Animal Names for Girls

With the still popular Allison ranking at Number 60 in the United States, and variant Alison sitting at Number 343—not to mention Allyson (Number 490 and Alyson (Number 835)—it makes sense that Alisson is still getting some attention from parents today, although it may unfortunately seem more like a spelling error than a legitimate name to some.
 
Alisson had a significant rise of over 100 places in 2022, with parents possibly influenced by Brazilian footballer Alisson Euler de Freitas Castro, frequently known by just his first name.

Alisson

Analeia combines three popular elements: classic and international Ana, the pop cultural, Star Wars inspired Leia, and the Biblical Leah. It was one of the fastest rising names in the US in 2024, when it entered the Top 1000 for the first time, and again in 2025, when it climbed 400 places up the charts.
 
As a Portuguese and Brazilian name, it is an alternative spelling of Analeah — Leia being a Portuguese form of the Biblical classic. In this case it would be pronounced as u-nu-LEE-u (u like the sound in up) and might be interpreted tomea "graceful but weary" or "gracious in grief." 
 
As an English name, it is a smoosh of Ana and Leia, and while the meaning remains the same — Leia having been drawn from Leah — the ending would be pronounced "LAY-uh", just like the Star Wars princess.
 
Given to 579 babies in a recent count — twice as many as the year prior — you could also consider the less popular Annaleia if you're put off by the first four letters together.

Analeia

Clover is a charming, perky choice if you want to move beyond hothouse blooms like Rose and Lily, and it's recently become a new celeb favorite, chosen by both Neal McDonough and Natasha Gregson Wagner, who used it to honor her mother, Natalie Wood, one of whose most iconic films was Inside Daisy Clover. 
 Clover also has a long association with good luck, via the four-leaf clover, and through the shamrock symbol of Ireland. It first came to wide notice via a couple of soap opera characters.
 In the movie The Good Shepherd , Angelina Jolie's character is called Clover--but her birth name was actually Margaret.

Clover

Though perhaps not as currently stylish as Ruby, Jade, or Pearl, Amber has a colorful history (remember the notorious Forever Amber heroine?). Unfortunately, it does come with the "Amber Alert" connotation for modern parents (and their children).

Amber

This alternate spelling of Amora rose over 1000 places in 2019, making it the fastest-rising girl name of the year. It continued to rise steeply in 2020, but has fallen a little since.

Amoura

Cecelia, with this spelling, got some recent attention as the name of Jim and Pam's baby on The Office -- and also the name of actress Jenna Fischer's newborn niece.  A spelling variation of Cecilia that has a gently old-fashioned feel and several appealing short forms, including Celia, Celie, and, as on the TV show, Cece.

Three times as many babies are given the Cecilia spelling as get the Cecelia one, though if you plan on calling your daughter Cece or Celia, Cecelia may feel like the more logical spelling.

Cecelia

The invented Daleyza was the fastest-rising <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a> in the US in 2013, thanks to the adorable young daughter of Larry Hernandez, star of Larrymania. If you've been out of the world of baby names for a while, you may be surprised to learn that Daleyza is now one of the most popular <a href"https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/d">girl names starting with D</a>.

Daleyza

Has fallen off its Kathie Lee Gifford inspired peak in the 1990s, but since that notably celebrity baby is now a grownup and out of the limelight, Cassidy may once again reclaim its own Irish charm.

Cassidy

A favorite back in the 70s and 80s when it ranked in the US Top 30, April has since been overtaken by the likes of June, May, August, and Winter. Nevertheless, it still holds appeal as a pretty-but-no-frills option, associated with the coming of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of the arrival of Autumn in the South.
 
Derived from the Latin aperio, meaning "to open, uncover", in reference to the opening of flowers and leaves, it could work as an option for those who want a name reflective of new chapters, new beginnings, and Spring. As a given name, it has been used in small numbers since at least 1917, though it wasn't until the 40s that it became a mainstream option.
 
Other April associations include: the birthstone diamond, the flowers sweetpeas and daisies, the Zodiac signs Aries and Taurus, April Food's Day, rainy weather, and sometimes Easter. 
 
Appearing in the books (and movies), Revolutionary Road andDustbin Baby, there have also been Aprils on Parks and Recreation, Glee, and The Vampire Diaries. 
 
A recent year saw April rank around the #500 mark in the US, while in England and Wales and in France, it was in the Top 400.

April

Angel is one of those names that has a very different trajectory for girls and boys. As a female name, it was most popular in the US from the 1970s until the turn of this century, almost breaking into the Top 100 at its peak in 2001 but then beginning a long slide down the list.
This may be partly because other forms of Angel -- Angela, Angie, Angelica, Angelina -- have dropped from favor too. Or it may be because of the crossover popularity of Angel for boys, partially inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
As a boys' name, Angel entered the Top 100 in 1997 and remains there today.
Spice Girl Melanie Brown named her daughter Angel Iris.

Angel

Chosen by the late Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa for their youngest daughter, Capri is the name of an Italian island, lending it a light, bright and sunny feel. Derived from either the Greek kapros meaning "wild boar" or from the Latin capri meaning "goats", it has a contemporary feel to it, especially with that -i ending. 
 
Carpi first entered the US stats back in the 1960s, but it wasn't until 2020 that it entered the Top 1000 for the first time, following the boy of the Bryants' daughter. Given to 528 girls (and 9 boys) in a more recent year, it was also chosen by model Chanel Iman and NFL player Davon Godchaux for their daughter, Capri Summer, in 2023.
 
While some may view this as a destination name, others may only think of Capri pants or Capri Sun drinks.

Capri

Along with Daniela, Michelle, Nicole, and Denise, Danielle was a big hit from the 1960s to the nineties, sitting comfortably in the Top 20 for several years. Parents then responded to its chic, sophisticated Gallic image, and though it has lost some of its sheen, it's still a widely used choice. Novelist Danielle Steele is its most well-known bearer; it's also the actual first name of Elvis's granddaughter, actress (Danielle) Riley Keough.

Danielle

Parents of female Emerie's would argue the suffix -ie makes it more feminine. It may also add a feeling of French flair. Clearly, there are enough thinking this to popularize it—the name entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013.

Emerie

Alexis, a one-time exclusively-<a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a>, was more popular than its sister Alexandra for quite a while, but in recent years Alexandra has overtaken it once again. Alexis was a Top 20 <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> from 1994-2010 but has experienced a decline in popularity in recent years, though now it's one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">top unisex names</a>.

 Alexis zoomed to popularity following the introduction of the Dynasty character Alexis Carrington in the 1980s – which gave it a sleek image – and was quite popular throughout the 90s and 2000s, peaking at the third most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> in 1999.

 One of the few notable female pre-Carrington Alexises was 1940s actress Alexis Smith, who had some minimal impact on the name, which entered the list in 1943. A current bearer is Alexis Bledel, who played Rory on Gilmore Girls and currently stars on The Handmaid's Tale.

Alexis

This pretty and uncommon Basque name is all but unheard of in this country. Amaya is a spelling variation as well as a similar Japanese name meaning "night rain." With the newfound popularity of Amara and Amora, Amaia and Amaya are among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/495/spanish-names-for-girls">Spanish names for girls</a> we'll be hearing a lot more of in the US.

Amaia

A designer baby name that has appeared alongside Gucci, Dior, Chanel, and Fendi in this era of branding everything from your purse to your offspring, Armani is an Italian surname, associated with the fashion designer Giorgio. First appearing in the US stats back in 1989 for girls, it has ranked in the Top 1000 since the late 90s.
 
Literally meaning "son of Ermanno", Ermanno being the Italian form of Herman, it could be interpreted as meaning "child of the army man" or "child of the soldier". Alternatively, some may be using it as a variation of Amani, an Arabic name meaning "wishes".
 
Used as a gender neutral option in the US, the name was given to around 530 girls and 600 boys in recent year, making the split 47:53. Similar in sound to the likes of Amari, Amani, Marnie, and Ari, it may feel just a little less tied to a brand than other designer options do.

Armani

Fresh, bright, and sunny, Della could be an alternative to Ella, Delilah, or Adeline. Familiar but not yet overused, it combines the elements of contemporary favorites with vintage charm.
 
With its noble meaning and associations with delight, Della was a popular choice in the 19th century and remained so up until the 1930s, when it slowly began to fall out of favor. It disappeared from the Top 1000 in 1978, but, after an absence of 40 years, it re-entered the charts in 2018.
 
This reappearance was perhaps partly inspired by actress and singer Della Reese, who died in 2017. This could have brought the name to the attention of a new generation of parents, and it has been climbing the US charts ever since. 
 
As a diminutive of Adela or Adelaide (or perhaps Delphine, Madeline, or Idella), Della fits into the trend of nicknames as proper names, blending well with the likes of Mila, Josie, and Nora.
 
Given to 518 girls it a recent year, it sits in the US Top 600. A small caution, however, is that della does mean "from the" in Italian.

Della

Originally popularized in eighteenth century Europe due to the fame of Anna Amalia, a Duchess who was a great patron of the arts, Amalia is now a widely cross-cultural name, heard from Italy to Romania, Germany to Scandinavia. Popular in the Netherlands, Chile, France, and Puerto Rico, it can be pronounced as ah-MAH-lee-ah or ah-MAIL-ya or ah-mah-LEE-ah, to name a few options.

Like Amelia, this name comes from the Germanic amal meaning "vigorous, unceasing, work", and while it may not be quite so popular in the English speaking work as its sibling, it has been on the rise in the US since 2011, when it re-joined the Top 1000 after an 80 year absence. Given to 550 American babies in a recent year, it is considerably less popular than Amelia — 23 times less popular, in fact. 
 
Amalia might appeal to those wanting nickname Mali or Mollie over Millie.

Amalia

Allie is one short form that's gotten so popular it's often used as a name on its own. Cute, friendly, yet we'd recommend using one of the proper names such as Alice to give your daughter an option. 
 
As a given name, Allie peaked in 2010. These days, Ellie might be more fashionable.

Allie

A short form that is given on its own to a good number of baby girls each year — Cali has been on trend in recent years along with sister names Callie and Kali, as the popular 90s and early 2000s nickname Allie has felt less fresh.

The Cali spelling in particular also brings to mind the sunny state of California and all of the beachy imagery that follows.