Animal Names for Girls

Arlet's is in the Top 100 in Spain, and this love is carrying over into the states as well, with Arlet being among the fastest-rising names of 2022. Related name Arleth is also red-hot, and was one of the fastest rising of the previous year in 2021, likely due to Telenovela star Arleth Teran. Arlet is also a character in the hit show "Infidels."

Arlet

Eliana is a multicultural name, popular in the US, the UK, The Netherlands, France and Brazil. With the popular nickname Ellie and the classic sounds of Anna and Eleanor, it is no wonder this name has caught on.
 
While the Eliana spelling is popular internationally, Ellianna is uniquely popular to the US, where it entered the US Top 1000 in 2016. Given to nearly 500 babies each year, it ranks in the lower half of the charts, behind the more popular Eliana, Elliana and Elianna. 
 A name with two distinct origins, Eliana and co can derive from the Latin name, Aeliana meaning "sun", or from the Hebrew elements , El and ana, combining together to mean "God has answered". 
 
While Ellianna itself currently ranks outside the Top 600, it is worth keeping in mind that when you combine all the Elianas, Eliannas, Ellianas, and Elyannas etc. together, it begins to feel more like a Top 20 choice, ranking similarly to Camila or Sofia rather than Scottie, Romina, and Amoura. 
 If you like Ellianna but were hoping for something less popular in the US, you could consider Evelina or Anneliese.

Ellianna

Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, it ranks in the US Top 1000 and was chosen for nearly 470 babies in a recent year. 
 
As with many multicultural names, it has a variety of meanings. In Japanese, it is a colorful name, also associated with intricate design (pronounced A-YA). From its Hebrew origins, it can be considered a nature and bird name, related to the honey buzzard or to birds and flying more generally (pronounced a-YA).
 
Aya is also a Danish name (a respelling of Aja or Aija) possibly meaning "rock, lull" from Latvian Aija or "happiness" from Finnish Eija, and is a highly popular choice there. In this case, it would be said as IE-yah. In Arabic meanwhile, Aya means "sign, evidence" or "verse" and is a popular name in the Muslim community, also spelled as Ayah and said A-ya. 
 
That only scratches the surface, however, because Aya also appears in Semitic mythology, where it means "dawn"; as a Kazakh name meaning "hideout, shelter" (said ah-YAH); in the Cherokee language meaning "I, me"; and as an alternative form of the Basque place name, Aya.
 
Thought we were done? No, because Aya may also be linked to the Turkic element ay meaning "moon", and therefore to Turkish-Altaic mythology in which the angelic Ayas symbolized creativity, abundance, and goodness. IE-a would be the pronunciation here. 
 
In Mongolian, it means "melody", while in in Baoulé on the Ivory Coast, it is given to girls born on Fridays.
 
An Ancient Egyptian Queen, a Belgian Catholic Saint, and an Akkadian goddess, Aya has a lot of history and meaning hidden behind those three letters. More contemporary associations include Aya Korem, an Israeli singer-songwriter, and Aya Liu, a Taiwanese actress. And actress Hilary Swank named her daughter Aya (twin to brother Ohm) in 2024.

Boyish nicknames for girls are all the rage — just look at the success of Charlie, Frankie, Stevie, Billie, and Scottie in recent years. Andie has history as a nickname for Andrea, popularized by actress Andie Macdowell. This name has major cool girl appeal through Kate Hudson's portrayal of Andie Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Molly Ringwald's of Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink. Spelled Andi, this name entered the US Top 1000 in 2015, and now the (arguably more substantial) Andie spelling has joined the charts. Combining the two spellings, this name was given to around 700 baby girls.

Andie

The name of a beautiful water fairy in Turkish mythology, who has the power to grant wishes and mend broken hearts. Also used in Armenia, it is currently a fast rising choice in England and Wales where it sits in the Top 300. Some of its popularity may be down to how easily it crosses languages, though it may also be because of its similarity to the likes of Elara, Lara, Laura, and Alexandra. 
 
The name also has its roots in Breton, a feminine form of either Alaric ("all-powerful ruler") or Eloi ("the chosen"), adding another layer of power and mystique to the name. 
 
It made its debut in the US Top 1000 in 2025, when it was given to 441 girls — nearly double the number in the year prior — and moved 412 places up the charts.

Alara

The Gaelic Eileen was a mid-century darling that was on a long downward slide for decades. And then, in 2012, it took an unexpected pivot and has been inching upward in the US, perhaps inspired by similar sounding choices like Isla and Iris, along with retro choices like Valerie, Marjorie, and Dorothy.
 
Eileen is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Eibhlin or Aibhilin, which is technically a form of to Evelyn/Aveline, but is also sometimes considered part of the Helen family of names.
 
Currently in the US Top 700, it's one of those familiar yet underused choices that feels as surprising as it does down to earth.

Eileen

A twist on Alina or Alena, this name popped into the Top 500 for the first time in 2014. Also an Arabic name, meaning "soft, pliable, delicate".

Aleena

Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene, which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with. 

Brianna is currently the most popular feminine form of Brian in the US, given to three times as many baby girls as Briana. Depending on your viewpoint, that may be a vote either for or against the more unique Briana spelling, though whichever version you choose is sure to prompt confusion over spelling and pronunciation.

One enduring appeal of Briana and sisters is that they're <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/96/girls-names-that-mean-brave-or-powerful">girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful</a>, which may be why George R. R. Martin names his warrior maiden Brienne of Tarth.

Briana

Birdie was until recently a middle-aged Ladies' Club member wearing a bird-decorated hat --but now it's just the kind of vintage nickname (think Hattie, Josie, Mamie, Millie) that's coming back into style in a big way. Actress Busy Philipps named her baby Birdie (inspired by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson), as did soap star Maura West.
 In an earlier heyday of nickname names--the 1880's--Birdie was a Top 200 name.

Birdie

Aliza might seem like yet another variation of the eternal Alyssa/Alicia/Eliza loop, but it's a distinct name all its own. The z adds zip. 

Aliza

Popular with Muslim and African-American parents, this virtue name also fits in with the trendy i ending names being seen at the moment. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1996.
 Kenyan singer-songwriter Amani (born Cecilia Wairimu) has brought the name some attention in the music industry.

Amani

A Spanish TV show made this one popular, along with single-named Mexican singer, Alondra. 

Alondra

Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.-- Ellis has always been in the Top 1000 for boys -- and seems to be headed straight up. One of the most popular gender-neutral names, currently there are two baby boys named Ellis for every girl. Ellis Bell was the name chosen by Emily Bronte as her male pseudonym, and Ellis Grey was the mother of Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy.

Ellis

Coraline may not be original to Neil Gaiman's wonderful book of the same name, but it might as well be. Gaiman's young heroine Coraline Jones is constantly called Caroline but as a name Coraline is more distinctive and has a more mysterious feel. The 2002 novel Coraline was made into a 2009 animated film voiced by Dakota Fanning and nominated for an Academy Award. The number of baby girls named Caroline increased by a factor of 100 between 2007 and 2017 -- going from 5 to over 500 in a decade.

Coraline

Variation of Channah and Hannah making multiple appearances in the US popularity charts during the latter portion of the twentieth century, Chana has now remained in the Top 1000 since 2008.

Chana

A name with a bit of glamor but also cowgirl vibes, Dallas entered the US Top 1000 for girls in 1992. It fell out of style during noughties, but reappeared in 2012 when other gender neutral names like River, Sawyer, Rowan, and Blake were also climbing fast. 

Perhaps most obviously associated with the city in Texas, Dallas is also a Scottish place name with the meaning "meadow dwelling"; an English surname, meaning "valley house" and possibly an Irish name, meaning "skilled, assembly, council, or, blindness" depending on the translation
 
Currently given to around 480 girls each year, Dallas does lean more masculine - not surprising perhaps, since it's been in the US Top 500 for boys since name records began in 1880. Given to nearly three times as many boys as girls, this still makes the name, statistically, a solidly unisex option.

Dallas

The Kimberly of the current age, but currently less popular than either Ember or Everly.

Emberly

Billie is a tomboy nickname name, part of the growing trend for using boyish nicknames for girls and now destined for stardom along with its most famous contemporary bearer, music sensation Billie Eilish.
 To track its path from blue to pink, Billie was 100% male in 1880, was 55% female just a decade later, in the girls' Top 100 by 1928, and is now overwhelmingly female.
 Billie is a possible retro choice for fans of jazz great Billie Holiday, born Eleanora, and a very contemporary choice for teen singer Billie Eilish -- born Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell. Other conceivable namesakes are The Wizard of Oz's Glinda--Billie Burke (born Mary William), silent screen star Billie Dove (born Bertha), actresses Billie Whitelaw and Billie Piper (born Lianne) and tennis legend Billie Jean King (born Billie). Another cultural reference is the Michael Jackson hit song 'Billie Jean.'
 Billie was picked for their daughters by Carrie Fisher, My Name is Earl actor Ethan Suplee, and Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane.

Billie

Baylor is a possible occupational alternative to the tired Taylor, especially for a horse lover.

Baylor

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery. 

Avery is actually an extremely popular name, ranking in the Top 100 for 20 years now, with a long way to go before it falls off. A good comparison from the past might be Amy, which ranked on the Top 100 for four decades.

Choosing a more unusual spelling of a popular name might not make the name as unique as you hope.