Aries inspired names

Mackenzie begat McKenna - a catchy but very trendy choice. While the Mc or Mac prefix means "son of," this is much more popular as a girl name in the US, peaking at #177 in 2002.

Interesting multi-cultural option.

Megaera is one of the Furies in Greek mythology — deities of vengeance. It's a better choice than Envy, which was given to 37 more baby girls than Megaera at last count.

A Muslim boy name likely to soon fall out of the Turkish Top 100.

Star in Orion that might make a fine name, except people will always assume it's Melissa, with a typo.

From the Sanskrit malati, a subtle botanical option.

This traditional Greek name feels somewhat more distinctive than Melissa, though after a recent upward blip in popularity, it seems to be sliding back down -- which may not be a bad thing for parents looking for a name that both fits in and stands out.

In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into non-literary use in the 1840's, peaking in the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s: Melinda was a Top 100 name from 1967 to 1980. It began to fade as nickname Mindy ascended. Nowadays, however, Melinda feels more contemporary than cousins Melissa, Mindy, Belinda and Linda.

Unusual and lush Roman name adopted, improbably, by the Puritans.

This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized tribute to an Aunt Melissa or Melanie.

Melissa derives from the Greek word mélissa, meaning "bee," which was taken from the word for honey, meli. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph who nursed the infant god Zeus with honey. Melissa was used as a given name by the early Greeks, as well as for fairies by Italian Renaissance poets.

A coffee filter.

This name — also seen as Mellonia — belonged to the Roman goddess of bees and bee-keeping, said to encourage the supply of honey.

Melor is the name of a Breton saint who in legend was also a prince, suggesting he was the son of a Cornish king (Mylor is the Cornish variation of the name). Melor was said to have a foot and hand made of silver,

You'll probably be hearing more of this name thanks to the newest Pixar film, featuring Princess Merida, the first Pixar princess--a feisty, athletic, independent medieval Scottish girl with wild red hair. Her name, however, is not Scottish, but a Spanish place name found in both Spain and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

The name of a breed of Spanish sheep is hardly worthy of a child.

Anglicized spelling of Meirion, the Welsh form of Marianus.

Merve is derived from Marwa, a significant name in the Muslim community, as it the name of a mountain in Mecca.