Beyond Thelma and Hamlet: Anagram Names

by You Can't Call It "It"! on August 5, 2009

geomix blocks by haba

 

Recently I came across an extensive list of anagram names.  Some were quite silly and difficult to think of as names (Argentine Tangerine, anyone?).  Yet it shed light on an avenue of twinny naming that could be quite clever if done right.  Many were mismatched stylistically, but some were surprisingly delightful.  While I’d shy away from naming Teresa’s sister Easter, it could make a meaningful middle.  I myself would be tempted by Claudine and Dulcinea, or Caroline and Cornelia!  

Twins or no, it might be a good idea to know what your child’s name could spell.  Kristen pointed out that she is a stinker.  So get out those scrabble tiles people– and be sure to share what you come up with!

 

Alice – Celia

Adeline- Daniele

Adina-Diana-Nadia-Aidan

Adrien-Darien

Ameline-Emelina-Melanie

April-Pilar

Arlo-Lora-Orla 

Blaise-Isabel

Caroline-Cornelia

Claudine-Dulcinea

Domenico-Nicodemo

Eros-Rose

Gaston-Sontag

Jonas-Sonja (& Jason)

Lalie-Leila

Lauro-Raoul

Lissa-Silas

Marta-Tamar

Oliva-Viola

 

Above: Geomix, by Haba  

{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }

1 British Mom August 5, 2009 at 9:06 am

I like Alice – Celia and Oliva-Viola. :)

I have a Rose, who I did realize is also ‘Sore’. I liked the name Ezra, for her little brother, but it seemed like the same name with the sounds backwards (even with the difference of the ‘o’ and the ‘a’.)

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2 Elsa August 5, 2009 at 12:28 pm

Another one is Olivet and Violet. Olivet is an old English form of Olive. I’ve always thought it would make a nice sibling set!

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3 Sebastiane August 5, 2009 at 12:29 pm

These would make offly nice twin or sibsets!

Adrien-Darien

April-Pilar

Blaise-Isabel

Caroline-Cornelia

Claudine-Dulcinea

Domenico-Nicodemo

Gaston-Sontag

Jonas-Sonja

Lauro-Raoul

Lissa-Silas

Marta-Tamar

Oliva-Viola

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4 CN Heidelberg August 5, 2009 at 2:15 pm

Linus & Sunil

Where is Sontag a name?

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5 youcantcallitit August 9, 2009 at 2:21 pm

Oh I can easily imagine a pair of lesbian professors naming their son after Susan Sontag. She’s a worthy namesake.

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6 Polly August 10, 2009 at 8:18 pm

Or even just a feminist in general. ;)

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7 youcantcallitit August 10, 2009 at 9:11 pm

Pretty much. ;-)

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8 julie August 5, 2009 at 4:05 pm

Here are a few other:
Sara – Rasa
Olena – Leona – Enola – Elona
Gena – Egan
Rhona – Norah
Saskia – Kassia
Carmela- Marcela

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9 youcantcallitit August 9, 2009 at 2:19 pm

I love Saskia and Kassia! Another pairing I’d be tempted by– I have such a huge crush on the name Saskia.

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10 Jane August 5, 2009 at 7:33 pm

There are a few goodies in that list! Olivia-Viola and Alice-Celia would be my personal picks. I’m not really into the idea of matching twin names, but if you’re going to do it then this is one of the better ways, I reckon. As long as you acually love both names. Not an easy task.
I recently heard of a Milly and Molly, twin girls about 2 years old. That’s too much for me personally.

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11 Jane August 5, 2009 at 7:34 pm

There are a few goodies in that list! Olivia-Viola and Alice-Celia would be my personal picks. I’m not really into the idea of matching twin names, but if you’re going to do it then this is one of the better ways, I reckon. As long as you acually love both names. Not an easy task!

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12 Jane August 5, 2009 at 7:35 pm

oops. Sorry for double post. I was having problems, obviously!! Elisabeth please feel free to delete! :)

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13 charlottevera August 5, 2009 at 7:45 pm

Ooooh, great post! Although I really can’t see anyone deciding to name their kid Sontag. But then, there are people out there with very unique tastes in names.

One that comes to my head:

Leon — Noel

And of course:

Heaven – Nevaeh (Just kidding!)

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14 chaneltara August 7, 2009 at 2:21 am

Ooh, I love Caroline and Cornelia! I’d actually use them!

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15 charlottevera August 7, 2009 at 4:36 pm

Oh, I’ve thought of another one (although I don’t know who would ever use it):

Rohan – Nahor

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16 youcantcallitit August 9, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Or Rohan and Norah would be lovely.

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17 charlottevera August 9, 2009 at 10:35 pm

Yes, that is much better.

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18 Polly August 7, 2009 at 7:22 pm

There were triplets in a Birth Announcement recently named Alice, Celia and Lacie. :)

I agree that this kind of ‘matching’ is preferrable to too similar sounding names, like the Milly and Molly as mentioned above.

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19 Nysha August 18, 2009 at 6:15 pm

My best friend wanted to use Adrian & Darian for her twins, but ended up with Alexander & Arianna instead.

Ezra & Reza would work if you didn’t mind crossing cultral lines.

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20 Kira August 19, 2009 at 1:17 pm

Some more anagram names just for fun:

Abram – Ambra

Adamina – Damiana

Aretha – Eartha (for the music lover)

Booker – Brooke

Camelia – Micaela

Cameron – Romance (haha)

Carol – Carlo

Daniela – Adelina

Dorothea – Theodora (gifts of God)

Edina – Aiden – Andie – Diane

Elias – Elisa (I actually know a married couple with these names)

Emily – Miley

Gary – Gray

Irma – Mira – Amir

Kia – Kai

Kiera (- Keira) – Erika

Liliane – Leilani

Linnea – Anneli (both Swedish)

Marcela – Carmela (Spanish sisters?)

Maria – Amira (I quite like these together!)

Nicol – Colin (Lovely Scottish combo)

Noam – Mona

Nora – Aron

Olivette – Violette

Oneida – Idonea

Robyn – Bryon (for the tryndee ones…)

Roman – Norma

Sarah – Rasha – Sahar (An Arabic trio)

Sinead – Denisa

Vasily – Sylvia (or Vasili – Silvia)

Velma – Melva

Vera – Reva

Sorry if some were already posted by someone else…

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21 NameGoddess July 9, 2011 at 9:00 am

Here’s some to add, just for fun! An idea I like better, actually, is to have anagram nn’s. P.S. I know a Hamlet! He’s the third consecutive one is his family!

Adlai — Dalia
Adamina — Damiana
Adrian — Nadira
Frea — Rafe
Agneta — Teagan
Agnes — Senga
Agostina — Santiago
Anelie — Elaine
Isla — Lisa — Ilsa
Andreia — Ariadne
Aino — Iona
Anita — Tania
Aithne — Ianthe
Alain — Liana
Alanis — Salina
Albena — Anabel
Alec — Cale
Alex — Lexa — Axel
Ali — Lia (nn’s for Alister & Cordelia)
Liesa — Elias
Alon — Nola
Alton — Talon
Alun — Luna
Alvaro — Valora
Amira — Maria
Marisa — Samira
Morana — Ramona — Romana
Amy — May
Anais — Siana
Anatoli — Natalio
Ander — Arden
Andres — Sander
Diana — Naida
Andrei — Nerida
Angelos — Solange
Nate — Tena
Antero — Renato
Ares — Sera
Raisa — Sarai
Arista — Sarita — Sitara
Roma — Omar
Ashlie — Sheila
Azrael — Lazare
Abel — Bela
Basia — Sabia
Bea — Abe (twin nn’s for Beatrice & Abram!)
Booker — Brooke
Bronte — Torben
Carlie — Claire
Carlo — Coral
Cilla — Lilac
Claus — Lucas
Clay — Lacy
Cleo — Cole (nn’s for Clementine & Colin)
Cliona — Nicola
Cyril — Lyric
Andel — Nelda
Daria — Adair
Nadir — Indra
Edwin — Wendi
Efa — Fae
Eoin — Ione
Elin — Neil
Eliott — Lottie
Kale — Lake
Kelan — Lenka
Ellis — Liesl
Elnora — Elanor — Lenora — Lorena
Eloise — Eliseo
Leona — Noela — Olena
Leandro — Leonard — Rolande
Elsa — Sela
Ema — Mae
Emery — Meyer
Enrico — Corine
Ernie — Irene
Nero — Oren
Etta — Tate
Evadne — Naveed
Forest — Foster
Frida — Farid
Galen — Angel
Alon — Nola
Gian — Inga
Giulia — Luigia
Giustina — Ignatius
Hale — Leah
Hallie — Leilah
Hera — Rhea
Lissa — Silas
Mira — Amir
Ian — Nia
Ioseph — Sophia
Isaac — Casia
Isaak — Kaisa

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