Eastern European Names

A short form of Magdalena in Dutch and a variation of Melaina, Melina, Melinda, Melanie, Milena and similar, Melena is also used for a character in the novel Wicked and the subsequent Broadway musical.

Used in Moldova and Romania.

A timeless cultural crossover name, Nadiya can either be a variant spelling of Nadia, a diminutive of the Russian name Nadezhda, meaning "hope"; or derived from the Arabic word Nada, meaning "morning dew" or "to be wet with dew" — something especially precious in dry climates.

For Americans, may prove too much of a twist on Peter.

A name that seems to switch genders when it switches nationalities.

Phonetic spelling brought to light by actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Substituting the V for the W sounds almost comedic to the American ear.

Unfortunately, this Polish version of Severus, pronounced Severin, contains the word Sewer, which probably makes it unusable in English-speaking country