Greek Names for Girls

Cloe comes in second to the original form, Chloe, in it's native Spain. In the US, this honor goes to the Kardashian-ized Khloe.

Cloe

Eugenia, a name scarcely used at all since the 1980's, is another that flourished a century ago and could be due for a revival.
 Eugenia has some interesting literary references, including the fascinating Baroness Eugenie Munster in Henry James's The Europeans and Eugenia Alabaster, a leading character in A. S. Byatt's Angels and Insects, and it was also the birth name of Skeeter in the book and film The Help.
 The third century St. Eugenia, an early Roman Christian martyr, is remembered for disguising herself as a man to escape persecution.
 Music lovers will be familiar with the name of renowned flute virtuoso Eugenia Zukerman.

Eugenia

Philippa is a prime example of a boy's name adapted for girls that was common as crumpets in Cornwall, but rarely heard stateside. That was before the advent of royal sister-in-law Philippa Middleton, who goes by the lively nickname Pippa.
 Philippa has still never appeared in the Top 1000 in the US, quite an accomplishment for a classic name that's been around for centuries. It does, however, rank on England's as well as Nameberry's own internal lists.
 
Pippa doesn't rank in the US either, but is far more popular than Philippa in the rest of the English-speaking world. It ranks in the Top 100 in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and in the Top 200 in England and Scotland.
 
Philippa has been fashionable in England since the fourteenth century when King Edward married Philippa of Hainault. There have been several early Saint Philippas, and it was the name of the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer.
 Novelist Philippa Gregory authored the bestselling historical novel The Other Boelyn Girl.

Philippa

Tina, despite its petite and tinkly image, is apt these days to be replaced by the more elegant originals, Christina and Martina.It does have some strong namesakes, though, in Tina Turner (born Anna Mae), Tina Brown (born Christina), Tina Fey (born Elizabeth), and photographer Tina Barney (born Tina). 
 Tina was a Top 100 name from 1956 to 1982, peaking at Number 18 in 1968.

Tina

Melodic, rhythmic, and poetic in sound, Calypso is a name with connections to music, mythology, space, and pop culture. A distinctive was to nickname Callie or even Pip, it has that charming -o ending of Cleo, Margot, Juno, and Willow. 
 
 Likely derived from the Greek kalypto, meaning "to conceal, hide", Calypso was the name of an island nymph and a daughter of Atlas in Greek mythology. She fell in love with Odysseus after her was shipwrecked on her island, and she delayed him from returning home, by detaining him for seven years.
 
It is also a genre of Trinidadian music, inspired by West African Kaiso, and characterized by rhythmic and harmonic vocals. Calypso was popularized in the States by Harry Belafonte owing to his1956 album of the same name.
 
The name of one of Saturn's moons, of Jacques-Yves Cousteau's research ships, and of characters in Pirates of the Caribbean and Bluey, it makes a dramatic yet approachable choice.
 
Appearing in the 2026 movie The Odyssey, it may well see increased usage, with nearly 60 girls already given the name in 2025: the highest number of Calypsos born in a single year in the States.

Calypso

Gorgeous name in any form, though the c may muddy the pronunciation.

Anastacia

Not cutting edge, but still graceful and feminine. Parents who care about style may pass on all names Chris (or Kris) related, which were so popular in the second half of the 20th century. But Christiana feels strong and distinctive, given to only about 50 baby girls each year. It does, however, feel distinctly Christian.

Christiana

Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the revivals of Dorothy and Dorothea.
 She may not look it now, but Doris was considered the paragon of grace when she was part of a group of s-ending names (Phyllis, Frances) fashionable in the 1920s, and it got another shot of life when attached to the perky Doris Day in the fifties. In classical Greek mythology, Doris is the daughter of Oceanus, god of the sea, who gave birth to fifty golden-haired sea nymphs.

Doris

Both Karissa and Carissa are trending downward, along with the other issa names that first rose to popularity in the 1970s. Karissa fell out of the Top 1000 in 2014, two years after Carissa.

Karissa

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye." 
 
Sometimes spelled Ksenia to reflect the traditional Greek pronunciation (kseh-NEE-uh), Xenia is also pronounced ZEEN-ee-ah or SHEN-yah.

Xenia

A fresh addition to the botanical name lists, Aster has in fact been in use since the 1910s, albeit quietly and sporadically. It began taking off for girls in the late 2000s, coinciding with comedian Gilbert Gottfried using it for his daughter, Lily Aster, in 2007, and the similar Astor appearing from 2006 until 2012 in the TV show Dexter.
 
As a floral and celestial choice, Aster is the name of a daisy-like flower, with a star-like shape. In this case, it's derived from the Greek word for "star". As an Ethiopian name, it's a variation of Esther, drawn from Amharic. Pronounced as ah-STAIR, it shows the same starry meaning. 
 
While Aster was more popular for girls in the 2010s, more recent years have seen it lean more unisex. In fact, it's a Top 200 choice in Belgium for boys. In the US, a recent year saw the split to be roughly 40:60 with 43 boys and 57 girls given the name.

Aster

Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double Ls and similarity to similar Eudora and Eula. Familiar in the US in the early 20th century, it was also a popular choice in Brazil and Spain until the 60s when it fell out of style.
 
Derived from Greek, the name was borne by a 4th century teenage martyr, who is now the patron saint of Barcelona where there is a cathedral in her name. One legend associated with Eulalia is that a dove flew out of her neck when she was killed, thus the association with both sweet speech and peace.
 Eulalia is a character in William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom while the French form Eulalie appears in the title of a poem by Edgar Alan Poe. 
 
Pronounced as yoo-LAY-lee-uh or yoo-LAH-lee-uh in English, nicknames include Eula and Lalia, though Layla, Lia, Lallie and Lala might work too. In Spanish and Italian, it is said as ehw-la-lee-a (or eh-(wuh)-la-lee-uh, the 'wuh' sound being subtle), while international forms include the aforementioned French Eulalie (UU-LA-EE) and the Spanish Olalla and Olalya (o-LA-ya).
 
A recent year saw Eulalia given to around 60 babies in the US, revealing a slight increase in interest in the name, which may well appeal to those who also enjoy stylish choices like Delilah, Tallulah, Luella, and Dahlia, or those who like ancient names like Cressida, Dorothea, and Cassandra.

Eulalia

Nickname name in the era of Grease. Sandy fits well in the era of boyish nicknames for girls - a la Scottie and Stevie - or as an alternative to the rapidly rising Goldie. While it peaked in 1960, Sandy is still given to about 60 baby girls each year.

Sandy

Alethea, the name of the Greek goddess of truth, came into fashion in England in the 16th century, in tandem with the virtue names. Alethea may find new favor now, thanks to its similarity to Athena, Ophelia, and Alessia, and because it gets you nickname Thea.
 
The name can be pronounced as al-uh-THEE-uh or uh-LEE-thee-uh in English, though uh-LAY-thee-uh may also be heard. It was given to 65 babies in a recent year in the US.

Alethea

An underused Biblical name, probably because it's so tightly identified with the Queen of gospel singers, Mahalia Jackson. Other variations include Mahalah, Mahayla, Mahila, Mahilia, Mehalia, Mahali, and Mahalya.

Mahalia

Reference to the mythological Three Graces of womanly charm, this one representing charity. Pronounced in Greek as starting with a back-of-the-throat H sound, most English-speakers would translate that to something closer to KAR-is. It's also the name of a girl who lived in Atlantis in the novel Taliesin, and appears in the Margaret Atwood novel The Robber Bride.

Charis

Bold and distinctive, Yolanda is a floral name that doesn't sound frilly or delicate. Ultimately deriving from the Greek words ioles meaning "violet" and anthos meaning "flower", it appears in a variety of forms internationally, including Jolanda, Jolanta, Iolanthe, Iolanta, Iolanda, and Jolana.
 
While some may associate Yolanda with Quentin Tarantino's crime movie, Pulp Fiction or with reality TV personality, Yolanda Hadid, Yolanda has also been borne by several members of European royalty, and by activist Yolanda King, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, and presenter Yolanda Vega.

Yolanda

There are lots of Kathy moms and grandmas but very few babies, most of whom are now called Kate or Katie.

Kathy

To those who remember, Rhoda is still reminiscent of the brassy Bronx 1970s sitcom Rhoda Morgenstern. But Rhoda has a much longer history--it is a name that can be found in the New Testament as a servant girl in the house of Mary, mother of John. Later, Rhoda appeared in the novel Vanity Fair and the Shaw play Man and Superman.
 Rhoda started out on the popularity list at Number 161, but never reached that height again.

Rhoda

Trending down, along with others of both the Car and the issa groups. 

Carissa

Greek girl names include several classic names that have ranked highly in the US for its entire history, most notably Catherine, Helen, and Margaret.

 in recent times, not only in the US but around the world, is Sophia, the name of the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Sofia, the name’s alternate spelling, also ranks in the Top 25, along with the Greek name Penelope.

include Alexandra, Arianna, Chloe, Cora, Evangeline, Iris, Lydia, Maya, Ophelia, Thea, and Zoe. 

 popular in Greece include Konstantina, Katerina, Dimitra, and Eleni.

 currently in style include Anastasia, Anthea, Calypso, Cassia, Dorothea, Eulalia, Ione, Lyra, and Phoebe. But there are so many other Greek girl names worth consideration, from Acacia to Zephyrine, that the entire list bears a closer look.

 were a big favorite of Shakespeare's, with such Greek names as Desdemona and Cressida playing a major part in some of his greatest tragedies. If Greek girl names are good enough for the Bard, surely our list of Greek names for girls is worth exploring!

Greek girl names with meanings and popularity, including top Greek names for girls and unique girls names from Greece and of Greek origin. (Page 8)

Greek Girl Names