Latin Names for Girls

Mirabel is one of those names that's not on the Top 1000 but ought to be, and undoubtedly will be soon following the release of Disney's 2021 Encanto. Mirabel is the film's quirky and highly relatable heroine. Mirabel had a significant rise in 2022, going from 34 births in 2021 to 153 births in 2022. Read more about Mirabel and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

 Along with Maribel, Annabel, Rosabel and the like, Mirabel is a more unusual and elegant alternative to the popular Isabel. Spelled Mirabelle, it is also the name of a delicate French plum variety.
 
Mirabel and the Italian form Mirabella were both quite common in the later Middle Ages, and Mirabel is scattered throughout early English poetry. Mirabel has a nice pair of nickname options: Mira and Belle.

Mirabel

Sabina is a sleek but neglected name with the same spirited, stylish feel of Sabrina, Serena, and Selena. It ranked towards the latter end of the US charts in the early 20th century while a more recent year saw it given to 70 American girls. 
The name is derived from that of an ancient tribe, the Sabines, who lived in central Italy and went to war with the Romans. According to legend, the Sabine women were kidnapped by the Romans but later affected peace between the warring sides. The exact etymology of the name is disputed, but a one theory is that it means "of one's own".
 
Borne by two early saints, it is also a literary choice, appearing in Thornton Wilder's play The Skin of Our Teeth and Milan Kudera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being. British actress Sabina Franklyn is a notable real life bearer.
 
Popular in Poland and Czechia and familiar in the UK, Spain, and Slovenia where it has ranked in the past, Sabina is could make an unexpected but familiar option elsewhere. 
 
The pronunciation of the name does vary slightly depending on language and location, with sa-BEE-na or sa-BEE-nuh heard in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and English, while SA-bih-na is used in Czech. International forms include French and German Sabine, Dutch Sabien, Italian Savina, and Hungarian Szabina. 
 
Sabina (also written as Səbinə) is used in Azerbaijan and beyond, as a variation of the Arabic Sabiyya meaning "girl, young woman", adding a further international element to the name.

Sabina

Hillary is a lovely name that, for the moment at least, is tightly bound to an individual with a strong image: Hillary Clinton. Whatever your feelings about Mrs. Clinton, her fame now dominates the name, making it feel less baby-ready than it deserves to be. Hillary as a name has so much going for it: the popular, rhythmic three-syllable structure, the fact that it's strong but light, proper but jaunty, with an irresistible meaning -- having the same root as hilarious. The Italian Ilaria may be one way to make the name fresh. 
 Traditionally, Hilary was the form used for males and Hillary for females, but since there are so few boy Hilarys these days, that tradition has fallen by the wayside. A few other modern notables have laid claim to the name: musicians Hilary du Pre and Hilary Hahn, and actresses Hilary Swank and Hilary Duff.

Hillary

A starry-eyed, intergalactic name, far rarer than Stella or Esther. It's attached both to a comic book character and to Princess Astra on "Doctor Who". 

Astra

Like Joanne and Christine, middle-aged Diane has been overshadowed by the a-ending version of her name. Diane has a definite mid-century feel; it was a Top 20 name from 1946 to 1959.

Though it has several distinguished bearers, including Dianes Sawyer, Keaton, von Furstenberg, Lane, Arbus, Kruger and Farr, it fell off the Top 1000 in 2004 and last year was given to about 60 baby girls, the same number as Dillon and Eugenia.

Diane

Could be a sister to Trinity, Genesis, or Heaven. 

Divinity

Short, sweet, and to the point, Ina is a derived from the likes of Martina, Christina, Carolina, and so on. Used across Europe as a stand-alone name and as a diminutive, Ina was once popular in the US too. Peaking in the early 20th-century, it dwindled out of the Top 1000 in the 1960s.
 
A Top 100 choice in Slovenia and given to 66 American girls in a recent year, Ina — with its three-letter, ends in -a structure — may work as an alternative to Ana, Eva, Lia, Mia, and Ava.
 
Other sources of the name include Irina, Ines, Ivana, Ilina, Regina, Ignacia, Inessa, and Ingrida, along with the Chamarro element ina meaning to "to illuminate", the Manx Iney meaning "daughter", and the Russian saint name, Inna.

You'll probably be hearing more of this name thanks to the newest Pixar film, featuring Princess Merida, the first Pixar princess--a feisty, athletic, independent medieval Scottish girl with wild red hair. Her name, however, is not Scottish, but a Spanish place name found in both Spain and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. 

 Will Merida be the next Ariel? Stay tuned. Read more about Merida and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Merida

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

A succinct and stripped back form of Laura, that also doubles up as a Portuguese diminutive of Lorena ("from the kingdom of Lothar") and as a German and Scandinavian short from of Eleanora. 
 
In the US, Lora ranked in the Top 1000 from the 1880s to the 1990s, peaking in the 60s when Laura was in its heyday. Since then, it has declined as a recent year saw it given to 44 girls (while Laure was chosen for nearly 870 and Elora was given to 860).
 
It remains a top ranking choice in Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary, where it featured in the Top 100 in recent counts.

Lora

This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides, originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in the League of Legends games. Luz is the Spanish version.
 
Influencer Brooklyn Larsen named her daughter Lux in 2026.

This female form of the ancient Latin Aelian has an appealing sound, though kids might have a hard time handling that initial "ae" spelling. Just remember that the "ae" is pronounced "ee" (think Aesop's fables).The Annals of Aeliana is a children's fantasy series by Ryan Watters. 

The meaning is uncertain but is thought to derive from the Greek helios, which means sun.

Aeliana

More than Lily yet less than Lillian, Lillia is a fresh and undeniably pretty member of the stylish genus of double (or in this case triple) l names.  You can also spell it Lilia.

Lillia

Destinee

In ancient Rome, Cornelia was considered the paragon of womanly virtue, making it a handsome name with an excellent pedigree. It's rare today, so if you want a name no one else is using, somewhat reminiscent of Amelia and the Shakespearean Cordelia, Cornelia should be on your list. Cornelia's short forms might include Cora, Nelia or Nell--anything but Corny.
 The name of the mother of famous second century Roman reformers, Cornelia emerged in England in the seventeenth century, probably brought in by Dutch immigrants. The painter Jan Vermeer had a daughter named Cornelia.
 Cornelia has not made a mark on the U.S. popularity list since 1965--so she's more than due for reconsideration. In the meantime, it's been associated with contemporary socialite Cornelia Guest, giving the name an elite image.

Cornelia

Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his daughter.
Neve Campbell pronounces her name nehv, to rhyme with Bev or Lev. If taken to represent the Italian and Portuguese word for snow, the pronunciation would change to nehv-ay. As an Anglicized form of the Irish Niamh, the correct pronunciation would be neev.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern chose the name Neve for her daughter, born while she was in office.

Neve

Though many might find it too syrupy, hundreds of parents each year choose this name for their daughters to make them feel special. Precious Ramotswe is the engaging African sleuth in the popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. 

Precious

Candace, an ancient title of a dynasty of Ethiopian queens mentioned in the New Testament, is associated both with actress Candice Bergen and Sex and the City writer Candace Bushnell. 
 Both spellings were most popular in the 1980s, but the sticky sweetness of nickname Candy undercuts the popularity of the name today. About 50 baby girls were named Candace last year, and half that many given the Candice spelling. 
 William Faulkner used the name Candace, shortened to Caddy, as a main character in his 1929 novel The Sound and the Fury.

Candace

Juna, a variation of the newly stylish month name June, goddess name Juno, or literary Djuna, is among the fresher-feeling <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/j">girl names starting with J</a>. While Juna has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, it's a popular choice in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Juna

Augusta is a dignified name reminiscent of wealthy great-aunts and stately homes, but with the fashion for both August and Gus for boys, and the renewed interest in clunky classics like Gwendolyn and Winifred for girls, Augusta might just appeal to contemporary parents. 
 Augusta was the title of honor given to the wives and daughters of Roman emperors, which then morphed into a given name, brought to England by the German princess who became the mother of George III. It is also a place name and an Italian saint's name, borne by Augusta of Treviso who was tortured and murdered by her father for converting to Christianity.
 
Her literary Great-Aunt image was formed via the characters Lady Augusta Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, an elderly relative in the Harry Potter books, and Aunts Augusta in both Graham Greene's Travels with My Aunt and P.G Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels. Other notable bearers however have included sculptor Augusta Savage and Augusta Ada King, better known as Ada Lovelace.
 Augusta offers up two friendlier vintage nicknames--Aggie and Gussie--though Aussie (or Ozzie) and Augie could work too.
 
Augusta was chosen by content creators Jessica and Claudia Kellgren-Fozard for one of their daughters, born in 2025. She joined twin sister Theodora and brother Rupert.

Augusta

Latin names for girls derive, ultimately, from ancient Rome, which stretched from Spain to Iraq at its height. Latin girls’ names, for that reason, reflect a multitude of cultures and languages. Current favorites in the US include Olivia and Ava.

Along with Olivia and Ava, other

 include Camila, Clara, Eliana, Lillian, Lucy, Ruby, Stella, and Valentina.

Baby girl names popular in Rome include Viola — the

 in Italy — Cecilia, Gloria, and Celeste.

Some Latin names for girls have been altered somewhat from their original form by the passage of time. But other Latin girls’ names can be found carved into rocks from thousands of years ago. 

Popular modern girls’ names with Latin roots

 include Beatrice, Cecilia, Felicity, Hillary, Julia, Laura, Patricia, Violet, and Vivian, but there are dozens of other Latin girls’ names worth exploring for your baby girl.

Below, our full menu of Latin names for girls, ordered by popularity on Nameberry.

Latin names for baby girls, including top girl names and unique girl names of Latin origin, with meanings and popularity. (Page 9)