Girls of many cultures

  1. Sandra
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alessandra, Italian from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      2012's Hurricane Sandy blew away whatever style currency Sandra retained from its 1960s Sandra Dee heyday. While in recent years it's been associated with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, as a baby name Sandra is sinking beneath the waves.
  2. Sara
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "princess"
    • Description:

      Sara, the streamlined form of Sarah, makes this ancient name feel more modern, but perhaps a bit lighter weight.
  3. Susanna
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "lily"
    • Description:

      Susanna is an old and under-appreciated name, perhaps because of the recent overpopularity of Susan, that is certainly due for a comeback.
  4. Tamara
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "date palm tree"
    • Description:

      Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.
  5. Tatiana
    • Origin:

      Russian from Latin family name
    • Description:

      Tatiana was derived from Tatius, a Sabine-Latin family name of unknown origin. Titus Tatius was the name of an ancient king who ruled over the Sabines, an ancient Italic tribe who lived near Rome. The Romans used the name Tatius even after the Sabines died out and created the derivative forms Tatianus and Tatiana. The names were eventually disseminated throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including Russia.
  6. Vera
    • Origin:

      Russian
    • Meaning:

      "faith"
    • Description:

      Vera was the height of fashion in 1910, then was for a long time difficult to picture embroidered on a baby blanket. Now, though, it has come back into style along with other old-fashioned simple names such as Ada and Iris.