Creative Names From Cirque Du Soleil

Like your names with a bit of a magical, mystical flair? Then how about taking some inspiration from Cirque Du Soleil, a company for whom magical and mystical is all in a day's work. Below are some of the top picks just from the titles of their shows, although the shows are also rich with great character names if this list gives you a taste for a Cirque du Soleil inspired name.

Alegría

Oh so very close to Allegra, it's almost surprising this hasn't found it's way on to the name charts considering the current love for alternate spellings and embellishments. Both Alegría and Allegra are Italian names meaning 'cheerful, joyous'. The added benefit of this spelling is that it's a nice step away from the medication.

Amaluna

Amaluna is a combination of 'ama', meaning 'mother' and 'luna' meaning moon. Cirque du Soleil chose the name because the moon is associated with femininity. It is indeed filled with feminine mystique. Nickname Luna is a bonus.

Cirque

Pronounced 'surk', this is an option that could work well on either a boy or a girl. It's not that far removed from Circe of Greek Mythology, but comes with much more joyous associations. Clown jokes would be a definite possibility, but on the right person this could seem sophisticated and exotic.

Cortéo

Cortéo is an Italian word meaning 'procession'. Pronounced core-TAY-oh, this could work well on either gender, although I feel it leans more male. It could be the name of a swashbuckling pirate from days of old, or an extra in a futuristic sci-fi movie.

Dralion

Over the past year we have seen an emerging pattern of Leo and Lion related names, so why not Dralion? A little bit dragon, a little bit lion, this one feels distinctly masculine. It's pronounced drah-lee-on and would be a super cool choice.

Ká 

This name may sound like a motor vehicle, but the Ká in this show was the fire that has the dual power to destroy or illuminate. Similar to unisex name Kai, Ká is one of the few names on this list have actually charted previously as a name in the U.S. It's also the stage name of rapper Kaseem Ryan.

Quidam

Names starting with Q tend not to be hugely popular, but as this is pronounced kee-dahm it has more in common with names starting with K, which are much more popular. This show title refers to the main character, said to be “the embodiment of both everyone and no one at the same time... one who cries out, sings and dreams within us all”. I love the romanticism of this notion.

Soleil 

A French name meaning 'sun', Soleil became widely recognisable thanks to the child star of 80's hit 'Punky Brewster', Soleil Moon Frye. However it has remained far from popular in the U.S., meaning it hits the sweet spot of recognisable but underused.

Varekai

Another option that sounds so much like a name it's almost surprising it's not. Varekai (pronounced vah-reh-kye) is a word meaning 'wherever' in Romani. It sounds like it is straight out of a fantasy adventure, very similar to the rising Malachi but with an edgier vibe.

**This post originally appeared on Nameberry**