By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 1823 pages
of 1823
Greek
"pure, virginal"
Agnes is the Latin variation of the name Hagne, which itself derived from the Greek word hagnos , meaning "chaste." In medieval times, St. Agnes was a very popular saint, leading to its popularity as…
Hindi, Sanskrit
"light, saintly woman; prosperous"
Meera Bai, also spelled Mirabai, was a great female Hindu mystical poet whose works are popular throughout India. She was a fifteenth-sixteenth century Indian princess who devoted her life to writing…
Arabic
"prosperous, ease"
A strong and simple Arabic name, popular in the UK and more recently in the US where it entered the Top 1000 in 2024. Yusra comes from the Arabic yasira meaning "to be rich, prosperous", adding an…
Latin
"rhythm, beat"
The musical word name Cadence, seemed to come out of nowhere to zoom up the charts; it rose over 700 spots between 2002 and 2004, and showed up in the Top 200 in 2007. It's gone down in the popular…
Modern invented name
Debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2016, only to immediately dip back under the radar. While Maylee is an invented name, it can also be considered a compound name made up of May and Lee. May is a month…
French
"keeper of provisions"
Yes, Spencer makes a plausible and powerful female choice these days, though it's still used four times as often for boys as for girls. But Spencer does not swim that far beneath the Top 1000, used…
English, Slavic, Persian, Arabic
"from Denmark, gift, or wise"
This name found in both Celtic and Scandinavian mythology has gone from all-boy to almost all-girl, retaining a strong, unisex quality. However, it has dropped following its three-decade heyday from…
"pretty"
Jolie is as pretty as its literal meaning; nowadays it is also seen as a girls’ name , via Angelina for whom Jolie was originally her middle name. Although it is French, Jolie is rarely if ever used…
English
"strip of clearing in the woods"
With its surname-style, literary feel, and similarity in sound to Finley, Juniper, Pippa, Riley, and Presley, Ripley is an unexpected choice that was given to more than 200 girls in each recent year.…
English diminutive of Elias, Greek
"Yahweh is God"
Elliot is another traditional boy name used for girls" , a trend led by political commentator George Stephanopoulos and his actress wife Ali Wentworth. Variously spelled Eliot, Elliot, Elliott and…
Variation of Jove
"father of the sky"
Joining Lennon and Bowie in the realm of gender-neutral, classic rock-inspired names that feel fashionable today is Jovi — as in Bon Jovi. Jovi is a variation of the Latin Jove — another name for the…
Japanese
"sea"
Kairi is the name of the main female character in the popular role-playing video game series, Kingdom Hearts . Voiced by Hayden Panettiere in the main series, Kairi is one of the seven Princesses of…
Hebrew
"peace"
A soft and interesting Hebrew name long popular in France, where it has ranked in the Top 400 since 1986 (as Salomé). Ex- ER star Alex Kingston named her daughter Salome Violetta. Despite seeing…
Variation of Amy, Japanese
"beloved; eternity + beauty"
Eimy is an alternative spelling of the French name Amy and is used in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently popular in Chile, Eimy was also given to 124 babies in the US in 2023, having…
"from the province of Lorraine"
Sweet Lorraine might just be old enough to be ripe for reconsideration. This French place name has moved in and out of fashion in the few hundred years it's been used as a girls' first name, somewhat…
Variation of Paisley, Scottish
"church, cemetery"
An unnecessarily complex retooling of Paisley, one of the most popular girl names that start with P .
English surname
"white island"
Yesterday's sensation that rose with the popularity of Whitney Houston. Whitney may have lost some of its style value, but it still sounds like one of the quintessential English names for girls .…
Italian; Spanish; Portuguese from Greek
"laurel tree, bay tree"
The Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Daphne.
Spelling variation of Harley, English
"the long field"
This invented spelling is much less popular than its biker counterpart. Regardless, it entered the US Top 1000 since 2012 and hung on there for more than a decade.
Combination of Mae and Lyn
"beloved; drop in the sea + beautiful; soft; lake"
If you can add Lynn to a name, someone will and Mae is no exception to the rule. This compound name sits somewhere between the mid-century charm of Marilyn, Jerilyn, and Jocelyn, and the contemporary…
