Once Upon a Time Baby Names

Sadie, meaning "princess," comes as a nickname from Sarah. Here are five ways you can use Sadie without Sarah. Sandra, a short form of Alexandra, meaning "man's defender." Saranda, an Old Greek word meaning "forty." Sadira, a Persian name meaning "lotus." Sadia/Sadiya, meaning "lucky" in Arabic. Saida, pronounced SAY-duh, a variant of Zaida meaning "lucky, fortunate" in Arabic.

Unless you try really, really hard. It seems like it would take too much effort to turn Nancy into Nansie or Alexander into Alyxzandurr. But these are the kinds of names that most everyone is familiar with and knows how to spell correctly. Well known Biblical names such as Ruth, Paul, Daniel, Jacob, Hannah, Rachel and Rebecca. One-syllable names such as Kay, Ace, Belle, Jean, May, Lee, Flynn, Jack and Rue. Word names such as Peace, Arrow, Fable, Charisma, Hope and Faith. Plant/natural world names such as Fern, Ruby, Clover, Snow, Pearl, River, and Willow. Traditional nicknames such as Beth, Sue, Joe, Bob, Tom, Mike, and Ben. American staples such as Nancy, Carol, Ronald, Gregory, Rose, Marie, Mary and Alexander. Hollywood classics such as Ava, Audrey, Humphrey, Clark (and Gable), and Shirley. Top ten names such as Emma, Isabella, Mason, Noah, William, Emily and Elizabeth. Pop culture names such as Casper, Isis, Leia, Neo, Gatsby and Ziggy. International favorites s...

Catkin (KAHT-ken, CAT-kin) is a name that, at first, might seem entirely made up for the sole purpose of its cute two-syllable combination. It has a fun and pleasing sound, yet it is a botanical word name (much like Katniss) used to define the flower clusters on some types of trees, including oak, birch, hazel and willow. It came about from the late 16th century Dutch word katteken , meaning "kitten," and probably in reference to the kitten's poofy tail. Catkin is also a literary name, as seen in Antonia Barber's children's book Catkin , illustrated by P.J. Lynch, and  Where is Catkin by Janet Lord. There's another in Cloud Atlas , the book and movie, and a character in The Heir of Mistmantle by Margaret McAllister. If you are into flower fairy art, it is worth checking out Cicely Mary Barker's illustration from 1923 entitled "Hazel Catkin Fairy" from the book Flower Fairies of the Winter . (Hazel Catkin would be a cute combination, as ...

Polaris from the X-Men comics Polaris (po-LAR-iss or po-LAIR-iss - to each his own) is known as the North Star in the night sky, the Lodestar, traditionally also known as the "guiding star" or "pole star." The name means "of the [north] pole" in Latin, while the Greek name for it meant "dog's tail" in mistaken reference to the constellation Ursa Minor in which Polaris resides. Many believe it is the brightest star in the sky, but it is actually the 45th brightest. It does, however, play an important role in navigation because it remains nearly motionless. Polaris has been used in some fiction, although nothing very recognizable. It was used three times in the DC Comics universe for the fictional Polaris star system or Polaris Galaxy, on a Super Mario Galaxy character, in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and for three computer games. Polaris aka Lorna Dane was an X-Men character with the power of magnetism (fun fact: Magneto is...

Anchor - word name Anthem - word name Bayard - French meaning "auburn-haired" - lots of history here Beric - English meaning "grain farm" Brandell - Old Norse meaning "sword" Briscoe - Old Norse meaning "birch wood" Chaplin - English occupational name for a clergyman Connery - Irish meaning "dog-keeper/keeper of the hound" Gent - word name Gracian - prn. GRAY-shen, a variant on Graciano, "grace/gracious" Gresham - English, "village surrounded by pasture/grazing homestead" Helix - word name Hyram - phonetic spelling of Phoenician/Hebrew name Hiram, "exalted brother" Kline - variant spelling, German, "small" Lucan - historical, Roman poet Moxon - English surname, "son of Margaret" Murdoc - Celtic meaning "sea, seaman" Oaken - literal spelling of what Aiken means Obsidian - cooled lava/volcanic glass, "stone of Opsius," possibly "power" Phill...

Viola: a baby name, a flower, a color, a butterfly, and a musical instrument. While the viola instrument, which is slightly bigger than a traditional violin, is pretty much called the same thing worldwide, viola the plant is called a violet in English speaking countries. And just in case you needed an extra motive to use this name, check out Lago Viola, a beautiful lake located in Italy. As a name, Viola is a bit vintage - much more so than Violet, which currently ranks at #69. Viola literally means "violet" in Latin, and is a word name in European countries. The simple difference between Viola in America and Viola elsewhere is that Americans tend to pronounce it VY-ol-uh, whereas other countries stay true to the Latin vee-OH-lah. Violette/Violeta/ Violetta is the only other used variant. There have been countless namesakes over the years, including British children's writer Viola Bayley, Queen of Bohemia and Poland Viola Elizabeth of Cielszyn, poet Viola Garvin,...