10 O Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Ooh, O names! There are so many more than you think. They are waiting to be discovered, so let's get right to it.

Oceane- Oceane is not simply Ocean with an extra e (she should have an accent mark over the first one). This gorgeous French name is pronounced O-shay-ahn.

Odele- Odele is extremely rare, but sounds on-trend (thanks to names like Adele), making her a viable option.

Odessa- Want an interesting, unusual, alternative to Tessa? Odessa's your girl. Dessie or Essie makes for a cute nickname.

Ola- She's short, sweet, and Scandinavian. If three letters isn't substantial enough for you, try Solange, Maiola, or Gladiola as full names.

Oona- I was a little surprised to hear that this Irish beauty has never ranked in the United States top 1000. How can we not love Oona? I think she'd make a great sister name to many of our more popular names, including (but not limited to) Lily, Evie, and Nolan.

Opal- This gemstone name is scarcely heard, but with Pearl on the rise, I wouldn't be surprised if Opal was next.

Ophira- She's Sophia's quirkier cousin. Not to mention the name of one of my favorite NPR hosts, Ophira Eisenberg.

Orla- I really love these Irish O names. And Orla is so lovely! If I were Irish, I'd use Orla in a heartbeat.

Orlie- As a nickname for Orla, or on her own, you can't deny Orlie's cute factor. Fair warning: Spelled Orly, she's texting shorthand for "Oh, really?"

Ottilie- Ottilie is such a romantic name (don't you agree?). Her stunning qualities are only improved by the equally charming nickname Tillie.

Gods and Goddesses of Love Names

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Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, I love it so much. In honor, we are going to look at the names of Gods and Goddesses of Love from around the world. Enjoy!

Gods:
Eros- The Greek God of love, aka Cupid.
Kama- Indian God, definitely useable.
Yarilo- The Slavic God. I'm not sure how useable he'd be in the U.S.

Goddesses:
Ani- An African Goddess.
Aphrodite- The obvious, very Greek, choice.
Ashtarte- A Semitic Goddess, and a very beautiful name.
Erzulie- The Voodoo Love Goddess. I believe Erzulie is a name of a character in a children's book, am I right?
Freya- This beautiful Norse name would be stunning on a Valentine's Day baby.
Hathor- This Egyptian Goddess has a beautiful, modern sounding name.
Inanna- She is the Mesopotamian Goddess of Love. Perfect if you want to honor an Anna and the holiday.
Ishtar-Ishtar is a Babylonian Goddess. She is a pretty, unique name.
Isis- The other Egyptian Goddess of Love has an equally as wearable appellation.
Nugua- This Chinese Goddess has a beautiful name, but in some parts of America she'd be unusable.
Oshun- She's the Afrocarribbean Goddess of Love, but looks like a misspelling of Ocean. That's too bad, because it's a lovely name, but I would go with Ocean instead.
Radha- Finally, Radha is the Goddess of Love in India. A great name for parents with Indian heritage, and a daughter born around February 14.