525+ European Names for Girls and Boys

Worldly, artistic and attractive Slavic version of the name of the Greek god of fertility and farming.

This form got noticed as the first name of long-reigning Russian president Brezhnev; other bearers include playwright and short-story writer Andreyev, Leonid the Magnificent,a Russian performance artist on America's Got Talent, and Leonid McGill, the protagonist of a Walter Mosley private eye series. All in all, though, Leonid is not the most likely to join the pride of lion-related names here.

Old-school Italian names that shortens a wide range of longer names, making it feel much more popular than it is on its own.

The feminine version of the newly-stylish Roman -- and the longer form of the also-newly-stylish Romy -- would make a girls' choice that achieves that near-impossible balance of being both original and fashionable. This variation is far superior to Romaine, which is too lettuce-y.

Radek is both a last name and a first name with an uplifting meaning. The -ek suffix makes is a diminutive of Rad, which means happy.

The Welsh form of Justin, borne by a 6th century saint.

Zalán is a very trendy name for boys in Hungary, although its origins are unclear. Zalán's use as a name may be inspired by the Zala River or Zala region, both in Hungary.

This extremely unusual homonym of Leo might prove both confusing and intriguing. The Welsh double L fascinates English speakers.

Bleuenn is a name virtually unknown in the English-speaking world but trendy in its native France. Bleuenn's origins are in Brittany, in the north of France, and it's related to the Welsh Blodwen. Other spellings include Bleuen and Bleunwenn. This might give the perfect twist to a color name that feels too slight.

Hippolyte is the name of an Amazonian princess AND her son, both unfortunate mythical figures. The name Hippolyte, later borne by several saints, is a not an uncommon boys' name in France, but has barely set foot on American soil and is unlikely to do so. It was the middle name of famed French playwright Jean Giraudoux.

Name of the French town where a vision of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared, this name, virtually unknown elsewhere, is in the Spanish Top 100.

Despite a possible pronunciation problem, a pleasant, unusual choice. Sandor Clegane (nicknamed The Hound) is a major character on Game of Thrones.

Jagoda is a Top 50 choice in Poland and Croatia, where it is also the word for "berry" (in Croatian and other South Slavic languages, "strawberry"). Jagoda is also seen as a surname around the world.

Names that sound and/or are spelled like Dalila exist in several languages, from the Swahili Dalili to the Arabic Dalil to the Hebrew Delilah. A beautiful cross-cultural choice.

This name of the patron saint of Naples would make an apt choice for a New Year's baby, or one with Neapolitan roots.

Also spelt Rua, Ruadh is a strong and simple Irish name with a fiery meaning. Ruadhan is a popular related name.

Incredibly handsome and super smooth, Duarte sounds like it came straight out of a romance novel. You almost wouldn’t believe it’s derived from Edward.