Names That Mean Happiness

Bea is a former old lady name that's cute again as a short form -- and is now beginning to stand on its own. Bee is a variation that, like Bea, can work as a diminutive for any name that starts with the letter B, or in the middle. Bea actually stood alone on the popularity lists for four years at the beginning of the twentieth century--and it could happen again.

Kiki is one of the Coco-Gigi-Fifi-Lulu bohemian-type French nickname names from the turn of the last century, which have endless energy and sparkle. Artist Kiki Smith is its most well-known contemporary representative, and Kiki was the inspiring heroine of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Kiki can be a nickname for any name beginning with the K sound, from Katherine to Christina to Kayla.

A sassy, spunky name for the bold parent who doesn't remember Mrs. Ed Norton on The Honeymooners or who's into the nicknames-as-given-names trend sweeping the UK and returning to the US.

We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha Bee, not to mention Aunt Bee on the old The Andy Griffith Show TV show. Bee can theoretically be short for any girl names starting with B.

For a few seconds there in the late '70s, Farrah Fawcett's name was as frequently copied as her hairstyle; the name was Number 177 in 1977. Now, after many years off the charts and out of style, it's back, mostly thanks to a TV Teen Mom who bears the name.

Farah is a soft and lovely Arabic name, best known here in this original spelling via the last Empress of Iran, Farah Palavi. It's currently a Top 250 name in both France and the Netherlands, which both have a large Arabic-speaking population, and appears in at least two video games.

Alisa is variation of Alice with a touch of international flair. Used in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia and Poland, it is also familiar in English speaking countries too. As a Hebrew name, Alisa has a bright, cheerful meaning, that adds another layer to the name.

Kalea is a Top 100 name for girls in Hawaii. Sources differ on the meaning of the name, but the most authoritative land on joy or happiness...though kalea is also the Hawaiian word for orgasm.

Pronounced zheel, it's a dashing conquistador; as gill, it's the nice and slightly boring guy down the street.

Namibian supermodel Behati Prinsloo, who has walked the runway for every designer from Prada to Versace to Vera Wang, has introduced us to this Afrikaans version of Beate or Beatrice, a rhythmic twist on an international favorite.

Zorion may seem like a funky variation of Orion or Zorro to most English-speakers, but it is a genuine Basque name meaning happiness. The feminine version of this lovely name is Zorione.

The meaning of this sweet Japanese name varies depending on the combination of kanji used, but the first element mi means "beautiful".

Laetitia adds a layer of ancient patina to the more prosaic LETITIA.

If you use this for a boy, it had better be a family name, hidden away in the middle.

More common than the original Hawaiian Kalea.

Hawaiian names are up across the board, but the lilting and lovely Kalea is headed for the mainstream, along with variants Kaleah and Kaleia.

Though Beatrice has the lovely Italian pronunciation bay-uh-TREE-chay, Bice has the problematic BEE-chay -- a bit too close to a word that would cause playground probs in the US. Italian cross-country skier Bice Vanzetta won two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics of 1992 and 2994.

Upbeat Native American name with a wonderful meaning.

A joyful meaning and an appealing international name.

Used exclusively in Latino families.