You're a Star, pt. 3

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

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

Feminine:

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

Masculine:

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

Unisex:

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

F-abulous Names

Considering how many F-names seem to be trending (Finn and variants, Flynn, Ford, Fisher, Fletcher, Felicity, Fiona, Freya), I'm surprised there aren't any except Faith in the SSA Top 100--and it's down at #91! After that, it's Finn for boys at #204 and Finley for girls at #209.
F-names were all the rage at the turn of the century (Frank, Florence, Frances/Francis, Fred, Ferdinand, Floyd, Faye, etc), and I think it's time for a comeback. ;)

(this turned into a much longer list than I had expected. How is it that there are so many F-names world-wide, but so few in use in the US?)

Boys:

• Faolán (FWEE-lawn, FWAY-lawn, Irish)--prob. "little wolf"
• Faiz (FAH-eez, Arabic)--"victorious"
• Fanuel (FAHN-oo-el, Scandinavian)--from Hebrew, "face of God"
• Faramund (FAHR-ah-mund, Germanic)--"journey protection". Old Swedish form is Farmund.
• Faris (FEHR-is, Arabic; FAH-rees, Bosnian)--from Arabic, "knight"
• Farman (FAHR-man, Scandinavian)--"traveller". Also spelled Farmann. 
• Faustin (foh-STAHN, French; FOW ['ow' like "now"] -steen, Russian)--from Latin, "lucky". Other forms include Faustyn (FOW-stin, Polish) and Faustino (fow-STEEN-oh, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish). 
• Fen (FEN, Frisian)--nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace" [coincides with an English word for a type of wetland]
• Ferapont (fyehr-ah-PAHNT, Russian)--from ancient Greek, "servant, caregiver"
• Ferris (FEHR-ris, English [surname], Irish [surname])--from French, "ironworker", or a form of Fergus
• Fife (FIFE, Scottish)--from the Scottish region, origin unknown. Also spelled Fyfe.
• Finlo (FIN-loh, Manx)--"fair Lugh" [Irish god]
• Finnegas (FIN-eh-gas, Irish [mythology])--poss. "Finn the Seer". Also written as Finegas or Finneces.
• Finnvid (FIN-vid, [somewhat archaic] Swedish)--"Finn-tree" or "magician-tree"). Other forms include Finnevid (also somewhat archaic Swedish), Finnved (archaic Norwegian), and Finwith (old Danish, old Swedish)
• Fishel (FISH-el, Yiddish)--"little fish" [also sometimes used as a nickname for Ephraim]
• Fivos (FEE-vos, Greek)--modern masculine form of Phoebe, "light"
• Flemming (FLEM-ming, Scandinavian [esp. Danish!])--"from Flanders" [probably ultimately from Old Frisian "of the flowing water"]. Also spelled Fleming. 
• Flint (FLINT, English [surname])
• Fordel (FOR-del, Norwegian)--from Germanic, "advantage"
• Fosco (FOHS-koh, Italian)--prob. from Latin, "dark"
• Fraser (FRAY-zher, FRAY-zer, Scottish, English)--also spelled Frazier
• Fredmund (FRED-moond, Norwegian)--"peace protection"
• Frey (FRAY, Danish, Swedish)--masculine of Freya "lord". Also spelled Frej.
• Fulton (FUL-ton, English [surname])

Girls:

• Fabia (FAH-bee-ah, Latin, Italian)--other forms include Fabiana (fah-bee-AH-nah, Latin, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), Fabienne (fah-bee-EN, French), and Fabiola (fah-bee-OH-lah, Spanish, Italian).
• Fadime (fah-dee-MAY, Turkish)--form of Fatima
• Faina (fah-EE-nah, Russian)--poss. from ancient Greek Phaenna, "shining"
• Faiza (FYE-zah, Arabic)--"victorious"
• Fanchon (FAN-shawn, French)--nickname for Françoise/Frances
• Fanélie (fah-nay-LEE, French)--form of Françoise/Frances or Stéphanie
• Fara (FAH-rah, Italian, Scandinavian)--nickname for Germanic fara names, "journey"
• Fausta (FOW ['ow' like "now"] -stah, Latin, Italian)--from Latin, "lucky". Other forms include Faustine (foh-STEEN, French), Faustina (fow-STEEN-ah, Latin, Italian), and Faustyna (fow-STIN-ah, Polish). 
• Favonia (fah-VOH-nee-ah, Latin)--"favored"
• Fedea (fed-eh-ah, Basque)--"faith"
• Femke (FEM-keh, Dutch, Frisian)--nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace". [coincides with the Frisian word for "girl"]
• Fenareti (fen-ah-REH-tee, Greek)--"shining virtue". Also transliterated as Fainareti. 
• Fenna (FEN-nah, Dutch, Frisian)--another nickname for Germanic frid names, "peace". Also spelled Fenne. 
• Feray (feh-RYE, Turkish)--poss, "radiance of the moon"
• Ffion (FEE-on, Welsh)--"foxglove"
• Fia (FEE-ah, Scandinavian)--short form of Sofia
• Fiadh (FEE-ah, Irish)--"wild" or "deer"
• Fiadhnait (FYAH-nat, Irish)--"fawn"
• Fiamma (fee-AHM-mah, Italian)--"flame"
• Fiammetta (fee-ahm-MET-tah, Italian)--"little flame"
• Fiorenza (fee-oh-REN-tsah, Italian)--form of Florence. Other forms include Florentia (floh-REN-tee-ah, Latin; floh-REN-shah, English) and Florencia (floh-REN-see-ah, Spanish). 
• Fira (feer-AH, Russian)--nickname for Esfir/Esther
• Flavia (FLAH-vee-ah, Latin, Spanish, Italian)--from Latin, "golden, yellow". Other forms include Flavie (flah-VEE, French), Flavienne (flah-vee-EN, French), and Flaviana (flah-vee-AH-nah, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Freydis (FRAY-dis, Norwegian)--"lady goddess". Another form is Frøydis (FROOY [somewhere between English "ay" and "oy"] -dis). 

Unisex:

• Farah (FAH-rah, Arabic)--"joy". Also spelled Farrah. 
• Firdaus (FEER-dohs, Arabic; fur-DOHS, Persian)--"paradise". Also transliterated as Firdos. [definitely unisex, although more common for boys, in Arabic; might be exclusively masculine in Persian]

Iamb What I Am (boys)

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

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

"Girlish" Boy Names

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

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

-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 )

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--Dora/Dolly/Dotty

I know, it seems weird to group those together. But, Dolly & Dotty were nicknames for Dorothy thanks to that R-to-L/T/D shift that Middle English pulled (see also: Sarah --> Sadie; Mary --> Molly), so I think they could also work for any 'Dora' name. :)
The usual full names for Dora include Dorothy/Dorothea, Doris, Theodora, & Isadora, although none are at all common today.
(I would also like you all to know that I now have the "Dora the Explorer" theme song stuck in my head. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah.)

• Adora (ah-DOR-ah, English, Spanish)--from Spanish adoración. Catalan form is Adoració.
• Adorinda (ah-doh-REEN-dah, Esperanto)--"adorable"
• Anesidora (ah-nee-sih-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"sender of gifts"
• Cassiodora (kahs-see-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)
• Christodora (kris-toh-DOR-ah), [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Christ"
• Cleodora (kleh-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of glory"
• Devorah (deh-voh-RAH, Hebrew)--form of Deborah
• Dinorah (dee-NOR-ah, Portuguese, Spanish)
• Diodora (dee-oh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Zeus"
• Doralice (doh-rah-LEE-cheh, Italian; doh-rah-LEE-see, Portuguese)--poss. from Greek, "gift of the dawn". Other forms include Doralys (Spanish) & Doralise (English).
• Doriane (doh-ree-AHN, French)--feminine of Dorian. Another form is Doriana (Italian, Portuguese).
• Dorina (doh-REE-nah, Hungarian, Romanian)
• Dorit (DOR-it, Scandinavian)--form of Dorothea
• Eldora (el-DOR-ah, English)
• Eudora (yoo-DOR-ah, English)--from Greek, "good gift"
• Halldóra (HAL-doh-rah, Icelandic)--another form is Aldora (Norwegian)
• Heliodora (ay-lee-oh-DOR-ah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Greek, "gift of the sun"
• Medora (meh-DOR-ah, English)
• Menodora (men-ah-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of the moon". Romanian form is Minodora.
• Metrodora (met-roh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of the mother"
• Midori (mee-doh-ree, Japanese)--"green"
• Nicodora (nee-koh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of victory"
• Polydora (pol-ee-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"many gifts"
• Teodora (teh-oh-DOR-ah, Bulgarian, Italian, Spanish, Scandinavian)--form of Theodora. Other forms include Feodora (Russian) and Deodora (Norwegian).
• Zenodora (zee-noh-DOR-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"gift of Zeus"

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.

D-Dun-Dun-Dun-Duuuuunn

Did you know there're no D-names for girls in the Top 100? Destiny is the highest-ranked, at #113, followed by Delilah, Daniela, Daisy, & Delaney also in the Top 250.
In the past, a few different D-names have been common for girls (several currently are for boys!), but I guess most must be 'unstylish' right now.

• Daciana (dah-chee-AH-nah, Romanian)
• Dagny (DAHG-nee, Norwegian; DAHNG-nee, Swedish; DAG-nee, English)--from Old Norse, "new day". Latvian form is Dagnija (DAHG-nee-yah).
• Dahlia (DAH-lee-ah or DAY-lee-ah, English)--Spanish form is Dalia (DAHL-yah)
• Daina (DAY-nah, Lithuanian; DYE-nah, Latvian)--"song"
• Dáiríne (DAH-rin-yeh, Irish)--Anglicized as Darina. 
• Damaris (DAM-ah-ris, English; DAH-mah-ris, German; dah-MAH-rees, Spanish)
• Damhnait (DAV-nat, DOW-nat, Irish)--"fawn". Anglicized as Devnet or Dymphna (DIMF-nah)
• Damiana (dah-mee-AH-nah, Italian)--feminine of Damian. 
• Danaë (dah-NAH-ee, Greek)
• Danica (DAN-ik-ah, English; DAH-nee-kah, Slavic)--"morning star"
• Daniyah (DAN-ee-ah, Arabic)
• Daphne (DAF-nee, English; DAHF-neh, Dutch & German)--from Greek, "laurel". Other forms include Dafna (Hebrew), Dafne (Italian), & Dafina (Albanian & Macedonian)
• Dara (DAH-rah, Slavic)--"gift". Other forms include Darinka, Darina & Daryna.  [masculine in other languages/origins]
• Darcy (DAR-see, English)
• Daria (DAH-ree-ah, Italian, Polish)--feminine of Darius. Other forms include Dareia (Greek), Darija (Croatian, Serbian), Darja (Czech), and Darya (Russian)
• Darya (dahr-YAH, Persian)--"sea"
• Davina (dah-VEE-nah, English)--feminine of David
• Deirdre (DEER-dreh, English; DEHR-dreh, Irish)
• Delphine (del-FEEN, French)--other forms include Delphina (Latin), Delfina (Italian, Spanish), & Delphia (English)
• Delwen (DEL-wen, Welsh)--"pretty & blessed"
• Delyth (DEL-ith, Welsh)--"pretty"
• Demeter (deh-MEE-ter, English; deh-MEH-tehr, Greek)--"earth mother"
• Demetria (deh-MEE-tree-ah, English; deh-MEH-tree-ah, Greek, Italian)
• Denica (deh-NEETZ-ah, Macedonian, Bulgarian)--"day, morning"
• Despina (DES-pee-nah, Greek, Russian, Macedonian)
• Desta (DEH-stah, Amharic)--"joy"
• Devi (DEV-ee, Hindi)--"goddess"
• Devika (DEV-ee-kah, Hindi)--"little goddess"
• Diantha (dee-AHN-thah, Dutch, English)--from Greek, "heavenly flower"
• Dilan (dee-LAHN, Turkish)--"love"
• Dinah (DYE-nah, English; dee-NAH, Hebrew)
• Dionisia (dee-oh-NEE-see-ah, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian)--form of Denise. 
• Doina (DOH-ee-nah, Romanian)--"folk song"
• Domenica (doh-MEH-nee-kah, Italian)--feminine of Dominic. Other forms include Dominga (Spanish), Dominica (Latin), Dominika (Czech, Russian, Polish, Slovak), and Domnika (Macedonian)
• Donata (doh-NAH-tah, Italian)
• Dorothea (doh-roh-THEE-ah, English; doh-roh-TE-ah, German)--other forms include Dorete (doh-REH-teh, Danish, Swedish), Dorotea (doh-roh-TEH-ah, Italian, Spanish, Croatian) & Dorit (DOHR-it, Scandinavian). 
• Drusa (DROO-sah, Latin)--another (Latin) form is Druscilla.
• Dua (DOO-ah, Arabic)--"prayer"
• Dulcinea (dool-sin-EH-ah, Spanish, English)
• Dunja (DOON-yah, Slavic)
• Dušana (doo-SHAH-nah, Slavic)--"soul"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Ari

A Top 500 boy name on the rise, Ari has begun to gain momentum as a girls' nickname--nothing new in the naming world, of course--thanks to the doubly-Top 100 Ariana/Arianna, and wow-it's-rising-fast!-Aria. Ari on its own also had a respectable rise on the girls' charts, now sitting a bit below the Top 1000 at 1326. Although it is a full name in its own right, wanting a full name for Ari is understandable: while it's masculine in most cultures, it's easily mistaken for a girl's name in English.

Boys:

• Aram (AH-rahm, Armenian)--"excellence"
• Aravind (AHR-ah-vind, Hindi)--"lotus"
• Archibald (AHR-chih-bahld, English, Scottish)
• Ardal (AHR-dahl, Irish)--"high valor". Anglicized from Ardghal. 
• Arduino (ahrd-WEE-noh, Italian)
• Argus (AHR-goos, [ancient] Greek)--"shining"
• Arkadiy (ahr-KAH-dee, Russian)--Also spelled Arkady or Arkadi. 
• Arnor (AHR-nohr, Scandinavian)
• Arrigo (ahr-REE-goh, Italiah)--from of Harry
• Arthur (AHR-thur, English)--other forms include Artair (Scottish), Arturo (Spanish, Portuguese), Artturi (Finnish), & Artūrus (Lithuanian)

Girls:

• Araceli (ah-rah-SEH-lee, Spanish)
• Araminta (ah-rah-MIN-tah, English)
• Aranka (AW-rahn-kah, Hungarian)--"gold"
• Arantxa (ah-rahnt-shah, Basque)
• Arendse (ah-REND-seh, Danish)--feminine of Arendt/Arnold
• Arezoo (ah-reh-ZOO, Persian)--also spelled Arezu or Arezou.
• Argiñe (ahr-gee-nyeh, Basque)--"light"
• Ariadne (ah-ree-AHD-nee, [ancient] Greek)--"most holy". Other forms include Ariadna (Spanish), Ariane (French), & Arianna (Italian)
• Arilda (ah-RIL-dah, Scandinavian)--feminine of Arild/Harold. 
• Arlette (ahr-LET, French)
• Armida (ahr-MEE-dah, Italian, Spanish)
• Arneke (AHR-neh-keh, Dutch, German)--from Germanic, "eagle". Also spelled Arnika or Arnike. 
• Arundhati (ah-ROOND-hah-tee, Hindi)
• Aruzhan (ah-roo-ZHAHN, Kazakh)--"beautiful soul"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Nick/Niko

It's funny how when asked for classic boys' names, we have a tendency to list names we know from our generation. Jason, Andrew, Ryan....and yes, Nicholas, all seem to be considered "classic". And yet, they're all very trendy to the 80/90s! While having an out-of-style name somehow isn't has horrible for guys as it is for girls, there are still quite a few nice substitutes for a little Nick. Nico/Niko is starting to gain use as a full name in its own right, too.

• Aniketos (ah-NEEK-eh-tohs, Greek)--"unconquerable"
• Besnik (BES-neek, Albanian)--"faithful"
• Domenico (doh-MEN-ee-koh, Italian)--form of Dominic
• Nicanor (nee-kah-NOHR, English, Spanish)--from Greek, "victory"
• Nikifor (nee-KEE-fohr, Polish, Russian)--from Greek, "carrying victory".
• Nicodème (nee-koh-DEM, French)--from Greek, "victory of the people"
• Nicomedo (nee-koh-MEH-doh, Italian)--from Greek, "thinking of victory"
• Nikhil (nik-HIL, Hindi)
• Nikias (nee-KEE-as, [ancient] Greek)
• Yannick (yah-NEEK, Breton, French)--form of Yann/John

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

• Aubrey (AW-bree, English))
• Alberico (al-BEHR-ee-koh, Italian)
• Auberon (OH-behr-on, French)--Also spelled Oberon.
• Avery (AY-ver-ee, English)
• Isaac (EYE-zak, English)
• Isaak (EE-sahk, German, Scandinavian; ee-SAAHK, Russian)
• Izaak (ee-ZAHK, Polish)
• Izsák (EE-zhahk, Hungarian)
• Sahak (sah-HAHK, Armenian)
• Yitzhak (yeets-KHAHK, Hebrew)

• Noah (NOH-ah, English)
• Noach (noh-AHKH, Hebrew)
• Noak (NOH-ahk, Swedish)
• Noé (noh-AY, French, Spanish, Portuguese)
• Noe (NOH-ay, Italian)
• Nojus (NOY-us, Lithuanian)

• Xavier (ek-ZAYV-yer, ZAYV-yer, English)
• Javier (hah-vee-EHR, Spanish)
• Ksawery (ksah-VEH-rih, Polish)
• Saverio (sahv-EHR-ee-oh, Italian)

Same Name?!?--Agnes

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

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

Other forms:

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

Y Not?

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

Boys:

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

Girls:

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

Unisex:

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

A Few Gems

Woo! Time for another theoretical names post (I have a lot of fun with these).
Lots of gemstone- & other mineralogical-type names are/have been used in English. Ruby, Jasper, Jade, Opal, Pearl, Amber, Emery, & Coral are all pretty recognizable, and several more have been in rarer use as well--Amethyst, Garnet, Celestine, Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz, Hyacinth, Beryl.
And so, here are a few more gems & minerals that could be used as names, IMO.

• Agate (AG-at, English; ah-GAHT, French)
• Ametrine (AM-eh-treen)
• Barytes (bah-RYE-teez) [archaic]
• Cadmia (KAD-mee-ah) [archaic]
• Chalcedony (kal-SED-oh-nee)
• Citrine (SIT-reen, SIT-rin)
• Covelline (KOH-vel-leen)
• Euclase (YOO-clays)
• Galena (gah-LEE-nah, gah-LEH-nah)
• Jacinth (JAY-sinth, jah-SINTH)
• Olivine (OL-ih-veen)
• Peridot (PEHR-ih-doh, PEHR-ih-dot)
• Tourmaline (TOHR-mah-leen, TOOR-mah-leen)

Gemstones in other languages (asterisks indicate established names):

• Ágata (AH-gah-tah, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician)--"agate". Italian is Agata (ah-GAH-tah) [also a form of Agatha].
• Ametista (ah-meh-TEES-tah, Italian)--"amethyst". Spanish is Amatista.
• Azurita (ah-soo-REE-tah, Spanish)--"azurite"
• Berillo (beh-REEL-loh, Italian)--"beryl"
• Biyu (bee-yoo, Mandarin [碧玉])--"jasper" [lit. "blue jade"]
• Lazurit (lah-ZOO-reet, Russian [лазурит])--"lapis lazuli". Japanese is Ruri (roo-ree) [ 琉璃--lit. "sulfur(?) glass"]
• Maragda (mah-RAHG-dah, Catalan)--"emerald". Spanish & Portuguese is Esmeralda* (fem).
• Mercan* (mehr-JAHN, Turkish, feminine)--"coral"
• Meripihka (MEHR-ih-pihh-kah, [the H is not silent] Finnish)--"amber"
• Nilam* (NEE-lam, Hindi, unisex)--"sapphire". Portuguese is Safira.
• Olivina (oh-lee-VEE-nah, Italian)--"olivine, peridot"
• Rubin (roo-BEEN, Czech, Danish, Dutch, German....)--"ruby". Italian is Rubino* (masculine).
• Yeşim* (yeh-SHEEM, Turkish, feminine)--"jade". Italian is Giada* (JAH-dah, feminine); Russian is Nefrit (NEH-freet) [нефрит].

Ideals & Imagery

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

Boys:

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

Girls:

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

Unisex:

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

Modern but Not (girls)

Girls' name-trends are more nickname-driven apparently, and shorten to Addy, Maddy, Emma, Bella, Ella, or Lily (mostly skipping these, as they're covered in other posts). Girls' names are also more likely to start with A, K, Z; contain H, K, X, Y, Z, ; and end in 'lee' [and to a lesser extent, 'ee' in general], 'aya', or 'ia'.

• Abigaia (ah-bee-GYE-ah, Greek [Biblical])--form of Abigail
• Acacia (ah-KAY-shah, English)
• Adannaya (ah-dah-NAH-yah, Igbo)--"her father's daughter"
• Alaia (ah-lah-yah, Basque)--"happy"
• Antheia (an-THAY-ah, Greek)--original form of Anthea
• Araceli (ah-rah-SEH-lee, Spanish)
• Arlie (AR-lee, English)
• Atalia (ah-TAHL-yah, Hebrew)
• Aviya (ah-vee-YAH, Hebrew)
• Aya (ah-yah, Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic)
• Caelia (SAY-lee-ah, English; CHAY-lee-ah or KYE-lee-ah, Latin)--"heaven"
• Clelia (CLEHL-yah, Italian)
• Deòiridh (JOR-ee, Scottish)
• Eilidh (AY-lee, Scottish)--form of Helen or Eleanor
• Evelia (eh-VEH-lee-ah, Spanish)
• Freya (FRAY-ah, English)--from Norse, "lady"
• Gioia (JOY-ah, Italian)
• Idriya (ee-dree-ah, Hebrew)
• Iole (ee-OH-lee, EYE-ah-lee, Greek)--"violet"
• Junia (JOO-nee-ah, Latin)
• Kamaria (kah-mah-REE-ah, Swahili)--from Arabic, "moon"
• Keziah (keh-ZYE-ah, English)--from Hebrew "cassia spice"
• Kyveli (kih-VEL-ee, Greek)
• Laelia (LAY-lee-ah, English; LYE-lee-ah, Latin)
• Lígia (LEE-zhee-ah, Portuguese)
• Magali (mah-gah-LEE, French)--form of Magdalene/Madeline. Also spelled Magalie.
• Mahalia (mah-HAY-lee-ah, English)--from Hebrew, "lyre"
• Marsaili (MAR-sah-lee, Scottish)
• Melia (MEL-ee-ah, Greek)--"honey"
• Micaiah (mee-kah-yah, Hebrew)
• Minali (MEE-nah-lee, Hindi)
• Mireia (mee-RAY-ah, Spanish)--also spelled Mireya.
• Nephele (NEF-el-ee, Greek)
• Noya (noh-yah, Hebrew)--"beauty"
• Priya (PREE-ah, Hindi)--"beloved"
• Rheia (RAY-ah, Greek)--original form of Rhea.
• Riya (REE-ah, Hindi)--"singer"
• Suraya (soo-RAH-yah, Arabic)
• Tacey (TAY-see, English)--from Latin, "quiet"
• Taisiya (tah-EE-see-ah, Russian)
• Thulile (too-lee-leh, Zulu)--"quiet"
• Velia (VEHL-yah, Italian)

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

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Kai

Okay, technically, Kai is quite an established name in many parts of the world (with several different origins).
But, in the U.S., where nicknames like Ty for Tyler & Sy for Silas/Simon are fairly expected, I can see how Kai can feel incomplete, especially since Kyle is still quite a common name.

And yes, Kai is unisex, but it's overwhelmingly more common for boys in the U.S., and besides, boy-only posts are in the minority on this blog. :)

• Arkaitz (ahr-kites, Basque)--"rock"
• Caetano (kye-eh-TAH-noh, Portuguese)
• Caius (KYE-us, Latin)--prob. the original form of Kai (in Europe)
• Chaim (KHIME, Hebrew)--"life"
• Ekain (eh-kine, Basque)
• Ekaitz (eh-kites, Basque)--"storm"
• Hezekiah (hez-eh-KYE-ah, Hebrew)--"God strengthens"
• Ikaia (ee-kye-ah, Hawaiian)--form of Isaiah
• Ikaika (ee-kye-kah, Hawaiian)--"strong"
• Kaino (KYE-noh, Finnish)
• Kaito (kah-ee-toh, Japanese)
• Makaio (mah-kye-oh, Hawaiian)--form of Matthew
• Malachi (MAL-ah-kye, Hebrew)--"my angel"
• Micaiah (mih-KYE-ah, Hebrew)--original [unisex] form of Micah
• Mordecai (MOHR-deh-kye, Hebrew)
• Nikolai (NIK-oh-lye, Russian)--form of Nicholas

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)