Names That Mean Honor
- Merida
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"one who has achieved a high place of honor"Description:
You'll probably be hearing more of this name thanks to the newest Pixar film, featuring Princess Merida, the first Pixar princess--a feisty, athletic, independent medieval Scottish girl with wild red hair. Her name, however, is not Scottish, but a Spanish place name found in both Spain and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
- Verena
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"integrity"Description:
Verena is pleasant but old-fashioned. Whether that's the outdated kind of old-fashioned or the so-out-it's-in-again kind is your call.
- Odelia
Origin:
Hebrew, GermanMeaning:
"I will praise the Lord or wealth"Description:
Pretty Hebrew name that would create a strong but feminine impression, as well as a variant of the Germanic name Odilia or Ottilie.
- Honor
Origin:
English word and virtue nameMeaning:
"honor"Description:
Honor is a somewhat more straight-laced virtue name than Hope or Grace, placing a high standard on any girl carrying it, but it's a goal worth setting. By choosing Honor for her daughter, Jessica Alba brought it very much into the modern world.
- Sade
Origin:
Finnish, Nigerian and Yoruba, diminutive of FolashadeMeaning:
"rain; honor bestows a crown"Description:
The one-named singer clarified the confusing pronunciation on this one (in her case, it's shah-DAY), but a number of parents have looked for more phonetic spellings. The Finnish version means "rain."
- Annora
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"honor"Description:
Annora is a noble name, a distinctive twist on its most essential form: Honor. Other variations to explore include Honora and Nora.
- Briana
Origin:
Feminine variation of BrianMeaning:
"strong, virtuous, honorable"Description:
Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene, which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with.
- Oksana
Origin:
Russian from HebrewMeaning:
"praise to God"Description:
Ukrainian figure-skating champion Oksana Baiul made it known here.
- Timo
Origin:
Norwegian, Finnish, German, and Dutch variation of TimothyMeaning:
"honoring God"Description:
Popular in its own right in Germany and definitely makes a more intriguing and grownup short form of the classic Timothy than Timmy or even Tim.
- Rin
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"dignified, severe"Description:
A very popular girls' name in Japan whose sound is consistent with its meaning. Another possibility is Ren.
- Ismay
Origin:
Possible variation of EsmeMeaning:
"esteemed, beloved"Description:
The rise of the the various Isabel names may give a boost to this variation, which has a sunny, springtime feel.
- Sansa
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"praise, charm"Description:
Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin is a master namer, and this unusual choice from India is beginning to be heard in nurseries as well as on television. Sansa was perhaps slower to catch on than other names such as Arya and Khaleesi as Sansa Stark was in the first seasons of the show a weak and compromised character. But she's developed a good measure of backbone and integrity, which makes her lovely name a more attractive possibility. In 2015, 20 baby girls in the US were named Sansa, a number we expect to rise.
- Milos
Origin:
Slavic, diminutive of MiloslavMeaning:
"lover of glory"Description:
Commonly heard in Greece as well as the Slavic cultures, Milos has been associated in this country with Czech film director Milos Forman. Pronounced MEE-losh, it's a more original spin on the popular Miles and Milo.
- Kanye
Origin:
African place-name, NigeriaMeaning:
"honor, tribute"Description:
The popularity of the charismatic rapper-producer Kanye West has propelled his name into the Top 900. In addition to its African derivation, it is a Hawaiian name meaning 'free'.
- Iyra
Origin:
Arabic, Urdu or SanskritMeaning:
"respectable, awe-inspiring; or a name for the goddess Saraswati"Description:
Variant of Ayra
- Bertha
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"bright, glorious"Description:
Ever since the enormous German cannon was dubbed by Allied soldiers "Big Bertha" in World War I, this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to imagine now, Bertha was a Top 100 name until the 1930s, and in the 1880s was the seventh most popular name in the land--the equal of Joseph.
- Erwin
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"respected friend"Description:
One of the many names with a strong "er" sound, like Bertram and Ernest, that was huge in the 1920s and is languishing in style limbo now. One famous bearer is the physicist Erwin Schrödinger, as in Schrödinger's cat.
- Esmarie
Origin:
English, modern combination of Esme and MarieMeaning:
"loved, esteemed + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"Description:
Parents have been creating their own names from existing appellations since the beginning of time. So have authors, from Shakespeare to George R. R. Martin. As far as modern attempts go, Esmarie, which combines Esme and Marie, has a nice natural flow and a sound that is very pleasant.
- Emir
Origin:
Turkish, Bosnian, ArabicMeaning:
"prince, ruler"Description:
Emir can be a title of honor in Arabic-speaking nations. In Turkey and the Balkan countries, Emir is one of the fairly popular Arabic names for boys.
- Aneurin
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"honor"Description:
Rarely heard in the US, Aneurin is best remembered in the UK as the Welsh politician, Aneurin "Nye" Bevan, who was instrumental in setting up the National Health Service when he was Minister for Health.