Names That Mean Grace

Highly unusual; conceivable alternative to Daniel.

Although it derives from the male name Haniel — the name of an angel in Jewish mythology — Anael is mostly used for girls.

Charming alternative to the overused Grace.

Dutch, Limburgish and Afrikaans diminutive of Anne.

Variant of Hannelore

The extra N in Anael adds a dose of femininity.

MacRae -- or McRay or McCrae -- is a Scottish surname-name whose meaning is most often given as son of grace or sometimes son of luck. The hero of Lonesome Dove's last name was McCrae. A good honor name for a Ray or Rae, it can also be shortened to Mac.

Diminutive form of Anna, pronounced "ah-nee-tsa" in Slovene, Croatian and Serbian and like Annika in Romanian.

An English combination of George and Anne or a feminization of George, more familiar in the elegant Georgiana form.

Variant of Marianna

Eastman is a solid, old-style Atlantic seaboard surname. But as a first name, we think Easton works better.

Georgian diminutive of Ana

This Grayson-soundalike has a long and distinguished pedigree, having belonged to both a Roman emperor and a 4th century Catholic saint who founded the see of Tours in central France. It would make a fabulous namesake for an important Grace in the family.

Anice and Annis are variations of Agnes that have fallen from use, perhaps because of pronunciation issues. Neither spelling was used for any baby girls in the US in the most recent year counted, though a century ago about 100 girls were called Annis or Anice. Potential pronunciation issues ay keep parents away.

Found as both a girls' first name and a surname in the African nation of Uganda, Kisakye has a lovely meaning but a non-intuitive pronunciation for English speakers. As with difficult-but-beautiful names such as Saoirse and Xiomara, you may decide Kisakye is worth the effort.

Variant of Annemarie

Over-the-top whimsical — perhaps best suited as a middle name. Fairylithe is unrelated to Ferelith, a Scottish name meaning "true sovereignty."

Zain is a name usually given to boys -- nearly 500 with this spelling alone in the US in one recent year, vs. only 20 girls. But CNN newswoman Zain Asher, sister of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, is a noted female bearer and may inspire more baby girl Zains.

Variant of Marianna

Graziella, an Italian form of Grace, is another Latin version that adds spice. Consider Graziella as a distinctive alternative to either Grace or Gabriella.