Behind the Name: peterout's Personal Name List

Agnieszka

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Polish

Pronounced: ag-NYEH-shka

Personal remark: I fell in love with this name when I watched Schindler's List. Somehow I found the sound of Agnieszka very alluring. I can't explain it.

Rating: 38% based on 17 votes

Polish form of Agnes.

Alexa

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Hungarian

Pronounced: ə-LEHK-sə(English) AW-lehk-saw(Hungarian)

Rating: 49% based on 16 votes

Short form of Alexandra.

Calliope

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)

Other Scripts: Καλλιόπη(Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: kə-LIE-ə-pee(English)

Rating: 53% based on 15 votes

Latinized form of Kalliope.

Dominique

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: French

Pronounced: DAW-MEE-NEEK

Rating: 51% based on 14 votes

French feminine and masculine form of Dominicus (see Dominic).

Fernande

Gender: Feminine

Usage: French

Pronounced: FEHR-NAHND

Personal remark: The way Fernande is pronounced is captivating. As of right now I'm reading The Great Gatsby, and saying "Fernande" somehow reminds me of Daisy's speech as described by Fitzgerald.

Rating: 33% based on 16 votes

French feminine form of Ferdinand.

Lilac

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English (Rare)

Pronounced: LIE-lək

Personal remark: I first noticed Lilac because of the eponymous song, "Lilac" by Wild Nothing, a song I love very much. The singer made Lilac sound so wonderful that I fell in love with the name. Collateral damage :)

Rating: 66% based on 18 votes

From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.

Raphaëlle

Gender: Feminine

Usage: French

Pronounced: RA-FA-EHL

Rating: 49% based on 16 votes

French feminine form of Raphael.

Simone 1

Gender: Feminine

Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese

Pronounced: SEE-MAWN(French) sə-MON(English) zee-MO-nə(German) see-MO-nə(Dutch)

Rating: 43% based on 16 votes

French feminine form of Simon 1. A famous bearer was Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), a French feminist and philosopher.

Valerie

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Czech

Pronounced: VAL-ə-ree(English) VA-lə-ree(German)

Rating: 63% based on 16 votes

English and German form of Valeria, as well as a Czech variant of Valérie.