Easter Names

Commonly heard in Hispanic cultures, a rhythmic possibility here.

Could be confused with the much less captivating Leanne.

Lilit in the Top 20 girls names is Armenia. Outside of Armenia, Lilit might be confused with Lilith, but is worth considering as a name in its own right.

A name better left where it is, embroidered on a fifties poodle skirt.

Calm, straightforward, patrician sounding: Pace is one new-style name that's well-grounded.

Farasha is butterfly in Arabic, which means that to English-speakers, it feels more like a soft feminine name and less like a fluttery animal. Pretty without feeling flighty.

Liliwen is a sweet, whimsical flower name used occasionally in Wales, and would make an interesting alternative to Lilian, and another way to Lily as a nickname.

Greek name more familiar here in its feminine form, Anastasia, the masculine version bears further consideration. Traditional nicknames are Sakis and Staas.

Has a nice fresh, early morning meaning, but not the most mellifluous of sounds. Also spelled Arpineh.

A Near Eastern favorite, with an agreeable, evocative sound.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday). Kwasi is the name for boys born on a Sunday. (The name for girls born on a Sunday is Akosua).

Nikau is among the most popular Maori names for boys in New Zealand. It sounds like a cousin to Nicholas, but Nikau is actually the name of a palm tree native to the islands.

Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son. But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which gives the name a more devilish twist. While there's nothing intrinsically male or female about Sabbath as a first name, it squeaked onto the Social Security roster for five boys in 2012, but was not recorded for girls. Sabbath comes from the word for "day of rest" in many ancient cultures.

This Spanish month name has been quietly used for several years now in the US.

Evocative word name that's refreshingly straightforward. Overtones of Christianity and penalty. More subtle option: Cruz.

Liliosa, one of the most extravagant forms of the ever-more-popular and varied Lily family, is an ancient saint's name that's a perfect candidate for revival by parents who love the double-L flower name trend but want a distinctive variation. Saint Liliosa was one of the martyrs of 9th century Cordoba, along with her husband Felix and cousins Aurelius and Natalia — all names newly fashionable in the modern world.

Barbossa (also spelled Barbosa) is derived from the Barbosa palm. It is also a common place name, with towns called Barbossa spread across Latin America. Film buffs might also recall that Barbossa is the name of the captain of the Black Pearl in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Zadig is the name of the hero of a novella by Voltaire, gaining popularity in modern France as a quirky-chic choice.

Americans may not realize Barclay is the phonetic spelling of the British Berkeley -- though both sound like old-fashioned butler names.