I think a lot of parents-to-be will identify with this week’s Ask Amanda question…

 

Ask Amanda

Q:    I want the definition of the baby name I choose to be really meaningful. I’d like to find a girls’ name that means “miracle.” Do you know of any?

 

A:    There are definitely a few names out there that mean “miracle,” but not a lot. Baby Names Made Easy is organized by what the names mean, so it’s easy to find names with specific definitions. Here are a couple options:

 

HARIKA — Turkish name meaning “miracle”

 

MILAGROS — Filipino name meaning “miracles”

 

 

If neither of these work for you, consider MIRACLE itself. It ranks as the 484^th most popular name for girls in 2008, according to Social Security. This means that other people are using it, but it’s not overly common. If MIRACLE is too off-beat as a first name for you, it might be a middle name contender.

 

 

Another option is using a name with a similar meaning to “miracle.” This opens up your choices quite a bit. Here are a few ideas from the Religion & Faith chapter:

 

DOROTHY — English name meaning “God’s gift.” There are tons of interesting variations for this name, like DOROTHEA, DORA, DORALICE, DOLLY, THEA and THEADORA.

 

NATANIA — Hebrew name meaning “given by God.” This is the female version of Nathan.

 

OHANNA — Hebrew name meaning “God’s gift”

 

THEODOSIA — Greek name meaning “giving God”

 

 

There’s also an entire chapter full of names with meanings related to Blessings & Gifts. Some names with meanings you might like are:

 

 

BEATRIX — Latin name meaning “blessed, bringer of joy”

 

DIARRA — African name meaning “gift”

 

ERI — Japanese name meaning “blessed reward”

 

EUDORA — Greek name meaning “good gift”

 

HALLA — African name meaning “surprise gift”

 

MITSUKO — Japanese name meaning “child full of blessings”

NILLA — African name meaning “blessing”

 

 

I hope this gives you some ideas for how to find names with specific meanings—and how to be creative when you’re not finding exactly what you want.

 

Good luck finding a name you love with a meaning you love, too!

 

 

Happy naming,

 

♥  Amanda

 

If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com. Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.

 

 

 

For more information on baby names and their meanings check out

BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES