In honor of April's puckish nature, I am going to break wholly from formality and suggest a list of names that seem appropriate, through meaning, for babies born at this time of year. Of course, there are some names that, while formal and dignified in and of themselves, have nicknames reserved historically for impish personalities. It wasn't every man named John who was called Jack. Not every Robert was a Robin.
This may be the cruelest month, as T.S. Eliot suggested, but it's also the month when new hope is born. Winter is truly over. Green is returning.
Following is a list of names that seem appropriate for spring (through meaning). Meanings are culled from http://www.behindthename.com and Teresa Norman's book A World of Baby Names.
Girl Names
Allegra (Latin) "brisk, cheerful"
Anthea (Greek Mythological name, Latinized) "flowery"
April (Latin) "second, latter" March was the first month in the Roman calendar.
Aurora (Latin) "dawn"
Blythe (Old English) "cheerful"
Bryony (Latin) "to sprout" The name of a perennial vine with greenish flowers.
Calanthe (Greek) "beautiful flower"
Chloe (Greek) "green shoot"
Clare (Latin) "clear"
Dagny (Scandanavian) "new day"
Deborah (Hebrew) "A swarm of bees"
Esperanza (Spanish) "hope"
Euthalia (Greek) "flower, bloom"
Eve (Hebrew) "life"
Fern (English) "the fern plant"
Fleur (French) "flower"
Florence (Latin) "blooming, flourishing"
Gillian (Latin) "youth"
Heather (English) "the heather plant"
Hillary (Latin) "cheerful, noisy, merry"
Hope (English) "hope"
Iris (Greek) "rainbow"
Joya (English) "joy"
Kendall (Old Norse) "spring"
Lark (English) "a lark"
Laurel (English) "the laurel tree"
Nova (Latin) "new" This name is of recent origin.
Phoebe (Greek) "bright"
Raisa (Hebrew) "rose"
Rosalia (Latin) "rose"
Ume (Japanese) "plum blossom"
Violet (English) "violet"
Zipporah (Hebrew) "bird"
Zoë (Greek) "life"
Boy Names
Adam (Hebrew) "red earth"
Alon (Hebrew) "oak tree"
Anthony (Latin) "flower"
Arata (Japanese) "freshness"
Asher (Hebrew) "happy, blessed"
Darby (Old Norse) "deer settlement"
Dennis (English) a variant of Dionysius, the Greek god of wine and revelry
Errol (Latin) "to wander
Everard (Old High German) "strong as a wild boar"
Florian (Latin) "flower"
Forrest (Middle Latin) "forest"
Fortunato (Italian, Portuguese) "happy, fortunate, blessed"
George (French) "farmer"
Greene (Old English) "green" A surname.
Ilan (Hebrew) "tree"
Isaac (Hebrew) "he will laugh"
Julian (Latin) "youth"
Lalo (Latin) "to sing a lullaby"
Lee (Old English) "wood, clearing, meadow"
Linden (Old English) "lime tree"
Liron (Hebrew) "my song" or "my joy"
Lucas (Latin) "light"
Maxwell (Old English) "great stream"
Pascal (French) "born on Easter"
Riaz (Arabic) "meadows, gardens"
River (English) "river"
Shaw (Old English) "copse"
Sylvan (Latin) "wood, forest"
Tate (Old Norse) "cheerful"
Wesley (Old English) "west meadow"
Ziyad (Arabic) "growth"
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