Latin has always been a popular source of names — partly because of its classical associations, partly because its sinuous, silky sound produces many a melodious word.
Sometimes such words belie a less than attractive meaning!
Starting with ‘A’, here is a selection of Latin words not yet in use as names, which look, sound and mean nice:
- Acerra– a casket for keeping incense
- Adamas – ‘hardest steel’, ‘adamant’, ‘diamond’
- Aedes — ‘temple’
- Aegis – ‘shield’, specifically of Jupiter or Minerva
- Aequor — ‘the sea’
- Aetherius, Aetheria — ‘belonging to ether/the upper air’, ‘heavenly’
- Ager — ‘land’, ‘field’
- Agrestis — ‘belonging to the fields’
- Alacer, Alacris — ‘quick’, ‘lively’, ‘animated’
- Alcedo — ‘kingfisher’
- Ales — ‘winged’
- Algus – ‘cold’
- Alica – ‘spelt’, also a drink made from it
- Aliger, Aligera — ‘winged’
- Amatrix — ‘sweetheart’
- Amoenus, Amoena – ‘sweet’, ‘pleasant’
- Amnis — ‘stream of water’, ‘river’
- Ancora — ‘anchor’
- Annona — ‘yearly produce’, ‘crop’, ‘harvest’; also the name of a Goddess who personified the year.
- Apiana – ‘belonging to bees’
- Arator — ‘ploughman’
- Arboreus, Arborea — ‘belonging to the trees’
- Arcus — ‘bow’, ‘rainbow’, ‘arch’
- Argenteus, Argentea — ‘of silver’
- Arista — ‘ear of grain’, ‘harvest’
- Armilla — ‘bracelet’
- Arula — ‘little altar’
- Arx — ‘fortress’, ‘citadel’, ‘refuge’, ‘protection’
- Asper, Aspera – ‘wild’, ‘stormy’, ‘rough’, ‘severe’
- Astus — ‘cleverness’, ‘astuteness’
- Audax — ‘daring’, ‘bold’
- Aurifer, Aurifera — ‘gold-bearing’
- Aurigena — ‘gold-born’ — an epithet of Perseus
- Auriger, Aurigera — ‘gold-bearing’
- Auspex — the name of a diviner who observed the behaviour of birds; source of English ‘auspicious”
- Auster — the South Wind
- Autumna — ‘of autumn/the fall’
- Avena – ‘oats’
- Avidus, Avida — ‘vehemently desiring’, in both a good and bad sense
- Avius, Avia — ‘out of the way’, ‘wandering’, ‘remote’; avia also means ‘grandmother’
- Axis — ‘axle’, ‘axis of the earth’
And here are a few which look and sound good — but leave a bit to be desired in their meaning!
- Alazon — ‘braggart’, ‘boaster’
- Alea – a dice game; ‘chance’, ‘risk’
- Aleator — ‘gambler’
- Aleo — ‘gambler’
- Alvus — ‘belly’
- Amara – ‘bitter’
- Amentia — ‘insanity’
- Amystis — ‘the emptying of a goblet in one go’
- Anas — ‘a duck’
- Andron — ‘corridor’
- Anilis — ‘like an old woman’
- Anser — ‘goose’
- Arvina – ‘fat’, ‘lard’
- Asellus/Asella – ‘little ass’, ‘donkey’
- Asinus/Asina – ‘ass’, ‘donkey’
- Ater, Atra — ‘dead black’, ‘dark’, ‘gloomy’, ‘sad’, ‘malicious’, ‘poisonous’
- Avara — ‘greedy’, ‘covetous’
Nook of Names
