From the Latin and Italian first-person perfect form of amāre—amāvī, meaning “I have loved”—the name Amavi is a modern coinage rather than a historical given name. It first appears in U.S. Social Security Administration data around 2020, when at least 30 girls and 12 boys received the name. Its sudden emergence is not tied to any known literary, cultural, or onomastic source, suggestions and theories are welcome.
It is an interesting modern twist on Amanda (to be loved), with its potential nicknames of Amy or Mavi, it is no wonder it has appeal for some parents.
Both names come directly from the English vocabulary word, which is ultimately from the Anglo-Saxon snāw.
Its use as a given-name likely began in the 19th century. Records from the United States and the UK show Snow occasionally used as a female first name in the mid- to late-1800s.
From the English word taken from ember, a glowing coal or spark, it is ultimately from the Anglo-Saxon, æmerge. As a given-name, its use arose in 19th-century North America, mainly used among males but there are records of female Embers by the early 1900s. Ember is identical in form to the Hungarian word ember, meaning “man, human being.” In Hungary it appears as a surname as well, though unrelated to the English word. By the late 20th-century, the name became exclusively feminine, possibly due to its similarity to the more popular Amber.
In the United States, Ember entered the Top 1000 in 2009, rose quickly through the 2010s, and continues to chart primarily as a girls’ name. Emberly, Emberlyn, and Emberlee emerged as elaborations following the same trend. As of 2024, Ember itself ranked in as the 124th most popular female name in the United States. In England & Wales (2024), it comes in as the 247th most popular female name.
Ember feels cozy and bright.
Ember in foreign languages
This is the word “ember” in other languages, ones actually used as names will have an asterix, historical use but now obsolete will have “h*” next to it. Others may be inspirations for a unique baby name that honours your heritage
Ikatz (Basque)
Txingarra (Basque)
Žar (Bosnian)
Tanenn (Breton)
Ascua, Brasa (Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish)
Glød h* (Danish, Norwegian)
Glóð h* (Faroese, Iceland, also used as a name though rarely, the original form of Glut)
Braise (French)
Griosach (Gaelic)
Glut h* (German, also found in Norse Mythology as the name of the wife of Logi (the personification of fire).
Brace (Italian)
Embera* (Latvian – a modern Lettonized form of the English, Ember)
Below is a list of occupational surnames that could be used as first names, the genders are arbitrary. I only focused on ones I have never seen used before.
The name was invented during the Soviet Period, invented in honour of the 1917 Revolution. There is an old Soviet film (1924) entitled the Adventures of Oktyabrina. The name experienced some usage throughout the Soviet Union between the 1920-1960s, now it is obsolete.
A short form Okta.
The name was borne by Oktyabrina Bolotova, a Mongolian-Russian Olympic archer. It is also the name of a town in Magadanskaya Oblast Russia.
The name is sometime transliterated is Oktjabrina and Oktiabrina.
Masculine versions Oktyaber, Oktyabrin and Oktyabrist.
Winslet is a modern English feminine given name transferred from a surname of uncertain origin. Its use as a first name rose directly in association with British actress Kate Winslet (b. 1975), whose international fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s made the name sound elegant, contemporary, and literary. Its growing appeal is also reinforced by the popularity of other names ending in –et, such as Scarlett,Juliet, and Violet.
The surname Winslet itself is rare and somewhat enigmatic. Most onomastic sources suggest it derives from the Old English place-name Winslade, which is composed of Wynn/Winn (an Anglo-Saxon personal male name meaning “joy” or “friend”) and slæd (“valley, glade”).
It’s usage as a given-name appears sporadically in historical records; two early American examples include a female Winslet born in Texas in 1915 and a male Winslett born in Georgia the same year. As a given name, however, Winslet is distinctly contemporary.
Since 2021, at least 6 females have been given this name in England and Wales, while in the United States, usage started in 2013, and since then, it has been given 171 times. It is still a rare name but one to look out for the next decade.
Winslet carries a soft yet sophisticated aura—romantic, feminine, and subtly pre-Raphaelite. Its cadence recalls the charm of Victorian poetry and English landscapes, offering a fresh alternative to Scarlett or Juliet with an undercurrent of modern elegance.
From the transferred use of the Cornish surname and place-name, it is derived from the Brythonic elements pen (head, hill, end) and ros (moor, heath, promontory).
There are multiple places called Penrose across Cornwall and Wales, as well as a number of American towns named by settlers of Cornish descent.
As a given-name, it first appeared mostly as a male name in the 18th-century in both England and the United States. There are a few instances of female Penroses from the early 19th-century.
Penrose feels polished yet grounded, aristocratic yet approachable—an unexpected choice for parents seeking something both traditional sounding and distinctive. Whether you are thinking of Rose for a baby girl but want something unexpected and unique, or if you want a polished and professional go-getter name for a boy, Penrose may be right up your alley. Possible nicknames include: Pen, Penn, Pennie, or Rose.
From the Old English bræmel, Bramble originally referred to any rough, prickly shrub — most often the wild blackberry. As a word-name, it belongs to the same lush, tactile family as Rowan and Briar but with an edgier, woodland quality.
However, its usage is not so recent, as there are many records for male Brambles (particularly in the American South), starting in the 1910s. In this case, it was likely used in reference to an English surname of the same meaning. Also found is Brambler (occasionally unisex) and Bramblett (mostly male).
The name was famously used in Heather Dixon’s 2011 fantasy novel Entwined, where Bramble is the fierce, impulsive second of twelve princesses.
Lumen is a name of multiple origins and meanings. It can be from the Latin lūmen (luminis) meaning “light, radiance, illumination.” The term has inspired centuries of philosophical, scientific, and religious imagery. In modern usage, lumen is also a scientific unit measuring luminous flux — the amount of visible light emitted by a source — and in anatomy, it denotes the inner cavity or channel of a tubular organ.
Lumen can also be a West-Frisian unisex name, usually used as a diminutive form of any name beginning with the Liud – element, from the Old Germanic meaning, “people.” There is also the masculine form of Lumman.
In the United States, there are records for male Lumans and Lumens, nicknamed Lummie and Louie as early as the 18th-century. It is unknown if it is based on the Latin term lumen or a family surname, in which case it is most likely from a Dutch patronymic of the aforementioned etymology or other surnames of unknown etymology.
By the early 1900s, it is found as a female name or as a religious unisex name taken by Catholic nuns and monastics, and in the case of many Italian-American females, as an Anglicized diminutive form of Filumena (Philomena).
The name is also used on females in the Philippines as a form of Illuminada.
The name Lumen also appears in literature — notably as the title of Camille Flammarion’s 1887 cosmic novel Lumen, in which a disembodied soul travels through space and time as a being of light. The association deepens the name’s connection to illumination, eternity, and the cosmos.
Lumen Pierce, a character in the fifth season of the television series Dexter (2010), further popularized the name in contemporary culture.
A notable male bearer is American artist, Lumen Martin Winter (1908-1982).
Elegant and radiant, Lumen embodies both scientific precision and spiritual luminosity. Its cross-cultural history — from Latin philosophy to Frisian folk roots to celestial fiction — gives it a timeless, modern-ethereal appeal. Perhaps its the next generation’s Lauren of the 1980s.
From the transferred use of the English surname Poe. The surname is possibly derived from the Middle English po or pawe, meaning “peacock,” a nickname originally given to someone considered showy, proud, or flamboyant. Alternatively, Poe may represent an Anglicized form of the Welsh patronymic ap Hugh (“son of Hugh”). A less common variant, Poë (rhymes with Chloe or Zoe), appears in Irish baronetcies and may reflect a separate family line but seems to be related.
It may also be an Anglicized form of the German surname, Pfau (peacock).
The surname gained literary immortality through Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), the celebrated American poet and author. After his death, the name began appearing as a given name—predominantly masculine—throughout the late 19th century, often paired with Edgar or Allen in homage to the writer.
In recent decades, Poe has re-emerged in popular culture through Poe Dameron, the daring Resistance pilot in the Star Wars franchise—lending the name a sleek, modern edge while preserving its timeless, artistic mystique.
In recent decades, Poe has seen rare but notable use for girls as well, its brevity and darkly romantic associations giving it gender-neutral appeal.
Minimalist yet evocative, Poe carries a distinctly literary, Gothic, and Bohemian character. With its one-syllable punch and artistic aura, it’s the perfect choice for the modern romantic or literary enthusiast seeking a name of quiet intensity.
