The Brilliant Book of Baby Names: What’s best, what’s hot and what’s not. Linda Rosenkrantz

The Brilliant Book of Baby Names: What’s best, what’s hot and what’s not

FABIA. (FAH-bia) Latin female variation of FABIAN. One of several pleasant international-accented female versions of Fabian. Fabiane, Fabianna, Fabianne, Fabiola, Fabra, Favianna, Faviola. International: Fabienne (French), Fabiana (Italian, Spanish).

FABIENNE. French variation of FABIA. Instead of the usual French suspects—Danielle, Isabelle, Gabrielle—why not consider Fabienne, which is less common and just as pretty?

FABIOLA. French, Italian, and German variation of FABIA. Romantically elaborate name of a saint who organised the first hospice. Fabiana, Fabiane, Fabianna, Fabienne, Fabra, Fania, Fanianne, Favianna, Favilola.

FABLE. Word name. Like Story, a word name with real potential, combining enchanted tale-telling with a moral edge.

FABRIZIA. Italian, ’works with the hands’. An Italian name sizzling with electricity. Fabrice, Fabricia, Fabrienne, Fabriqua, Fabritzia.

FAINE. English, ’joyful’. A very unusual one-syllable option. Faina, Fayna, Fayne.

FAIRUZA. Turkish, ’turquoise’. Instead of the more obvious Aqua or Blue, why not consider this offbeat Turkish name.

FAITH. Virtue name. Several of the Puritan virtue names have recently come back into fashion, with Faith, Grace and Hope in the vanguard. At the moment Faith is rising quickly in the Top 100. Many parents still choose Faith as an indicator of their religious conviction. Fa, Fae, Faithe, Fay, Fayanna, Faye, Fayette, Fayth, Faythe. International: Fe (Spanish).

FAIZAH. (FAH-ee-zah) Arabic, ’victorious’. Hauntingly exotic. Faiza, Fayza.

FALALA. African, ’born in abundance’. Add a few more la’s and you have a jolly Christmas refrain. Fala.

FALINE. Latin, ’catlike’. A Disneyfied name: Faline was the sweet doe Bambi fell in love with. Faeleen, Faleen, Falene, Fallyne, Fayline, Felina, Feyline.

FALLON. Irish, ’leader’. One of several boyish surname names introduced in the over-the-top 1980s American TV programme Dynasty: they sounded cutting-edge at the time, but no longer. Falan, Fallan, Fallen, Fallyn, Falon, Falyn, Falynn.

FAMKE. Dutch, ’little girl’. Introduced elsewhere via Dutch-born actress Famke Janssen, but not likely to appeal to many non-Dutch parents.

FANA. African, ’light’; also West African word for ’jungle’. Simple, delicate and unusual.

FANCHON. (fahn-shon) French variation of FRANÇOISE. Sweet and affectionate Gallic choice.

FANIA. Anglicisation of Irish FAINNE, ’ring’. Would make an interesting choice for a child of Irish-Russian heritage, being a Celtic name with a Russian Tania-like feel. Fanya.

FANNY. Diminutive of FRANCES. A staple of Brit Lit, appearing in novels by Fielding, Dickens, Trollope, Eliot and Hardy, this nickname could make a comeback. Fan, Fania, Fannee, Fanney, Fanni, Fannia, Fannie.

FANTASIA. Greek, ’imagination’. One of the more prominent by-products of reality TV, via Disney. Faintasi, Fantasy, Fantasya, Fantaysia, Fantazia.

FANTINE. Latin, ’infant’. Rarely heard French name, a character in the Victor Hugo novel Les Misérables.

FARAH. Arabic, ’happiness’. See FARRAH. Fara, Fariha, Farra, Farrah.

FARIDA. Arabic, ’unique, precious pearl’. A Muslim name more distinctive than the Americanised Farah/Farrah. Fareeda, Fareedah, Farideh. International: Faridah (Persian).

FARRAH. English, ’lovely, pleasant’; Arabic, ’happiness’. For a few seconds there in the late 1970s, Farrah Fawcett’s name was as frequently copied as her hairstyle: both are now equally unfashionable. Fara, Farah, Farra, Fayre, Ferra, Ferrah.

FARRELL. Irish, ’courageous’. Though usually considered a boy’s name, the soft sound of this Irish surname makes it perfectly appropriate for a girl. Farrelly.

Names That Mean Happy

Ada

Aida

Asher

Beatrice

Bliss

Blythe

Felicity

Felix

Hana

Hilary

Ilaria

Seeley

FATIMA. Arabic, ’captivating, a woman who abstains’. Thousands of Muslim girls are annually given this name of the daughter of Muhammad and one of the four perfect women according to the Koran—unlikely to cross cultures. Fateema, Fateemah, Fatia, Fatimah, Fatina, Fatma, Fatmah. International: Fatemeh (Persian).

FAUNA. Latin, ’the animals of a specific area’; Roman goddess of nature and animals. Fauna was one of the fairies who protected Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, but it’s still a bit too generic to be recommended as a baby name. Faune, Fauniel, Fauniella, Fawna.

FAUSTINE. Latin, feminine variation of FAUST. Although it means good luck, the association with the character who sold his soul to the devil is off-putting. Consider one of the other ’lucky’ names, like Felicity, instead. Fauste, Faustena, Faustia, Faustiana, Faustyna. International: Fausta (Italian), Faustina (Spanish).

FAVOR. Word name. This word has too many conflicting associations to make a satisfying name.

FAWN. Nature name, ’a young deer’. The doe-eyed Fawn, like other retrograde names such as Tawny and Taffy, does not, in our opinion, give a girl enough to live up to. Faan, Faandelia, Fahn, Fahndelia, Faina, Faun, Fauna, Faunia, Fawna, Fawndelia, Fawne, Fawnia, Fawniah, Fawne, Fawnya.

FAY, FAYE. French, ’fairy’; shortened form of FAITH. Napping quietly since the 1930s, Fay/Faye, like cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae, has sat up and started rubbing

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