Names That Mean Fame or Fortune

A French masculine form of Odilia/Odile which ranked in the top 500 in France for most of the first two decades of the 20th century, but has since fallen out of use.

Medieval name that still hasn't crossed the ocean, known here primarily via actress/teacher Uta Hagen.

One of the better-known Japanese names.

Moneta was the name of two separate goddesses in Roman mythology. The first was the goddess of memory, equivalent to the Greek Mnemosyne, and the second was as an epithet of Juno, mother of the gods. The names of each goddess were derived from different sources.

Akudo is an Igbo-Nigerian name stemming from the Igbo word 'udo' meaning peace. Unlike other names containing the name "Udo", Akudo is a feminine name.

Alda's brother name Aldo has been a mainstay of the U.S. popularity chart for decades now, and the related Alden is soaring up as well. This version has never really caught on. (Maybe it's the association with Alan Alda: great actor, unlikely namesake for a little girl.) However, there is possible hope now that Alba and Alma are on the rise. Aida and Arden are more familiar alternatives.

Besides having an unappealing sound, has long been identified with a much-mocked Ford car model; use of this name is now restricted to the Ford family.

What parent wouldn't love this meaning?

Like Papa name Rudolf, Rolf never quite emigrated from the Bavarian Alps. You might want to move on to Rollo or Wolf.

A popular South Indian name that gained international attention when Aishwarya Rai became Miss World in 1994.

A medieval Italian name that could work in modern times.

Also a city near Tel Aviv, Hadar is a name found primarily in Israel. There is also a citrus fruit associated with the holiday of Sukkat the Torah calls the "hadar fruit".

Associated with famed percussionist Mongo Santamaria, but it's too close to the word mongrel to ever have widespread success in this country.

The American child given this name of four kings of Denmark, not to mention one so similar to that of the Harry Potter archvillain Lord Voldemort, might have to pay a large emotional import tax.

Ventura started life as a shortening of Bonaventura, Spanish for good luck or good fortune, but now stands on its own. It has a pleasant sound and the stylish 'V' ending, but Angelenos would associate it with the Valley's main stem--Ventura Boulevard, and others might think of Ace or Jesse Ventura.

Not as palatable as Cash.

The surname Costner appeared on the charts in 2021, and it was high time, given the popularity of other financial-themed surnames such as Banks and Ledger. Actor Kevin Costner makes it a familiar choice.

The name of the mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses in the Old Testament. Yocheved was also the name of one of the three daughters of the medieval Talmudic scholar, Rashi.

Should only be used when singing Christmas carols.

The name of the Hindu elephant-headed god of success and wisdom, son of Shiva and Parvati.