By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 76 pages
of 76
Place name, English and French from Latin
"river, to flow"
Unique and fluid river name with the lilt of a Viennese waltz.
Feminine variation of Frederick, English from German
"peaceful ruler"
Frederica is an interesting possibility for the parent unintimidated by its old-fashioned formality, and who can appreciate the vintage charm and verve lurking beneath its stuffiness. The name…
Word name English from Norse
"park with deer"
Derby might be considered a word name or a surname-name. In England, it would be pronounced darby, causing confusion with that similar name.
Variation of Darian, English
"possessing goodness; little great one"
Variation of Darrell, English from Norman French
"dear one, beloved"
Actress Daryl Hannah made this a girls' name in theory, though in the most recent year counted, about 75 baby boys in the US were named Daryl...and zero baby girls.
English from Norman French
Once exclusively male name, Daryl Hannah made the Darrell spelling just as appropriate for girls -- and maybe even more feminine than masculine these days.
English diminutive of names ending in deen, dene or dine, or short form of Deanna
"valley; divine"
Best associated with the Judy Blume novel of the same name, Deenie is a retro feeling nickname choice. Deenie is gaining fresh style traction along with similar boyish nickname-names for girls:…
English diminutive of any girl name that starts with D
Dee is a slight midcentury nickname that might be short for Deanna or Denise, but might be too slight for today's strong, independent female.
Variation of Deanna, English
"divine; church official"
Deanne was one of many variations popular in the middle of the 20th century, during the heyday of Diane and sisters and even cousins. Now, at least one generation away from a comeback.
English diminutive of Deborah, Hebrew
"bee"
During the heyday of Deborah, Debra, and Debra — the late 1950s and early 60s — there were enough baby girls named Deb, just Deb, for it to make the Top 1000. Today, Deb is literally extinct for…
English word name
"gratification or pleasure"
The mythical daughter of Eros and Psyche becomes a modern-sounding word name. Danger: could be seen as X-rated.
English
"joyful"
Faine is a very unusual one-syllable option.
"shaded valley"
A sweet and simple nature name that could also be short for the surname name Odell, the vintage name Della, or the obscure saint's name Endellion.
English variation of Denise, French from Greek
"god of Nysa"
Diminutive of Henrietta, English
"estate ruler"
It may take another generation or so, but this category of Hettie-Lettie-Lottie names could make a comeback.
English variation of Diane, French from Latin
"divine"
Famously borne by actress Diahann Caroll, born Carol Diann Johnson.
English, uncertain origin
Emily substitute, though it sounds like a child's mispronunciation of "enemy".
In its mid-20th century heyday, Deedee — or Didi or Dede — was not infrequently used as a name in its own right. It's a cute, or maybe cutesy, short form of names like Deanne.
English diminutive of Diana, Latin
Fans of the late Princess Diana might remember an early nickname, Shy Di. Di was more commonly heard in the middle of the last century, when Diane and sisters were in top vogue. Today, people may…
Of all the names with repeating sounds , Dede isn't the first we'd use (Lulu or Coco, maybe), but it certainly isn't the last — we much prefer it to Dodo or Fifi.
