By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 76 pages
of 76
English
"covered with gold"
Gilda, although related to the words gold and gilded, has definitely tarnished. It once shimmered with the seductive image of Rita Hayworth in the film Gilda, then was associated with the beloved…
"God's gift"
Whether you think of the chocolates or the naked long-haired lady on the horse, Godiva is a name with baggage no child should have to carry.
Literature, English
"modest, reverant"
While Haidee may sound like a variant of Heidi or Hailey, it's actually a separate name with a literary history. First appearing in Byron's epic poem Don Juan (1819), it was likely inspired by the…
English elaboration of Ida
Makes Ida more feminine but no more fashionable.
English variation of Edina
"from Edinburgh, Scotland"
Made famous by actress Idina Menzel, of "Rent" and "Wicked" fame.
English surname
Brings Jennifer into the twenty-first century.
English, diminutive of Katherine
"pure"
This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related…
English female form of Leontios, Greek
"lion"
Almost exclusively associated with opera diva Leontyne Price. If you want to use the suddenly-stylish Leontyne, we'd recommend the French Leontine spelling.
English variation of Letitia
"joy, gladness"
Lettice is still occasionally heard in upper-class British families, but we fear it would cause too much salad-green teasing to be considered in the U.S. Calling your little Lettice Lettie could help…
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
Short form of Margaret, Greek
Marge used to be as common as Maggie or Megan, ranking on its own in the girls' Top 1000 from 1900 until right after World War II, when so many Old School names fell off the list in favor of a new…
Peg is a nostalgic turn-of-the-last-century nickname, sociable but slight. Like near-identical twin Peggy, Peg is in mothballs.
English, feminine variation of Mason
"worker in stone"
Rather than going with a yooneek spelling like Macen (or Maysen or Masyn), we'd suggest sticking with the original Mason, as Kelsey Grammer did for his daughter.
"from the meadow"
Sounds like an authentic upper-crust family name -- not necessarily a bad thing.
English, word name or combination of Mary and Lee, or Scottish place-name
Merilee and Merrilee were early respelled or word names, ahead of their time in some ways. Merrilee hit the Top 1000 for a couple of years in the 1940s, but last year no baby girls were given either…
English, combination of Merry and Lynn
All the names ending in-lyn seem sadly dated.
English literary name
Pretty and distinctive choice for poetry lovers.
Scottish, poetic place-name
"the big gap"
In the Ossianic poems written by James Macpherson in the 1760s, Morven is the name of the Fingal's kingdom, Fingal being the hero, likely inspired by Fionn mac Cumhaill of early Gaelic legend. It…
Combination of Nora and Belle
"beautiful light"
Blended name sometimes heard in the early decades of the twentieth century.
English spelling variation of Auberon
"noble, bearlike"
The name of the king of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ; could work just as well for your little sprite.
