Our Names for Baby Girl (again, we know)

Girl Names
1

We’ve gone over our list a thousand times, but we aren’t falling head over heels with any names. Our boy list was easy, we’ve got our five stunning names and plenty to spare, but our girl list is a terrible mess. So we want to start over.

Here’s what we want: A name that evokes images/feelings of nature; trees, rivers, waterfalls, starry skies. We like both lush green and blue, and frosty wintery names. We don’t like too frilly and cutesy names. The child’s last name will be one syllable, ends in -s. We like mythology, but want to stay away from the major gods ([name]Zeus[/name], [name]Hera[/name] etc.), and bad associations ([name]Circe[/name], [name]Echo[/name]).

The names we have this far (love them, but something is off…): Niniane, [name]Vesper[/name]/Hespera, Belphoebe, Cyrene, [name]Thalia[/name], Illyria, Everild, Tinuviel and [name]Ophelia[/name].

Possible brothers are: [name]Endymion[/name], [name]Herne[/name], [name]Orion[/name], [name]Orpheus[/name] and [name]Theron[/name].

I also love [name]Willow[/name] and [name]Chloe[/name], but can’t use these.

We are very thankful for all the help we got on our previous threads, you are all amazing. If you’re still reading…

2

[name]Clover[/name]
[name]Aspen[/name]
[name]Neva[/name] (NAY-vuh, Spanish name that means snow)
[name]Aurora[/name] (as in [name]Aurora[/name] Borealis)
[name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Luna[/name]
[name]River[/name]
[name]Sparrow[/name]
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Selene[/name] (moon goddess?)
[name]Marina[/name]
[name]Sapphira[/name]
[name]Amaya[/name] (“night rain”)
[name]Emerald[/name]
[name]Astra[/name] (“of the stars”)
[name]Danica[/name] (“morning star”)
[name]Tana[/name] (fire or star goddess)
[name]Seren[/name] (“star”)
[name]Ciel[/name] (see-[name]ELL[/name], “sky”)
[name]Roxana[/name] (“dawn, or little star”)
[name]Vespera[/name]
Rispa (no idea what this means, but I saw it from decades ago and it looks like [name]Vesper[/name])

3

I’m new to your name list quest so I have no idea if you’ve considered these or not, but when I read wintery and mythological my thought was [name]Aurora[/name].

Also, if you like [name]Vesper[/name] but something just doesn’t seem right, what about [name]Vesta[/name]? She was a [name]Roman[/name] goddess I believe.

4

What about…

Illyria
Bellona
Siofra
[name]Vasilisa[/name]
Eilonwy
Eboshi
[name]Silvia[/name]
Morla
[name]Auryn[/name] (the Childlike [name]Empress[/name]’ amulet from Neverending [name]Story[/name])
Mondenkind (probably a middle)
[name]Lune[/name]
Faraway

5

Yesterday while reading a retelling of the [name]Parsifal[/name] legend, I came across the name Herzelaide, the name of his mother in the version I was reading.

6

I love your style, even though it’s so far from my own! Your boys list is gorgeous, an I love Hespera, Belphoebe, Everild, [name]Ophelia[/name] and Niniane.

These are the names that came to mind for you:
[name]Iolanthe[/name]
[name]Andromeda[/name]
[name]Leda[/name]/[name]Leta[/name]
[name]Cassiopeia[/name]
[name]Electra[/name]
Despina
[name]Evadne[/name]
[name]Eudora[/name]
[name]Eira[/name]
[name]Leontine[/name]
[name]Pandora[/name]
[name]Opaline[/name]
[name]Ianthe[/name]
[name]Aurelia[/name]
[name]Chloris[/name]
[name]Athena[/name]
[name]Diana[/name]
[name]Eris[/name]
[name]Amoret[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Venus[/name]
[name]Titania[/name]
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Ida[/name]
[name]Odessa[/name]
Ariande
[name]Oceana[/name]
[name]Olympia[/name]
[name]Theodosia[/name]
[name]Hestia[/name]
[name]Cressida[/name]
[name]Amethyst[/name]
[name]Leocadia[/name]
[name]Sybella[/name]

7

Chione/Khione. The greek goddess of snow, that’s my top suggestion. haha.

I love mythology names (and also nature), so forgive my super long list.

Aella- the harpy’ name, can be alternative for the popular [name]Ella[/name]. meaning whirlwind.
[name]Ariadne[/name]
Megara
Denadeira
[name]Althea[/name]
Bellona- roman goddess of war
[name]Calypso[/name]
Chryseis
[name]Hermione[/name]
Clidna
[name]Eirene[/name]
[name]Avalon[/name]
[name]Arethusa[/name]
[name]Evadne[/name]
[name]Freya[/name]
[name]Gaia[/name]
[name]Helen[/name]
[name]Hestia[/name] -(major goddess?!)
[name]Ione[/name]
Iphiginea
[name]Cynthia[/name] (major goddess, but a variation that is less used)
Leto
[name]Clio[/name]
[name]Persephone[/name]
[name]Phoebe[/name]
Proserpine/Proserpina- [name]Roman[/name] equivalent of [name]Persephone[/name]
[name]Eris[/name]
[name]Themis[/name]
[name]Vesta[/name] ([name]Hestia[/name]'s roman version)
[name]Hebe[/name]
[name]Carina[/name]
Sagitta
[name]Aquila[/name]
Antlia
[name]Ara[/name]
Alhena
Giennah
Gomeisa
[name]Talitha[/name]
[name]Cassia[/name]
[name]Cedar[/name]
Priairie
[name]Dawn[/name]
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Sequoia[/name]
[name]Breeze[/name]
[name]Sapphire[/name]
Alaqua
[name]Ashleen[/name]
[name]Freesia[/name]
[name]Fern[/name]
[name]Lilac[/name]
[name]Calla[/name]

8

[name]Iris[/name]! This is my favorite name!

9

[name]Acantha[/name] - a greek nymph’s name
[name]Fauna[/name] - means to befriend and it’s the feminine form of Faunus the [name]Roman[/name] god of forests
[name]Starla[/name]
[name]Althea[/name] - one of my favorites!
[name]Anthea[/name] - slightly more positive story, means blossom
[name]Astraea[/name]
[name]Dalia[/name] - from Baltic mythology, means luck but also has the flower association
[name]Deirdre[/name] - underused and beautiful name! from Celtic mythology
[name]Evadne[/name] - pretty and I’ve never heard it irl,
[name]Vesta[/name] - from Vestal and form of [name]Hestia[/name] (this is my grandma’s name so it’s sentimental)
[name]Ianthe[/name] - means violet flower and the name of a nymph in Greek mythology
Verdandi - Norse goddess of destiny and it also has that lovely verdant feel. or variant Verdani or Verdania

10

Thanks so much! This definitely shows me we need to do more research.

alzora: I love Aurora, Roxana and Seren. I also love Selene, but she was Endymion’s lover (on our boy list!)

maltwin1: Vesta is nice, but I think of vests…

rowangreeneyes: I love Bellona, Eilonwy and Lune. Siofra is so cute, but it means changeling…

thuja: Herzelaide is insanely cool. Maybe too cool?

genevie: You mentioned lots that we cut for reasons I can’t remember… you definitely know what we’re looking for! I love Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Electra, Leontine and Titania. Xanthe is gorgeous too, but we already cut it…

c@29: Chione is gorgeous. Avalon, Ione, Clio and Laurel are added to the list, thank you!

brfechter: Iris is gorgeous, unfortunately we can’t use it (boyfriend knew a mean one).

kala_way: Astraea and Fauna are beautiful! I also love Deirdre. Thanks!

11

Whenever I read your list, I think of the name [name]Phaedra[/name].

12

I would absolutely keep all of these contenders under consideration:

Niniane, [name]Vesper[/name]/Hespera, Belphoebe, Cyrene, [name]Thalia[/name], Illyria, Everild, Tinuviel and [name]Ophelia[/name]

The only one that doesn’t quite fit the desired imagery is [name]Thalia[/name], muse of history. [name]Ophelia[/name] met a watery end, but otherwise that connection is a bit shaky too.

Suggestions:

Belisande: the Gaulish and British goddess of the elements of both fire and water associated with lakes and rivers, fire, light and domestic crafts. (Most common version of her name is Belisama).

[name]Genoveva[/name]: a quasi-mythical noblewoman, [name]Genoveva[/name] of Brabant, who lived in seclusion in a forest in the wilds of [name]France[/name]. Her legend became part of European literature and was references throughout the Enlightenment in multiple books, poems, and plays.

[name]Arethusa[/name]: a water nymph; her name simply means ‘the water.’

[name]Canace[/name]: “child of the wind” in Greek; she was a daughter of King Aeolus. Some versions of her myth are a bit icky, with incest and suicide, some not.

[name]Isaura[/name] (ee-SOR-ah): “soft air” in Greek

Erianthe: “sweet as many flower” in Greek

Talvi (as a middle): Finnish for ‘winter’

Clarissant: “bright, famous, holy;” a minor Arthurian character

Essylt / Estrild: “ice fighter,” another minor Arthurian character; probable variant of [name]Iseult[/name]

Lisanor: mother of [name]Arthur[/name]'s son Lohot

Nineve: another variant of Niniane

[name]Eirian[/name]: Welsh name meaning “bright and beautiful”

Gwenllian: only child of [name]Prince[/name] [name]Llewellyn[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name], Lady of [name]Wales[/name]; name means “white flood.” Very interesting historical figure.

Mererid: feminine form of [name]Meredith[/name], meaning “sun on the sea”

13

I know [name]Orpheus[/name] is on your boys list but how about [name]Orphea[/name] for a girl?

14

Wait no! What happened to Belphoebe?! Hespera? Illyria? [name]Vesper[/name]? Everild? [name]Don[/name]'t throw out all the old beauties.
I do love the suggestion of [name]Cassiopeia[/name] for you - it’s so fabulously long! Is there a starrier name? [name]Do[/name] you know that [name]Joanna[/name] Newsome song? I forget which, but she sings about [name]Cassiopeia[/name], and it’s pretty fun.
[name]How[/name] about [name]Pine[/name], for contrast and crispness?
Belphoebe Illyria [name]Pine[/name]
[name]Cassiopeia[/name] [name]Roxana[/name] [name]Pine[/name]

15

claireelsie: [name]Phaedra[/name] is gorgeous, but her myth is so tragic I can’t use it.

blade: again, thank you (for the suggestions, and for bothering doing this again!)! I love Belisande, [name]Genoveva[/name], [name]Arethusa[/name], [name]Isaura[/name], Erianthe, Clarissant, Estrild, Lisanor, Nineve, [name]Eirian[/name], Gwenllion and Mererid. And [name]Meredith[/name] for that matter. That was almost all of them… you know me so well!

sawdustanddiamonds: [name]Orphea[/name] is very pretty! Maybe a switch…

emma: They’re still in there! The main problem with the girl list is that we don’t agree on the names. I love Niniane, Hespera, Cyrene and Tinuviel, he loves Illyria, [name]Thalia[/name], [name]Vesper[/name], Belphoebe the most. Everild we both love, but it clashes horribly with last name. Endellion was our favourite girl name, but it’s so similar to [name]Endymion[/name]. I love the [name]Joanna[/name] Newsome song, it is called [name]Cassiopeia[/name]!

16

Nice list! Here are a few of my faves that might jog something for you:

LOTR (assuming this is where Tinuviel came from)
Elbereth (“star queen”? yes, please!)
Luthien
Lorien
Nienna
Pelennor
Valinor

Wheel of Time
Aviendha
Moiraine
Tigraine

Celtic Mythologies
Arduinna
Belisama
[name]Rhiannon[/name]

Random
[name]Jorah[/name] (first rain, autumn rain)
[name]Petra[/name]
Rhine
[name]Tigris[/name]

18

[name]Ottilie[/name], I think it is very brave of you to start over, as it were. Not to trivialize in any way, but I think finding the right name is like how everyone talks about finding the right wedding dress. You’re supposed to just know, and if you don’t that means there’s something wrong. That doesn’t mean that all your other choices aren’t incredible…it just means there’s something better out there for you! :slight_smile:

So in the interest of brainstorming and refreshing the palate, I’m going way out in left field with some purely fantastical nature names. Some of these will probably be way too over the top or hippie-ish, but if the abstract interpretation of what you want the name to feel like hasn’t been working out, it can’t hurt to try the literal angle!

Seawillow (starting with this one because it’s an actual name!)
Silversnow
Windrose
Evergrace
Piperita (Latin name for peppermint)
Evenstar
Meadowlark
Tourmaline
Winterose
Hypersthene (means extreme strength, a green-silver metallic mineral often found in meteorites)
Larkspur
[name]Boheme[/name]
Silverwick
Wintermist
Stellaluna
Willowisp
Nephrite (a type of jade)
Windemere
Gossamer
Skylark
Elderberry (or Goldberry for that matter! Still can’t believe they left [name]Tom[/name] Bombadil and wife out of the movie…>_<)
Morrowind
Aventurine
Evensong
Wisteria nn Wish
Orinthia (pine tree)
Rosethorn
Clearwater
Damascena (Rosa damascena is the Latin name for damask rose)
Silversheen (type of moonstone)
Mistfeather
Evernia (Latin name for Oakmoss)
Crescence
Miaplacidus (name of a star in Carina meaning “placid waters”)
Tinkersnow
Evergreen
Symphony
Starsong
Myristica (Latin name for nutmeg)
Evanescence

And one random tidbit from Arthurian legend: Bellicent, another name for Morgause.

Hope these help spark some inspiration! :slight_smile:

1 Like
19

I love the above suggestion of Myristica.

20

[name]Love[/name] Niniane, Everild and [name]Vesper[/name] from your list.

Sorry for any repeats

Lumi - Finnish for snow
Lumikko - finnish for snow white
Talvi - Finnish for winter
[name]Melisande[/name]
[name]Melusine[/name] - mermaid name
[name]Ianthe[/name]
[name]Evanthe[/name]
[name]Evaine[/name]
[name]Iseult[/name]
[name]Azure[/name]
Liadan
[name]Ismene[/name]
Artemesia
Eirlys - Welsh for snowdrop
Gweneira/Eirawen - welsh for snow white
Windrose
[name]Eluned[/name]/[name]Luned[/name]
[name]Seraphine[/name]
[name]Jorah[/name] - Hebrew for [name]Autumn[/name] [name]Rain[/name]
[name]Danae[/name]
Thisbe
Thistle
Alastriona
Lassairfhionn (flame of wine)

21

I love [name]Blade[/name]‘s idea of putting Evelake on your girl-list. It reminds me of one of [name]Gerard[/name] [name]Manley[/name] Hopkins’ compound words. Speaking of Hopkins, how about:

Kestrel (as opposed to Windhover)
Dappledawn
Nightingale
[name]Andromeda[/name] (I think of the constellation, but there is the whole sea monster story…)

And randomly:
Verdigris - as in copper’s minty green patina. I love this word- makes me think of onion domes and overgrown fountains. And I’ve always pronounced it “VUHR-dig-ree.”