Names That Mean White or Fair

Whitten is a stylish patronymic surname derived from Witt and Witte — German and Dutch nicknames-turned-surnames describing people with white-blonde hair or a pale complexion. Cool-guy nickname Whit only adds to the appeal.

An unusual member of the "Lily" family of names, this one gives you the option for sweet vintage nickname Winnie, too. It's very unusual even in its native country, never given to more than 3 babies per year since naming records began in 1996.

Gaynor is an early androgynous name with a positive association, related to the Cornish megahit name Jennifer.

Beyzs is both a girls' name, most popular around the turn of this century, and a place name of a city and county in Iran.

Like the variation Wenna, Wenn is an early Cornish form of Gwen. Confusion with the English word "when" leads us to suggest that the longer form Wenna would be more "name-like".

Libni is the name of two male characters in the Bible — both grandsons of Levi. It is derived from the Hebrew word laben, meaning "to be white."

Another name for snowdrops, the small white flowers, Galanthus appeared in Greek mythology under the spelling Galanthis as a servant who deceived the gods and was turned into a weasel. A pretty and unique flower name with a defiant streak, Galanthus is an intriguing choice for a baby girl.

Wenna is an early Cornish forms of Gwen, belonging to two 5th-century Cornish saints. Wenna could also be a shortened form of Conwenna, another beautiful Cornish name.

A Southern place name — found in North Carolina and Virginia — borne by early enslaved people in the US. It came over from England, where Albemarle was a variation of the French county name Aumale, from the Latin Alba Marla, "white marl." Marl is a type of soil.

Highly unusual; could be confused with the Isuzu automotive brand.

A biblical name that was used in colonial times, but which has an unpleasant sound to the modern ear.

A widely used name in medieval Europe that's been almost completely forgotten. Blanche still reads as old lady-ish, and the frilly "-fleur" doesn't make it feel younger. But it could be a striking, not to say iconic, choice for a bold parent, especially if they had some sort of connection to white flowers or the Middle Ages.

In Irish mythology, Fionnabhair (Old Irish Findabair or Finnabair) is the daughter of Queen Medb of Connacht and Ailill, whose beauty is exploited by her mother to persuade a long line of warriors to face the legendary hero Cú Chulainn in single-combat. All are defeated and killed, a bloody battle ensues, and Fionnabhair drops dead of shame when she discovers that she has inadvertently been the cause of all the death and destruction.

Unusual and attractive entry to the growing Irish name canon.

A bit of a tongue-twister.

Quintessentially, stylelessly preppy.

Yet another member of the Gwyn/Gwen/Finn family of names ultimately deriving from a Celtic element meaning "white", Guin gets rare use in England and Wales; a notable bearer is Olympic- medal winning (female) rower Guin Batten.

Delwen appears to be a modern invented name in Welsh, deriving from two common name components: del - meaning pretty and wen - meaning fair/white. Similar names include Delyth, also Welsh, and Elowen, which is Cornish.

Only if it's a family name, and even then, better in the middle.