Unique Names from History

Unusual and lush Roman name adopted, improbably, by the Puritans.

Popular with the Puritans, this name of the shrewd and beautiful wife of King David and mother of King Solomon could be a bit of a load for a modern girl to carry.

Rhythmic Welsh nickname name, derived from the Welsh royal name Iorwerth, which has sometimes been anglicized as Edward.

This Old Norse girl name has a lovely meaning and a familiar yet distinctive sound.

Dignified first name of poet W. H. Auden, less exposed than his currently stylish surname.

Archimedes of Syracuse was a famous Ancient Greek thinker, especially in the fields of mathematics and sciences. He made important contributions to geometry and calculus. His name was a perfect choice, meaning "master planner" or "master thinker". This off-the-beaten-track choice of name was given to 10 little boys in the US in 2014. We recommend it to more parents, especially those with a penchant for all things ancient or mathematical.

This Westernized form of the name of an ancient Mongol warrior, remembered primarily today through the works of Christopher Marlowe and Edgar Allan Poe, runs the risk of sounding pompous and pretentious.

This Slavic classic name might begin to make its mark with American parents, what with the growing popularity of the short form Mila. Borne by a tenth century saint who had been a princess from Bohemia, Ludmila is widely used in Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

Delicate and gentle old-fashioned name, the kind found in early English poetry. While Corinna and the original Green Korinna are technically diminutives of the ancient Kore, now the popular Cora, this name will often be mistaken for other similar-sounding though unrelated names, such as Karenna. But it's pretty and is backed by more tradition than you'd guess.

The rise of the the various Isabel names may give a boost to this variation, which has a sunny, springtime feel.

Ramses was the name of several kings in Ancient Egypt, including the long-reigning Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great. Unfortuntely, some may associate it with the condom brand name.

Lothar is cloddish, till you add a dashing io to the end...

Rare and distinctive name with intimations of antiquity, also a Shakespearean character.

Yet another offshoot of the original John, also sometimes used as Jevan or Yevan.

Ancient saint's name used for cowardly cartoon lion.

A light, bohemian-sounding biblical name, mentioned in the bible as a wife of Lamech, one of the first men.

English speaking countries may only associate this with the fifth-century Hun, but the name is still well-used in contemporary Hungary, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

An attractive, surprisingly uncommon variation of Josiah. To give you an idea of how comparatively rare Josias is, there were about 200 baby boys named Josias in the US last year, versus nearly 6000 named Josiah.

Pretty Victorian-feeling cousin of Ariel; also, more prosaically, a kind of bay window.

Name of the 7th century BC Greek lyric poet born on the island of Lesbos, whose name has been synonymous with lesbian love. Though this name is rarely used today, it certainly could be and, some might say, SHOULD be revived.