Names That Mean Noble

New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas brought his Latinate name into the spotlight, and he has an equally unusual middle name--DONQUAIL.

This jazzy old name could make a comeback, the way Josephine and Ella have. In England the name was popularized by Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, after whom her governor general of Canada husband named the North American province. Jazz singer Alberta Hunter was a noted bearer.

Audrina is a name that owes its fame to overnight reality TV sensation Audrina Partridge, one of the original cast of the MTV reality series The Hills.

Tico is a diminutive of Alberto, but on the soap opera One Life to Live, Tico Santi's full name was Augustico.

Abelard brings to mind Peter/Pierre Abelard, the great twelfth century Breton scholastic philosopher and theologian, who was equally celebrated for his tragic love affair with Heloise--one of the world's most famous love stories.

Rarely used independently, it's more often the start of a multisyllabic German mouthful.

Many girls' names beginning with Ad- are enjoying newfound popularity, mainly Adelaide, Adeline, and Ada. Adalaide is a spelling that bridges the gap between Ada and Adelaide, which in German come from the same root.

Keefe is an energetic Irish surname occasionally used as a first. Only caveat: Will people think your little Keefe is a Keith with enunciation problems?

World War II stamped a permanent verboten on Adolph.

Ala is the Igbo earth goddess whose symbol is the crescent moon. In a very different vein, Ala can be a diminutive for Alicja or Alexandra or really any other name with an A at both ends and an L in the middle. Ala is also an Arabic name meaning "excellence, supremacy"; could be confused as a homonym for Allah, or as part of a phrase like a la mode.

A way to make the clunky cute Ethel a little more elegant perhaps, Ethelind is a noble yet gentle name, born by American stage and film actress Ethelind Terry.

This variation of the more well known Alvin adds an unusual and feminine touch to the original. It sounds a bit more like what it means--"elf friend."

This Latinized form of a name that's well used in Italy and Spain is sometimes heard, oddly enough, in Ireland.

Sounds elven in every sense of the word.

Gennady is derived from an early saint's name (Gennadius) and shares the same Greek root word as the English word generous. It is a familiar if still uncommon boys' name in Russia. If you're looking for unique boy names you might want to put this one on your list.

This Latin name, also spelled Alida, has come into focus via the interesting character of Aleida Diaz on Orange is the New Black, the mother of Dayanara. In real life, Che Gueverra named a daughter Aleida.

This softer version of Adolf is sadly still off-limits due to the connotations with Hitler.

The original Allison was a Top 50 name from the 1980s through 2016, and Allyson is one of the many spelling variations parents used to put a more unique spin on the original.

Patrice is a more modern-sounding and polished unisex alternative to Patricia.

Hidalgo is the name of a minor planet, and, on Earth, the Spanish word for a nobleman, but we don't see much crossover potential.