Names That Mean Beautiful

Folk singer DiFranco popularized this simple, appealing form. In Igbo mythology, Ani is one of the names of the goddess of the earth, fertility, creativity, and morality.

A favorite in Near Eastern cultures, with a charming meaning.

Anglicized spelling of the difficult-to-decipher Gaelic Aoibheann, the name of several Irish princesses, this name rhymes with Steven. Eavan Boland is a distinguished Irish poet who teaches at Stanford University.

A good cultural crossover choice for Chinese-American parents, Meilin has a beautiful meaning, an on-trend sound, and is straightforward in terms of pronunciation in an English-speaking environment. Meilin is also the name of the protagonist of Pixar's film, Turning Red.

Hip-swayingly evocative.

This ancient Egyptian queen's name would be best saved for a cat.

In Turkish, the name is transcribed as Nazlı, with a dotless I.

Blended name sometimes heard in the early decades of the twentieth century.

Rosabel, a vintage smoosh name created in the 18th century, feels slightly less frilly than her cousins Rosabelle and Rosabella. It could make for a more distinctive alternative to Isabel, or an unusual name that gets you to sweet nicknames Rosie or Belle.

Zaynab, from the Arabic word for beauty and the name of a flowering tree, was the name of a granddaughter, daughter and two wives of the Prophet Muhammed. Related names include the simplified forms Zaina and Zayna and the Swahili-inflected Zainabu, along with possibly Zenobia, a name related to the Greek mythological god Zeus. Zaynab is one of the most popular Muslim girls' names around the world.

No longer a one-person name, as a number of parents have been inspired by basketball great Shaquille O'Neal to adopt it for their own future athletes.

This name may be beautiful, and mean beautiful, but is more likely to feel odd and frumpy in an English-speaking country due to the spelling (which connotes an eider-down quilt). If looking for a feminine variation of Eder, we recommend Ederne instead.

A rare but historic English name bestowed upon girls in the 19th century. Fairlight seems to have been particularly popular among baby girls in the Appalachian region of the US. It appeared as a character name in Catherine Mashall's 1967 novel Christy, which was turned into a TV show in 1994.

Kazumi can be used both as a masculine and feminine name. It is related to names like Kazuko, Kazuo and Kazuki.

Bello is as handsome as Bella is beautiful, but rarely heard outside the Italian community. With its energetic 'o' ending, it could be ripe for export.

Beauty con brio italiano.

Aoibhinn and its twin name Aoibheann may be popular in Ireland but most English-speakers would find the spelling baffling and the pronunciation impossible to divine. It's ee-van, or se-vin, fitting with the Irish popularity of many names -- Aoife, Eabha, Ava -- with this similar sound.

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

Has a decidedly middle-aged image.