Short

  1. Ella
    • Origin:

      German; English
    • Meaning:

      "all, completely; fairy maiden"
    • Description:

      Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie.
  2. Elsa
    • Origin:

      German diminutive of Elisabeth
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      Lost in limbo for decades and decades, Elsa now stands a good chance of following along in the progression from Emma to Ella to Etta, thanks to the ice queen heroine who "Let It Go" in the wildly popular Disney movie Frozen. The name shot all the up to Number 286 (its highest ranking since the 1890s) in the year after the release of the movie, though it's now dropped back down the list in the US.
  3. Emma
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "universal"
    • Description:

      Emma has now been among the top girl names in the United States for several years, claiming the Number 1 crown in 2008 and again from 2015 to 2018 before dropping back to second place.
  4. Enya
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "fire"
    • Description:

      This phonetic Anglicization of the Irish name Eithne was made familiar by the single-named Irish singer and composer. St. Eithne was the daughter of a king and an early Irish convert to Christianity.
  5. Eva
    • Origin:

      Latin form of Eve, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      Eva is a simple, classic Hebrew name for girls that recently slipped out of the US Top 100 for the first time in more than a decade. Pronounced either like her more popular sister Ava or less popular sister Eve, Eva is one of the elite group of girl names that mean life.
  6. Gaia
    • Origin:

      Greek and Latin
    • Meaning:

      "earth mother; rejoicing"
    • Description:

      The name of the Greek mythological earth goddess and universal mother; actress Emma Thompson stated that she was attracted by its ecological element, so other "green" parents may want to follow her lead.

  7. Gala
    • Origin:

      Russian and Slavic feminine form of Galina
    • Description:

      Festive name of the wife of Salvador Dali. In Spanish, Gala comes from the Roman name Galla, a feminine form of Gallus meaning "rooster" or "a person from Gaul".
  8. Gemma
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "precious stone"
    • Description:

      Gemma is a jewel of a name, an Italian classic that was very popular in 1980s England, but has only recently been started to be used here; it entered the list in 2008.
  9. Gena
    • Origin:

      Variation of Gina
    • Description:

      Actress Gena Rowlands publicized this name, which she pronounces with a soft e.
  10. Gia
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "God's gracious gift"
    • Description:

      Gia is a cute if slight name that calls to mind stylish sisters Mia, Lea, Pia, Tia, and Nia. One of the most familiar Italian baby names in the US, Gia is a short form of Gianna, which in turn is a diminutive of Giovanna, the feminine form of Giovanni, the Italian equivalent of John—all of them meaning "God's gracious gift."
  11. Giana
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Gianna
    • Description:

      This variant of Gianna has been in the US Top 1000 for most of the 21st century and hit a peak in 2010 at Number 568. The original spelling outranks the trimmed down version by far.
  12. Gina
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Regina, Angelina, etc
    • Description:

      Has been used on its own since the 1920s, but still seems like only part of a name. Was very much tied to mid-century Italian sexpot Gina Lollobrigida.
  13. Hana
    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Hawaiian, Maori, Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "grace, work, glow, flower"
    • Description:

      Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.
  14. Haya
    • Origin:

      Hebrew or Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "life; universal feathers"
    • Description:

      Appealing crosscultural choice.
  15. Heda
    • Hedda
      • Origin:

        Scandinavian, diminutive of Hedvig
      • Description:

        Hedda is a card-carrying member of the league of older, slightly bohemian urban names like Nedda, Andra, and Petra; also linked to Ibsen heroine Hedda Gabler, as well as being the basis of cruel joke names like Hedda Hare.
    • Ida
      • Origin:

        German
      • Meaning:

        "industrious one"
      • Description:

        Many vowel names stylish a century ago are coming back, and Ida seems like a possible, logical successor to Ada and Ava.
    • Inga
      • Origin:

        Norse
      • Meaning:

        "guarded by Ing"
      • Description:

        Ing was a powerful Norse god whose name inspired several modern variations -- though Inga has become a caricatured Scandinavian choice.
    • Isla
      • Origin:

        Scottish place-name or Spanish
      • Meaning:

        "island"
      • Description:

        Isla is a hit name throughout the English-speaking world but hasn't found the same popularity in other western countries, perhaps because its spelling and pronunciation don't make sense for those whose native language is not English. Think island without the final two letters.
    • Iga