Names That Mean Form

Variant transcription of Andrei

This mini-member of the Ivo-Yves family of names is unlikely to appeal to English speakers, as it sounds like "ew".

Famous as the name of the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

You might want to abbreviate this from one of the Biblical originals or use it as a name all on its own, an update of Sam or Finn. Sim is a Scottish Gaelic form of Simon.

A condensed version of Elizabeth made more familiar by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's Lisbeth Salander.

Ulrike and its Anglicized form Ulrica were given to exactly zero baby girls in the US last year, while their masculine form Ulrich was used for a dozen baby boys. U is the least common first initial for baby names in the US, making Ulrike extra unique. Ulrich and variations is German and means "rich and noble heritage".

This Scottish name for girls has been sued since the 19th Century as a feminine given name, and has a surprisingly feminine sound for a feminization.

Cyriaque is the French version of Cyriacus, an equally obscure name in the US. Abroad, however, Cyriaque has a few contemporary namesakes, specifically two French footballers: Cyriaque Louvion and Cyriaque Rivieyran.

This unisex name ranks among the most popular girl names in Norway, though it has a number of different roots.

Almost exclusively associated with opera diva Leontyne Price. If you want to use the suddenly-stylish Leontyne, we'd recommend the French Leontine spelling.

If Story and Poet and Sonnet can be names that work as well for girls as for boys, why not Ode?

Oline is an old school feminization of the classic Scandinavian Ole or Olaf that is still popular enough to rank among the Top 100 girl names in Norway.

Alternative spelling of Dennis, and the usual transliteration from Ukrainian. Used (though rarely) for both sexes.

Adda is the name of the first man in the Welsh Bible, but it is rarely used in its homeland nowadays. Once you know how to pronounce it, it's a soft-sounding name that would make an interesting alternative to A-ending boy names like Ezra. Adda Fras was a 13th-century poet, and there is also a River Adda near Bangor in North Wales.

Fiete is an extremely popular German name for boys that has not migrated to the English-speaking world. But it ranks among Germany's Top 100 boy names.

Madelina is the Madeline equivalent used in many European cultures. While it's a simple and melodic name, like its mother name it can lead to lots of spelling and pronunciation problems. The first syllable may be "may" or rhyme with dad; last two syllables pronounce lee-na, though of course some will inevitably say lye-na. Only a handful of girls received this name in the US last year, making it a distinctive and pretty classic, but don't choose it ignoring its very real down side.

Cute, or maybe qute, nickname for the upstanding Enrique.

Marvel is rising for both sexes, and this cheerful, melodic variation could appeal too.

In an English-speaking country, stick with Eugenia.

If you're looking for an honor name for grandpa Tom, this could be a good choice. It's also used as a male short form of the name in Eastern Europe.