Aries inspired names

This Olde World name with a large measure of European style makes an offbeat possibility for the bold baby namer in search of interesting Italian names for girls. Currently very popular in its native Italy, Ludovica is an unusual path to all the great Lu nicknames, like Lulu and Lula.

Lutza is largely unknown in the English-speaking world and might remain that way, due to its resemblance to klutz.

A fun respelling of Luca. New Zealand canoeist Luuka Jones was named after Audrey Hepburn's son, Luca Dotti. Her mother changed the spelling to make it feel more feminine.

Straightforward single-syllable name, though children named Lyle may get tired of hearing "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile". Lyle was at the height of fashion in the 1920s, which makes him due for a comeback right about now. The double L certainly gives it a fashionable sound.

Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola.

The was the name of a minor character in Greek mythology, or another name for Semele, the mother of Dionysus by Zeus. A moon of Jupiter bears this name, as does a character in the video game Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

The name of an ancient Jewish warrior, Judah Maccabee, whose deeds are described in the deuterocanonical books 1 Maccabees to 4 Maccabees.

Rather than going with a yooneek spelling like Macen (or Maysen or Masyn), we'd suggest sticking with the original Mason, as Kelsey Grammer did for his daughter.

Variant of Maccabee

Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no boys recorded with either spelling of the name.

Derived from the Irish M'Aodh Óg, making it a relative of Aidan. Saint Máedóc (also known as Áedán) of Ferns was a 7th-century Irish bishop.

Although Maguire is such a prominent Irish surname —it ranks in the Top 40 in the Emerald Isle —this lively and cheerful family name has rarely been used as a first, unlike more familiar examples like Ryan, Riley and Reagan. The powerful and distinguished Maguire clan was known for their courage, leadership and resilience. The name's many notable associations include the unionizing Pennsylvania coal miners known as the Molly Maguires, actor Tobey Maguire and Dixie Chick Martie Maguire. Other spellings are McGuire and McGwire; two other handsome Irish surnames to consider are Malone and Magee.

Easy nickname Maggie makes Maguire an appealing option for girls.

A name from the East African Kikuyu language with a sweet meaning; and a simplified spelling of McKenna.

Part of the Mackenzie/Mackena/Mackenna family, this variation has a positive meaning.

There aren't many gemstone names that are firmly masculine but Malachite is one of these. The gemstone is a rich green colour and is often used for decorative sculptures. The name is thought to derive from the name of the Mallow plant, the leaves of which resemble the patterns on the gemstone. The name is also similar to the Hebrew name Malachi.

Malika is an attractive multi-cultural name--it is also a pet form of Amalia in Hungary.

Malina is a synthetic-feeling name that may be a feminization of the Scottish Malcolm or a spelling twist on the Greek Melina and that also has a fruit meaning in several Eastern European languages. For all that it's a little bit of lots of things, Malina doesn't feel very much like itself.

An invention of the eighteenth-century romantic poet James Macpherson, in his epic cycle about Ossian, a legendary Celtic hero. In Poland, where it was popular at the start of the 20th century, the spelling is Malwina, and it's also had some use in other Eastern European countries.