Romina

Eva Mendes plays Romina in 'The Place Beyond The Pines', opposite Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper

If you like your girls names to be of the feminine but not frilly persuasion, have you considered Romina?

Romina (pronounced roh-MEEN-ah) is a Latin name meaning 'woman from Rome'. This pretty gem belongs to the same family as other female names Roma, Romelle, Romola, Romella, Romelia and Romilda. However I feel that Romina stands apart from these (with the exception of Roma) as the sleeker, more modern sounding option. Its cool factor may also be set to rise in the near future, as Eva Mendes portrays a character called Romina in the new Ryan Gosling movie 'The Place Beyond the Pines'.

Romina is more likely to be heard amongst Italian and Spanish speakers, but has been a quiet presence on the US charts. It has been stealthily creeping upwards - in 1970 it was ranked #7770, but fast forward to 2011 and it was placed #1577. It's yet to crack the top 1000, but that may be a different story in ten years time.

Some Rominas in the public eye that you may recognise include:

• American born singer/actress Romina Power, and her actress daughter Italian born Romina Carrisi-Power
• Argentinian actress Romina Gaetani
• Austrian concert musician Romina Lischka
• London based Italian born R&B and soul singer Romina Johnson
• Italian Opera Singer Romina Basso
• Italian actress Romina Modello; and 
• Swiss tennis player Romina Oprandi (who interestingly has a mother named Romy, father named Roberto and a brother named Romeo). 

This name also comes with some cute and spunky nicknames. My personal favourite is probably Mina, but Ro is another option, and it's also a great way to get to Romy. Romina is also a nice, subtle way to use a place name. For those of us living outside Italy, Romina is a good option for a sleek, current sounding name with international flair.