There are lists of good girl names, names like Shirley and Charlotte, associated with squeaky-clean role models. Or choices like Elizabeth and Kate, names that feel classic.
We’ve talked about saints’ names aplenty, and then there are names like Cora and Rosalie that feel old-fashioned, even sweet.
But what about names that actually mean good? In Greek, that means that most of the names would include the element eu – often Latinized to the stylish ev.
At the risk of being the tiniest bit irreverent, today’s Good Friday list is chock full of girls’ names that mean good.
Agatha – She’s from the Greek agathos – good, though some associate her with cousin Agnes, and through her agnus dei – lamb of God. That makes her better than good – it makes Agatha downright holy. There’s a third century martyr called Agatha, too, reinforcing the impression.
Bonaventura – Speaking of saints, the thirteenth century John of Fidanza is better known in English as Saint Bonaventure – good fortune. The medieval theologian is considered a doctor of the church. The -a ending is Italian and still solidly masculine. Ace Ventura is a pet detective. Could Bonaventura be a wildly elaborate name for a daughter? Maybe.
Bonnie – Yes, Bonnie translates to pretty in Scottish. But the Scots borrowed it from the French – bon, good. Suddenly I’m hearing Eartha Kitt singing the French classic “C’est si bon” and Bonnie feels terribly attractive.
Eudora – The first of our Eu- appellations, she immediately brings to mind Southern writer Eudora Welty, she of the Pulitzer Prize and a slew of other honors. In Greek myth, Eudora was one of the rain-bringing daughters of Atlas. The -dora part means gift, as in Theodora or Dorothy.
Eudoxia – She translates to good fame, and has that appealing letter x to her credit, but Doxy means something akin to trollop, making it an unthinkable short form. The similar Eudocia has a slightly different meaning, though the names are sometimes treated as interchangeable. Both have a history of use in ancient days.
Eulalie, Euphemie – Two more Eu- names to consider. I prefer both in French, though Eulalia and Euphemia both have possibilities. They also have similar meanings – to speak well, to talk well.
Evadne – It isn’t clear which good Evadne refers to, though most agree that her first element refers to something good. She’s worn by a few figures in Greek myth, and has an edgy, current sound. File her somewhere between Chloe and Evelina.
Evangeline – The most popular of the elaborate Ev- names, she translates to good news. While her associations with the word evangelical make her a logical sister for Nevaeh, she seems to be embraced by parents who love her sound more than her possibly religious overtones.
Felicity – Perhaps this seems like a stretch, since Felicity means happiness. But the Latin felicitas translates to good fortune, and so she sneaks onto this list.
Glenda – A modern Welsh invention, glen means pure and da means good. There’s also Gwenda – fair plus good. While Glenda feels impossibly dated at first, could she be part of the next wave of hipster rediscoveries, now that Olive and Opal are mainstream?
Muadhnait – This Irish name translates roughly to little good one, though I’ve heard more complicated explanations, too. I believe the pronunciation is something like moo nit or moon it, with a slight emphasis on the first syllable – explaining why Muadhnait is often Anglicized as Mona.
Sushila – One of the few non-Western names on this list, I’ve intrigued by Sushila ever since songstress Sarah McLachlan named her firstborn India Ann Sushil. I’ve found conflicting meanings for Sushila, the wife of the Hindu god Krishna, but the one that puts Sushila on this list is good conduct.
Tova – She literally means good in Hebrew. Her sound is either just slightly off trend, or the next logical step from Olivia.
Zuri – Again, I have some doubts about the translation of this Swahili name, but so far I’ve found both beautiful and good listed. In any case, she’s a brief name that feels vibrant, modern, and exotic all at once.
That’s all of the good names for today. Do you worry about meaning, and if you do, how deeply do you delve to make sure that the name’s literal represents traits, qualities, or something else that you admire?
Yay for Evadne! I truly adore this name, but i am not sure if it is usable due to pronounciation issues. I also adore Eulalia and Eudora. I think Eugenie and Eugenia are pretty, too, but I don’t know if those would fit in with this catergory or not.
Love Evadne and Glenda. I really agree that Glenda could be on the verge of re-discovery. I don’t know if Evadne will ever get mainstream.
Bonnie is one name that I’ve loathed from childhood, though I have no good reason to. I’ve known and currently know only lovely women with the name.
I live in Tanzania so I get to hear lots of beautiful Swahili names (and have loved discovering this site!). Zuri does translate from Swahili..it’s not used as a name around here, but it’s an adjective that means good, often used with prefixes like nzuri, vizuri, mzuri; it also can be used on its own. (Actually if saying “good name” you would say “jina zuri”.)
The only ones here I really like are Agatha and Evangeline, though I do think Bonnie is sweet and kind of have a soft spot for Glenda.
Ambika is Sanscrit ‘good woman’
Cleone Greek “good repute”
Grace Latin “good will”
Jia Chinese “good”
Lelei Pacific Islands “good”
Lieve (lee veh) English “good life or godly life” comes from Godelieve
Lila (prn. lee la) Swahili “good” (I think of this more as the Latin for Lily, but thought I’d include this other prn./meaning)
Seira (say ra) or (seh ee ruh) Japanese “holy and good”
Talalelei Pacific Islands “good news”
Yoshiko Japanese “good child”
I love Agatha, Eudora, Eulalie, Evangeline, and Felicity! I’m deeply interested in the history of a name, and, as such, its meaning. However, there aren’t a lot of less than attractive meanings I can’t spin in a good way. For instance, my son is Caleb, which means dog. I fall in the category as seeing a dog as a symbol of loyalty, so the meaning was more endearing than off-putting. Actually, we did his nursery in puppies. 🙂 There are a few meanings that I just can’t get past, though, like unlucky.
I grew up near St. Bonaventure U. (St. Bonnie’s, as it’s sometimes known), so it would have to be Maria Bonaventura for me to even contemplate it as a name.
I was taught that Evangeline was a name made up by Wadsworth, but perhaps he’s the one who first used it as a person’s name?
Euphemia – Yes! And Sushila is intriguing and pretty.
<3 Agatha!
Euphemia, how have I never considered this name before? I really like it.
I dig literary names, so I’ve considered Eudora before, the meaning behind it only makes it more appealing. A good meaning will usually make a name more attractive, but an unpleasant one doesn’t ruin a name for me. It’s mostly associations and versatility that make a name for me. So Raphael has great associations (artist, angel, ninja turtle) and Benjamin is a bit of a shapeshifter (Benjamin, Ben, Benny, Benji, Jamie, James…), and those are the reasons why they rank so high on my lists.
Though I’ve seen it only rarely, I am intrigued by Eudoxia. She’s very similar to Eudora, but a bit more exotic. I love the potential nickname Doc. Like Scout, I think Doc would be an adorable nickname for a girl, though I also like it for a boy.
Then Evadne is also one that’s been among my favorites for a while, and she does have a certain edginess. However, Tova is a new one for me but I can definitely see the appeal. It makes me think of Nova, which I love.
🙂
I always liked that Sushil — Sushila is nice, too. Another old favorite is Eulalie.