We all know and love the story ballets — the characters, the drama, the romance. Now, check out these ballet-inspired baby names — creative, beautiful and quite meaningful for us dancers! Why not chose a dance inspired name for your little baby ballerina?
#1. Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty)
Of Latin origins, Aurora is the Roman goddess of the morning, and can be translated as “dawn”. It’s also the name given to Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
#2. Paquita (Paquita)
Meaning “free”, Paquita is a Spanish name. The one-act ballet is the story of a gypsy girl who discovers she is, in fact, of noble birth.
#3. Odette (Swan Lake)
A French name, Odette is the female version of Otto and means “wealth”. Besides our beloved swan princess, another notable Odette is French actress/author Odette Joyeux, who studied dance at the Paris Opera Ballet.
#4. Giselle (Giselle)
Meaning “pledge”, this feminine name has roots in French and German. It was popular in France in the Middle Ages, when it was customary for a child to be given as a pledge to a rival court, and became more widely known thanks to Adolphe Adam’s ballet.
#5. Clara (The Nutcracker)
Derived from the Latin Clarus or Claire, meaning “clear, bright, famous”, the later form of Clara means “illustrious”. A more traditional name, Clara was made popular by the 13th century nun, St. Clare of Assisi (Chiara in Italian).
#6. Angelina (Angelina Ballerina)
Meaning “messenger of God” or “guiding spirit”, Angelina is a derivative of Angel, and is used by many cultures, including Russian, Polish, Spanish and Macedonian.
#7. Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
The queen of the fairies in the Shakespearean comedy, Titania is a Greek name meaning “land of giants” (based on the Latin Titanius – “of the Titans”).
#8. Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)
Another name made famous by Shakespeare, Juliet is the Anglicised form of the French Juliette or Italian Guilietta. From the Greek, it means “youth”, and from the Italian, “shiny” or “sky”.
#9. Esmerelda (La Esmerelda)
Based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the main character in La Esmerelda takes her name from the Spanish, meaning “emerald” and also “protector”.
#10. Sylvia (Sylvia)
Coming from the Latin, Sylvia is the feminine form of Silvius, and can be interpreted as “woodland” or “forest”.
By Rain Francis of Dance Informa.
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