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Heroine Baby Names

Heroine Baby Names

Great heroines of history, past or present, real or fictional, from politics or the arts, may provide the perfect inspiration If you want to give your little girl a strong name.

As with all hero names, it’s important to choose one that strongly resonates with you. A musician may go with a heroine name such as Stevie or Simone, while an activist might strongly connect to a name like Audre or Gloria.

Along with Gloria and Simone, other heroine baby names in the US Top 1000 include Athena, Dorothy, Eloise, Frida, Harlow, Louisa, Rosie, and Zora. Distinctive names that immediately call heroines to mind include Angelou, Lovelace, Moana, and Sojourner.

A heroine name can give your daughter a figure to look up to and impart particular values and lessons. Browse our collection of heroine names below, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Strong Girl Names

Modern Hero Names

  1. EloiseHeart
    • Origin:

      French and English variation of Heloise
    • Meaning:

      "healthy; wide"
    • Description:

      Along with many other names with the El- beginning and featuring the L sound in any place, Eloise is newly chic. Eloise reentered the US Top 1000 girl names in 2009 after a 50 year nap and broke into the Top 100 in 2022. And she shows no signs of slowing down.
  2. ClaraHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "bright, clear"
    • Description:

      Clara is a strong, lovely girls' name that's always ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names but has been climbing since the turn of this century. Now holding steady around Number 100, Clara is a modern classic, neither too popular nor too unusual.
  3. AliceHeart
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "noble"
    • Description:

      Alice is a classic literary name that's both strong and sweet, ranking in the US Top 100 and popular throughout the western world. Alice is derived from the Old French name Aalis, a diminutive of Adelais that itself came from the Germanic name Adalhaidis, which is composed of the Proto-Germanic elements aþala, meaning "noble," and haidu, "kind, appearance, type."
  4. FreyaHeart
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "a noble woman"
    • Description:

      Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "Lady, noble woman", Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
  5. AmeliaHeart
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "work"
    • Description:

      Amelia is one of the hottest girls' names, a successor to the megapopular Emma and Emily. Amelia, which spent several years at Number 1 in England, vaulted into the US Top 10 in 2017 and continues to rise.
  6. EleanorHeart
    • Origin:

      English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.
  7. MaeHeart
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Mary or Margaret
    • Meaning:

      "bitter or pearl"
    • Description:

      Mae, a sweet and springlike old-fashioned name, hadn't been on the national charts in forty years, but finally made it back in 2010. Mae is derived from May, the month name that was chosen for its connection to Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood.
  8. CordeliaHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin; Celtic
    • Meaning:

      "heart; daughter of the sea"
    • Description:

      Cordelia is exactly the kind of old-fashioned, grown-up name for girls that many parents are seeking for their daughters today. The name of King Lear's one sympathetic daughter, Cordelia has both style and substance along with its Shakespearean pedigree.
  9. JosephineHeart
    • Origin:

      French feminine variation of Joseph
    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah increases"
    • Description:

      Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing number of vivacious nicknames, from Jo to Josie to Fifi to Posy, Josephine is a Nameberry favorite.
  10. BeatriceHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "she who brings happiness; blessed"
    • Description:

      Beatrice is back. Stored in the attic for almost a century, the lovely Beatrice with its long literary (Shakespeare, Dante) and royal history is being looked at with fresh eyes by parents seeking a classic name with character and lots of upbeat nicknames, like Bea and Bee.
  11. MatildaHeart
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "battle-mighty"
    • Description:

      Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its rise, along with others of its class like Eloise and Caspian.
  12. EmmaHeart
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "universal"
    • Description:

      Emma has now been among the top girl namesin the United States for several years, claiming the Number 1 crown in 2008 and again from 2015 to 2018. It now stands at Number 2 in the US, but is still the Number 1 girls' name in Switzerland, Austria, and Argentina.
  13. WillaHeart
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of William
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"
    • Description:

      Willa has become increasingly fashionable, with its combination of Willa (born Wilella) Cather-like pioneer strength and the graceful beauty of the willow tree.
  14. AudreyHeart
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "noble strength"
    • Description:

      Audrey is one of the girls' names that have been rising due to their connection to Old Hollywood glamour—in this case the eternally chic and radiant Audrey Hepburn. Audrey has another very different appeal as one of the elite group of girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful.
  15. ElizabethHeart
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      Elizabeth, one of the premiere classic girls' names and most popular Hebrew names for girls, is now just outside the Top 10, having been replaced in 2014 by the rising Charlotte. Yet Elizabeth has so much going for it—rich history, broad appeal, and timeless style—that no matter how many little girls there are named Lizzie, Eliza, and Beth out there, you can still make Elizabeth your own.
  16. AdaHeart
    • Origin:

      German or Turkish
    • Meaning:

      "noble, nobility, or island"
    • Description:

      Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.
  17. FlorenceHeart
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "flourishing, prosperous"
    • Description:

      Florence is back, returning to the US Top 1000 girl names in 2017 after a nearly 40 year absence. Other English-speaking countries have been quicker to welcome Florence back into fashion.
  18. GraceHeart
    • Origin:

      English, virtue name
    • Description:

      Grace is derived from gratia, the Latin word for "grace." It existed as Gracia in the Middle Ages but was not in common use until the Puritans adopted it along with other Christian attribute names in the sixteenth century. It was used as a virtue name, in reference to divine grace — the love and kindness of God.
  19. MayaHeart
    • Origin:

      Greek; Central American Indian empire name; Latinate variation of May; Spanish, diminutive of Amalia; variation of Maia; Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "water"
    • Description:

      In addition to being the name of a Central American culture, Maya was the legendary Greek mother of Hermes by Zeus, and means "illusion" in Sanskrit and Eastern Pantheism. It can also be spelled Maia, though both names have so many possible origins and meanings that not all of them are related. To the Romans, Maia/Maya was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May.
  20. EttaHeart
    • Origin:

      English and Scottish, short form of any name ending with -etta: Henrietta, Loretta etc.
    • Description:

      Etta is one of the surprise hit girl names of recent years, thanks to the surprise hit revival of Etta James' song At Last. Etta has now taken her place as a successor to Emma and Ella.