The Names on This Site I Like

The connection to a knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend gives this name a hint of nobility. Geraint Thomas was a Welsh cyclist who competed in the 2008 Olympics.

Linked to the early days of feminism via Germaine Greer, this saint's name feels neither French nor German enough.

Giacinta is as pretty in its way as Jacinta, the Spanish name for the same purple flower, and is also a saint's name. Gia is the nickname it shares with all Gia-starting names.

Popular in its native Italy, Giada has been quietly and stylishly used in English-speaking countries for several years now. Television cook Giada De Laurentiis made this a possibility — then semi-subtly self-referenced when she named her daughter Jade.

Gideon is a no-longer neglected Old Testament name, but still makes an excellent choice for parents looking to move beyond such overused biblicals as Benjamin and Jacob. In the Old Testament, Gideon was a judge called on by God to rescue the Jews from the Midianites, and the name was popular among the Puritans.

Like high-kicking amies Coco and Fifi, Gigi has a lot of Gallic spunk but lacks substance. Was chosen for her daughter by designer Cynthia Rowley. While some parents might fashionably use Gigi on its own, we'd recommend lengthening it on the birth certificate to something like Georgiana or Gabrielle.

Gillian is a name that was in common usage in Great Britain until the 1970s, when it dropped out of the Top 100 and is yet to return. Until recently, it had not crossed the Atlantic in significant numbers, except in the short form Jill.

Has been used on its own since the 1920s, but still seems like only part of a name. Was very much tied to mid-century Italian sexpot Gina Lollobrigida.

This lovely alternative for the Jennifer-lover ranks among the most popular girls' names in Italy. At this point in the US, the legions of Jennifers born in the 1970s are starting to become grandmas, so Ginevra might make an apt honor name for granny Jen.

Ginny was more common before Jenny and its myriad variants came along.

Like Galilea and Livia, one of the Italian names that fashionable American parents—with or without Italian roots—have started to choose for their daughters. It has endured ups and downs since entering the popularity charts in 1991.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen undoubtedly gave this name a boost. The French pronunciation (jiz-ELLE) gives it a more graceful, balletic, gazellelike feel.

Still heard in some religious Jewish communities, however diminutive Gitty is more common as a given name.

Hard as it might be to believe, Gladys was the Harper of 1900, emerging almost out of nowhere to take the naming world by storm. It became a favorite among parents — and writers of romantic Edwardian novels, seen as alluring and unusual. One impetus was the 1870 Ouida novel Puck, whose heroine was the idealized beauty, Gladys Gerant.

Prettier: the growing-in-popularity Paisley, a suburb of Glasgow, or even Scotland itself, used as a middle name by Kourtney Kardashian.

Former cool-boy name now in middle-aged limbo, but with a nice naturey meaning to endear it to modern parents.

There aren't many Glendas under forty.

Glimmer is shimmery but a little too showy, as is Glitter, a character on a TV sitcom-- while Glimmer appears in The Hunger Games.

Glinda is famous as the name of the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, invented by author L. Frank Baum. but has there ever been a real life, non-fictional Glinda? Not in the US last year. The name may be related to the Welsh Glenda, itself a 20th century invention.