Romansh might be an official national language in Switzerland, but it largely remains unknown and underappreciated by most of the world. Native to the Grisons region, a mountainous part of eastern Switzerland, it has Latin roots and was most spoken at the height of the Roman empire.
If you have family links to the area or you simply want to keep the culture alive, you might be considering using a Romansh name for your child. Doing so is a hard-earned right — although Romansch was made an official language in Switzerland in 1938, Romansch people were only allowed to give their offspring names from their own language in 1940.
Andrin is a male name and the Romansch form of the German name Heinrich — it belongs to Switzerland’s Engadine valley (in the eastern Swiss Alps) and means “ruler of the home.” Whether or not you want your son to be your king, it could make for a great name.
There are also plenty of lovely female names from the Engadine valley. These include Madlaina, the Romansch form of Magdalena, and Staschia, the Romansch version of Anastasia.
Fadri is a somewhat rarer Romansch name and the Romansch form of Frederick. It’s a male name, but there are also female versions — such as Fadrina and Fadrica.
Uorsin is a male name meaning “bear.” Whether you want your child to be feared or cuddled, it can make for a cute name. It was initially the diminutive of the name “Ors,” but is now more popular than its predecessor.
Alesch
Meaning: Defender of men”. It is a Romansh name for Alexander
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Allegra
Meaning: Cheerful
Origin: Italian
Gender: Girl
Andrin
Meaning: Form of the German name Heinrich
Origin: Romansch
Gender: Boy
Angiola
Meaning: Derived from Angela, meaning “messenger”
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Antonin
Meaning: Beyond praise. This is the Romansh form of Anthony
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Aurél
Meaning: Golden. The name is linked to Aurelius and is famous due to Marcus Aurelius
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Balser
Meaning: Ba’al protect the king. It is a version of Balthazar, who was one of the three Magi who visited Jesus during His birth
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Basilissa
Meaning: Derived from Basil, meaning “kingly”
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Beata
Meaning: Blessed
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Benedegt
Meaning: Blessed. This is the Romansh form of the word, Benedict
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Catarina
Meaning: Derived from Catherine, meaning “pure”
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Chasper
Meaning: Treasurer. It is related to Casper, the friendly ghost
Origin: Persian
Gender: Boy
Cornelia
Meaning: Horn
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Guida
Meaning: French origin, Derived from Guy, meaning wide
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Domeni
Meaning: Derived from Dominic, meaning “belonging to the Lord
Origin: Latin
Gender: Bo
Dorina
Meaning: Romansh name for Dorothy
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Fadri
Meaning: Romansch form of Frederick
Origin: Romansch
Gender: Boy
Felici
Meaning: Derived from Felix, meaning “happy”
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Flurin
Meaning: Derived from Florian, meaning “a flower”
Origin: Latin
Gender: Boy
Giachen
Meaning: Derived from Jacob, meaning “to follow”
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Iona
Meaning: Refers to a Scottish island
Origin: Norse
Gender: Girl
Jaronas
Meaning: Derived from Jerome, meaning “sacred name”
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Madlaina
Meaning: Romansch form of Magdalena
Origin: Romansch
Gender: Girl
Mose
Meaning: To draw out of water
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Lidia
Meaning: Greek origin, Derived from Lydia, meaning noble
Origin: Norse
Gender: Girl
Ludivic
Meaning: Derived from Lewis, meaning “famous warrior”
Origin: German
Gender: Boy
Luzia
Meaning: Derived from Lucille) meaning “light”
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Mattia
Meaning: A gift of God
Origin: Romansh
Gender: Girl
Moreno
Meaning: Brunette
Origin: Maltese
Gender: Girl
Niculin
Meaning: Victory of the people
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Ottavia
Meaning: Eighth
Origin: Romansh
Gender: Girl
Petrica
Meaning: A rock
Origin: Romansh
Gender: Girl
Rapoto
Meaning: Bold counsel
Origin: Romansh
Gender: Boy
Rico
Meaning: Home ruler
Origin: Romansh
Gender: Boy
Staschia
Meaning: Romansch version of Anastasia
Origin: Romansch
Gender: Girl
Uorsin
Meaning: Diminutive of the name “Ors”
Origin: Romansch
Gender: Boy
Varena
Meaning: True
Origin: Romansh
Gender: Girl
