The Brilliant Book of Baby Names: What’s best, what’s hot and what’s not. Linda Rosenkrantz

(doo-sha-nah) Slavic, ’spirit or soul’. Pretty Slavic name, with some obvious pronunciation challenges. Dušanka, Dušička, Duška.

      DUSCHA. (DYOO-sha) Russian, ’happy’. Possible alternative to the more

      Stellar Starbabies Beginning with D

Daisy	Lucy Lawless, Jamie Oliver, Meg Ryan
Dakota Rain	Dolores O’ Riordan
Deanna	James Brown
Delilah	Lisa Rinna & Harry Hamlin
Deni	Woody Harrelson
Destry	Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg
Dexter	Diane Keaton
D’Lila Star	Sean ’Diddy’ Combs
Dixie Dot	Anna Ryder Richardson
Dominik	Andy Garcia
Dree	Mariel Hemingway
Dylan	Robin Wright & Sean Penn

      popular Sascha. Dusa, Duschinka, Dusica.

      

DUSTIN. German, ’brave warrior’. Just a few years ago, Dustin, Dylan and Daryl seemed like radical, edgy names for girls; now even Great-aunt Alberta wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Dustan, Dusten, Duston, Dusty, Dustyn.

      DWYN. Diminutive of DWYNWEN. Short, but still kind of a mouthful. Dwynwen.

      DWYNWEN. Welsh, ’wave’. Far from a win-win.

      DYAN. Variation of DIANE. Creative spelling can’t revive uncreative name. Dian, Dyana, Dyane, Dyani, Dyann, Dyanna, Dyanne.

      DYANI. Native American, ’deer’. Could sound like a babyish nickname for Diane.

      

DYLAN. Welsh, ’son of the sea’. A favourite boy’s name that retains more of its poetic, windswept quality when used for a girl, as Robin Wright and Sean Penn did. Dylann, Dylen, Dylin, Dyllan, Dyllen, Dyllon, Dylon, Dylynn.

      DYLANA. Feminine variation of DYLAN. Feminises Dylan – but why bother?

       E girls

      EACHNA. (EEK-na) Irish, ’horse’. Irish goddess renowned for her beauty and fashion sense—though her name has neither.

      

EARHART. German surname, ’honor, bravery’. Conceivable middle name choice for admirers of flyer Amelia.

      EARLA. English, feminine variation of EARL. If there’s an ancestral Earl you want to honour, consider Early instead. Earldena, Earldene, Earldina, Earlean, Earlecia, Earleen, Earlena, Earlene, Earletta, Earley, Earlie, Earlina, Earlinda, Earline, Erla, Erlana, Erlene, Erlenne, Erletta, Erlette, Erlina, Erlinda, Erline, Erlinia, Erlisha, Ireleen, Irelene, Irelina, Irelene.

      

EARLY. Word name. A word that’s been used, very infrequently, as a name for hundreds of years. Interesting sound and meaning.

      EARTHA. English, ’earth’. Used by the Puritans, and, three hundred years later, by Eartha Kitt’s parents, it sounds dated and dry. Earth, Erda, Ertha, Herta, Hertha.

      EAST. Word name. North and West are easier on the ear, but this works fine if it has some significance for your family.

      

EASTER. Word name. Used as a name for several hundred years, as part of the day-naming tradition, this rarely heard holiday celebration would make a novel choice for a springtime baby. Eastan, Eastlyn, Easton.

      EAVAN. (EE-vahn) Irish, ’beautiful, radiant’. Anglicised spelling of the unpronounceable Aoibheann, the name of several Irish princesses, this has pronunciation problems of its own, as most people would think it rhymed with ’heaven’.

      EBBA. English, ’fortress of riches’; German, ’strength of a boar’. Soft yet strong name heard in Germany and Scandinavia could be readily assimilated. Ebbe.

      EBONY. English, ’deeply black wood’. Word name that came into favour because of its connotations of blackness and beauty, trending down since the 1980s. Abonee, Abony, Eban, Ebanee, Ebanie, Ebany, Ebboney, Ebbony, Ebone, Eboné, Ebonea, Ebonee, Eboney, Eboni, Ebonie, Ebonique, Ebonisha, Ebonne, Ebonnee, Ebonney, Ebonni, Ebonny, Eboni, Ebonie, Ebonye, Ebonyi.

      ECCENTRICITY. Word name. The definition of quirky.

      ECHO. Greek mythology name. Pretty choice, though the legendary nymph Echo became only a voice. Echoe, Ecko, Ekko, Ekkoe.

      ECRU. Colour name. Neutral colour, but as a name, too much of an oddity.

      EDA. German, ’wealthy, happy’. Sounds too much like ’eater’.

      EDANA. Irish, ’fire’. Feminine of Aidan, but now girls would prefer to use the original. Aydana, Eda, Edan, Edanna.

      EDDA. Italian variation of HEDDA. If her dad’s name is Ed, then name her…Emily, Margot, Susannah, but not Edda. Etta.

      

EDEN. Hebrew, ’place of pleasure, delight’. Attractive paradise-equivalent of the more-popular Nevaeh (yes, that’s heaven spelled backwards). The two long e’s make it sound especially serene. Eaden, Eadin, Ede, Edena, Edene, Edenia, Edin, Edyn.

      EDINA. English, ’wealthy’. Infectious-sounding Minnesota place name, featured in the British cult hit TV show Absolutely Fabulous. Adena,