Wildflowers

  1. Benedict
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "blessed"
    • Description:

      Parents who like Ben and Benjamin but find those forms too popular sometimes consider Benedict as a more distinctive choice. Unlike the Old Testament Benjamin, Benedict is the name of the saint who formed the Benedictine Order and of fifteen popes,including a recent one.
  2. Bennett
    • Origin:

      English, medieval form of Benedict
    • Meaning:

      "blessed"
    • Description:

      Bennett is Ben with a bow tie, kind of a cross between Benjamin and Beckett. It's been trending up on the popularity charts in recent years, and its choice by The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Jane Krakowski could shoot it even higher.
  3. Bowen
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "son of Owen"
    • Description:

      Bowen is a Celtic surname representing two separate Celtic strains, one Welsh and one Irish, and entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2011.
  4. Breena
    • Brio
      • Origin:

        Italian
      • Meaning:

        "vivacity, zest"
      • Description:

        Musical term with a lot of energy.
    • Bronte
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "thunder"
      • Description:

        This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. While the original name took an umlaut over the e, modern English speakers may find that more trouble than it's worth. Trivia note: The Anglo-Irish clergyman who was the father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne changed his name from the original Brunty. According to scholars, the family pronounced the name brun-tee, though in the 21st century world it's commonly pronounced bron-tay. In Australia, the name is more likely to take inspiration from Bronte Beach in Sydney. It was named after Lord Nelson, the 1st Duke of Bronté. He got his title from a town in Sicily, itself named after a mythological Cyclops.
    • Belisent
      • Bellona
        • Bennath
          • Braya
            • Callen
              • Origin:

                Gaelic
              • Meaning:

                "rock"
              • Description:

                Callen is a unisex Gaelic name growing in popularity here. Its newfound trendiness is possibly related to the Chris O'Donnell character on "NCIS: Los Angeles", known only as G. Callen. Jazz musician Cal Tjader's full name is Callen.
            • Calypso
              • Origin:

                Greek
              • Meaning:

                "she who hides"
              • Description:

                This hyper-rhythmic name has two evocative references. In Greek mythology, she was an island nymph, a daughter of Atlas, who delayed Odysseus from returning home. It is also a genre of West Indian music, originating in Trinidad and Tobago and largely popularized in the States by Harry Belafonte.
            • Caspar
              • Origin:

                Persian, variation of Gaspar
              • Meaning:

                "keeper of the treasure"
              • Description:

                After half a century, this otherwise feasible name has at last started to lose its link to the friendly ghost; it certainly didn't scare model Claudia Schiffer, who chose it for her son, as did Atomic Kitten Jenny Frost. Iconoclastic namer Jason Lee switched genders and called his daughter Casper. Also related to the revived Jasper, Caspar seems headed towards the path to a similar resurgence.
            • Caspian
              • Origin:

                Place name
              • Meaning:

                "white"
              • Description:

                One of the most romantic of appellations, Caspian is a geographical name referring to the large salty sea between Asia and Europe. It's also the name of the hero of C.S. Lewis's beloved Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.
            • Cecelia
              • Origin:

                Latin
              • Meaning:

                "blind"
              • Description:

                Cecelia, with this spelling, got some recent attention as the name of Jim and Pam's baby on The Office -- and also the name of actress Jenna Fischer's newborn niece. A spelling variation of Cecilia that has a gently old-fashioned feel and several appealing short forms, including Celia, Celie, and, as on the TV show, Cece. Three times as many babies are given the Cecilia spelling as get the Cecelia one, though if you plan on calling your daughter Cece or Celia, Cecelia may feel like the more logical spelling.
            • Celia
              • Origin:

                Latin
              • Meaning:

                "heavenly"
              • Description:

                Celia, splendidly sleek and feminine, is a name that was scattered throughout Shakespeare and other Elizabethan literature, but still manages to feel totally modern.
            • Corentin
              • Origin:

                French, Breton
              • Meaning:

                "tempest, hurricane"
              • Description:

                Corentin is an intriguing saint's name fashionable in France but virtually unknown here-- which you may consider a big plus. St. Corentin possessed a magical fish that regenerated itself each night, feeding himself and his lucky visitors in perpetuity.
            • Capra
              • Caspia
                • Dacia
                  • Origin:

                    Latin place-name
                  • Description:

                    Dacia is an ancient place-name -- it was in Eastern Europe -- as lacy as Dacey, but more substantial.