Aries inspired names

The power of the popular ella sound is sapped in this cross-cultural choice.

Creative variation on Peter.

Penzance is a port town at the very tip of Cornwall. With its associations with operetta and pirates, Penzance packs quite a bit of zip for a name.

Personification of pep.

There are several Percivals scattered through the Harry Potter series, which might help transform the old-fangled, fussy image it has accrued. Actually, the original Percival was the one perfectly pure Knight of the Round Table, a worthy hero. The name was invented in the twelfth century by a poet named Chretien de Troyes, for his ideal knight in the poem Percevale, a Knight of King Arthur.

Cooler and rarer than Pedro, but also has a slightly industrial sound.

Peridot is the gem of the month of August, a vibrant green mineral, said to be good for helping people put the past behind them, and an interesting, undiscovered jewel name. It was regarded in ancient times as the symbol of the sun.

A somewhat common name in the early 19th Century in America. The origins of this name are not clear. It could be a variation of Pamela, or it could be a contraction of Pearl and Amelia.

Also spelled, Piran, this Cornish saint's name is also a village. Perran is thought to be analogous to the Irish name Ciaran.

Five girls were given the name Perrine last year. More modern-sounding are Perrin, Perry, or even Petra.

The Hebrew name for Passover, making this the Jewish version of naming your child Christmas or Easter.

Too tightly tied to the acronym for the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

This spelling variation of Peta, chosen by Ani DiFranco for her daughter, might be a little difficult to pull off. Alternative suggestions: Petra and Petal.

In the Old Testament, this was the name of the father of the prophet Joel.

A strong Greek name with pan-European charm, Petra is a relatively recent feminization of Peter, though it relates back to an incredible ancient city in Jordan that was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century.

The name of a 7th to 8th century Italian monk who rebuilt the monastery at Monte Cassino. In Italian, he is called Petronace.

Petronilla is an ancient saint's name that relates to the Roman family name Petronius, thought to mean yokel, though some connect it with Petra or Peter, meaning stone. With the resurgence of so many ancient Roman names, the elaborate and pretty Petronilla or its French form Petronille seem more usable these days than they have in centuries.

So many names sound better with a French accent, and Petronille is one of them -- it feels unusual in an elegant way. But in the US, you'd have to be adventurous to choose it.

Russian diminutive from Pyotr (Peter), a very familiar form generally used only for small children, pets or close family members. It's also the Russian word for the herb parsley.

Light and ethereal, Phaenna is one of the Charities or Graces in some Greek myths. She was worshipped in Sparta, along with Cleta ("renowned one").