Name options for kids

Antiquated nickname for Cecilia and Cecily — these days Cece is much preferred.

This gentle Scandinavian name, soft and sensitive, is being discovered in a major way by parents in the US. It's most closely identified with the nineteenth century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, but there have been modern fictional Sorens as well, in The Matrix Reloaded and the book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Charlie and Lola, and Underworld.

A handsome, spruced-up post-Bruce tree name.

Unusual choice that was the original name of children's illustrator Tasha Tudor, but is an interesting elaboration of Star, taking it into avian territory.

Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina.

An energetic Japanese name that would make for an on-trend choice in the English-speaking world. Especially appropriate for a first-born son.

Lúthien Tinúviel is an elf princess in J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, who falls in love with a mortal human, Beren, and chooses to become mortal herself rather than to live without him. Tinúviel is a Sindarin name given to her by Beren, meaning "daughter of twilight" and therefore "nightingale".

An ancient Roman name rarely heard in modern times, though the related VARINA appears in Slavic families.

Vivia, the fresh Italian version of newly popular name, streamlines and even vivifies the original.