Names That Mean Form

The Teo of Holland.

Walter is an old school boys' name that is gently on the rise again. Short forms include Walt (as in Disney) and Wally, but Wat was once commonly used in England as a diminutive of Walter.

Dinand is popular in the Netherlands thanks to a local singing sensation. Dinand is one of many Dutch short forms that come from the middle or end of a name -- think Bas for Sebastian or Hans from Johannes -- rather than from the beginning as is more usual in the U.S. and UK, though we're catching on.

A sweet variation on Agnes, that perhaps looks a little more complete than the Anest spelling. Both are used for a few girls in Wales each year.

Unlike Lachlan, this Scottish name for girls is likely to be mispronounced. Is that...LaChina?

A rare Catalan name that may be too cuddly for English speakers.

Christia is a rare Chris name that doesn't add much to the mix. We'd prefer lengthening Christia to Christiana or shortening it to Christa.

Some names rise in tandem in their male and female forms, but Sebastia is very rare while the male Sebastian is quite popular. But it certainly might be an attractive choice.

A rarely seen member of the Beatrice clan, with its own distinctive charm.

A distinctive name derived from the Latin Ovid, made famous by the singer-songwriter Ovidi Montllor.

Vintage nickname Frank gets a Welsh makeover.

Hadriana may not have been used for a couple of millennia, but with the new fashion for ancient names, it just might be ready for a comeback.

Gearóidín is familiar to our Irish members, but is probably unseen outside the Emerald Isle. It would provide some steep challengers to people unfamiliar with Irish names, but since that hasn't stopped Saoirse, Niamh and Aoife, there's no reason to not pick this if it steals your heart. Some famous bearers of the name include Gearóidín Breathnach (Irish singer).

Emmelina, which can rhyme with "keener" or "liner", is a frillier and much less common version of Emmeline. While Emmeline was in the US Top 1000 girl names in 2022, Emmelina was given to fewer than 5 girls, so it didn't even make it into the extended baby name charts.

A fun respelling of Luca. New Zealand canoeist Luuka Jones was named after Audrey Hepburn's son, Luca Dotti. Her mother changed the spelling to make it feel more feminine.

Olivia ranks in the Top 10 -- and sometimes even Number 1 -- in many countries now, so variations such as this Spanish form may get some attention.