 Arlet

This Spanish month name has been quietly used for several years now in the US.

Abril

A Spanish boy name that is especially popular in the Canary Islands.

Aday

A bright-sounding name with multicultural appeal, used regularly as a first name in Japan, Scandinavia, Latvia, and Spain.
 
The Yoruba name Aina, pronounced ah-ee-NAH, is traditionally used for baby girls born with the umbilical cord around their neck.

Aina

Ainara is among the Top 100 <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' names</a> in Spain and is just starting to take off in the US. 
 
Ainara was one of the fastest rising girl names of 2023 in the US, jumping into the top 1000 for the first time.
 
A distinctive nature name and member of the newly trendy bird category, Ainara might make an unusual choice with a lovely secret (to English speakers, anyway) meaning.

Ainara

Very popular in Catalonia, in part because of its use by a number of pro athletes. English speakers, though, may interpret it as a "yoonek" spelling of Alex.

Aleix

An obscure medieval saint's name with a smooth liquid sound. The Latin version is Andeolus.

Aniol

Basque soccer star Aritz Aduriz helped propel this distinctive name -- derived from "haritz," the Basque word for "oak" -- to the Top 100 <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/161/spanish-names">Spanish baby names</a>.

Aritz

A name sometimes used by Latino parents, perhaps relating to the popular Spanish TV mini-series of that name. 

Arnau

Bernat

A Top 10 boys' name in Catalonia that will likely be associated with actress Jessica Biel in the US.

Biel

This saintly choice is an example of the Catalan trend for short, streamlined names.

Blai

More colorful than Blanche, but blanker than Bianca. 

Blanca

Bruna

Diminutive of Candelaria, a name derived from candle and given in honor of the festival of Candlemas, which marks the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mother.

Candela

While Charlotte and Caroline are considered stylish and classic members of the Charles family, this somewhat severe Germanic form is fading. It reached its apex at Number 76 in 1965.

Carla

Carlota is the preferred version of Charlotte in Spain and Portugal, each where it ranks among the Top 50 most popular girl names. Carlotta, with two Ts, is the Italian spelling.

Carlota

Didac

One of many Aidan variations — all stemming from the original Gaelic Aodhán — Eiden was the third fastest-rising boy name of 2023 and a new entry to the US Top 1000. Interestingly, despite this spelling's current success, Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, and Aden are all on the downswing.

Eiden

Though the most famous Elia, screenwriter Kazan, was male, this name sounds like a spin on many popular girls' names, from Ella to Ellie to Isla and Leah. While the Italian pronunciation has the middle syllable as LEE, making it closer to the original Elijah would give the middle syllable a long I sound -- eh-LYE-ah.

Elia

Elna

From the saintly name Eligius, Eloi is popular in Catalonia but rarely used by English speakers. There's potential for confusion with Eli - and with the Aramaic word eloi, said to mean "my God", which appears in the bible. 

Eloi

An intriguing way to spin an old standard. Pronounced with a hard G: gee-yem.

Guillem

Guim

Ivet

Izan, pronounced with the same vowel sounds and emphasis as Ethan, ranks among the Top 20 <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys' names</a> in Spain, where it's been popular for two decades. The US is starting to catch onto this energetic variant, as Izan was amongst the fastest-rising boy names of 2023 and one of the newest additions to the US Top 1000.

Izan

A standard form of John in Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Polish, Slovene, German, and Catalan. Properly pronounced yahn (in most of these languages), most Americans will still equate it with the Brady Bunchesque girls' name Jan.

A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.

Jana

Jannat is derived from the Arabic word jannah, which refers to the final paradise for good souls in the afterlife. Jannat is primarily used among Indian and Pakistani Muslims. Cennet is the Turkish variation.

Jannat

To the American ear, Jordi seems like a nickname for Jordan, which means this popular name from Catalonia could certainly cross cultures.

Jordi

Gentle, pleasant, and succinct, Layan is a popular choice across the Arab world and related to other well-loved Arabic choices, such as Alina, Leen, and Lina. Familiar in The UK, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium too, it has been on the rise in the US since the early 2000s and now sits just outside the Top 1000.

With Leila, Lila, and Aaliyah already well known among English speakers, Layan could translate well. In sound, it is a little like Leanne, while in appearance it is reminiscent of Lainey and Layla - all of which makes it a friendly, cross-cultural choice with a nice meaning.

Layan

Leyre is an important name in Navarre, Spain, as it is both the name of a mountain and an ancient monastery. It is derived from the Basque Leire, of uncertain origins. Both spellings currently rank among the Top 100 baby names in Spain.

Leyre

Lluc

Although Malak can be used for both sexes, it's much more widely-used for girls in the US and throughout Europe, where it ranks on several popularity lists.

Malak

The Spanish and Portuguese word for "sea" is a Top 100 name in Spain. In America, it's sometimes used as a nickname for names like Martina and Marina, but it could also plausibly stand on its own.

Designer (as in Marc Jacobs) form of Mark. An international classic, but long falling in popularity as a boys' name.


Marc

Mariona

Multicultural option, equally intriguing as, but more unusual than, Maia. 

Naia

Spanish spelling of the Hebrew classic that might prove confusing to non-Spanish speakers.

Neizan

Better to stick with the Neil spelling in the US, where the word "nil" also means "zero." But this is a Top Ten name in Catalonia.

This Catalan classic — spelled Nuria in Spanish — is the name of a valley in Catalonia with a shrine to the Virgin Mary, making this both a Marian name and simply a place name. Or maybe not so simply: during Franco's dictatorship, place names were a way to sidestep the rule that all names had to be Spanish, so Núria became popular as an act of Catalan patriotism. It is still in the region's Top 100 girl names.

Núria

Intriguing name that's a Top 100 choice in Spain and virtually unknown outside that country.  But has definitely possibilities for the adventurous baby namer.

Oriol

A very common name in Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain, in no small part because it translates as "peace" in the Catalan tongue. Alec and HIlaria Baldwin used it as one of the middle names for their son Eduardo.

Paula still seems somewhat stuck in the era of duo Paul and Paula bopping out the song "Hey, Paula." Two pronunciations are possible—the English "PAW-la" and the Portuguese "POW-la."
 Modern bearers of the name include singer-songwriter Paula Abdul and comedian Paula Poundstone, as well as a character on My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Paula is still a common choice in Puerto Rico.

Paula

Pol, pronounced as "pole," though a popular Breton name, would be an unusual form of a simple classic elsewhere.  The Breton Saint Pol Aurelian was known as a slayer of dragons and a founder of monasteries.

A top 200 name in Catalonia, Spain since 2004. There are several Catalan towns with the name, including Santa Coloma de Queralt and Rocafort de Queralt.

Queralt

Quim

An earthy rock'n'roll name with multiple origins. The Roc was a giant bird in Middle Eastern legend.

Sira

Triana is a Top 50 girls' name in Spain largely unknown and unused in the US: Only 10 baby girls in the US were given the name in 2017. Also a surname, Triana is the name of a distinctive neighborhood of Seville that's known for being home to artists, flamenco dancers, and bullfighters. Its name comes from the Roman emperor Trajan, which means "three rivers". Some sources list Triana as a short form of Katherine, a variation of Trina, and you can use it that way to honor an ancestral Katherine.

Triana

A nature name used in Catalonia, derived from the word for a vine or vineyard. It sounds like (and has the same origin as) Vignette, which has several English meanings in art, literature, and tax.

Vinyet

gabhart's list "Popular in Catalonia Spain" of 52 great name ideas:  Arlet - Vinyet!