh-rik, Germanic)--"ruler of the people". Variants include Dietrich (DEET-rikh, German), Diederich (DEE-der-ikh, German), Dederick (DED-er-ik, English), and Dedrick (DED-rik, English).
• Ulrich (OOL-rik, German, ool-REESH, French)--variants include Olric (OHL-rik) and Odalric (OH-dahl-rik). 
• Volkrich (VOHL-krik, Germanic)--"people's ruler"
• Waldrich (VAHL-drik, Germanic)--"ruler of power". Other forms include Waldric (WAHL-drik, English) and Gaudéric (goh-day-REEK, French), and Galdric (gahl-DREEK, French).
• Wilrich (VEEL-rik, Germanic)--"willful ruler"
• Winrich (VEEN-rikh, German)--from Germanic, "friend ruler"
• Wirich (VEER-ikh, German)--from Germanic, "war ruler"
• Witteric (VEET-er-ik, Germanic)--poss. "forest ruler"
• Wulfric (WOOL-frik, Old English)--"wolf power". Another form is Ulfric (OOL-frik).
• Yorick (YOHR-ik, English, Dutch)--form of George. Other spellings include Jorick (YOH-rik, Dutch) and Jorik (YOH-rik, Dutch)

And don't let the -richs scare you off! ;) There's plenty of precedent to Anglicize those German/Germanic names by changing the '-rich' to '-ric/rick' or '-ry'.
So for instance, Winrich would logically be Winric/Winrick (WIN-rik), or Winry (WIN-ree) in Modern English.
(Full Metal Alchemist fans rejoice! :p )

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).

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Ben

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

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

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--Remy

Remy/Remi is another in a long line of traditionally-masculine-but-sounds-feminine-to-modern-ears names that seems to be on the rise for both genders (see also: Avery, Reese/Reece/Rhys, Emery, etc). Although it is (again) a full name in its own right, having a gender-specific full name for a (now) unisex nickname isn't a bad idea.

Boys:

• Jeremy (JEHR-eh-mee, English)--form of Hebrew Jeremiah "God has uplifted". Another form is Jeremias (German, Portuguese, Spanish).
• Raymond (RAY-mond, English; ray-MAWn, French)
• Remaliah (rem-ah-LYE-ah, English)--from [Biblical] Hebrew, "exaltation of God"
• Rembert (REM-bert, Dutch, German)--from Germanic "bright advisor"
• Rembrandt (REM-brahnt, Dutch; REM-brant, English)--from Germanic "sword advisor"
• Remiel (REM-ee-el, English)--from [Biblical] Hebrew, "mercy of God"
• Remigio (rem-EE-jyoh, Italian, Spanish)--form of Remy/Remi. 

Girls:

• Mirembe (mee-rem-beh, Luganda)--"peace"
• Raymonde (ray-MAWND, French)
• Remedios (reh-MEH-dyohs, Spanish)--"remedies". Catalan form is Remei (reh-MAY)
• Remigia (reh-MEE-jyah, Latin)--feminine of Remigius/Remigio/Remy
• Remina (reh-MEE-nah, Frisian)--short form of Ragn-names (Germanic, "advise")

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Oz

I really need to come up with a better title for these posts--I'm rapidly running out of "usual" nicknames! Anyway, I see Oz bounced around a bit online, and I do see the appeal: short, snazzy, that zippy Z. The problem is associations--Oz alone is reminiscent of "Land of Oz" (along with a few other pop culture references), and Ozzy...is all Osbourne.
There's Oscar of course, and Oswald, and even Austin if your accent allows, but what else?

• Osbert (OZ-bert, English)
• Osgood (OZ-good, English)
• Osman (OHS-man, Turkish)
• Osmar (OS-mahr, Portuguese)--from Germanic "fame of God"
• Osmond (OZ-mond, English)--also spelled Osmund
• Osric (OZ-rik, English)
• Ossian (OS-see-an, Scandinavian, German)--form of Irish Oisin
• Osulf (OZ-ulf, Old English)
• Osvit (OS-veet, Serbian)--"dawn")
• Oswin (OZ-win, English)
• Ozan (OH-zahn, Turkish)--"bard"
• Ozazias (oz-AHZ-ee-as, [Biblical] Greek)
• Ozias (OZ-ee-as, [Biblical] Greek; oh-ZEE-as, Greek)
• Oziel (oz-ee-EL, [Biblical] Greek)
• Ozren (OZ-ren, Croatian, Serbian)

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Rose

Rose, of course, is perfectly fine on its own. But, as Rosalie regains popularity, it may pave the way for other Rose-names. Everyone knows the usual English picks--Rosalind/Rosalyn, Rosamund, Rosemary--but there's so much more!

• Rocío (roh-SEE-oh, Spanish)--"dew"
• Rosabel (ROHZ-ah-bel, English)--Italian is Rosabella.
• Rosalba (roh-ZAHL-bah, Italian)--"white rose"
• Rosalia (roh-zah-LEE-ah, Italian, Spanish)--Other forms include Rosália (roh-SAHL-yah, Portuguese) & Rozalia (roh-zah-LEE-ah, German; roh-ZAHL-yah, Polish)
• Rosaria (roh-ZAHR-yah, Italian)--"rosary". Other forms include Rosario (Spanish) & Rosaire (French).
• Rosaura (roh-SOW-rah, Spanish)--from Latin, "golden rose" 
• Rosella (roh-ZEL-lah, Italian)--French form is Roselle.
• Roselore (roh-zeh-LOH-reh, German)--combination of Rosa & Eleonore.
• Rosenda (roh-SEN-dah, Spanish)--from Germanic, "famous path"
• Rosette (roh-ZET, French)--Italian is Rosetta.
• Rosilda (roh-ZEEL-dah, Italian)
• Rósinkara (ROH-seen-kah-rah, Icelandic)
• Rositsa (roh-SEETZ-ah, Bulgarian)--"little rose". Also spelled Rosica. 
• Rosine (roh-ZEEN, French)--Italian form is Rosina. 
• Rósný (ROHS-nee, Icelandic)--"new rose"
• Rossana (rohs-SAH-nah, Italian)--form of Roxana.
• Roswitha (rohs-VEE-tah, German, Dutch)--from Germanic, "famous strength". Also spelled Roswita. 
• Rozenn (ROH-zen, Breton)