English Names for Girls

Diminutive of Alvina, and a cute boyish retro nickname we can see making its way back onto a few birth certificates today.

Alvie

Analiese is the rarest form of this increasingly popular German smoosh name, at least in the US. Only 26 baby girls were named Analiese in one recent years, versus about 75 called Annaliese, 100 named Analiese, and 750 given the popular Annalise spelling.
 
The Liese part of the name is the German form of Lisa, a short form of Elizabeth.

Analiese

A modern word name, Anthem may be considered spiritual, patriotic, uplifting, or simply musical. Used to describe a song that is rousing and promotes a certain belief, group or country, it also links to songs performed by church choirs. 
 
Similar in sound to Anthea, Anna, and Athena, we're surprised it took until 2015 to first enter the US stats for girls, despite having been used for boys since at least 2008. Now, it is given to a small number of babies each year, with 5 girls receiving it in a recent year.

Anthem

One of the new color names that is catching on, invoking a calm, blue-green-sea feeling. 

Aqua

We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha Bee, not to mention Aunt Bee on the old The Andy Griffith Show TV show. Bee can theoretically be short for any <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/b">girl names starting with B</a>.

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

Bell

Predominantly used for boys, this spiritual occupational surname combines three trends at once. Associated with senior members of the church, the game of chess, and a species of weaver bird, Bishop has been in the US charts for girls (consistently) since 2017. Recent years have only seen it given to a handful of girls each year, with 10 receiving the name in the latest count. 
 
The name ultimately comes from the Greek episkopos meaning "overseer".

Bishop

How can a strong simple name like Cera remain so uncommon? Only five baby girls were named Cera in the US last year.

Cera is a respelling of Sera, which might be short for the angel name Seraphina or another spin on Sarah.

Saint Cera was a seventh century Irish abbyess.

Cera

Long before the current place-name craze, a pair of the more daring pop singers of the Age of Aquarius picked this name for their daughters. Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick used the conventional spelling, the Mamas and the Papas's Michelle Phillips went further afield with Chynna (of the group Wilson Phillips). 
 The name has been associated with some very glamorous women--China (born Noelie and pronounced Cheena) Machado was one of the first supermodels and a muse for Richard Avedon, and the contemporary actress and model China Chow.

China

Claribel improves on its mother name Clarabelle by distancing itself from the clown and the cow.

Claribel

An early African-American name, along with variation Eartha.

Earth

Edwina may still be taking tea in the parlor, but we can see her joining friends like Matilda and Josephine for a comeback, especially if pronounced like Edwin rather than Edween. 
 She had a very non-vintage-mauve image in the Coen brothers' cult favorite, Raising Arizona, in which Holly Hunter played a police officer named Edwina who was usually called Ed.
 Edwina was on the Social Security list every year through 1969, reaching a high of 378 in 1943.

Edwina

Sometimes used as a variation of Gina, a short form of Eugenia, Georgina, Virginia, Regina, and similar, Jina is also an anglicized form of the Korean Jin-a and Ji-na meaning "precious child" and "wisdom, intelligence + elegance" respectively. 
 
Additionally, it may be used as a Swahili name meaning "to walk", and a Sanskrit name used in a variety of other languages meaning "to live".

Jina

Sprightly and engaging nickname for human, full name for pet. Author Jojo Moyes and dancer/singer Jojo Sliwa have propelled the name into the public eye.

Jojo

Karri is a beautiful Australian native tree famous for its richly-colored strong wood. It's a name that travels well - and one of the few tree names that lends itself more to girls than boys.

Karri

Kris was once the ultimate cool cheerleader name, but now she's more likely to be a matriarch ala Kris Jenner. 

Only five baby girls were named Kris in the US last year, though there are still several hundred baby girls named Kristina, Kristen and sisters every year, making this name far from unique, at least as a short form.

Kris

Loreen

Merrill, once fairly common for American boys back in the first half of the 20th-century, is now a rare choice, given to just 7 girls and 6 boys in a recent year. Alternative spelling Meryl is also rare, but it perhaps feels more familiar or up to date thanks to the actress Meryl Streep.
 
A name with two origins, it may be considered a spin on the Irish name Muriel, giving it an ocean-inspired meaning, or it can be viewed as an English surname meaning "pleasant hill".
 
Chef Emeril Lagasse dropped the initial E from his name and called his daughter Meril.

Merrill

Paedyn is a modern choice, likely inspired by Paden — a surname derived from Patrick, via nickname Pate — or a variation of Payton. In turn, it could mean "noble, patrician" or "Pæga's town, fighting man's estate".
 
Notably appearing in the Romantasy novel, Powerless by Lauren Roberts, borne by main charatcer Paedyn Gray, it was given to 8 girls in a recent year.

Paedyn

Wisecracking waitress name stuck in the luncheonette. Started as nickname for girls named Regina -- queen in Latin -- now mostly a canine choice. 

Queenie

English girl names dominate the popularity lists in the US, the UK, and other English-speaking countries, with Evelyn and Avery ranking among the top names in the US, and Poppy, Evie, and Grace charting in the UK.

English names for girls range from the down-to-earth and simple, like Lucy and Ann, to positively aristocratic-sounding, like Georgiana or Araminta. Some English girl names are 

, often drawn from nature, such as Hazel and Lilac.

include Addison, Audrey, Eleanor, Harper, Lillian, Lily, Lucy, Piper, and Scarlett.

 include Amelia — a long-time number-one name in the United Kingdom — Isla, Charlotte, and Alice.

English girls’ names may be English-language versions of names rooted in classic Greek, Latin, or Hebrew languages and cultures, such as Dorothy, Eleanor, and Evelyn, or classics that transcend fashion like Harriet, Jane, Madeline, and Pamela.

Whether you’re looking for a girl name that’s classic or contemporary, popular or rare, you can find an English name that suits your style in our complete list of English girl names. The names on this list are ordered according to their current popularity on Nameberry.

Names of English origin for baby girls, with meanings and popularity, including popular English girl names and unique English names for baby girls. (Page 41)

English Girl Names (with Meanings & Popularity)