Names That Mean Freedom

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.

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

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

Erkin is an Uzbek vocabulary word from Old Turkic, and is widely used as a unisex name in Turkey. In English-speaking countries, it is unknown but straightforward and with a great meaning.

So far out it's almost ready to be let back in.

Aditi is the name of the ancient Hindu mother goddess. Sometimes call the Cosmic Creator, Aditi is the goddess of fertility, the earth, the sky, the past and the future. Along with several other Hindu goddess names, Aditi is on the rise.

A more distinctive alternative to Alejandro.

Rarely heard but pleasing feminissima name for a baby girl.

An undiscovered Persian gem that's zippy, short and sweet. It is used in Iran and neighboring countries as a first name and a family name. The British actress Afshan Azad played Parvati Patil in the Harry Potter movies.

Good way to honor Scandinavian roots, or an ancestor named Carl or Charles.

One of the classic hippie word names. In the 1970s, actors Barbara Hershey and David Carradine gave this name to their son...who later changed it to Tom.

One of the most attractive and unusual spins on the "Fran" franchise.

With Bodhi one of the fastest-rising names, could other concepts from Eastern religions catch on as names too? Moksha can refer to various types of freedom and release, such as from ignorance and from the cycle of death and rebirth.

This would make an interesting South American heritage choice. One famous bearer was Quispe Sisa, an Inca princess in the 16th century. It is also a surname.

Frostine, best known in the U.S. as the name of the Candyland queen, is newly fashionable in France and is certainly a choice that any little girl the world over would love. Fanciful, if over-the-top, but a perfect name for a winter baby girl.

A surname name, most popularly associated with actor Heston, has a blue-blooded ring to it. Charlton is also a more unusual pathway to evergreen nickname Charlie.

This nouveau spelling peaked at Number 583 in 2004. In spite of its trend-making K and "ee" ending, Karlee is much less popular than the original Carly.

Carleton has a great meaning behind it, and should really have more popularity than it has found to date. You can shorten it to Carl or keep it upscale and formal in the longer form. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk lends the name some sporty credentials, while American artist Carleton Wiggins confirms this name's Victorian earnestness.