Sweet Summer Child

  1. Vivienne
    • Origin:

      French variation of Vivian
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      Vivienne is an elaborated Gallic version of the name Vivian, 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. An adult namesake is the British designer Vivienne Westwood. Rosie O'Donnell also has a daughter named Vivienne, known as Vivi.
  2. Wendy
    • Origin:

      English, Celtic, Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "friend or white"
    • Description:

      It is popularly claimed that the name Wendy was invented by Sir James Barrie in 1904 for the big sister character in his play Peter Pan, which was followed by the classic novel in 1911. Barrie supposedly took it from the nickname "fwendy-wendy", that he was called by a young girl acquaintance.
  3. Willa
    • 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.
  4. Winifred
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "blessed peacemaking"
    • Description:

      One of the few remaining unrestored vintage gems, with a choice of two winning nicknames--the girlish Winnie and the tomboyish Freddie. Winifred, the name of a legendary Welsh saint, was a Top 200 name into the mid-1920's.
  5. Winnie
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Winifred
    • Meaning:

      "holy peacemaking, gentle friend"
    • Description:

      This pet form of such names as Winifred and Edwina and Gwendolyn has loads of vintage charm, a la Millie and Maisie, with a decidedly winning vibe. And it just got celebrity cred as the baby daughter of Jimmy Fallon.
  6. Winona
    • Origin:

      Sioux Indian
    • Meaning:

      "firstborn daughter"
    • Description:

      Rode two rockets to fame, with actress Winona Ryder and singer Wynonna Judd. Winona entered the Top 1000 for the first time since 1957 this past year in 2022, following in the footsteps of trending short form Winnie.
  7. Winry
    • Origin:

      Japanese modern name
    • Description:

      The name of a character from Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist manga and anime series. She is a strong-willed teenage mechanic, who has consistently been ranked among the best female characters in anime. Winry, along with several other Win names such as Winnie, Winona, and Winslow, are now on the rise. The name Winry was given to 136 baby girls in 2022.
  8. Xanthe
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "golden, yellow"
    • Description:

      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.
  9. Zahra
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "flower"
    • Description:

      Abbreviated form of Zahara that was used by Chris Rock for his daughter and as a middle name by both Eddie Murphy and David Bowie. Compared with the even-more-abbreviated Zara, Zahra may create more spelling problems but clarify pronunciation.
  10. Zahrah
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "blooming flower"
    • Description:

      Close in look and sound to Zara and Zahra, but with a lovely natural meaning.
  11. Zara
    • Origin:

      Hebrew and Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "blooming flower; God remembers"
    • Description:

      Zara has multiple origins, but most notably is a variation of Zahrah, a name derived from the Arabic zahrah, meaning "blooming flower." Zara can also be a diminutive of the Bulgarian name Zaharina, a feminine form of the Hebrew Zechariah. Today, Zara is heavily associated with the Spanish fast-fashion empire of the same name.
  12. Zarina
    • Origin:

      Persian
    • Meaning:

      "a golden vessel"
    • Description:

      Derived from Persian zarin "golden", Zarina is a strong and sparkling name used in multiple languages, including Kazakh, Urdu and Malay. It was the name of an ancient Scythian queen, and also sounds very close to the Russian tsarina or czarina – the pre-revolutionary term for an empress of Russia.
  13. Zazie
    • Origin:

      French
    • Description:

      This jazzy French diminutive of Isabelle was first made famous by the title character of Raymond Queneau’s novel Zazie dans le métro, which was adapted into a film in 1960. It could also work as a nickname for Elizabeth or Susannah.
  14. Zelda
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Griselda
    • Meaning:

      "gray fighting maid"
    • Description:

      Classified as an early beauty, Zelda has long and often been used as such for characters in books and films. Since 1986, Zelda has been a prime Nintendo name, as in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
  15. Zenaida
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "the life of Zeus"
    • Description:

      This name of a daughter of Zeus has an intriguing air of antiquity.
  16. Zephyr
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "west wind"
    • Description:

      Zephyrus was the Greek god of the west wind, and all names associated with him have a pleasantly gentle, breezy feel.
  17. Zinnia
    • Origin:

      Flower name, from German surname
    • Meaning:

      "Zinn's flower"
    • Description:

      Zinnia is an unusual floral choice with a bit more edge and energy than most and beginning to find its way onto namers' wish lists of botanical possibilities. Named after an eighteenth German botanist called Johann Gottfried Zinn, it appears in Roald Dahl's Matilda as the young protagonist's mother.
  18. Zoe
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      Zoe is one of those surprising names that has been on the Top 1000 nearly every year since 1880, but it's only since the turn of this century that it's ranked in the Top 100.
  19. Zoraida
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "captivating woman"
    • Description:

      This name of a beautiful Moorish woman character in Don Quixote is rarely heard.