Names That Mean Winner

A much more dynamic nickname than Nicky for any of the Nic-names. Nico was chosen by Thandiwe Newton for her daughter.

Pronounced like Jay, this short name is popular in South Asia and makes for a great English-South Asian crossover choice, used regularly in the UK and Australia. It can also be an alternate spelling of the English name Jay, either short for a J name or deriving from the name of the bird.

This variation is actually more popular in the United States than the original Spanish Reina.

Water names are a cool category these days, and this one of the famous Egyptian river is no exception. It streamlines the fussier Niles and also may be thought of as a color name, meaning dark blue or indigo.

Always the less common spelling of Irish classic Neil, Neal has been on a fifty-year slide, and now doesn't even make the Top 1000. It has a streamlined, surnamey appeal in this spelling.

This punchy surname has some favor in the last couple of decades—potentially due to rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was one of the quickest rising boy names in 2013 when it reached its high point at #318. It has since declined in popularity, but as of 2023, it remains in the US Top 500 and in the UK Top 1000.

This name of a Buddhist goddess, a possible alternative to the trendy Maya, was chosen for their daughter by Laura Dern and Ben Harper. Jaya is simple yet unusual, a winning combination, and one of the out-of-the-box goddess names as well as one of the most easily translated Hindi names for girls.

A name with a surprising amount of history--it was the name of the wife of Ptolemy I of Egypt, occurs in the New Testament, and belonged to a fourth century saint. In the US, it has long been spelled and pronounced Bernice. Nicknames include Bernie, Berry, Binnie and Bunny.

Nicolo is a more lively variation of Nicholas and one of the most attractive Italian names for boys. A name with a long, distinguished Italian history of its own, it also boasts the charming nickname Nico.

The meaning and origin of this extremely rare name are unclear, but it may be related to the Germanic name Alvar "elf warrior", or to Allovera/Elvira "all true". Historically, it has been recorded predominantly in traveling Romani families in Britain and in the American South during the 19th century.

Kinsey enjoyed popularity blip thanks to similarity to Lindsay, and because of Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries heroine, Kinsey Millhone. Now, Kinsley has become more popular than Kinsey.

A rarely used last-name-first-name, never as popular as cousins Garrett or Derek.

A beautiful name found in Urdu Muslim communities.

When it's spelled with two dots over the 'u' in German, Gunther is pronounced GUWN-ter, but it has a much softer sound when the 'h' is voiced by English-speakers, as it was, for example, for the name of a character in Friends.

Irish surnames are hot, and this one can successfully cross the line to work for girls, replacing the outdated Casey. And only a dozen girls were named Clancy in the US in one recent year (along with 27 boys), making it one of those rare Irish names that are both accessible and distinctive, classic and cool. Clancy is a winner for either gender.

The goddess and personification of victory in Greek mythology – sister to strength, force, and zeal – could make a powerful namesake for a daughter. The goddess would fly a chariot across battlefields rewarding the victors with laurel garlands. Though Nike would make a more unique alternative to her much more popular Roman counterpart, Victoria, be warned that many people’s first association will be the sportswear brand.

Nikola is generally masculine in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Macedonia, while in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia and the Czech Republic it is usually feminine.

An appealing Italianate alternative.

Vasilisa is the feminine form of Vasili, the Russian translation of Basil.

Once the teenaged babysitter, now more likely to be the mom who hires her. The names many variations include Nickee, Nickie, Nickey, Nicky, Niki, Nikkee, Nikkey, Nikki, Nikkie, Nikky, and Niky.