Dance Baby Names

A name with a rich history in Ancient Greece and Rome, Agrippina was the sister of Caligula and mother of Nero, who had her murdered. The original male version, Agrippa, can also used for girls. The name Agrippina arose in ancient times to further distinguish it as a feminine form of Agrippa.

Dancer Fred Astaire lends a heavy dose of glamour to his surname, an Anglicized version of the Austrian-Jewish name Austerlitz.

A Blaise/Blaze hybrid that maintains neither the history of Blaise nor the wordiness of Blaze.

Fanciful, edging toward bizarre.

An Allemande is a renaissance musical form meaning 'German dance" - Handel composed many famous allemandes. As a name, Allemande has the advantages of being unusual whilst still having a history, and pretty while still having gravitas. It also has great potential for nicknames, with Ally, Lemmi and Mandy being the most obvious.

This name was given a lithe and graceful image by ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, but was later far surpassed by Kelsey and Chelsea.

Form of Swanhild, borne by the heroine of the ballet Coppélia. The -a ending certainly gives this ancient name a lighter, more balletic feel.

A word name that's appealing when applied to a person boogying or doing ballet; a different story in the context of Santa's reindeer.

Sassy but slight nickname name.

Poetic name that's terminally mournful.

The name of the Muse of dancing in Greek mythology. Arguably the least usable of the nine Muses' names, despite serious competition from Melpomene and Polyhymnia. Those two at least have obvious nicknames, Mel and Polly -- and don't have "sick" in the middle. However, if you use the Greek pronunciation, that syllable is not emphasized, and you've got nicknames Tess, Coco, and Terri.

A rhythmic word name with modern, gender-neutral appeal, Sway is rising for baby girls alongside potential full form Swayze.

Sway is a truly gender-neutral choice with rhythm and swagger. Although it's still extremely rare — last used for 13 girls and eight boys — expect it to continue to rise for both sexes, alongside potential full form Swayze.

Merce Cunningham (born with the French version Mercier) was a highly influential avant garde dancer-choreographer and his name still resonates with an aura of bold originality.  

This intriguing name of an ancient Etruscan queen renowned for her prophetic powers was long associated with the prima ballerina Tanaquil LeClerq.

You've got the red-nosed reindeer to transcend, but there are other distinguished personages named Rudolph, Rudolf, and Rudy.

Actor Jeremy Sisto put this word name on the map in 2009, when he used it as the middle name for his daughter Charlie.