alexa400's list "Girls" of 20 great name ideas: Kelilah - Isaura!

Girls

Kelilah, also spelled Kelila, is a lovely and unusual name that would make a perfect substitute for the trendy Delilah.

Kelilah

A jewel-encrusted choice, far more unusual than Pearl. 

Penina

A mix of Yvonne and Elaine, Yvaine was first noticed in the Neil Gaiman fantasy novel and then movie Stardust, in which Claire Danes played the 'fallen star' Yvaine. This In all its forms, one of the most classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/472/scottish-names-for-girls">Scottish names for girls</a> is now attracting namer attention--just as that other Gaiman-inspired name, Coraline, did. Yvaine has a definite romantic, medieval charm. A small segment of namers are definitely taking notice.
 The name probably derives from the Arthurian male name Yvain, one of the Knights of the Round Table

Yvaine

A frilly southern-accented flower name yet to be planted on many birth certificates. In the language of flowers, the wisteria is a symbol of devotion. It is named for American horticulturalist John Caspar Wister.

Wisteria

Enna is a feminine name with multiple possible origins, including as a variation of Anna (Hebrew for 'grace'), a shortened form of names like Ennaline or Marienna, or derived from the ancient city of Enna in Sicily. In Finnish, 'enna' means 'predict' or 'foresee,' adding another layer of meaning. This short, symmetrical name has a gentle yet distinct sound that travels well across different languages and cultures. While never widely common, Enna has seen occasional usage throughout history and across different regions. Its simplicity, melodic quality, and cross-cultural adaptability make it appealing to modern parents seeking something uncommon yet accessible with a subtle ancient resonance.

Enna

A rare and delicate choice, Lelia is a modern variation of an ancient Roman family name. It came to Britain in the mid-nineteenth century, following the publication of George Sand's popular romantic novel titled Lelia in 1833.

Lelia

Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter.
 The word sonnet derives from the Italian sonetto, meaning 'little song.' And although Shakespeare is the most acclaimed master of this fourteen-line form, there have been many other accomplished sonneteers, including Milton, Wordsworth and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
 Other names beyond Sonnet that can work for the child of a writer or book-lover: Story, Poet, Fable.

Sonnet

Spring doesn't sound half as contemporary as Winter, which has become the cool season name. 

Spring

Vivia, the fresh Italian version of newly popular name, streamlines and even vivifies the original.

Vivia

The sleek Malin is a contracted form of Magdalene or Madeleine, used in Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland. A popular choice back in the 2000s, it has declined in popularity in recent years, but it remains a concise and appealing choice. It may also be used as a Chinese name, combining Ma ("horse") and Lin ("forest", "fine jade"), or a unisex choice, used as a masculine form of the Slavic Malina ("raspberry") or a Northern English name meaning "little warrior".

Malin

Araminta is a poetic and enchanting eighteenth-century invention with plenty of elegance and a touch of old-fashioned clunkiness. It first appeared in William Congreve's 17th century comedy The Old Bachelor and then again in 1705 when it was used by architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh in his play The Confederacy.
 
There are several theories on where Araminta came from, one possibility being that it is a compound name, blending Arabella with Aminta. Arabella is considered a variant of Anabella or derived from the Latin orabilis and means "loveable" or "unyielding". Aminta is itself a literary invention, meaning "defender". Together then, they form a strong name, connected to love and strength.
 
An alternative suggestion is that it was developed from the plant name Amaranth, meaning "unfading" from the Greek amarantos. Poet Richard Lovelace had used to altered form Aramantha forty years before Araminta appeared on stage and could have been the inspiration.
 
Other theories suggest that Araminta is: a form of Aminata, itself a variant of the Arabic Amina, meaning "safe and secure" or "trustful"; inspired by the Greek element anthos meaning "flower"; or a spin on the Germanic Arminius, meaning "whole, universal" or army man".
 
Moving away from the tangled etymology, Araminta was notably the birth name of abolitionist, Harriet Tubman. It is also borne by photographer Araminta de Clermont, and by actress Araminta "Minta" Durfee.
 
More familiar in Britain than the US, but rare there too, it has however proved popular in fiction. In the Enid Bagnold novel National Velvet, Araminta is the name of the central character's mother, while Araminta Lee is a character in Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians.It had also appeared in the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn and in Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi.
 
Just 11 girls were named Araminta in 2024 in the US.

Araminta

Honora and Honoria are two ways of softening the severity of Honor, while retaining its righteous meaning. They were predominant until the Reformation, when the Puritans adopted the abstract virtue names, and were introduced to Britain by the Normans.
 Honoria Blake is a character in the Dickens novel Bleak House.
 The Irish form of the name is Onora. A variant spelling is Honorah.

Honora

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan.
 Ione was one of the fifty sea nymphs — Nereids — in ancient Greek mythology.
 Parents attracted to newer I-names like Isla might want to consider the distinctive Ione. The English pronunciation usually starts with the long I, while in the Latin languages such as Italian it starts with the long E sound.

Ione

This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation.
 There was a time when Rosamund wasn't quite so unusual in the US--she ranked on the Top 1000 from 1881 to 1930, reaching 574 in 1912. Today, fewer than 20 baby girls were given the name in the US, and fewer than five got the alternate version Rosamond.
 Early on, the name was associated with 'fair Rosamond' Clifford, mistress of Henry II, whose story was the basis of the Joseph Addison opera Rosamund and the Swinburne play of the same name. 
 Another, literal, translation of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-name-lists/category/meanings-of-names">name"s meaning</a> is 'rose of the world.'
 A current bearer is actress and one-time Bond girl Rosamund Pike--who has a son named Solo.

Rosamund

X marks the spot in names these days, usually at the middles or ends of names, but here is one that puts it squarely up front.
 This extravagant name, which, like many Greek names beginning with X, is pronounced as if it were a Z in English, is derived from the Greek word for the color yellow. A Homeric epithet of Demeter, Xanthe would be a striking choice, thanks to its "golden" meaning.
 
A consistent member of the UK Top 1000 since 2005, Xanthe was chosen by the social media star Emily Clarkson in 2024.

Xanthe

Auriel is a Roman name that was revived during the nineteenth-century craze for <a href="https://nameberry.com/unique-names">unique names</a>. Could make an interesting substitution for the popular Aurora or Ariel.

Auriel

If you want a pan-Scandinavian name with energy and style that could have been a winner, if not for the sound-alike water filtration company Brita.

Britta

Elspeth is one of those names that never quite made it out of the British Isles--particularly Scotland, but possesses a winningly childlike charm. Elspeth was used by Sir Walter Scott for several of his female characters.
 Elspeth Huxley was a prolific Kenyan-born U.K. writer, best known for the autobiographical The Flame Trees of Thika--she was connected by marriage to the illustrous Huxley family.
 A close cousin is Elsbeth, as in the recurring character Elsbeth Tascioni on The Good Wife. Embeth is a more distant relation.

Elspeth

Este -- think Esme with a t -- comes to us via one of the rocking sisters in the musical group Haim.  For long best known as the Esther diminutive used by cosmetics queen Estee Lauder, Este is a slimmed-down version that feels chicer for our star-struck times.

While mother name Esther has Persian origins and impressive Biblical roots, it's a name used in a wide range of cultures.

Este

The name of an ancient country located in South Asia Minor, perfect for someone looking for a rare and feminine name with history.