classic and unusual character names for Women

While Pasquale is a fairly common Easter name for boys, the female girl version is virtually undiscovered.

Spaniards use Pax and Paz, Hebrew speakers Shalom, for Greeks it's Irene, so why can't we make the English word Peace a name? Peace Adzo Medie is the author of the novel His Only Wife.

Peach is one of those names that, a generation ago, would have been placed in the wacky celebrity baby name category. But now with the proliferation of word, nature, and yes, food names, Peach sounds adorably baby-ready.

Name of the winning young heroine of Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye.

Pema is related to the more familiar Hindu name Padma and means lotus flower. This delightful name was given to only 14 girls in the USA last year, so it's guaranteed to be a unique choice. Pema is probably most familiar to Westerners through Buddhist nun Pema Chodron and through Jetsun Pema, the Dalai Lama's sister.

So many names sound better with a French accent, and Petronille is one of them -- it feels unusual in an elegant way. But in the US, you'd have to be adventurous to choose it.

British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The French equivalent, Prune, is very fashionable there but would not fly with English speakers.

Polexia Aphrodesia was the futuristic sounding name of the Anna Paquin character in the movie "Almost Famous."

Polyhymnia was one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology, associated with hymns, poetry, and dance. It's a whole lotta name for one girl, but now that Persephone and Calliope are on the table, Polyhymnia feels like much more of a possibility.

Polyxena was a minor figure in Greek mythology - a daughter of King Priam and a love interest of the famed warrior Achilles. The name is a bit clunky but could be pulled off by the right woman.

A rarely heard--even in France--name, most prominent as the third name of Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly.

Une amie for Gwyneth's little girl.

Unspecific place name with a wonderfully wide-open, spacious, western feel; used for a character in Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland.

A bit syllable-heavy, but a pretty name for a springtime baby.