Latin Names for Girls

Carita may feel like an endearing nickname but it's a name in its own right, used throughout Scandinavia in this form and as Karita, Caritas, and Karitas as a variation on Charity.

This name of eight popes might appeal to confirmed city-dwellers, but Urbana would be more feminine.

The original male name Alban is a lot sleeker and more usable.

Florence is back, and the adorable short form Flory (or Florie) is too. Or you could just choose Flora and cover all bases with one stroke.

Brimming over with a sense of good fortune. Could make a little girl feel very lucky.

Like Quentin, Quintin and Quintana, Quintia was once reserved for the fifth child in a family, but now would make an interesting choice for a child coming anywhere in the birth order.

Faunia is more often rendered as Fauna, who was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing. Faunia was the downtrodden yet loving heroine of Philip Roth's Human Stain. Faunia and Fauna have more gravitas than the doe-like Fawn.

Most often heard as an Italian surname, this might be an unusual yet musical option. While it's not among the traditional Italian names for girls, it can fill that role.

Sounds like a child in a Gothic novel.

A town in the San Fernando Valley: slightly better than Encino or Tarzana.

The name of Beethoven's third symphony, and too close to the word erotica.

Has a medieval, slightly fusty but romantic feel.

The daintiest and most accessible of the many Q names for a fifth child, now used for girls situated anywhere in the birth order.

Sebastiane is not a common feminization but may become more so as Sebastian achieves international popularity.

Octavia has the numerical meaning doubled (eighth) and is much more user-friendly.

Colombia is a South American country name, with a rhythmic sound and peaceful connotations. The Irish Colm, Scottish Callum, and Columba are all attractive relatives of Colombia (or Columbia, if you're thinking of the college).

Delicate and obscure version of this many-faceted name.

The unusual hybrid Tuliana, which rhymes with Juliana, combines the Roman offshoot Tulia with the more familiar Ana, the Latinate form of Anna or Ann. Tulia comes from the Roman family name Tullius, best known as the middle name of the philosopher Cicero. While Tuliana is intriguing, any little Tuliana, upon introducing herself, will always be asked, "Juliana?"

Enshrined in the Latin and Catholic culture.