Oh-la-la: 10 seriously cute baby names popular in other European countries

Some parents-to-be have a name picked long before the two lines show up on the pregnancy test. 

Others are on a frantic search from the day they find out they are expecting, and spend the best part of nine months searching through books, websites, family members, friends, countries, and even popular culture to find the one name perfect for their bundle. If the last description sounds like you, and you are still on the hunt for the one – allow us to help you. Here are ten seriously great names, cherry-picked from all over Europe – France, Sweden, Portugal and Greece – you name it, we found the baby names they have been hiding from us: 1. Xander Xander is a sassy Greek name meaning ‘defender of people’. 2. Lilou Short and classic – and perfectly French. 3. Giotto This gorgeous name has a creative legacy in Italian history. 4. Esmeralda Take a note out of Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes' book and bestow this gorgeous Spanish moniker on your daughter. 5. Ferdinand Handsome boys' name that is currently very popular in Germany. 6. Ebba Short and sweet, and currently in the top 10 list over girls' names in Sweden. 7. Cyrilo Cyrilo is a Portuguese version of the name Cyrillus, meaning ‘lordly’. 8. Elena Gorgeous Greek girl's name we think the world needs to know about. 9. Henrik Henrik is the Scandinavian variation of the name Henry. 10. Alma Girls' names ending in 'a' are lovely, and we are especially fond of this one, which is currently very popular in both Norway and Sweden.