Guide to the Valkyries

I know, it's been a while, but I suddenly find myself with a lot more free time right now....


Anyway, my husband asked in passing earlier if the Valkyries of Norse mythology had individual names [before you go thinking we're cultured intellectuals or something, the context was.....watching the MCU :p ], and I realized that I had no idea!
Turns out: yes they did, and while some are familiar Nordic names, most are not.

Enjoy this Scandi-themed jump back into my name blog. ;)

• Brynhildr (BRUN ['u' like in German "über"] -hildr)--"armor-battle". Most common modern form is Brynhild (BREEN-hil, BREEN-hild).
• Eir (AYR)--"help, mercy". Modern form is Eira (AY-rah). [some sources have Eir as a Valkyrie; others as a separate goddess of healing]
• Geirahǫð (GAY-rah-hoth ['th' like in "the"])--"spear-battle"
• Geiravǫr (GAY-rah-vahr)--"spear-defender" or "spear-woman"
• Geirdriful (GAYR-dree-vool)--"spear-flinger"
• Geirskǫgul (GAYR-skog-ool)--"spear-battle" or "spear-shaker"
• Geirǫlul (GAY-rah-lool)--poss. "spear-luck"
• Geirǫnul (GAY-rah-nool)--unknown, "spear" + ?
• Guðr (GOOTHr ['th' like in "the"])--"battle". Also called Gunnr (GOONr). Modern form is Gun/Gunn (GOON, 'oo' like in "foot"). 
• Gǫll (GAHL)--"noise, tumult"
• Gǫndul (GAHN-dool)--"magic" or "magical creature"
• Herfjǫtur (HEHRV-yah-toor)--"army-fetter"
• Herja (HEHR-yah)--"devastate"
• Hervǫr (HEHR-vahr)--"army defender" or "army-woman". Modern forms are Hervor (HEHR-vohr, Swedish) and Hervör (HEHR-vur, Icelandic). 
• Hildr (HEEL-dr)--"battle". Most common modern form is Hilda/Hilde. 
• Hjalmþrimul (HYAHLM-threem ['th' like in "the"] -ool)--"helmet-battle"
• Hjǫrþrimul (HYAHR-threem ['th' like in "the"] -ool)--"sword-battle"
• Hlaðgunnr (HLATH ['th' like in "the"] -goonr)--"weaving battle". Also called Hlaðguðr (HLATH-goothr [both 'th' like in "the"]). 
• Hlǫkk (HLAHK)--"noise". Moden Icelandic form is Hlökk (HLUK). 
• Hrist (HREEST)--"shake"
• Hrund (HROOND)--poss. "push". Modern Icelandic form is Hrund (HROONT ['oo' like in "foot"]). 
• Kára (KAH-rah)--"curly" or poss. "obstinate". Most common modern form is Kara (KAH-rah). 
• Mist (MEEST)--"mist, cloud". Modern form is still Mist. :) [don't you love the easy ones?]
• Ráðgríðr (RAHTH-greethr [both 'th' like in "the"])--"counsel-eagerness" [fig. "bossy"] or "counsel-peace"
• Randgríðr (RAHND-greethr ['th' like in "the"])--"shield-eagerness" or "shield-peace"
• Reginleif (REG-een-layf)--"might-heir"
• Róta (ROH-tah)--poss. "storm" or "make messy"
• Sangríðr (SAHN-greethr ['th' like in "the"])--"true eagerness" or "true peace". Modern Swedish form is Sangrid (SAHN-grid). 
• Sigrdríf (SEEGr-dreef)--"victory-drive". Modern Icelandic form is Sigurdrif (SIG-ur-dreef). 
• Sigrún (SEEG-roon)--"victory-secret". Most common modern forms are Sigrún (SIG-roon, Icelandic) and Sigrun (SEEG-roon ['oo' like in "foot"], Norwegian, Swedish, Danish). 
• Skaga (SKAH-gah)--"promontory, cape". Modern [masculine] Norwegian form is Skage (SKAH-geh).
• Skalmǫld (SKAHL-mahld)--"sword-time"
• Skeggjǫld (SKEG-gyahld)--"battleaxe-time"
• Skuld (SKOOLD)--"blame" or "future". Modern Icelandic form is Skuld (SKOOLT ['oo' like in "foot"]). [also a name of one of the Norns (Fates)]
• Skǫgul (SKAHG-ool)--"battle" or "shaker"
• Svafa (SVAH-vah)--"Swabian". Modern forms are Svava (SVAH-vah, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, Danish) and Svafa (SVAH-vah, Icelandic). 
• Svanhvít (SVAHN-hveet)--"white swan". Modern Icelandic form is Svanhvít (SVAHN-kveet). 
• Sveið (SVAYTH ['th' like in "the"])--poss. "noise, vibration"
• Svipul (SVEE-pool)--"changeable"
• Tanngniðr (TAHNG-neethr ['th' like in "the"])--"tooth-grinder"
• Ǫlrún (AHL-roon)--"luck-secret". Modern forms are Åro (AWR [not quite like the English 'aw', but partway between English 'aw' and 'oh' sounds] -oh, Norwegian) and Ölrún (UL-roon, Icelandic).
• Þrima (THREE ['th' like in "three"] -mah)--"fight"
• Þrúðr (THROO-thr [first 'th' like in "three", second like in "the"])--"strength". Most common modern form is Trude (TROO-deh). [also, same root as English Trudy :) ]
• Þǫgn (THAHGn ['th' like in "three")--"silence"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Gus

Gus seems to be a rather polarizing nickname: either you find it adorable, or you find it hopelessly dorky. In the US, it's usually short for the various forms of August, occasionally Gustavo or Constantine, but simply Gus on its own is on the rise as well.
And gosh-darn-it, I think Gussie is adorable for a girl, so let's go ahead and see if we can find a few girl Gus-names, too.

Boys:

• Agus (AG-oos, Indonesian)--prob. "handsome"
• Angus (ANG-gus, Irish, Scottish, English)--poss. from Old Irish "one strength" or "one choice". Also spelled Aengus or Aonghus. 
• Argus (AR-gus, [Latinized] Greek)--"shining"
• Fergus (FUR-gus, English, Irish)--from Old Irish "man-strength"
• Gaius (GYE-us, Latin)--origin uncertain, poss. from Latin "rejoice". Another form was Gaianus (GYE-an-us).
• Galenus (gah-LEEN-us, [Latinized] Greek)--"calm"
• Gentius (GEN-tee-us, [Hellenized] Illyrian)--poss. "beget". [the flower gentian is derived from Gentius]
• Goswin (GAHZ-win, [archaic] English; GOHZ-veen, German)--from Germanic, "Goth-friend"
• Gusten (GOOS-ten, Swedish)--from Old Norse, "god-stone"
• Gustin (goos-AHn, French)--form of Augustine
• Lugus (LOO-gus, Celtic mythology [Latinized])--origin uncertain, poss. "light", "black", or "swear an oath"
• Margus (MAHR-goos, Estonian)--form of Marcus

Girls:

• Angustias (ahn-GOOST-yahs, Spanish)--"anguish" [a Marian name]
• Gusta (GOOS-tah, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian; GUS-tah, English)--short form of Gustava or Augusta.
  Other forms include Gustė (GOOS-tay, Lithuanian), Gustel (GOOS-tel, German), and Gusten (GOOS-ten, Swedish [much more common on boys, however]). 
• Gustava (goos-TAH-vah, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish)--feminine of Gustav (Old Norse, "Goth-staff").
  Another [rather rare] form is Gustavia (goos-TAHV-yah, English, Swedish). 

'Arl's All Around

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

Boys:

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

Girls:

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

Unisex:

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

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

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

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name: Bess/Beth/Betty

I originally started this post looking for new full forms for Beth, but it struck me that most could also work for Bess and/or Betty as well! All three are, of course, traditionally nicknames for Elizabeth, and generally considered "outdated", but Beth did have a bit of a revival in the 80s/90s thanks to Bethany.

Chances are, a lot of new babies today have a Bess, Betty, or Beth somewhere in their family line, and there are plenty of other names one could use to get those nicknames. :)

• Bestla (BEST-lah, Icelandic, Norse mythology)--from Old Norse, poss. "wife" or "tree bark"
• Bethan (BETH-an, Welsh)--diminutive of Elizabeth.
  Other forms include Besseta (BESS-et-ah, [archaic] Scottish), Betha (BETH-ah, [archaic] English), Betheline (BETH-eh-lyn, [archaic] English), Betsan (BET-san, Welsh), Bettan (BET-tan, Swedish), Bettina (bet-TEE-nah, German), Bettis (BET-tis, Swedish), Bettline (bet-LEE-neh, [archaic] German), Lisbet (LIS-bet, Scandinavian), and Lisbeth (LEEZ-bet, German).
• Bethania (beth-AHN-yah, [Biblical] Latin & Greek; bet-AHN-yah, Spanish)--form of Biblical Hebrew Bethany, poss. "house of dates".
  Other forms include Betania (bet-AHN-yah, Italian, Swedish, Spanish), Betânia (bet-AHN-yah, Portuguese), and Béthanie (bay-tah-NEE, French).
• Bethel (BETH-el, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"house of God"
• Bethia (BETH-ee-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"daughter of God"
  [more commonly transliterated as Bithiah; sometimes used as an 'Anglicization' of Scottish Beathag, "life"]
• Bethsabée (bet-sah-BAY, French)--from Biblical Hebrew Bathsheba, prob. "daughter of oath".
  Other forms include Betsabá (bet-sab-AH, Portuguese), Betsabé (bet-sah-BAY, Spanish), Betsabea (bet-sah-BEH-ah, Italian), & Betsabeia (bet-sab-AY-ah, Portuguese). 
• Bethuela (bet-oo-EL-ah, Spanish; beth-WEL-ah, beth-yoo-EL-ah, [archaic] English)--from Biblical Hebrew, prob. "man of God".
  Another (very rare) form is Bethuelle (bet-oo-EL, French).
• Betlinde (bet-LEEN-deh, Germanic)--prob. "bright & soft" [possible source of the name Belinda]
• Betony (BET-ah-nee, English)
• Betrys (BET-ris, Welsh)--form of Beatrice
• Betsaida (bet-SYE-dah, Spanish)--from Biblical Hebrew Bethsaida, prob. "house of fishing"
• Bettina (bet-TEE-nah, Italian)--diminutive of Elisabetta or Benedetta.

Of course, many international forms & contractions of Elizabeth also work, especially for Betty:

• Arisbeth / Elibeth / Elisabet / Isabet (Spanish)
• Elisabet /Elsebeth / Elsebet (Scandinavian)
• Elisabete (Portuguese)
• Elisabetta (Italian)
• Elizabeta (Croatian, Slovenian)
• Elsabeth / Lilibeth (English)
• Erzsébet (Hungarian)
• Ilsebet / Ilsebeth (German, Danish)

And even more! Elizabeth has been used to form new combination names all over the western world (many overlapping between multiple languages), quite a few of which could also lead to Beth or Betty. Here's a small sampling:

• Annabeth / Annebet 
• Elínbet
• Embeth
• Evabeth
• Ingebeth
• Kajsabet
• Lillibeth / Lilibet / Lilybeth
• Marybeth / Maribeth / Maribet
• Rosabeth / Rosbet
• Sarabeth
• Ullabeth

Never Say 'Ever' Again...

Well, probably not. Since Everett (boys) and Everly (girls) are amongst the quickest rising names in the US (admittedly, that might change in a couple weeks, but I really doubt it, especially for Everly), I thought it'd be fun to see what other Ever- names we can find.
(And as amusing as they are to say, I'll be skipping some of the OE options that don't translate well into Modern English, like Evergrim and Everbald ;) )

Boys:

• Everald (EV-er-ald, English)--from OE/Germanic, "boar power". Another form is Everaldo (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Everard (EV-er-ard, English)--from OE/Germanic, "strong boar". Another form is Everardo (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese).  [the original form of Everett]
• Everelm (EV-er-elm, [medieval] English)--from OE/Germanic, "boar helmet"
• Everin (EH-veh-reen, [archaic] Swedish)--diminutive of Evert and other Ever-names, pretty much all of which are from OE/Germanic eofor/ebur, "boar"
• Evermund (EV-er-mund, Old English)--"boar protection"
• Everold (EH-ver-ohlt, Germanic)--"friendly boar"
• Evert (AY-vert, EH-vert, Dutch, German, Swedish)--form of Everard/Everett
• Everulf (EV-er-ulf, Old English)--"boar-wolf"
• Everwin (EV-er-win, [medieval] English)--from OE/Germanic, "boar friend"

Girls:

• Everalda (ev-eh-RAHLD-dah, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese)--feminine of Everaldo
• Everarda (ev-eh-RAHR-dah, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese)--feminine of Everardo/Everard
• Everild (EV-er-ild, Old English)--"boar battle". Latinized form is Everilda (also the modern Spanish & Italian form). 
• Everina (ev-eh-REE-nah, English, Scandinavian)--feminine of Evert/Everett or other Ever-names. Another form is Everine (Scandinavian).
• Everta (eh-VEHR-tah, Swedish)--feminine of Evert/Everett. Another form is Everdina (Dutch).

Surname possibilities?

• Everdon (EV-er-don)--"boar hill". Another form is Eversden.
• Everest/Everist (EV-er-est)--from the area Évreux in France, prob. from Gaulish eburo, "yew". Another form is Everiss. [the mountain was named after a geographer with the surname Everest]
• Everick (EV-er-ik)--prob. "boar ruler" [presumably a patronymic from something like Everic/Eoforic/Eberich, but with the exception of one early medieval King Eboric, I can't find any records of those or similar actually being used]
• Everill/Everall/Everell (EV-er-ell)--prob. matronymic from Everild
• Evers (EV-ers)--patronymic from Everard or another Ever-name
• Eversley (EV-ers-lee)--"boar field" or "Ever/Eofor's field"
• Everson (EV-er-son)--patronymic from Everard or another Ever-name
• Everton (EV-er-ton)--"boar town"

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Finn

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

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

-Lines from A to Z

Latin has had a lot of impact on our naming. There are certain constructions that we can instantly say "that's a girls' name": -etta, -ella, -ia, etc. The latter two are definitely trending right now, and I think the -lines are next, led by Madeline, Adeline, Caroline, and Emmeline. So of course I have to find more. :)
The vast majority are French in origin, traditionally pronounced "leen" and Anglicized to "lyn", but modern "line" pronunciations are arguably the most popular for today's trending -lines (although for a few, like Caroline, "line" has already predominant for centuries in English).
I set myself the goal of finding new fun -line names, but rather than a massive list, I'm limiting myself to one for each letter, and it has to be a name I've never mentioned on my blog before.
*cracks knuckles*
Here we go.

• Azéline (ah-zay-LEEN, French)--from Germanic Adel-, "noble"
• Berteline (behr-teh-LEEN-eh, Danish)--from Germanic -bert-, "bright"
• Céline (say-LEEN, French)--form of Latin Caelina, "heaven", or of Marcelline, prob. "of Mars"
• Deline (deh-LEEN, Swedish)--short form of Adeline
• Esseline (es-seh-LEEN-eh, Dutch)--poss. from Germanic Ans-, "god" or Heida-, "health"
• Filine (fee-LEE-neh, Danish)--from Greek "love"
• Gemeline (zheh-meh-LEEN, French)--prob. from Latin "twin" [also a surname]
• Héline (ay-LEEN, French) / Heline (heh-LEEN, heh-LEE-neh, Scandinavian)--form of Helen
• Iseline (ee-seh-LEEN, ee-seh-LEE-neh, Scandinavian; ee-zeh-LEEN, French)--from Germanic Isen-, "iron". 
• Joceline (zhahs-LEEN, zhah-seh-LEEN, French)--feminine of Jocelyn [Jocelyn is masculine in French]
• Kateline (KAT-eh-lin, [archaic] English; kah-teh-LEEN, French)--form of Katherine
• Laureline (loh-reh-LEEN, French)--form of Laura [invented for a comic book heroine in the 60s, but caught on in real life]
• Marcelline (mar-sel-LEEN, French)--feminine of Marcel [really, I haven't mentioned Marcelline on here yet? How is that possible?!]
• Noéline (noh-ay-LEEN, French)--form of Noëlle
• Ombeline (ohm-beh-LEEN, French)--prob. from Germanic Humbert, "bright warrior"
• Péroline (pay-roh-LEEN, French) / Peroline (peh-roh-LEEN-eh, peh-roh-LEEN, Scandinavian)--prob. from Latin Petronilla, poss. "rock" or "rustic person"
• Q. I should have known Q would sink me. Gah!
• Roeline (roo-LEEN-eh, Dutch)--feminine of Roeland (Germanic, "famous land") or Roelof (Germanic, "famous wolf"). 
• Sanceline (san-seh-LEEN, [archaic] French)--from Latin "saint"
• Theoline (teh-oh-LEEN, French; teh-oh-LEEN-eh, Norwegian)--from Greek Theo-, "god", or Germanic Theud-, "people"
• Ursuline (oor-soo-LEEN, French)--from Latin "little bear"
• Veline (veh-LEEN-eh, Norwegian)--nickname for Vel-names, like Velaug (Old Norse, "promised sanctuary"), Velgjerd (Old Norse, "protector of the slain"), or Vellumine (archaic Norwegian, form of Wilhelmina)
• Wendeline (ven-deh-LEEN-eh, Dutch, Swedish)--feminine of Wendel, "a Wend" ['Wend' was a term applied to various Slavic tribes over the centuries, origin uncertain]
• X, Yeah, no X either. :(
• Yveline (eev-eh-LEEN, eev-LEEN, French)--from Germanic Ivo-, "yew"
• Zerline (tzehr-LEEN-eh, German; zur-LEEN, English; sehr-LEEN-eh, Scandinavian; zehr-LEEN, French)--form of Zerlina, a name invented by Mozart, poss. based on an old Yiddish form of Sarah

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]

Girls's Names

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

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

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

"Boyish" Girl Names

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

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

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

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Cal

Handsome Cal! How have I forgotten you? While Cal is starting to gain use on its own, it's still down below the Top 1000. Traditionally short for Calvin, of course, but there are plenty of other great options.
Thanks to Nicole for this suggestion. :)

• Calaïs (KAH-lah-ees, [ancient] Greek)--"turquoise"
• Calamus (KAL-ah-mus, [ancient] Greek)--"reed"
• Calchas (KAL-kas, [ancient] Greek)--uncertain, poss. "purple" or "to make trouble"
• Calbhach (KAL-vak, KAHL-wak, Irish)--cognate of Calvin. Anglicized as Calvagh (KAL-vah). 
• Calidore (KAL-id-or, English)--poss. from Greek, "beautiful gift"
• Calixte (kah-LICKST, French)--from Greek, "most beautiful". Other forms include Callistus (kah-LIS-tus, Latin) and Calisto (kah-LEES-toh, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Callahan (KAL-ah-han, Irish [surname])--diminutive of Ceallach (KAL-akh), the original form of Kelly
• Callan (KAL-lan, Irish [surname])--either from Cathaláin (KAH-hal-ahn, "battle power") or from one of the places named for High King Niall Caill, meaning uncertain, poss. "Niall of the forest".
• Callias (KAL-ee-as, kah-LEE-as, [ancient] Greek)--"beauty"
• Callinus (KAL-in-us, [ancient] Greek)--"beautiful". 
• Callister (KAL-is-ter, Scottish [surname])--shortening of MacAlister, "son of Alistair/Alexander".
• Calloway (KAL-oh-way, English [surname])--poss. from French, "pebble". Also spelled Callaway.
• Callum (KAL-um, Scottish)--from Latin, "dove". Also spelled Calum. Another form is Kalman (KAHL-man, Scandinavian).
• Calydon (KAL-id-ahn, [ancient] Greek)
• Carlisle (KAR-lile, English)
• Carroll (KEHR-ol, English; KAH-rol, Irish)--from Irish, "cutting". Anglicized from Cearbhall (KAH-rool).
• Chalcon (KAL-con, [ancient] Greek)--poss. "copper"
• Kalevi (KAH-lev-ee, Finnish)--poss. from Estonian "cloth". Other forms include Kalervo (KAH-lehr-voh, Finnish) and Kalev (KAH-lev, Estonian).
• Kalle (KAHL-leh, Scandinavian)--form of Charles/Karl. Also spelled Calle. Other forms include Kallu (KAHL-loo, Finnish).
• Kálmán (KAL-man, Hungarian)
• Kalmen (KAHL-men, Yiddish)--from Greek, "good name". Also spelled Kalman.
• Kaloyan (kah-loh-YAHN, Bulgarian)--"handsome John"
• Kalyan (kal-YAHN, Hindi)--"beautiful"
• Pascal (pas-KAL, French)--"Easter"

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"

Son of a---!

I blame Alison & Madison. Despite "son" written straight out, many -son names are now trendy on girls. And while most of course mean "son of ____", not all do, and I set out to find them.
So if you're looking for a unisex (or "unisex") name, here are some -son names that are neither patronymics nor overwhelmingly more common on boys, as well as some -san/sen/sin/sun sound-alikes.

• Aeson (EE-son, [Ancient] Greek)
• Alison/Allison/Alyson (AL-is-on, English)--from French, diminutive of Alice. Another form is Alson.
• Chanson (SHAHN-sohn, French [surname])--"singer"
• Chryson (KRIS-on, KREE-sohn, [Ancient] Greek)--prob. "gold"
• Crimson (KRIM-son, English)
• Essan (ES-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Ester, Estrid, or Elisabeth
• Gerson (GEHR-son, Dutch; JEHR-son, Portuguese; HEHR-son, Spanish)--form of Gershom
• Kajsen (KYE-sen, Swedish)--diminutive of Karin/Katarina
• Lisen/Lissen (LEE-sen, Swedish)--diminutive of Elisabeth, Alice, Melissa, or Louise/Lovisa
• Lison (LEE-zohn, French)--diminutive of Elisabeth
• Louison (loo-EE-zohn, French)--diminutive of Louis or Louise
• Majsan (MYE-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Maja. Norwegian form is Maisen.
• Mossen (MOHS-sen, Norwegian)--diminutive of Margareta or Maria
• Orison (OR-is-on, English)--from Latin, "prayer"
• Reason (REE-zon, English)
• Season (SEE-zon, English)
• Sessan/Sessen (SES-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Cecilia
• Tamsin (TAM-sin, English)--feminine of Thomas
• Tessan (TES-san, Swedish)--diminutive of Teresa/Teresia
• Visen (VEE-sen, Swedish)--diminutive of Louise/Lovisa

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name: Etta/Ettie

Despite the fact that Etta rose higher than any of her long forms, I still think of her as a nickname. I'm not sure why--because -etta is a diminutive suffix, perhaps?
Anyway, she's usually listed as a nickname for Henrietta on sites and in books, but there are tons of fun possibilities...

• Agneta (ahng-NET-ah, Swedish)--form of Agnes. Other forms include Aunetta (Finnish).
• Aleta (ah-LET-ah, English, Scandinavian)--form of Adelaide or Alethea. Also spelled Aletta.
• Aniceta (ah-nee-SEH-tah, Spanish; ah-nee-TSEH-tah, Polish)--from Greek, "unconquerable"
• Annetta (ah-NET-tah, Italian)
• Antonietta (ahn-tohn-YET-tah, Italian)
• Arletta (ar-LET-tah, English)
• Benedetta (beh-neh-DET-tah, Italian)--feminine of Benedict
• Bernetta (bur-NET-tah, English)--form of Berenice/Veronica
• Caieta (kye-ET-ah, Latin)
• Claretta (clah-RET-tah, Italian)
• Concetta (kon-CHET-tah, Italian)
• Coretta (koh-RET-tah, English)
• Dionetta (dee-oh-NEH-tah, Italian, English)--form of Denise/Dionysia
• Elettra (eh-LET-trah, Italian)--form of Electra
• Elisabetta (eh-lee-zah-BET-tah, Italian)--form of Elizabeth. Other forms include Alžbeta (Slovak), Elżbieta (Polish), Elisaveta (Macedonian), & Yelizaveta (Russian).
• Etelka (ET-el-kaw, Hungarian)
• Etelvina (et-el-VEE-nah, Spanish)--from Germanic, "noble friend"
• Eteri (eh-teh-ree, Georgian)--"air, ether"
• Étiennette (ay-tee-en-ET, French)
• Fiammetta (fee-ah-MET-tah, Italian)--"little flame"
• Fioretta (fee-oh-RET-tah, Italian)--"little flower"
• Floretta (floh-RET-tah, English)
• Georgeta (jor-JEH-tah, Romanian)
• Giosetta (joh-ZET-tah, Italian)
• Iveta (ee-VEH-tah, Czech, Latvian, Slovak)--form of Yvette
• Jacquetta (jah-KET-tah, English)--form of Jacqueline
• Julieta (joo-lee-ET-ah, English. Portuguese; hoo-lee-EH-tah, Spanish)--also spelled Julietta
• Lauretta (law-RET-tah, lohr-ET-tah, English; low-RET-tah, Italian)--form of Laura. Another form is Loretta.
• Lucetta (loo-SET-tah, English)--form of Lucy
• Margaretta (mar-gah-RET-tah, English)--other forms include Margareta (Dutch, German, Scandinavian), Margrete (Scandinavian), Marjeta (Slovene), Marketta (Finnish), & Merete (Dutch).
• Marietta (mah-ree-ET-tah, Italian)
• Nicoletta (nee-koh-LET-tah, Italian)--other forms include Nikoleta (Greek) & Nicoleta (Romanian)
• Odetta (oh-DET-tah, English)
• Pauletta (paw-LET-tah, English)
• Rosetta (roh-ZET-tah, Italian)
• Stenetta (sten-EH-tah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "stone"
• Violeta (vee-oh-LEH-tah, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish)--Italian form is Violetta.
• Žaneta (zhah-NET-ah, Czech, Slovak)--form of Jane/Jean/Joan. Another form is Żaneta (Polish)

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)

Usual Nickname, Unexpected Name--Molly

Poor Molly. Is she a nickname, or a full given name? I guess the answer is 'both': Molly was originally a regional pronunciation of Mary (that pesky R-to-L shift), but became widespread as a nickname during medieval times.
So, nowadays, she's rather in limbo--too "nickname-y" for a full name, but Mary to Molly isn't really intuitive in Modern English.

• Amalia (ah-MAH-lee-ah, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish)--form of Amelia
• Amalthea (ah-mahl-THEE-ah, ah-mahl-THEH-ah, [ancient] Greek)--"soothing"
• Magali (mah-gah-LEE, Provençal)--form of Magdalene. Also spelled Magalie. 
• Mahalah (mah-hah-lah, mah-khah-lah [Biblical] Hebrew)--also written as Mahlah (mah-lah, mah-khlah) or Maala (mah-ah-lah).
• Mahalath (mah-hah-lahth, mah-khah-laht, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"lyre"
• Mahalia (mah-HAY-lee-ah, English)--form of Mahalah or Mahalath. 
• Mahulena (mah-hoo-LEH-nah, Czech). Slovak form is Mahuliena (mah-hoo-LYEH-nah).
• Malaika (mah-LYE-kah, Arabic, Swahili)--from Arabic "angels"
• Malati (MAHL-uh-tee, Hindi)--"jasmine"
• Malena (mah-LEH-nah, Czech, Scandinavian, Spanish)--form of Magdalena or Mahulena.
• Malie (mah-lee-eh, Hawaiian)--"calm"
• Malika (mah-LEE-kah, Arabic)--"queen"
• Malina (MAH-lin-ah, mah-LEE-nah, Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak)--"raspberry"
• Malini (MAH-lin-ee, Hindi)--"sweet-smelling"
• Marilena (mah-ree-LEH-nah, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian)--contraction of Maria Elena
• Marsaili (MAR-sah-lee, Scottish)--also spelled Marsali
• Maryla (mah-RIL-ah, Polish)--form of Maria

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

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)

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--Nikki

How on earth did I do a Nicky-names post for boys, and not include some for girls? Shame, shame.
Nicole, of course, was a staple of 80s naming, and surprisingly, isn't too far out of the Top 100 today. Nicolette & Nicola are pretty recognizable variants, but what else can lead to Nicki?

(I also have to say, how amazed I am--whenever I do one of these posts, I discover some great names that really could work for previous UNUNs!)

• Adonika (ah-DOH-nee-kah, Swedish)--feminine of Adonis
• Ainikki (EYE-neek-kee, Finnish)
• Andronika (ahn-DRON-ee-kah, Greek)
• Annika (AHN-nee-kah, Scandinavian)--form of Anna/Hannah. Other forms include Anniken (AHN-nee-ken, Norwegian), and Annikki (AHN-neek-kee, Finnish).
• Arnika (AHR-nee-kah, Scandinavian--from Germanic, "eagle" [coincides with German & Polish arnika, cognate of the plant arnica]
• Aunikki (OW-neek-kee, Finnish)--form of Agnes
• Dominika (doh-MEE-nee-kah, Czech, Russian, Slovak; doh-mee-NEE-kah, Polish)--feminine of Dominic. Another form is Domnika (DOM-nee-kah, Macedonian).
• Enikő (EN-ee-koo, Hungarian)
• Hennika (HEN-nee-kah, Scandinavian)--feminine of Henry
• Jannike (YAH-nee-kah, Scandinavian)--form of Jane. Other forms include Janneke (Dutch) and Jannicke (Norwegian).
• Mainikki (MYE-neek-kee, Finnish)--"wonderful"
• Nicaia (NEE-kah-yah, [Ancient] Greek)
• Nicolaia (NEE-koh-lah-yah, Danish)--Another form of Nicole. Also spelled Nikolaia.
• Nicolina (nee-koh-LEE-nah, Italian)--And another form of Nicole. Also spelled Nikolina.
• Nikhila (NIK-hil-ah, Hindi)
• Nikita (nee-KEE-tah, English, Scandinavian)--from Greek via Russian, "unconquerable"
• Veronika (veh-RON-ih-kah, veh-roh-NEE-kah, vehr-OH-nee-kah)--also spelled Veronica.