Traveling Lite Baby Names

A multicultural mini name with roots in three continents.

Arabic form of Aaron, featured in the tales of The Thousand and One Nights. The name Harun also appears several times in the Quran.

Shula is a short form often used on its own in Israel. Sula is another, related, option. As an Arabic name, it has a bright, fiery meaning.

Also seen as a surname.

Roni may sound like the Doowop-era Ronnie or Ronni, often named for her dad Ron, but it's actually a freestanding Hebrew name with an uplifting meaning.

One of the most modern-sounding Old Testament names, Imri is short and sweet enough to travel easily around the world. It is the name of two minor biblical figures, and also used by modern Hebrew speakers.

The name of several minor Biblical characters seems streamlined and modern.

Jakub is an authentic Polish variation of the megapopular Jacob, but in the US it will feel like a kree8tiv spelling. Kuba is the cute Polish short form.

Mavi is used for both boys and girls in its native Turkey, but is a new gender-neutral name in the US.

Intriguing twist on several familiar names, though many people will mistake this for Elsa, Eliza, and so on.

Adds some zest to Rosa.

Lova, a Louise relative virtually unknown in the US, is one of the top girl names in Sweden.

Sprightly name popular in Israel with beachy meaning and international flex.

A Top 10 name in Turkey, seen again in the Top 100 in the double-barreled combination Kerem Ali.

Botanical Hebrew choice that leads to the sweet vintage nickname Nettie.

Esha is a lovely Indian name that would work well outside the Indian sub-continent, perhaps as a substitute to the more unisex Asher.

A short and sweet Hindi name which has been relatively popular in the UK – peaking at #280 there in 2003.

Toma is one of the handful of names that has different versions for boys and girls. For boys, it's the Romanian and Croatian short form of Thomas.