Credit the award-winning single-named British singer for taking the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> Adele from a quiet semi-retirement back into currency. Adele reentered the US Top 1000 <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular baby names</a> in 2011 and has remained there ever since. 
Adele is both a saint's and a royal name, having originated as the French version of the German Adela. It's one of the most stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girl names starting with A</a>. 
Molly Ringwald chose Adele for one of her twins, and Fred Astaire's first dancing partner was his older sister Adele.
 Historically, Adele was the name of the youngest daughter of William the Conquerer. Music lovers might associate the name with a character in Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus, while a prime literary reference is Jane Eyre's young charge.

Adele

Arthur, once the shining head of the Knights of the Round Table, is, after decades of neglect, now being polished up and restored by stylish parents, inspired perhaps by the new generation of royals. Arthur has led the list of possible names for the young British princes, chosen as a middle name for Prince Louis, son of William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales.
 In addition to its leading role in the Arthurian legends, Arthurs figure prominently in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and George Eliot's Adam Bede. There are also countless Arthurs in children's literature, movies, and TV -- including The Fonz of Happy Days fame. More recently, Arthur was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Santa in the eponymous movie Arthur Christmas.
 Arthur has many notable namesakes, including playwright Arthur Miller; writer/astronomer Arthur C. Clarke; writers Arthur Conan Doyle, Arthur Rimbaud and Arthur Koestler; philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer; conductor Arthur Fiedler; and tennis great Arthur Ashe, the first African American to win the U.S. Open. Queen Victoria's seventh child was Prince Arthur.
 Arthur was a Top 20 name from at least 1880 through 1926. And in 2011, actress Selma Blair named her son Arthur Saint.

Arthur

Callahan, the simpler spelling of Callaghan, is a rhythmic jig of a name whose history harks back to the ancient King of Munster. In the Dirty Harry movies, the Clint Eastwood character is Harry Callahan.

Callahan

Callum, a charming Scottish name high on the list in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, is rising through the ranks in the US now too. And it comes complete with the easy nickname Cal. Kyle MacLachlan chose Callum for his son. Callum might also be spelled Calum; in Ireland, the name became Colm, and in Scotland it's sometimes used as a pet form of Malcolm.
 
Callum was derived from Latin Columba, a unisex given name meaning "dove." Callum was popular among early Christians because the dove was a symbol of purity, peace and the Holy Spirit. St. Columba was one of the most influential of the early Celtic saints.

Callum

Cecilia is a lovely classic name deservedly enjoying a new turn in the sun. Always among the Top 500 girls' names in the US, Cecilia is now at its highest point ever.
 
Cecilia is a feminine form of Cecil, which was derived from a Roman clan name related to the Latin caecus, meaning "blind". While that may put some parents off, we say put that ancient meaning aside and focus on Cecilia's symbolic resonance in the contemporary world as a classy and classic name.
 
The martyred Saint Cecilia was designated the patron of musicians, either because she supposedly sang directly to God while the musicians played at her wedding, or because she sang to God as she was dying. The name was popularized in the Middle Ages as an homage to the Saint.
 On TV, the Cecelia spelling variation was the name chosen for Pam and Jim's baby on The Office; in real life the name of the daughters of Vera Wang and Soledad O'Brien.
 Cecilia is also a Dickens character name in Hard Times, and appears in the novels Atonement and The Virgin Suicides, and The Hunger Games series, as well as being the subject of a memorable Simon & Garfunkel song.
 Cecilia, Celia and Cecily are all nameberry faves. Cecelia is an accepted spelling variation you may want to consider if you plan to shorten the name to Celia or Cece.

Cecilia

Celia, splendidly sleek and feminine, is a name that was scattered throughout Shakespeare and other Elizabethan literature, but still manages to feel totally modern. 
 Shakespeare has been credited with introducing Celia in As You Like It, and it was to Celia that the poet Ben Jonson penned the immortal line, "Drink to me only with thine eyes." Other literary Celias have appeared in works ranging from George Eliot's Middlemarch to T. S. Eliot's The Cocktail Party to Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin.
 Celia Cruz was a superstar of Latin music.
 Celia is not a short form of Cecilia, which has a completely different meaning, and developed independently. But some contemporary parents are naming their babies Cecelia, especially with that spelling, and calling them Celia—which gives you two beautiful names in one.

Celia

This name was transposed from the word for a church officer to a baby name when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe chose it for their son, after a baseball player ancestor, and Don Johnson followed suit. Its popularity also got a boost from Nashville character Deacon Claybourne -- only to fall a bit in recent years.

Deacon

Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image. 
 The name of two American First Ladies, Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, as well as that of several early English queens, Edith is one of the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon names. Widely used in nineteenth century novels, Edith was chosen by Louisa May Alcott for the heroine of her first novel The Inheritance, written when she was seventeen.
 Edith Wharton makes a fine literary namesake, with other noted bearers including poet Edith Sitwell, iconic Hollywood movie designer Edith Head, and for francophiles, there is the reference to Edith Piaf. With the rise of so many other E-starting names from Ella to Evelyn, and the adorable short form Edie, we predict that Edith will soon sound more like a cute toddler than a dated granny, especially with the Despicable Me character and the emergence of one of the most interesting characters on Downton Abbey, Lady Edith Crawley.

Edith

Flynn, a charming Irish surname, is still used only quietly, despite its easygoing, casual cowboy charm, unlike Finn which is a star of this genre. Flynn was the choice of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr for their baby boy, and is also the middle name -- used as his first -- of a son of Miranda's fellow supermodel Elle Macpherson, of Gary Oldman's son Gulliver and Marley Shelton's daughter West.
 Flynn Rider (born Eugene Fitzherbert) is the dashing animated hero of the Disney film "Tangled." On TV's "Breaking Bad", Flynn was what young Walter Jr. tried to rename himself. The name was long associated with the swashbuckling Errol Flynn, inspiration of the phrase "in like Flynn." Some may connect this name to controversial former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
 Flynn entered the U.S. Top 1000 in 2011, and is a highly popular choice in Australia and New Zealand.

Flynn

Jean Harlow (born Harlean Carpenter), the original platinum blonde bombshell, was a symbol of 1930s glamour, a factor that first Patricia Arquette and then Nicole Richie and Joel Madden probably had in mind when they gave their daughters the distinctive surname name Harlow. 
 It hit the Top 1000 for the first time in 2009, one year after the arrival of Ms. Madden. Harlow would fit right in with contemporaries Arlo and Marlow(e).

Harlow

Hollis is a surname name used quietly for both sexes. At last count, it was given to 212 baby boys and 129 baby girls in the US. It has notable connections for both sexes. On the boys' side, Hollis Thompson is a professional basketball player and Hollis Watkins is a Civil Rights activist in Mississippi. Hollis is an outsized favorite for girls in South Carolina, where Pete Hollis was a community folk hero. For girls, it makes Holly more buttoned-up and distinctive.

Hollis

Iris has so much going for it. It's a fashionable flower name. It's a mythological name, from the Greek goddess of the rainbow. And it's a classic name, always ranking in the girls' Top 1000 but now at its highest point ever.
 
Iris is directly derived from the Greek word iris, meaning "rainbow." In Greek mythology, rainbow goddess Iris was a messenger for Zeus and Hera who rode the rainbow as a multicolored bridge from heaven to earth. 
 The botanical iris also carries evocative symbols. In ancient times, the Iris was considered a symbol of power and majesty, the three petal segments representing faith, wisdom and valor. This image led to the naming of the colored part of the eye.
In the contemporary world, Iris has amazing international versatility, ranking highly throughout the English-speaking world as well as in a diverse range of countries from Spain to Slovenia, France to Sweden.
 Part of Iris's rise is due to its celebrity power: Jude Law and Sadie Frost, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, and Renee O'Connor all chose Iris for their daughters.
 A notable modern bearer was the prolific British novelist Iris Murdoch. Frequently seen on screen, characters called Iris have been played by Jodie Foster, Jane Fonda and Kate Winslet, and Iris Chase is the narrator in the Margaret Atwood novel The Blind Assassin.

Iris

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.
 
Josephine is the feminine form of Joseph, a name ultimately derived from the Hebrew Yosef, meaning "Jehovah increases." In French it has an accent over the first E, which was omitted in the English, German, and Dutch translations of the name. Empress Joséphine du Beauharnais was born Marie-Josephe-Rose, but called Josephine by her husband, Napolean Bonaparte.
 
Josephine Baker (born Freda), the American-French singer, dancer, and civil rights activist, is a potential namesake.
 Some of the Josephines in literature and recent pop culture are known by their nicknames—the admirably headstrong Jo in Little Women, Joey Potter (played by Katie Holmes) in Dawson's Creek, and Josie of Josie and the Pussycats. In Some Like it Hot, Josephine was the nom de femme of Tony Curtis.
 Josephines have been the subjects of countless songs, performed by artists ranging from Fats Domino to Tori Amos to the Black Crowes.

Josephine

Laurel takes Laura back to its meaning in nature, resulting in a gentle, botanical option. Even more directly than Laura, Laurel relates back to the laurel wreath signifying success and peace in ancient Rome.
 Sweet Laurel has been the unlikely name of two DC Comics superheroes—Laurel Kent and Laurel Gand, aka Andromeda.
 Laurel received its highest ranking in 1956, when it reached Number 241. It may be due for a resurgence, thanks to the trend for <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/l">girls' names starting with L</a>. Beware though, that it has the likelihood of being mistaken for Laura and Lauren.

Laurel

Lila is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girl names</a> with a double l sound — Lila, Lola, Layla, Leila, Lily et al — that have caught on in a major way., Delicate yet dynamic, Lila has a slightly international flair.
 
The one caveat, and you may consider it a big: As a group, the La-La names have gotten so stylish so quickly that they're verging on full-blown trendiness and tend to blend into one another. So while there may not be another little girl named Lila in town, between those named Lillian, Lily, Layla, and so on, you may feel there's a double L overload.
 
Lila was derived from the Arabic word laylah, meaning "night." It has separate roots in Sanskrit with the meaning "play." In Hinduism, Lila is a conceptualism of the universe as a playground of the gods. Lilah and Lyla are variant spellings. 
Lila has been a recent hot TV character name, seen on such shows asDamages and Dexter, as well as Friday Night Lights, where the name is spelled Lyla—another trendy version.
 Trivia tidbit: Diane Sawyer was born Lila Diane.

Lila

Though this name of a sturdy tree that can live for centuries was quite popular for boys in the first half of the twentieth century, at this point in time we can see Linden as a fresh-sounding possibility for a little girl named to honor an Aunt Linda. 

Early pagans and Christians embraced the Linden as a holy tree, thought to aid healing and often planted near churches. The Linden is the mythological symbol of truth, peace, and justice; court cases and marriage ceremonies were often held beneath Linden trees. The Linden tree is associated with the goddess Freya.


Linden

With Matthew sounding somewhat exhausted, and ancient endings sounding new again, this New Testament apostolic name makes an appealing and recommended choice. Both Mathias and Matias are well used in the Hispanic community, and throughout Europe. Will Ferrell and his Swedish wife chose Matias for their second son.
 In the Bible, Matthias is the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches honor Matthias as a saint.
 The Mathias spelling is used by George Eliot for the father of the protagonist of her novel Adam Bede.
 Matthias is popular abroad, and especially in Austria, France, The Netherlands, Iceland and Belgium, where it is normally pronounced Muh-TEE-us, though Americans are more likely to say Mah-THY-us.

Matthias

Though greatly overshadowed by the trendy Olivia, Olive has a quiet, subtle appeal of its own -- and is now enjoying a remarkable comeback. Olive is one of only four <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/o">girl names starting with O</a> on the US Top 1000. Cool couple Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen chose it for their daughter, reviving the name to stylishness, and now Drew Barrymore has a little Olive too, as has country singer Jake Owen. 
Olive has positive associations to the olive branch as a symbol of peace and the ancient olive wreath that celebrated success.
 Olive was the name of the adorable Abigail Breslin character in the popular movie Little Miss Sunshine. Olive Chancellor is a major character in Henry James's The Bostonians and Olive Kitteridge is a Pulitzer Prize-winning Elizabeth Strout novel that was adapted into a TV miniseries in 2014. Kids might be familiar with Olive the Other Reindeer.
 Olive came into fashion at the end of the nineteenth century along with other botanical names, when it had a run in the Top 100.

Olive

Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now at its highest point ever.
 
Why do so many parents love Owen? It's a classic with a genuine history, yet it's right in step with the modern trend for two-syllable, n-ending boys' names. Owen-like choices with less tradition behind them include Logan, Bowen, and Rowan.
 Owen is derived from two names—the Welsh Owain and the Celtic Eoghan. Each are connected to Eugene, which ultimately came from the Greek word eugenes, comprised of the elements eu, meaning good, and genes, "born." 
 
Owen became a Welsh patronymic surname during the Renaissance. The legendary St. Owen was a Benedictine monk who was a follower of St. Chad.
 
In Ireland, Owen may be spelled Eoin, as in Irish writer Eoin Colfer, and Eoghan. Other similar names include the Scottish Ewan or Euan and the French Ouen.
 
Owen's popularity now extends beyond English-speaking countries to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Owen

Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The Egyptians distinguished themselves from their Nubian neighbors through differences in skin tone.
 
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake gave it star-cred when they used it for their son in 2020, but it was Julia Roberts who drew the biblical Phineas into the limelight back in 2004. She chose the even-more-antique spelling Phinnaeus for her twin son, now called Finn. Phineas had last been heard from via circus impresario Phineas T. Barnum, until it was brought somewhat up to date via the Disney Channel animated show Phineas and Ferb.
 
Anthony Trollope combined name and nickname for the young, handsome and charming Irish lawyer hero of his eponymous novel, Phineas Finn. Phineas is also the name of three biblical personages and was popular among the seventeenth century Puritans. Jazz pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr. is a contemporary namesake.
 
Trivia note: In early movies, characters named Phineas had nicknames like Prune, Whipsnake and Whoopee.
 
Bottom line: A quirky path to nickname Finn.

Phineas

Most of the notable Rivers have been male, but this nature name certainly flows as well for a girl. The name River is still rising for both genders, with about 3500 baby boys receiving the name last year vs. 1900 baby girls.

Kelly Clarkson's choice of River for her newborn daughter further raised the profile of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">name for girls</a>. Baseball great Derek Jeter and Hannah Davis used the same name as Clarkson for their daughter born in 2021, River Rose.

River

Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It. Along with a bouquet of other Rose names, Rosalind might be ready for a comeback.

 Despite appearances, Rosalind is not technically a true Rose name. It originally derives from the Germanic elements hros "horse" and lind "soft, flexible, tender", but the spelling was later influenced by the appealing Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose".

 Rosalind was at its height in the 1940's, coinciding with the popularity of the acerbic movie star Rosalind Russell: it was Number 293 in 1943, but fell off the list in 1978.

 Uma Thurman gave her young daughter five names, the first of which is Rosalind – though she is called by her nickname Luna.

Rosalind

Ruth, with its air of calm and compassion, was the third most popular name in the 1890s, remaining in the Top 10 through the 1920s. It's still in use today as some parents tiring of Rachel and Rebecca are giving Ruth a second thought. Some see such Old Testament <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> as Ruth and Esther rising on the heels of boy equivalents Abel and Moses.
 The biblical Ruth was the loyal and devoted daughter-in-law of Naomi who, when electing to leave her people and stay with the older woman, speaks the famous lines, "Whither thou goest, I will go."
 Ruth has had numerous notable namesakes, from Supreme Court justice Ginsburg to crime writer Rendell to sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Ruth

Susanna is an old and under-appreciated name, perhaps because of the recent overpopularity of Susan, that is certainly due for a comeback. 
 
The Susannah spelling is just as appropriate as Susanna. The two versions seem to have traded places over time as the dominant version. Neither spelling is in the Top 1000 at the moment, though we expect that will change over the next few years as more modern parents rediscover these beautiful Biblical names.
 
How is Susanna different from Susannah? The h-less version feels a bit more streamlined and modern, and might refer more directly to an ancestor named Ann or Anna. Susannah seems more old-school Biblical and more self-contained, while Susanna resembles a smoosh name: Sue + Anna. But Susanna and Susannah are pronounced the same and are equally beautiful.
 
A European short form of Susanna that's become popular: Sanna or Sanne.

Susanna

If you love Puritan virtue names and want to move beyond Hope and Faith and Grace, this is a wonderful choice, both for its meaning and its sound. A rare find here, though occasionally heard in England. It was used in Winston Graham's Poldark novels, was Madonna's name as James Bond's fencing instructor in Die Another Day, and made a brief appearance in Harry Potter. Not to mention being a fixture on British and Australian soaps. Verity also appears in one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries.
 We love the newer sounding three-syllable, 'y'-ending virtue names, and Verity is one of the best.

Verity

Violet is soft and sweet, yet with a vivacious edge. 
The violet is a delicate, sweet-smelling spring flower, associated with faithfulness and modesty, and also the seventh color of the rainbow, named after the flower’s vivid purple hue. 
Today, Violet is the top flower name for girls, outranking Lily and Iris in the Top 100, and the second most popular color name for girls after Scarlett. 
A name that dozed quietly for decades, Violet was popular a hundred years ago, then began its steep descent, bottoming out in the early 1980s. But it started rising again in the late 1990s and climbed even more sharply after Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck chose it for their daughter in 2005. 
It is now well-used by celebrity parents, including the daughters of Christina Milian, Emily Strayer, Nathan Followill, Dave Grohl, and Emily Blunt. 
In children’s literature, Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does it no favors, but Violet Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events</em, and Violet Parr in the animated film The Incredibles, have helped to redeem it for today’s parents. 
Violet is also the first name of Dowager Bridgerton, the matricarch in the show Bridgerton, a reminder of the name’s genteel, vintage side. 
International variations of Violet include Viola, as in the heroine of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, French Violette, and snappy Violeta and Violetta.

Violet

Vivian, once an elderly lady name, is on the rise, along with all form of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/607/girl-names-that-mean-life">girl names that mean life</a> -- from Zoe to Eva to those who share the vivid Viv syllable.
 The name is famous in legend and literature from Vivian, the enchantress of Merlin in the Arthurian romances, spelled Vivien in Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Originally Vivian was the male form, Vivien the female: Vivien Leigh, for some reason, changed her name from Vivian. Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have a daughter named Vivian, as do Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady. A memorable movie Vivian was played by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
 Vivienne, the elaborated Gallic version, chosen first by Rosie O'Donnell for her daughter and then catapulted to superstardom when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used it for their twin daughter. This celebrity stamp of approval has given Vivienne a recent boost in popularity. An adult namesake is the British designer Vivienne Westwood.

Vivian

Waverly, with its literary resonance and lilting three-syllable sound, could well become the next generation's successor to Kimberly. Its upper-crusty surname feel places it among the new stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/501/english-names-for-girls">English names for girls</a>, successors to Ashley and Whitney.
 Spelled Waverley, this is the title of Sir Walter Scott's popular 1814 novel, whose hero is a young English soldier named Edward Waverley (it's believed that Scott named the novel after the model of pen he used to write it). Spelled the more streamlined way, Waverly is the name of the daughter of Buttercup and Wesley in The Princess Bride and a memorable character in The Joy Luck Club, who was named by her Chinese mother for the San Francisco street on which the family lived.
 Waverly Place in Greenwich Village was named for the Scott novel in 1833--dropping the second 'e', and was the setting of the teen show The Wizards of Waverly Place, as well as Don Draper's bachelor pad in Mad Men, as well as a character on Friday Night Lights.

Waverly

Wren, a lilting songbird name, could be the next Robin. It makes a particularly pleasing middle name choice, as does her newly discovered cousin Lark. Wren entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2012 and is among the new wave of popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/501/english-names-for-girls">English names for girls</a>.
 This petite bird was regarded in Ireland as the "magician of the birds" and the Druids considered it a bird of prophecy. Thanks to an early fable, it has also been known as King of the Birds.
 For architects there's the link to the great Sir Christopher Wren, the celebrated eighteenth century designer of London's St. Paul's Cathedral.

Wren

annavalentine's list "Baby #3" of 29 great name ideas: Adele - Wren!