Aquarius Names

Shakespeare's Tempest has kept the name Prospero alive.

Possibly a derivative variation of Yara, a popular name in Spanish-speaking countries meaning butterfly, Yareli was given to more than 400 baby girls in the US last year.

There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko.

Aella is one of the Amazons in Greek mythology, killed by Heracles in his quest for Hyppolita’s magic girdle. Aella or Aelle (often written as Ælla or Ælle) is also an ancient Saxon masculine name, belonging to several kings of regions of modern-day England from the 5th to 9th centuries.

After a century of association with horses and cows, this name just could be ready for revival by a fearless baby namer -- after all, it did happen to Jessie and Becky.

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.

Unusual and simple: a winning combination. But it was the name of a fifteen-thousand-ton monster in a midcentury "Godzilla" movie.

Azul is the Spanish word for "blue" and was first recorded as a baby name (for girls) in 1995. It's technically considered unisex today, although it is still much more common as a feminine name.

Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the legends, Iara seduces men to the river to accompany her in her immortal life.

An incredibly poetic name that could be worn well in many cultures.

A sweet and intuitive Finnish word name. The double U's up the quirkiness.

Has joined Chanel and Armani on the fashionista hit parade of names. The meaning of Dior is uncertain but it may be "gold".

Guthrie, one of the most attractive Scottish names that's also a surname, has a particularly romantic, windswept aura, with a touch of the buckaroo thrown in.

In Greek mythology, Ganymede was Trojan youth who was so beautiful that he was carried off to be Zeus' cup-bearer, and made immortal. His name may derive from Greek ganymai "to be glad" plus medomai "to think, to plan".

We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake.

Simple but substantial, Lani is surprisingly underused considering the popularity of Lainey, Leilani, Lana, and Kehlani. A multi-cultural choice with both Hawaiian and English origins, it is also used in the Philippines, possibly as a variation of the modern Laarni, or as a twist on the word langit meaning "skies, heaven", which aligns with the Hawaiian meaning too.

Bardo has a poetic beginning and upbeat ending, with roots in several diverse cultures. It may be most familiar today via George Saunders' novel Lincoln in the Bardo, which refers to the Tibetan Buddhist state of suspension between one life and the next, resembling the Christian idea of Limbo. Bardo is also an ancient saint's name: Saint Bardo was the eleventh century bishop of Mainz, in Germany. Actress Sandra Bullock chose Bardo as her son's middle.

The iconic Gone With the Wind star Clark's surname was brought into the first-name mix when Weeds' Kevin Nealon picked it for his son. Gable makes a strong and unusual possibility, a rhyming cousin to Abel and Mabel.

If January, April and August are useable and fashionable, why not February? February as a word derives from the Latin februa, which was the name of a purification feast coming at the end of winter, to prepare for the coming spring.

This name of the patron saint of Naples would make an apt choice for a New Year's baby, or one with Neapolitan roots.