Updated May 2023
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Diminutive of Roberta or Barbara, English
"bright fame; stranger"
A vintage nickname for Roberta or Barbara, most famously borne by Roberta "Bobbie" in Edith Nesbit's classic The Railway Children . Bobbie is one of the adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable…
English diminutive of Beatrice, Latin
"she who brings happiness"
Bea is a former old lady name that's cute again as a short form — and is now beginning to stand on its own. Bee is a variation that, like Bea, can work as a diminutive for any name that starts with…
Hebrew
"blessing"
Bracha is literally the Hebrew word for blessing. It's rarely put on the birth certificate in the US, although many Jewish girls carry it as their Hebrew name.
English surname
"dark wood or clearing"
Blakeley is one of the many -ley ending surnames that is being adopted as a first name, updating the 80s darlings Blake and Ashley.
Diminutive of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
This Elizabeth nickname has a decidedly retro feel--think Betsy Ross and the Betsy Wetsy doll-- once seen as a perkier, younger-sounding alternative to Betty. But with Betty on the brink of a…
French variation of Brighid
"strength or exalted one"
Brigitte is the French version of the ancient Irish Brighid long associated with 1950s sex symbol Brigitte Bardot. If you want to pronounce Brigitte the French way, it's brih-ZHEET.
Greek
"she who brings victory"
Rarely heard today-- it fell off the list around 1980--Bernice is a biblical name of Greek origin. In the Bible, she is a sister of King Agrippa. Bernice was a Top 100 name in the US for more than…
French, place-name of cheese-producing region, short form of Briana
Place-name and homonym of Bree, less popular than its enlargement, Brielle or Brianna. Brie Larson is a notable bearer.
German
"bright, glorious"
Ever since Allied soldiers in World War I dubbed the enormous German cannon "Big Bertha", this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to…
Color name
Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in…
English from Italian
"nightshade, beautiful lady"
Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.
English word name
"fire"
A hot name, though perhaps not in the sense you want for your baby. About 20 times as many boys as girls were named Blaze in one recent year, perhaps because it can be seen as a spelling variation of…
Word name
Most will see this as a refreshing middle name possibility, but Bristol Palin baby daddy Levi Johnston used it as a first name for his new daughter, Breeze Beretta.
"royal"
This ancient Greek male name, well-used in Britain, also has an herbal quality that may explain its increasing use for girls. While as a name it rhymes with dazzle, the herb has a long a, making the…
French, Persian, or diminutive of Bibiana
"toy; delight; lady of the house; life"
A spunky nickname name for parents with showbiz aspirations for their daughter.
French
"blue"
The middle name of the Travoltas' Ella is used twice as often -- 36 to 18 babies in the US last year -- for boys as for girls, leaning even more to the male side than the traditional Blue.
"married"
A name with a sound that is both unique and familiar, Beulah is a Biblical name, reminiscent of Bella, Luna, and Selah. In the Bible, Beulah is a place, applied to the land of Israel by the prophet…
Variation of Blue, English color name
Blu is a new (nu?) spin on an increasingly popular color name, also spelled Blue and Bleu by celebrity parents. Blu is the spelling used for one of the (male) Waldrop quintuplets, but the name is…
Diminutive of Bambina, Italian
"child; baby girl"
Although Disney's cute deer was a male, Bambi has always been used for girls. It first appeared on the charts in 1943, the year after the Disney movie was released. Bambi featured in the Top 1000…
Greek, Portuguese, Romanian
"force; blessed; white"
A bright and bouncy micro name, far rarer than Mia or Gia. In Greek mythology, Bia is the personification of force and raw energy. In Portuguese, it's a nickname for Beatriz, and in Romanian it's…