Names That Mean Free

Old Irish spelling of Dermot / Diarmaid. This spelling is commonly used in the legend of Diarmuid and Gráinne, a love story from Irish legend.

Francie is one of the most neglected nicknames for Frances, despite having more style value than Franny and Fanny and being more unique than Frankie. We'd love to see it get more use, whether as a Frances short form or as an independent name.

Shortening Francisco somehow makes it sound even cooler. Cisco is also the name of a digital security company.

Eleftheria is derived from the male saint's name Eleutherios/Eleftherios. The national motto of Greece is Eleftheria i thanatos, "freedom or death".

Charlie in all its forms has been a popular gender neutral name since the early 2000s and is now given almost equally to girls and boys. While it did once lean more (statistically) masculine, it has been used on girls too since the before the 20th century.

Though this is traditionally a male name, it can work for a girl in our culture. Might also be considered a short form of the Italian Amadea.

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.

Malayah first appeared on the charts in 1994 and has steadily climbed its way into the Top 1000. It's a spelling variation of Malaya, which derives from the same root as Malaysia — which in addition to being a country name, is a baby name that ranks in the Top 600.

If Frances and Fran are too serious for you, and Fanny too saucy, you might like Franny, still identified by some with J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey stories.

This name from the Igbo language of Africa, which feels like the more-familiar Arabic Ahmad, might be an original and attractive choice.

Fanya might make an international and unusual short form for the classic Frances, or could stand as a full name on its own. Definitely classier than Tanya but with the same Eastern European flavor.

Less well known internationally than Saoirse, but equally appealing, Saorla is also spelled Saorlaith or Saorfhlaith.

Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Frances or Francesca

Ferenc is well used in Hungary, where it has the intriguing nickname Ferko, it has been associated with the playwright Molnar.

Less well known internationally than Saoirse, but equally appealing, Saorlaith is also spelled Saorla or Saorfhlaith.

A pet form of Karl, the form of Carl used throughout Scandinavia.

A sweet (literally) and rare nickname for Charlotte. Lollie would also work as a short form of other names with a strong L sound, such as Elizabeth, Lauren, Lola, Lorelei, and Louisa.

It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.