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Baby Names Starting
with
V
VACHEL: From the
French occupational name for "cow tender."
Namesake: Vachel Lindsay.
VAIL: From the Old
French for "from the valley." Relatives: Vayle,
Vale, Valle, Val. Namesakes: Val Kilmer, Jerry Vale, Vail
(Colo.)
VALENTINE: From the
Latin for "good health." Sometimes you've got to
have heart. Relatives: Valentina, Valentin, Valentino,
Valeda, Valina, Vally, Val. Namesakes: Saint Valentina,
Rudolph Valentino, Karen Valentine, Valentine's Day.
VALERIE: From the
Old French for "valor." Valerie has been used
moderately in the past few decades. Give it a try.
Relatives: Valeria, Valery, Valerian, Vally, Vallie, Val.
Namesakes: Saint Valerie, Valerie Perrine, Valerie Harper.
VAN: Dutch for
"from" or "of." Namesakes: Van Heflin,
Van Johnson, Van Cliburn, Van Halen, Martin Van Buren,
Vincent Van Gogh, Dick Van Dyke.
VANCE: Middle
English for "dweller at the windmill."
Namesakes: Vance Bourjaily, Vance Law, Vivian Vance.
VANESSA: From the
Latin for "butterfly." Butterfly is an
enchanting name in every language: mariposa (Spanish),
papillon (French), schmetterling (German). Relatives:
Vannia, Vanna, Vannie, Van, Vanora, Nessa. Namesakes:
Vanessa Bell, Vanessa Redgrave, Vanna White.
VANIA: From the Old
Russian for "God's gift" and a feminine
variation of Ivan. Relative: Vanya. Namesake: "Uncle
Vanya."
VARDEN: From the Old
French for "from a green hill." Relative: Vartan.
Namesake: Vartan Gregorian.
VAUGHAN: Old Welsh
for "small one." You so rarely hear this, and
it's so classy. Relative: Vaughn. Namesakes: Vaughan
Monroe, Vaughn Meader, Robert Vaughn, Ralph Vaughan
Williams.
VEDA: Sanskrit for
"eternal knowlege." The Vedas are the four
sacred books of the Hindu religion consisting of prayers,
hymns, poems, chants, and incantations. Relative: Vedis.
Namesake: Ved Mehta.
VEGA: Arabic for
"falling star." Namesakes: Susan Vega, Lope de
Vega.
VELVET: Middle
English for the "fabric." Velvet is known for
its softness and luster, as in Velveeta cheese. Namesake:
National Velvet, "Blue Velvet."
VERA: From the Latin
for "truth." Vera may seem a bit old-fashioned,
so try Verity. Relatives: Verin, Verina, Verine, Verenia,
Vere, Verity, Verita. Namesakes: Vera Miles, Vera Lynn.
VERNON: From the
Latin for "springlike." This name suggests the
cool bright green of springtime. Relatives: Verda, Verne,
Verney, Verna, Verneta, Vernia, Vernis, Virna, Vernal,
Laverne, Lavinia. Namesakes: Vern Stephens, Jules Verne,
"Laverne and Shirley," vernal equinox, Mount
Vernon.
VERONICA: From the
Latin for "true likeness" as well as a plant. A
veronica is a cloth with an impression of the face of
Christ. Veronica followed Christ up to Calvary and wiped
his face with her handkerchief. An image of his face was
found on the cloth. Relatives: Veronique, Vera, Ronnie,
Ron, Nica, Nicky. Namesakes: Saint Veronica, Veronica
Hamel, Veronica Lake.
VESPER: From the
Latin for "evening." Vesper is the evening star,
and vespers are sung at late afternoon services. The name
is like a whisper. Relative: Vespera. Namesake: Vesper
Presley (Elvis's uncle).
VICTOR: Latin for
"winner." A blue-ribbon, gold-medal, first-place
name. Relatives: Viktor, Vitorio, Vittorio, Vick, Vic.
Namesakes: Victor Borge, Victor Hugo, Vic Morrow.
VICTORIA: Latin for
"victory." Queen Victoria of Great Britain ruled
from 1837 to 1901. Her name is used to describe the tastes
and mores of a generation. And like Victorian antiques,
this one is making a comeback. Relatives: Viktoria,
Vitoria, Victoire, Victory, Vicky, Vickie, Vicki, Vic,
Toria, Torey, Torri, Tori. Namesake: Victoria Principal.
VIDA: From the
Hebrew for "beloved." Relatives: Vide, Vidal.
Namesakes: Vida Blue, Vidal Sassoon, Gore Vidal.
VINCENT: From the
Latin for "conqueror." A well-liked name around
the world. Relatives: Vincente, Vincenz, Vincenzo,
Vicente, Vinson, Vince, Vinnie. Namesakes: Saint Vincent
de Paul, Vincent Van Gogh, Vincent Price Vince Lombardi.
VIOLET: Old French
for "violet flower." This name is sweet. It is a
tiny blue-purple blossom as well as the color of Elizabeth
Taylor's eyes. Relatives: Violette, Voleta, Viola, Viole,
Iolanthe, Yolanda, Yoande, Yolanthe. Namesake:
"Viola" (character in Shakespeare's Twelfth
Night).
VIRGIL: From the
Latin for "staff bearer" or
"flourishing." Relatives: Vergil, Virgille,
Virgilio, Virgie, Virge, Virgilia. Namesakes: the poet
Vergil, Virgil Grissom, Virgil Stallcup.
VIRGINIA: From the
Latin for "maiden." The state of Virginia is
named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen.
Relatives: Virginie, Virgie, Virgy, Gina, Ginia, Ginny,
Ginni, Ginger, Jinny. Namesakes: Gina Lollobrigida,
"The Virginian."
VITA: Latin for
"life." Relatives: Vitas, Verta, Vitia, Vito.
Namesakes: Vita Sackville-West, Vitas Gerulaitis.
VIVIAN: From the
Latin for "living." A beautiful name that hasn't
been popular in decades. Revive it. Relatives: Vivien,
Vivianne, Viviana, Vivienne, Vyvyan, Vivyen, Vivyan,
Viviana, Vivie, Viv, Vibiana, Viveca. Namesakes: Saint
Vivian, Vivian Vance, Vivien Leigh, Viveca Lindfors,
Emilia Viviani.
VLADIMIR: Old Slavic
for "regal." This fine old name suggests caviar
and iced vodka in lieu of cigars and champagne. Relatives:
Vlad, Vladislav. Namesakes: Saint Vladimir, Vladimir
Horowitz, Vladimir Nabokov, Vladimir Ashkenazy.
~ 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. |
