#3 on the list is Ava, a Medieval German name, this name took the world by storm in the early 2000s, entering the U.S. Top 100 and becoming popular in other Anglophone countries. Ava Gardner is a well-known bearer, but parents during the millennium were more likely inspired by Reese Whitherspoon & Heather Locklear when both chose this name for their daughters.

• Afra: a name that has always been sporadically used in Bavaria, this is the name of an early Christian saint who was misplaced from Africa and said to have been martyred in what is now Germany
• Aveza: this Medieval German name is possibly linked with the Latin Avis
• Avila: both a place-name and a Medieval German female name, the latter’s etymology is linked with Ava
• Delta: from the name of the Greek letter, this was not an unknown name in the American South in the early 1900s
• Docia: pronunced DOH-shah, this is a short form of Eudocia. Docia appeared as an independent given-name in the U.S. Top 1000 in the 1880s, also found were Dosha & Doshia.
• Doda: a Medieval short form of any name beginning in the Do- element.
• Druda: Medieval German name possibly meaning “strength.”
• Elzada: possibly an elaborate form of Elsa, the name appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 in the 1880s, however, it is also a Kyrgyz name meaning “child of the nation”
• Exa: this is the modern form of the Biblical Female Name Achsah, Exie also exists.
• Golda: German & Yiddish meaning, “gold.”
• Hadda: from the German, hadu (battle).
• Lovisa: Scandinavian form of Louisa
• Luda: Czech name, derived from the Slavic element lud (people; folk).
• Lurline: English form of Lorelei
• Neva: short form ofGeneva
• Odessa: place-name popularized in the 19th-century by the Crimean War
• Paralee: unknown, the name first appeared in the American South in the 1800s, possibly a linguistic variation Pearlie
• Rixa: German form of Richenza
• Roswitha: Medieval German name borne by a 10th-century poetess
• Sidra: this name has various meanings, it has been linked with Hebrew, Arabic, German & Latin.
• Thora: feminine form of Thor
• Treva: feminine form of Trevor
• Trixie: a diminutive form of Beatrix, often used as an independent name
• Vesta: name of a Roman goddess
• Vella: uncertain meaning, appeared in the U.S. top 1000 in the 1880s
• Vina: short form of any name ending in -vina.
• Wina: German name meaning, “friend.”
• Zetta: short form of any name ending in the –zetta element
• Zillah: Biblical female name meaning “shade.”
• Zona: a shortened version of Arizona or from the Greek meaning, “girdle; belt.”

Olivia is number #2 on the list, supposedly a faux-Latin literary invention by Shakespeare, the name appears much earlier and is borne by a few saints.She has been in the Top 100 since 1990 and the Top 10 since 2001. If you like the feel of Olivia but don’t like that it might date your child to the 2000s, you might want to consider these. Or perhaps you want an unpopular yet similar style name for an Olivia sister.

None of these appear in the U.S. Top 100

• Accorsa: Medieval Italian name meaning, “help; aide.”
• Adorata: a German invention, from the Latin meaning “adored.”
• Alinda: a German and Dutch contracted form of Adelinde.
• Althea: meaning “healing” in Greek, this name was more common at the end of the 19th-century. It is certainly due for a revival.
• Arista: from the name of a star, it derives from Latin meaning “ear of corn.”
• Basilia: a feminine form of Basil
• Carissima: from the Italian meaning “darling,” this is the name of a Medieval saint
• Corinthia: from the name of the place and also occasionally used as a female given-name in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland
• Cressida: an English form of Chryseis, this name was also used by Shakespeare & occasionally used by British aristrocracy
• Chrysantha: Greek name meaning “gold flower.”
• Concordia: from the Latin, meaning “harmony.”
• Cordia: a feminine form of the Latin, Cordius, it is often associated with Latin “heart.”
• Davina: a Scottish feminine form of David
• Electa: an 18th-century Calvinist invention, meaning, “elected.”
• Elenda: invented in Appallachia in the 18th-century, it is possibly an elaborate form of Eleanor
• Eligia: a feminine form of Eligius and pronounced, eh-LEE-jee-uh in English or perhaps just Ligia will do.
• Jessamine: another faux Latinate name, created in the 19th-century, this is a form of Jasmine
• Junia: a feminine form of Junius, it appears in the New Testament
• Juvia: name of the Brazil nut tree, it is possibly related to the Spanish, lluvia (rain).
• Lavinia: a Roman name of unknown origin
• Liviana: Livia has already been discovered as a less popular alternative, but what about Liviana?
• Nerissa: Marissa was quite common in the 80s & 90s but Nerissa never gained any ground.
• Nydia: it’s like Lydia with an N and rhymes with Olivia, this is another faux-Latin literary creation, perhaps linked with the latin Nidus “nest.”
• Olivine: a gemstone and a colour, this elaborate sounding form of Olivia appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between just 1 time in 1884, coming in at #851.
• Ovidia: an occasional choice in Norway, it rhymes with Olivia and is a feminine form of Ovid
• Orinthia: a faux-Greek literary name invented by George Bernard Shaw in 1929, it is probably inspired by the Greek orino (to excite, to agitate).
• Poncia: feminine form of Pontius.
• Savia: feminine form of Savius, meaning “intelligent.”
• Savilla: of uncertain origin or meaning, it has appeared sporadically since Medieval Times and made a solo debut in the U.S. Top 1000 in 1884.
• Tranquilla: a feminine form the Latin Tranquilla, meaning “tranquil.”

What do you think?

Would you use any of these?

Have any of these name inspired you? Please share