Latin Names

Just think about those inescapable "sexy" nicknames. The related Sixtus is not a huge improvement.

A hyperkinetic name, might be more kid-friendly without the second a.

This Top 100 girls' name in The Netherlands is unlikely to translate to the U.S., where it would undoubtedly pronounced fee-line and mistaken for the adjective that means cat-like. While the name Feline -- and Felina and Felinus -- do have the same root, the considerably more charming pronunciation in modern-day Europe is fee-LEEN-ah. Some websites mistakenly relate it to Felix and give its meaning as happy or fortunate.

The name of several popes and saints, Sixtus is certainly unusual but would have trouble making it in the modern world outside the Vatican. Even worse is its brother Sextus. Try making it through seventh grade with that name.

Pronounced KILL-on, might lead a young boy astray--though that doesn't seem to have halted the progress of the popular Killian.

An unusual possibility; Zea would fit right in with schoolmates named Tea and Leya.

Amica is a word meaning girlfriend that is not often used as a name in Italy, but it would sound pretty and name-like elsewhere.

Veruca is a name Roald Dahl made up for the horrid little girl Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A modern rock band adopted the name, though few parents familiar with the original namesake and meaning would choose to pass it on to an innocent child. Verruca is another spelling, but don't use that one either.

Doting parents have begun to use names like Precious and Treasure, which are sweet for a baby, but might not hold up over the years. Treasure was used for nearly 300 baby girls in one recent year.

Men may be from Mars as the saying goes, and the name may derive from the Latin maris meaning male, but soul singer Erykah Badu and Workaholics star Blake Anderson have given it potential as a unisex name after they both used it for their daughters.

A feminine form in France, this boyish choice could make a fresh alternative to Lauren or Laura -- or be an inventive way to honor Grandpa Larry.

The name of the Roman god of love, the son of Venus, considered so romantic as to be unfit for mere mortals. Yet now that Romeo and Venus herself are fair game for modern babies, why not Cupid?

The only version that works for boys anymore is the Latinate Hilario or Ilario. Better to look to Felix for a happy-meaning name.

Synthesized name in the Justin/Dustin mold, but has an unpleasant similarity to the diaper rash ointment called Desitin.

A literary name figuring in the story of Ben Hur and the novels of Anthony Trollope that has the feel of Roman antiquity that is beginning to appeal to many parents. Quintus was one of only about twenty male first names in ancient Rome, and was often (though not exclusively) used for fifth sons.

A saint and surname often heard in Italy.

Fans of the classic French film actor Jean Gabin might want to consider this one. Gabin is also a harmonica-playing character in the manga and anime series "Mirmo!"

Lucasta was invented by seventeenth century poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems dedicated to a lover named Lucy, and is familiar through the Eugene O'Neill play and film Anna Lucasta. Lucasta is a distinctive, rarely used choice and a logical extension of the Luke/Luc/Luca names.

This Latinized form of a name that's well used in Italy and Spain is sometimes heard, oddly enough, in Ireland.

More likely to be spelled Constantine, this was the name of the first Christian emperor of the Roman empire, as well as three Scottish kings. Previously thought of as too bulky and unwieldy a name for a modern child, these days it would be perfectly acceptable.