Fussy, Frilly Favorites

  1. Oceanus
    • Origin:

      Mythological name
    • Meaning:

      "ocean"
    • Description:

      Oceanus was the Titan in ancient Greek mythology who rules what they thought was the body of water that surrounded the Earth. Oceanus was, appropriately enough, the name of the baby born on the Mayflower. Modern variations include Ocean, Oceana, and Oceane, a popular French name for girls.
  2. Odessia
    • Ophelia
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "help"
      • Description:

        Floral, elegant, and bold, Ophelia re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts. It has risen more than 700 spots since then and shows no signs of slowing down. Now in the US Top 300, could Ophelia one day become the next Olivia or Amelia?
    • Orabella
      • Origin:

        Latin variation of Arabella
      • Meaning:

        "beautiful altar"
      • Description:

        Lacks the vintage charm of the original Arabella, but with the love for all names Bella, it might appeal to some.
    • Oriana
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "dawn"
      • Description:

        Oriana is a dashing medieval name, with a meaning similar to Aurora. At this point, though, Oriana is much more unusual than Aurora and makes a unique choice if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings or dawn.
    • Orinthia
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "to excite, to stir the mind"
      • Description:

        A pretty, feminissima name, more distinctive than Cynthia. George Bernard Shaw used it for a character in his play The Apple Cart, about which it is said 'Orinthia is a name full of magic for me.'
    • Ovidia
      • Origin:

        Feminine variation of Ovidius, Roman family name
      • Meaning:

        "shepherd or sheep"
      • Description:

        Ovidia is the unusual feminine form of the ancient Roman Ovidius, most famous as the name of the exiled 1st century Roman poet Ovid. Modern male form Ovidio is known in Spain and Portugal. Ovida is another variation.
    • Pamina
      • Origin:

        Italian
      • Meaning:

        "little honey"
      • Description:

        This operatic Italian name -- it appears in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" -- is a more unusual route to the nickname Pam/Pammy.
    • Penrose
      • Origin:

        Cornish and Welsh place name and surname
      • Meaning:

        "top of the heath"
      • Description:

        Penrose – an ancient locational surname derived from several villages in Cornwall, Wales, and the Welsh border country of England – might work as a first name, although the "Rose" syllable might lead the uninitiated to assume it's a female name. As a middle name, however, it would make for a surprising and distinguished choice. A male Penrose could be called Pen/Penn, Ross or Roe for short.
    • PERENELLE
      • Petronella
        • Origin:

          Greek
        • Meaning:

          "rock, stone"
        • Description:

          Petronella, and its shorter sister Petra, are both feminizations of Peter. While Petronella is a name with deep history, it's extremely rare. It was given to no baby girls on record in the US last year.
      • Philomena
        • Origin:

          Greek
        • Meaning:

          "lover of strength"
        • Description:

          Philomena is an earthy Greek name now used in various Latin countries. While it has felt simply clunky for many years, it's starting -- along with such sister names as Wilhelmina and Frederica -- to sound so clunky it's cool.
      • Porfirio
        • Origin:

          Italian and Spanish from Greek
        • Meaning:

          "purple dye"
        • Description:

          This ancient saint's name was borne by the infamous midcentury playboy, Porfirio Rubirosa.
      • Quintessa
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "essence"
        • Description:

          Sounds like a fictional rank of royalty.
      • Rosalie
        • Origin:

          French variation of Latin Rosalia
        • Meaning:

          "rose"
        • Description:

          Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the Twilight series. The beautiful vampire Rosalie Hale has breathed fresh life back into this mid-century name, and the fact that the character is both sympathetic and relatively minor means Rosalie has the chance to thrive again as a baby name without feeling unduly tied to Twilight.
      • Rosetta
        • Origin:

          Persian
        • Meaning:

          "splendid"
        • Description:

          Associated with the ancient Rosetta stone, this is also the pretty Italian pet form of Rosa.
      • Rufina
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "red-haired"
        • Description:

          A feminine form of Rufus, which has potential in the current trend for ancient Roman names.
      • Salvadora
        • Origin:

          Spanish, feminine variation of Salvador
        • Description:

          Olde World Latin.
      • Seraphim
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "fiery"
        • Description:

          This ephemeral name of the loving angels surrounding the throne of God is all but unheard of in the US, although its feminine forms Seraphine and Seraphina are catching on. In Russia, it's long been in use, spelled Серафим (Serafim).
      • Seraphina
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "ardent; fiery"
        • Description:

          Seraphina is one of the most-searched name on Nameberry, destined for even greater popularity. The highest-ranking angels, the six-winged seraphim, inspired the lovely name Seraphina.