The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Captivating and appealing name — a maile is a vine used to make leis — getting noticed via writer Maile Meloy. Many pronounce it ala Miley, as in Cyrus, though native Hawaiian speakers say the correct pronunciation is more like MY-lay or MY-leh.

The Maisie spelling may be more widely used, but Maisy is perfectly proper and also makes the British Top 100. And as Maisy, she feels like a closer relative to Daisy, another Margaret diminutive.

The sources that do list this name give it as a boys' name, but Woody Harrelson chose it for his daughter, and it does have a feminine lilt.

Marine is an extremely popular and fashionable name in France that's virtually unknown here — and is ready to set sail. Marine feels more contemporary than Marina and less hippie-esque than Oceane, another popular name for girls in France.

Is it Marlo, Marlow, or Marlowe? Suddenly they all seem very much in the air, in tune with rhyming cousins Harlow and Arlo. It all started when Margaret Julia Thomas began being known as Marlo (after being previously nicknamed Margie and Marlow). More recently, Jason Schwartzman used the e-ending version for his young daughter, Marlowe Rivers, as did Sienna Miller for her baby girl Marlowe Ottoline.

A fresher, feistier Italian variant of Marcia.

There's Mary Elizabeth, there's Mary Beth, there's Marybeth, and then there's Maybeth, a smoosh of two vintage short forms of Mary and Elizabeth that has a country twang and not much modern appeal.

Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.

This popular name in various Slavic countries and in Italy holds considerable Continental appeal. It is the full name of Ukranian-born actress Mila Kunis, most noted for her award-winning role in the film Black Swan. Another actress bearing the name is Milena Govitch, of Law & Order.

Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top.

Nautica is derived from the English word "nautical," which itself comes from the Latin nauticus. It was first recorded as a baby name in 1992 when the American clothing brand had become a national sensation. It ultimately peaked in 1999 when 246 baby girls were given the name.

When R & B singer Nivea made this highly original choice for her daughter's name, she claimed to have thought of it in terms of the color and not the seagoing armed service. You can look at it either way.

New is a middle name name with meaning: Your baby, after all, is new to the world and you may hope will continue to approach life and experience as if everything is new and exciting.

A name that Yanks might see as overly British, but combined with the right surname, it does have a measure of Sherlock Holmesian dash via Nigel Bruce, who played the original Dr. Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes.

Japanese name that would have no trouble assimilating — though many would associate it with the dried seaweed used to wrap sushi. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West use Nori as a nickname for their daughter North.

Shot to fame as the middle name of Brangelina's daughter Shiloh Nouvel, after French architect Jean Nouvel.

Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.

This spelling of Naomi guarantees you'll get the pronunciation you desire.