Joyous Names

Senna is a flowering bush common in the tropics, with bright yellow flowers. In herbal medicine, Senna has gained some notice as the active ingredient in so-called "dieter's teas," which works mainly as a laxative. While that is a less-than-savory association, Senna has a pretty sound and is a fresh entry in the flourishing botanical names genus.

Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile, along with its soundalike Sonny.

This is the original, more prosaic spelling, but the airier Claire now dominates.

Though it still swims out of sight below the Top 1000, Lowen jumped more than a thousand places in rank for girls between 2022 and 2023, a mark of a name destined for far greater popularity. Nearly a hundred baby girls were named Lowen in the US last year.

Hilary may feel too connected to a single personality, but this version offers a fresh and interesting alternative.

The Elin variation makes an old favorite sleeker and more modern. Elin came to prominence via the ex-Mrs.Tiger Woods and is now perhaps best known via novelist Elin Hildebrand.. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2010, though it's now dropped off again.

Aliza might seem like yet another variation of the eternal Alyssa/Alicia/Eliza loop, but it's a distinct name all its own. The z adds zip.

Lowena is the Cornish word for "joy". As a given name, it is most commonly spelt as in this entry - Lowenna. Lowen is a lovely unisex option which is closely related: it means "joyful" or "glad".

Eila is a Hebrew name heard in Israel. The name also has roots in Finland and Norway, where it's derived from Elina, a variation of Helen, or from Aila, a form of Helga. Eila could gain attention as a cross-cultural name and fresh alternative to popular sound-alike choices like Ayla, Ella, and Isla.

Anglicized variant of Niamh.

Sachi, often short for Sachiko, was given to 25 girls in the US in a recent year. While it is technically Japanese, this short form has an unidentifiably international feel and might be a relative of the stylish Sacha.

A multicultural choice, used across India, Korea, Thailand, West Africa, and Mongolia, Saran is a solid sounding name with a variety of good meanings.

Gently old-fashioned stand-alone nickname that owes its popularity to mega popular Abigail.

In English, Kailea is an unusual variant spelling of Kayley or Kaylee. In Hawaiian, Kaileʻa means "sea of joy".

Kailea is one of

An Ethiopian girls' name with a bright and cheerful sound — rhyming with Haven. Feven is the Ge'ez variant of Biblical Phoebe, also the goddess of the moon and hunting in Greek mythology. In 2022, there were 5 baby girls given the name Feven.

Kalea is a Top 100 name for girls in Hawaii, that may also be spelled as Kale'a. Sources differ on the meaning of the name, but the most authoritative land on "joy or happiness", with other suggestions being "clear", "call, voice", "the bright one" or a combination of other Hawaiian names, such as Kalani and Leilani.

Leta has hipster cred as the daughter of cool mommy blogger Dooce. Related to the Greek mythological Leda, a great beauty who mothered another great beauty, Helen of Troy, Leta is a name that's as unique as it is historic: Only 14 baby girls were named Leta in the US last year, and 18 were named Leda. Pronunciation is lee-tah.

Fane, used as a nickname in the Middle Ages for someone with a cheerful disposition, is one of the more offbeat members of the Zane-Kane family.

Uplifting name that's technically for boys but practically would work much better for girls.

A combination name that might be dismissed as a clown and cow name. The sounds are nevertheless pretty and the meaning is good - though spellings Claribel or Clarabel might help distance it from the cow association.