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"

-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 )

Big A, little a

What begins with A?
Lots of smallish girls' names, and they also end that way:

• Abha (ahb-hah, Hindi)--"light, luster"
• Achsa (AHK-sah, [Biblical] Hebrew)
• Ada (AY-dah, English; AH-dah, German, Polish, Scandinavian, Turkish) [multiple derivations]
• Adla (AHD-lah, Swedish)--form of Adela/Adelaide
• Adva (ahd-vah, Hebrew)--"little wave"
• Aella (EYE-lah, [ancient] Greek)--"whirlwind"
• Agda (AG-dah, Swedish)--form of Agatha
• Aida (ah-EE-dah, English, Italian)--from Arabic, "returning"
• Aika (ah-ee-kah, Japanese)
• Ailsa (AYL-sah, Scottish)
• Aina (EYE-nah, Finnish, Spanish; ah-ee-nah, Japanese) [separate derivations]
• Aira (EYE-rah, Finnish)
• Aisha (ah-EE-shah, Arabic)--"life, alive". Other forms include Asha (Swahili).
• Alba (AHL-bah, Italian, Latin, Spanish)
• Alda (AHL-dah, Italian, Portuguese)
• Alka (AHL-kah, Croatian)
• Alma (AL-mah, English; AHL-mah, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish)
• Alta (AL-tah, English)
• Alva (AHL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "elf"
• Ambra (AHM-brah, Italian)--form of Amber
• Anca (AHN-kah, Romanian)
• Anna (AN-nah, English; AH-nah, everywhere else)--Also spelled Ana. Other forms include Ania, Anka, & Anya.
• Ansa (AHN-sah, Finnish)
• Arja (AHR-yah, Finnish)
• Arla (AHR-lah, Swedish)
• Arna (AHR-nah, Germanic, Scandinavian)--"eagle"
• Arwa (UR-wah, Arabic)
• Åsa (OH-sah, Norwegian, Swedish)
• Asha (AH-shah, Hindi)--"hope"
• Asta (AHS-stah, Scandinavian)--form of Astrid and other Ast-names. 
• Auda (OW-dah, Germanic)--form of Otto/Odette
• Audra (OH-drah, Lithuanian; AW-drah, English) [separate derivations]
• Aura (OW-rah, Finnish)
• Aušra (OH-shrah, Lithuanian)--"dawn"
• Ava (AY-vah, English; AH-vah, German, Persian, Scandinavian) [multiple derivations]
• Avra (AH-vrah, Greek)--"aura, breeze"
• Aya (ah-yah, Japanese, Scandinavian) [separate derivations]
• Ayça (eye-jah, Turkish)--"crescent moon"
• Ayla (AY-lah, English; eye-LAH, Turkish) [separate derivations]
• Azra (AZ-rah, Arabic, Bosnian, Turkish)

Matilda and Her Sisters

There's a category of names that I love that really doesn't get much play anymore: the -ildas & -eldas. Maybe it's the medieval feel, or the Germanic clunkiness, or the way the L & D roll together, regardless, I love them all.
Chances are you can only think of Matilda and maybe Clotilda (or Romilda & Bathilda, Harry Potter nerds), since Germanic names have been on the decline in English for quite some time. Most are derived from Germanic -hild- "battle", but I'm sure we can find a few from different origins....

• Agenilda (ah-gayn-EEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"sharp" or "enclosure" + "battle"
• Aitilde (eh-TEELD, [archaic] French)--from Germanic, "brilliant battle"
• Altilde (ahl-TEELD, [archaic] French)--from Germanic, "old battle"
• Alvilda (ahl-VIL-dah, Scandinavian)--"elf battle". Other forms include Alfilda (archaic English), Alwilda, Awilda, & Elfilda (archaic English). 
• Arilda (ah-RIL-dah, Scandinavian)--feminine of Arnold or Harold
• Åshilde (ohs-HIL-deh, Norwegian)--"god-battle". Other forms include Åsilde & Áshilda. 
• Batilda (bah-TEEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"bold" or "battle" + "battle". Other forms include Bathilda.
• Benilda (beh-NEEL-dah, Spanish)--poss. "bear battle"
• Bertilda (behr-TIL-dah, German)--"bright battle". Other forms include Berthilde.
• Brunilda (broo-NEEL-dah, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)--"battle protection". Other forms include Brynhilde & Brynilda (both Scandinavian)
• Casilda (kah-SEEL-dah, Spanish)--origin unknown, poss. Arabic
• Clotilda (kloh-TIL-dah, English)--"famous battle".
• Ermenegilda (ehr-meh-neh-JEEL-dah, Italian)--"whole sacrifice". Other forms include Ermenilda (archaic English)
• Estrilda (ays-TREEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"Easter-battle". Other forms include Estrelda.
• Everilda (ay-ver-REEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"boar battle". Other forms include Averilde.
• Farhilde (fahr-HIL-deh, German)--"battle journey" 
• Götilda (yu [u like in English "put"]-TIL-tah, Swedish)--"Goth battle"
• Griselda (grih-ZEL-dah, English, Spanish)--poss. "grey battle" or "Christ's battle"
• Gunilda (goon-EEL-dah, Old Swedish)--"battle" + "battle". Other forms include Gunhilda.
• Imelda (ee-MEL-dah, Italian, Spanish)--"whole battle"
• Ishilde (ees-HILD-eh, German)--"iron battle", poss. older form of Isolde. 
• Lantilde (lahn-TEELD, [archaic] French)--from Germanic "land battle"
• Leonilda (leh-oh-NEEL-dah, Italian)--poss. "lion battle"
• Luilda (loo-EEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"beloved battle"
• Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, English, Scandinavian)--"battle strength"
• Merilda (meh-REEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"famous battle"
• Mirielda (meer-ee-EL-dah, [archaic] English)--form of Muriel
• Norhilde (nohr-HIL-deh, German)--"north battle"
• Orielda (oh-ree-EL-dah, [archaic] English)--origin unknown, poss. "without battle"
• Otilda (oh-TIL-dah, Swedish)--"battle wealth" or a form of Ottilia
• Quenilda (kwayn-EEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"queen battle"
• Ragnhilda (rahng-HIL-dah, Scandinavian)--"battle advisor". Other forms include Raginilda (archaic English), Reinhilde (archaic French), & Reynilda (archaic English).
• Rikilda (ree-KEEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"brave battle". Other forms include Richilda & Richelda.
• Romilda (roh-MEEL-dah, Italian)--"famous battle"
• Rosilda (roh-SEEL-dah, Italian)--poss. "horse battle" or a form of Rose
• Runilda (roo-NEEL-dah, [archaic] English)--"secret battle". Other forms include Ronilda & Runhilde (German).
• Seilda (seh-IL-dah, [archaic] English)--"sea battle"
• Sonnhilde (son-HIL-deh, German)--"sun battle"
• Swanhilda (svahn-HIL-dah, German)--"swan battle". Other forms include Sunilda, Svanhilda, & Swanilda (archaic English)
• Sygnilde (sing-NIL-deh, Norwegian)--"battle victory" or a combination of Signy & Hilde. Other forms include Søgnilde. 
• Torilde (toh-RIL-deh, Norwegian)--"Thor's battle". Other forms include Durilda (archaic English), Torhilda & Turilde.
• Ursilda (oor-SEEL-dah, [archaic] German)--origin unknown

Dead Names.

Okay, yes, I know--there have been thousands, possibly millions of names that were once in use which, for whatever reason, just...stopped. Today, I'm going to have fun looking for now-obsolete names used in England within the last 5-700 years or so. A few survive today in surname form, but otherwise, they're gone--feminine or masculine, in pretty much any language I could find (apologies if I missed something).
(nowhere near a comprehensive list, obviously!)

Boys:

• Adelard--Old English or Germanic "noble" + "brave"
• Beneger--prob. from Germanic bern "bear" + gar "spear"
• Botolph--Old English "help", "messenger", or "battle" + wulf "wolf"
• Cuthbert--Old English cuæ "famous" + beorht "bright"
• Degory/Digory--prob. from French egare "lost", or possibly Anglo-Norman desgarry "dispossessed"
• Edulf--Old English ead "rich" + wulf "wolf"
• Gerlick--from Germanic gar "spear" + laic "contest"
• Hereward--Old English here "army" + weard "guard"
• Osgood--Old English os "god" + Germanic god "god"
• Osmer--Old English os "god" + mære "famous"
• Rocelin--from Germanic hrod "fame", via French & Germanic diminutives
• Turbert--Old Norse Thor + Germanic bert "bright"
• Warin--from Germanic war "guard"
• Wicard/Wychard--from Germanic wig  "war" + hard "brave"
• Wolfstan--Old English wulf + stan "stone"
• Wymark--from Germanic wig "war" + mar "famous", via Old Breton
• Wymer--from Germanic wig "war" + mar "famous"
• Wymond--from Germanic wig "war" + mund "protector"

Girls:

• Agenilda/Einilda--from Germanic agi "sharp" or haga "enclosure" + hild "battle"
• Ailith--Old English æðel "noble" + gifu "gift"
• Ailova--Old English æðel "noble" + lufu "love"
• Amice/Amicia--from Latin amicus "friend"
• Aldiva--Old English eald "old" + gifu "gift"
• Alviva--Old English ælf "elf" + gifu "gift"
• Belsant/Belsante/Belisencia--poss. from Germanic bili (?) "sword" + sinþ "journey"
• Brithwen--Old English beorht "bright" + wynn "joy"
• Claremonde/Claremunda--from Latin clarus "bright" + Germanic mund "protector"
• Estrild/Estrilda/Estrelda--Old English Eastre "Easter" [Germanic goddess] + hild "battle"
• Hawis/Hawisia--from Germanic hadu "battle" + widis "wide"
• Idemay--poss. Germanic id "work" + mæg "power"
• Idony/Idonea--from Old Norse Iðunn [Norse goddess]
• Kinborow--Old English cyne "king" + burg "fortress"
• Leva--Old English léofe "beloved"
• Levith--Old English léofe "beloved" + gýð "battle" 
• Leviva/Lyveva--Old English léofe "beloved" + gifu "gift"
• Maysant/Maisenta--from Germanic matha "council"(?)+ suent "strength", or magan "strength" + sinþ "journey"; via French
• Merewen--Old English mære "famous" + wynn "joy"
• Quenell/Quenilda--Old English cwen "woman, queen" + hild "battle"
• Queniva--Old English cwen "woman, queen" + gifu "gift"
• Rametta/Ramett--from Latin ramus "branch" or Germanic ragn "advice"
• Seilda/Seild--Old English sæ "sea" + hild "battle"
• Selova--Old English sæ "sea" + lufu "love"
• Welthian--unknown, poss. "Wealthy Anne"; or a corruption of "Welsh woman" or of a Welsh name (like Gwenllian)
• Wymark--poss. from Germanic wig "war" + mar "famous", via Old Breton

And yet again, I come up with more feminine names than masculine. I'm amazed at how many boys' names, even from over half a millennium ago, are still in use today. Girls' names really do have more turnover!

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--Millie/Mila

I haven't done this one yet? Really?? *hangs head in shame*
Originally short for Millicent, Mildred, and other musty Germanic names, Millie is more likely today to be a nickname for the comeback favorites Amelia & Camilla.
And speaking of rising favorites, Mila has quite a bit of potential overlap with Millie. Although it's pretty established as a given name overseas, it was originally a nickname for many Slavic -mil- names.

• Amelina (ah-meh-LEE-nah, Germanic)--original form of Emmeline
• Bohumila (baw-hoo-MEE-lah, Czech)--from Slavic, "dear to God"
• Camellia (kah-MEE-lee-ah, kah-MEL-ee-ah, English)
• Jamila (jah-MEE-lah, Arabic)--"beautiful". Spanish form is Yamila.
• Magnhild (MANG-nhild, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "mighty in battle"
• Marsaili (MAR-sah-lee, Scottish)--form of Marcella
• Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, English)
• Maximiliane (maks-ee-mil-YAH-neh, German)--other forms include Maximilienne (French) & Maximiliana (Latin)
• Mélisande (may-lee-SAHND, French)--form of Millicent
• Melitta (meh-LIT-tah, German, Scandinavian)--form of Melissa
• Micheline (mee-sheh-LEEN, French)--form of Michele/Michaela
• Mielikki (MEE-eh-lik-kee, Finnish)
• Mihaela (mee-HYE-lah, Croatian, Romanian)--another form of Michaela/Michele
• Milada (mee-LAH-dah, Croatian)
• Milagros (mee-LAH-grohs, Spanish)--"miracles"
• Milda (MEEL-dah, Lithuanian)--Lithuanian goddess of love
• Milena (mee-LEH-nah, Slavic)--another form is Milana.
• Milica (MEE-lee-tsah, Slavic)--also spelled Militsa
• Milou (mee-LOO, Swedish, French)--from French, form of Émilie/Emilia
• Milva (MEEL-vah, Italian)
• Romilda (roh-MEEL-dah, Italian)--from Germanic, "famous battle'
• Sharmila (shar-MEE-lah, Hindi)
• Theomilla (theh-oh-MEE-lah, German)

U-La-La!

Well, I've done I-names and O-names, so now it time for me to continue the trend of underused letters, this time with U.
Only 4 names starting with U appear in the US top 1000--Urijah, Uriel, Uriah, & Ulises.
Ursula charted in the past, and Unique more recently, but currently there are zero U-names in the girls' Top 1000!


Boys:

• Ualan (ooAH-lan, WAH-lan, Scottish)--form of Valentine
• Uberto (oo-BEHR-toh, Italian)--form of Hubert
• Ùisdean (OOSH-jun, Scottish)
• Ulderico (ool-deh-REE-koh, Italian)
• Ulfilas (ool-FEE-las, Gothic/Germanic)--"little wolf"
• Uljas (OOL-yahs, Finnish)--"noble, valiant"
• Ulric (OOL-rik, English)--from Germanic, "rich heritage"
• Ultan (UL-tan, Irish)
• Ulvi (ool-VEE, Turkish)--"exalted"
• Umar (OO-mar, Arabic)
• Ümit (EU-meet, Turkish)--"hope"
• Unathi (oo-NAH-tee, Xhosa)--"God is with us"
• Untamo (oon-TAH-moh, Finnish)
• Uolevi (OO-oh-leh-vee, Finnish)--form of Olaf/Oliver
• Urard (UR-ard, Irish)--"tall"
• Urban (OOR-bahn, German, Scandinavian, Slovene)--from Latin, "city dweller"
• Usko (OOS-koh, Finnish)--"faith"
• Usman (OOS-mahn, Arabic)
• Uspaig (OOS-pek, Scottish)--from Old Norse, "wild"
• Uxío (oo-SHEE-ah, Galician)--form of Eugene
• Uzziel (oo-zee-EL, UZ-ee-el, English)--from Hebrew, "God is my power"

Girls:

• Uaine (oo-AHN-yeh, WAHN-yeh, Irish)--"greenish"
• Udane (oo-dah-neh, Basque)--"summer"
• Uliana (ool-YAH-nah, Russian)--form of Juliana
• Ülkü (eul-KEU, Turkish)--"ideal"
• Ulrika (ool-REE-kah, Scandinavian, German)--feminine of Ulric
• Ulviye (ool-VEE-yeh, Turkish)--feminine of Ulvi
• Umeko (oo-meh-koh, Japanese)
• Una (OON-ah, Irish)
• Undine (oon-DEE-neh, UN-deen, English & German)--from Latin, "wave"
• Unelma (OON-el-mah, Finnish)--"dream"
• Ursa (UR-sah, OOR-sah, Latin)--"bear"
• Usha (OO-shah, Hindi)--"dawn"
• Usoa (oo-soh-ah, Basque)--"dove". Another form is Uxue (oo-shoo-eh). 
• Ustinya (oos-TEEN-yah, Russian)--form of Justine
• Uxía (oo-SHEE-ah, Galician)--form of Eugenia

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

Quite frequently, I come across a name with a couple interesting variants, but not enough to dedicate an entire post to. I've been storing them away in the back of my mind, and I think I've collected enough for now. Girls' names today, and a little list of boys' names soon....and probably a few more grab-bag posts down the line (I love doing 'same name' posts--language is fun!).

• Amy (AY-mee, English)
• Aimee (eh-MAY, French)
• Amada (ah-MAH-dah, Spanish)
• Evelyn (EV-el-in, English)
• Avelina (av-eh-LEE-nah, Germanic)
• Eibhlín (EYE-leen, Irish)--anglicized to Eileen/Aileen
• Guinevere (GWIN-eh-veer, English)
• Gaynor (GAY-nor, English)
• Ginevra (jin-EV-rah, Italian)
• Jenifer (JEN-ih-fer, Cornish, English)
• Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, English)
• Mafalda (mah-FAHL-dah, Italian, Portuguese)
• Mahaut (mah-oh, French)
• Maud (MAWD, English)
• Sophia (soh-FEE-ah, English)
• Sonya (SOHN-yah, Russian)
• Zosia (ZAW-shah, Polish)

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--Ed/Eddie

I admit, I love most of the Ed-names. There's just something about them. Edward is easily the most common,  but there are lots of ways to get to Eddie and the more archaic nicknames of Ned & Ted.

• Edelmiro (eh-del-MEER-oh, Spanish)--from Germanic, "noble and famous"
• Eder (eh-dehr, Basque)--"handsome"
• Edgar (ED-gar, English)--from Germanic, "blessed spear". Other forms include Edgard (French) and Edgardo (Spanish)
• Edis (EH-dees, Norwegian)--form of Giles/Aegidius. Older form is Edias. 
• Edison (ED-ih-son, English)
• Ediz (eh-DEEZ, Turkish)--"high"
• Edlef (ED-lef, Germanic)--"blessed wolf"
• Edmar (ED-mar, Scandinavian)--from Germanic, "wealthy and famous"
• Edmund (ED-mund, English)--from Germanic, "blessed protector". Other forms include Edmond (French), Edmao (Limburgish), Edmondo (Italian), & Edmundo (Portuguese & Spanish)
• Ednar (ED-nar, Norwegian)--masculine of Edna
• Edric (ED-rik, English)--from Germanic, "blessed ruler"
• Edsart (ED-sart, Frisian)--from Germanic, "brave sword"
• Edur (eh-door, Basque)--"snow"
• Edwin (ED-win, English)--from Germanic, "blessed friend"

Same Name?!--Henry

Oh, Henry; handsome Henry. His usage may have waned for a few decades, but he's never fallen out of the top 150. With dozens of namesakes, including several royals from a few different nations, it's no surprise that he's spread throughout the Western world, and is always in style.

Original Germanic form: Heimirich (HYE-mih-rikh)
Latinized form: Henricus (HEN-rih-kus)
English form: Henry (HEN-ree)

Other forms:

• Anraí (AHN-ree)--Irish
• Arrigo (ahr-REE-goh)--Italian
• Eanrig (EN-rik)--Scottish
• Endika (en-dee-kah)--Basque
• Enric (en-REEK)--Catalan
• Enrico (en-REE-koh)--Italian
• Enrique (en-REE-kay)--Spanish
• Harris (HEHR-ris)--English (via Harry)
• Harry (HEHR-ree)--Medieval English
• Heikki (HAYK-kee)--Finnish
• Heinrich (HINE-rikh)--German
• Hendrik (HEN-drik)--Dutch
• Henri (awn-REE)--French

Now to make things a bit tricker, there's the Germanic name Emmerich. It could be derived from Heimirich/Henry, but it could also come from Ermenrich or Amalrich. Most likely, the three similar names all got muddled into one, much like Guy/Vitus in ancient times, or Amelia/Emilia in modern English.

So, because the derivation is less clear, I've listed Emmerich's variants separately. Some linguists hold them equivalent to Henry; some don't.  

• Amaury (ah-moh-REE)--French
• Américo (ah-MEH-ree-koh)--Spanish, Portuguese
• Amerigo (ah-MEHR-ih-goh)--Italian
• Émeric (aym-REEK)--French
• Emery (EM-er-ee)--English
• Imre (EEM-reh)--Hungarian
• Imrich (IM-rikh)--Slovak

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Theo/Thea

Theo is one of those nicknames we're likely to be seeing a lot more of. It just reappeared on the SSA charts for the first time in nearly 70 years--right on cue for a revival. Its traditional full form, though, Theodore, is either old-man chic, or permanently stuck in Chipmunk-territory, depending on who you ask.
As for poor Thea, she's not been seen in many a year, nor have her usual full forms, the twin sisters Dorothea & Theodora.

• Philotheos (fil-oth-EH-os, Greek)--"friend of God"
• Theobald (THEE-oh-bahld, THEH-oh-bahld, Germanic)--"of bold people"
• Theocritus (thee-OK-rit-us, Latin)--from Greek, "judged by God"
• Theodard (THEH-oh-dard, Latin)--from Germanic, "of strong people"
• Theodolf (THEH-oh-dolf, Germanic)-- "of the wolf people"
• Theodoric (thee-OD-ohr-ik, Germanic)--"people's ruler"
• Theodosius (thee-oh-DOH-see-us, Latin)--from Greek, "giving to God"
• Theodotus (thee-oh-DOH-tus, Latin)--from Greek, "given to God"
• Theodulus (thee-oh-DOO-lus, Latin)--from Greek, "servant of God". Modern French form is Théodule.
• Theofried (THEH-ah-freed, Latin)--from Germanic, "of peaceful people"
• Theophilus (thee-OF-il-us, Latin)--from Greek, "friend of God".  Modern forms include Théophile (French), Theofilus (Dutch), & Theophil (German).
• Theopont (THEH-ah-pont, Greek)--"sea of God"

• Alethea (ah-LAY-thee-ah, ah-lah-THEE-ah, English)--from Greek, "truth"
• Althea (ahl-THEH-ah, ahl-THEE-ah, Greek)--"healing"
• Amalthea (ah-mahl-THEE-ah, ah-mahl-THEH-ah, Greek)--"soothing"
• Anthea (an-THEE-ah, an-THEH-ah, Greek)--"flower"
• Eidothea (ay-doth-EH-ah, Greek)--"knowledge goddess"
• Pasithea (pas-ih-THEH-ah, Greek)--"acquired goddess"
• Praxithea (praks-ih-THEH-ah, Greek)--"commerce goddess"
• Theodosia (thee-oh-DOHS-yah, Greek)--"giving to God"
• Theokleia (thee-oh-KLAY-ah, Greek)--"glory of God"
• Theolinde (theh-oh-LEEN-deh, Latin)--from Germanic, "of tender people"
• Theomilla (theh-oh-MEEL-lah, German)--Greek [theo] + Slavic [milla], "God's grace"
• Theonoe (theh-on-OH-ee, Greek)--"intelligent goddess"
• Theophania (thee-of-AN-yah, Greek)--"appearance of God"
• Theophila (thee-OF-il-ah, Greek)--"friend of God"
• Theophora (theh-OF-or-ah, thee-OF-or-ah, Greek)--"bearing God"
• Timothea (tim-oh-THEH-ah, tim-oh-THEE-ah, English)--from Greek, "honoring God"

Same Name?!--Guy

Guy is a bit odd. Most people today consider it a slang term rather than a name, and that's not completely unreasonable, since it's probably one of the oldest bits of slang in use today--coined in the mid 1800s! Guy was a name long before that, most famously borne by Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. It's also thanks to him that guy is now a term for "man"--his tale was romanticized in a popular book, and guy entered general terminology meaning "shabby man", later expanded to any male.
Despite this, Guy remained in common use for quite some time, only dropping off the US charts 5 years ago.

And for such a short name, it has a surprising amount of variation from language to language. This is partially because its original form sounded almost identical to a Latin name, Vitus, and where the two languages overlapped, they were treated as the same name. Consequently, it's difficult to separate which modern form evolved from Vitus, and which from Wido.

Original Germanic form: Wido (VEE-doh)
Modern French form: Guy (GEE)

Other forms:

• Guido (GEE-doh)--German
• Guido (GWEE-doh)--Italian
• Gvidas (GVEE-dahs)--Lithuanian
• Veit (FITE)--German
• Vid (VEED)--Croatian, Slovene. Feminine is Vida.
• Wide (WEE-deh)--Frisian
• Wit (VEET)--Polish

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.

Same Name?!--Derek

Derek has had an interesting journey. A staple 80s boy-name, it's got a surprising amount of history--and undergone some interesting changes over the centuries.

Original Germanic (Gothic) form: Thiudareiks
Latinized form: Theodoric (thee-oh-DOH-rik)
Modern English form: Derek (DEH-rek)

Other forms:

• Dederick (DED-er-ik)--archaic English
• Diederick (DEE-der-ik)--Dutch
• Dietrich (DEET-rik)--German
• Dirk (DEERK or DERK)--German, English
• Thierry (tye-REE)--French
• Tjodrek (TYOH-drek)--Norwegian
• Tudor (TOO-dor)--Welsh

Tough Girls' Names

Boys' names with stalwart, warrior-type names are pretty darned common--Ethan ("enduring"), Alexander ("defender of men"), William ("willful protector"), Nicholas ("people's victory")--the list goes on and on. For girls' names, though, most cultures historically have tended towards pretty, poetic, or virtuous names--Sophia ("wisdom"), Elizabeth/Isabella ("God's promise"), Chloe ("green shoot"), Sarah ("princess"), etc.
Trying to find a fighting name for a girl can be tough, unless you want to use a feminization of a boys' name, like Nicole, Alexandria, and Louise ("famous warrior"), or an originally male name, like Riley ("valiant"), Alexis ("defender"), and Aubrey ("elven power").
And before you even look, yes, this is a very Germanic-heavy list.

• Audrey (AW-dree, English)--"noble strength"
• Bellatrix (BEL-lah-triks, Latin)--"warrior"
• Bellona (bel-LOH-nah, Latin)--"fight"
• Berenice (behr-en-EYE-see, English, or behr-en-EE-cheh, Italian)--from Greek, "bringing victory". Variants include Veronica and Bernice.
• Boudica (BOH-dih-kah, Celtic)--"victorious"
• Brava (BRAH-vah, Esperanto)--"valiant"
• Brenda (BREN-dah, English)--from Old Norse, "sword"
• Edith (EE-dith, English)--"blessed war"
• Efigénia (ef-ih-ZHEN-yah, Portuguese)--from Greek, "born strong"
• Eunice (YOO-nis, English)--from Greek, "good victory"
• Gertrude (GER-trood, English, or gehr-TROO-deh, German)--"spear of strength"
• Hilda (HIL-dah, Germanic)--"battle"
• Hillevi (HIL-eh-vee, Finnish)--from Germanic, "healthy in battle"
• Jaya (jah-yah, Indian [Hindi])--"victory"
• Jördis (YOR-dis, German)--from Old Norse, "sword goddess"
• Katsumi (kaht-soo-mee, Japanese)--"victorious beauty"
• Koa (koh-ah, Hawaiian)--"brave, bold"
• Lalama (lah-lah-mah, Hawaiian)--"daring, clever"
• Lanakila (lah-nah-kee-lah, Hawaiian)--"victorious"
• Liv (LEEV, Scandinavian)--"protection" [also means "life" in modern Swedish & Danish]
• Makana (mah-kah-nah, Hawaiian)--"fierce"
• Matilda (mah-TIL-dah, English, Swedish)--from Germanic, "strength in battle"
• Móirne (MORN-yeh, Irish)--"great"
• Nanna (NAHN-nah, Scandinavian)--"daring"
• Nahoa (nah-hoh-ah, Hawaiian)--"bold, defiant"
• Nessa (NES-sa, Irish)--"not gentle". Anglicized from Neasa (NYAS-ah).
• Rhonwen (RHON-wen, Welsh)--"blessed spear"
• Romilda (roh-MIL-dah, Italian)--from Germanic, "famous battle"
• Rosamund (ROZ-ah-mund or ROHZ-ah-mund, English)--from Germanic, "horse protection"
• Roswitha (roz-VEE-thah, German)--"famous strength"
• Saskia (SAS-kee-ah or ZAHS-kee-ah, German & Dutch)--from Germanic, "knife"
• Shamira (shah-meer-ah, Hebrew)--"guardian"
• Shinobu (shin-oh-boo, Japanese)--"endurance"
• Shun (shoon, Japanese)--"speed"
• Signy (SIG-nee, Scandinavian)--"new victory"
• Sigrid (SIG-rid, Scandinavian)--"beautiful victory"
• Solveig (SOL-vay, Scandinavian)--"strength of the sun"
• Tisiphone (tih-SIH-foh-nee, Greek"--"avenging murder"
• Toril (TOR-il, Scandinavian)--"Thor's battle"
• Tressa (TRES-sah, Irish)--"strength". Anglicized from Treasa/Trása (TRAH-sah).
• Valda (VAHL-da, Germanic)--"power" 
• Valencia (vah-LEN-see-ah, Spanish)--from Latin, "power"
• Venka (VEN-kah, Esperanto)--"victorious"
• Victoria (vik-TOR-ee-ah, Latin)--"victory"
• Ylva (EEL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "she-wolf"
• Yumi (yoo-mee, Japanese)--"[archery] bow"