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Baby Names Starting
with
U
ULA: Old German for
"inherited estate." Edgar Allan Poe's poem
"Ulalume" is the story of a lost love. The name
alone is poetry.
ULRIC: Old German
for "wolf ruler." Relatives: Ulrica, Ulrick,
Ulrich, Udolf, Ulger, Ulferd, Ull, Ulu. Namesake: Ulu
Grossbard.
ULYSSES: From the
Greek for "anger." Ulysses is the Roman version
of Odysseus, the ultimate traveler who wandered the earth
looking for adventure in Homer's Odyssey. Relatives:
Ulises, Uillioc. Namesakes: Ulysses S. Grant,
"Ulysses" (by James Joyce).
UNA: From the Latin
for"wholeness" or "unity." Una appears
in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene symbolizing truth.
It is thought Spenser was paying homage to Queen Elizabeth
with this character. Relative: Oona. Namesake: Oona
O'Neill.
UNDINE: Form the
Latin for "wave." Friedrich von Fouque's Undine
is the ill-fated romance between a water nymph and a
knight. The story inspired a musical interpretation and a
play (Ondine) by Jean Giraudoux. Relatives: Unda, Onde,
Ondine.
UPTON: Old English
for "upper town." In ancient times,
well-protected cities prospered. The "upper
towns" were hilltop fortresses built to watch over
the "lower towns" in the valleys. Relative:
Upshaw. Namesake: Upton Sincliar.
URANIA: From the
Greek for "heavenly." A proper choice for
parents who believe in star-gazing. John Milton evokes her
name in Paradise Lost. Namesake: Greek Muse of astronomy.
URBAN: From the
Latin for "from the city." Relatives: Urbano,
Urbanus, Urbaine, Urbane, Urbana. Namesake: Urbana (Ill.).
URIEL: From the
Hebrew for"flame of God" or "angel of
light." Uriel was one of the seven archangels in
Jewish religious texts. Relatives: Urie, Uri. Namesake:
Uri Geller.
URSULA: From the
Latin for "bear." Relatives: Ursola, Ursule,
Orsola, Ursa, Ursie, Orsa. Namesakes: Saint Ursula, Ursula
Le Guin, Ursula Andress, constellations Ursa Major and
Ursa Minor.
UTA: Diminutive of
Ottilie. Namesake: Uta Hagen.
~ THE BEST NAME FOR
YOUR BABY: A CREATIVE GUIDE TO PROPER NAMES, by Barbara
Binswanger and Lisbeth Mark. Henry Holt and Co., New York,
1990. |
