Reject Pile (Or is it?)

Pedra has never caught on with anything like the popularity of its male counterpart, Pedro. The Greek Petra sounds a lot cleaner and more refined.

The name of several early saints, including one, Pelagia the Penitent, a beautiful and licentious dancing girl who repented, then, disguised as a man, spent the rest of her life living alone in a cave on the Mount of Olives. Because of her early vocation, she is the patron saint of actresses.

An interesting figure from Greek mythology -- an Amazon queen who fought for Troy in the Trojan War -- but no figure could be interesting enough to make that five-syllable mouthful usable today. Stick with Penelope or, if that's too popular for your taste, try Thessaly.

Penthia might not be the most charming flower name, but as the lovely Penelope ascends, and the lovely Cynthia fades away, a compromise may be in order.

Peverell is the surname of a Harry Potter family.

Philomela, the name of a mythological Athenian princess who was transformed into a nightingale, is rarely heard outside the Greek community. The mellifluous Philomela might make a more distinctive and prettier update for Pamela or Phyllis. Philomela may also be a good choice for a music-lover's daughter. Try Pippa or Millie for short.

The Roman god of the underworld, the former ninth planet, a cartoon dog...but not a baby.

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.

Roman statesman and Caesar rival whose name, like other classical choices, was occasionally used for enslaved people. The Pompeo version could rise again.

A sweet, nostalgic nosegay kind of name, Posy has been long fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is still rarely heard in the US, though it could be seen as a more unusual possible alternative to Rosy or Josie.

Common French and German alternative to Renata.

Invented by author Stephenie Meyer for the Twilight series for the half-human, half-vampire daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, it's an amalgamtion of the names of Bella's mother Renee and Edward's adoptive mother Esme. Much to our surprise, some people are trying this at home.

The delicate and haunting Welsh Rhonwen is still a rarity in the U.S., where her English version Rowena is better known, but would be a lovely choice for any parent in search of a name that was both unusual and traditional, classically feminine yet strong.