Animal Names for Girls

A light and pretty pan-cultural name which can be considered a variant of either the Greek name Selene or Selena, meaning "moon", or of the French Celine, meaning "heavenly". An attractive choice that is surprisingly rare in the US: out of the Top 1000 since 2006.

Celina

Yet another creative character name from Toni Morrison, Denver was a daughter of Sethe's in the novel Beloved. Today Denver is most familiar as the name of the largest city in Colorado, used almost equally for girls and boys.

Denver

Like its single "n" sister name (Braelyn), Braelynn is currently enjoying its highest level of popularity. Unlike Braylin and Braylyn, the 'ae' of Braelynn gives the name a Scottish look, making it seem slightly less creative and more sturdy

Braelynn

A multicultural choice, Amayah and its variations have been rising up the charts in recent years. This particular form entered the US Top 1000 back in 2016 and a recent year saw in rank just within the Top 700.
 
Meaning "night rain" or "heavenly valley in Japanese", "mother city" in Spanish, and "the end" in Basque, Amayah is less popular than Amaia and Amiyah, but more popular than Amaya.

Amayah

Melodic and stylish, Elani blends the lani ending of Hawaiian names like Alani, Kalani and Leilani, with the sounds and beginning of choices like the Hebrew Eliana, the Greek Eleni, and the classic Eleanor. 
 
The name entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2024, coming in at #989. Given to 260 girls, it might be one to watch out for.

Elani

Chelsea is still being used, with about 400 baby girls named Chelsea in the US last year. But it was much more popular a few decades ago, peaking at Number 15 in 1992. 

Chelsea first entered the American consciousness in a major way via the character Jane Fonda played in On Golden Pond in 1981 and later of course was frequently in the headlines when Chelsea Clinton (whose name was inspired by the lyric of a the Joni-Mitchell-Judy Collins song "Chelsea Morning") became First Daughter.

Chelsea

Despite being associated with male characters in the Bible, Anaiah is much more common for girls in the US. In Puerto Rico, Anaiah ranks in the Top 100.

Anaiah

A favorite in England and Wales, Darcy is a unisex option with delicacy, grace, and strength. Associated with classic literary and courtesy thanks to Jane Austen's hero, Mr. Darcy, and Bridget Jones's Mark Darcy, its image was partly transformed by English ballerina Darcey Bussell, who helped popularize it for girls.
 
A name with multiple meanings, Darcy can be considered an anglicization of either d'Arcy, a French name associated with the town of Arcy, or of O'Dorchaidhe, an Irish surname meaning "dark one". It can also be spelled as Darcey, Darcie, and Darci too, all of which have featured in the England and Wales Top 1000 at least once since the 90s.
 
Darcie is currently the most popular spelling in the UK, appearing in the Top 100, while Darcy ranks in the Top 150 and Darcey in the Top #400. There's also Darcie-Mae in the latter half of the charts, along with Darcie-Rae, Darcie-Leigh, Darcie-Anne, Darcie-Rose, and Darcia which are all given to a handful of girls each year. 
 
In Australia, Darcy leans masculine and frequently appears in the Top 100 for boys, while in the US, Darcy recently re-entered the popularity characts girls after a 30 year absence.
 
Notable Darcys include the character Darcy Olsson of the TV show and graphic novel series, Heartstopper, the actress Darcy Rose Byrnes, and young social media star, Darcy Jane Pentland.

Darcy

Arisbeth is a name that feels poetic and fantastical like Arwen or Amoret, but equally familiar and sunny, like Marisol. It is in fact a name used primarily in Mexico and by Hispanic parents in the US, who've made it one of the hottest unique names.
 
The name can be considered either a variation of Elizabeth, or as a compound name, blending Ariel (or any other Ari- beginning name) with the classic Elizabeth. Playing around with this could give you different meanings. By using Ariel, you get "lion pledged to God", whereas Aria gives you "song promised to God" and Ariana gets you "most holy pledge to God".
 
Used on 313 babies in a recent year, it's nine times more popular than it was a decade ago, and when you combine this with alternative spelling Arizbeth, the name is even more popular.

Arisbeth

The rise of Ayla seems to have revived this variation.

Ayleen

Deborah has suffered from the fact that in the mid-twentieth century there were so many Debbies on the block that the beauty and meaning of the original name got lost. Deborah may no longer be among the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/d">girl names starting with D</a>, but now this lovely name of an Old Testament prophetess suddenly sounds fresher than overused Sarah, Rachel, and Rebecca. 
 The biblical Deborah was a poet, judge, and heroic prophet who first predicted that the Israelites would win their freedom from the tyrannical Canaanites, then led a successful revolt that helped accomplish it, celebrating the victory in a famous song of triumph.
 Deborah was the second most <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular name</a> in the US in 1955, remaining in the Top 10 from 1950 to 1962. The streamlined version, Debra, was hot on its tail, replacing it at Number 2 a year later.
 Some notable bearers have been Revolutionary War heroine Deborah Sampson Gannett, actress Deborah Kerr, modern operatic soprano Deborah Voigt, Deborah (Blondie) Harry, and Debbie (born Mary Frances) Reynolds.
 The original form Devorah is another possibility.

Deborah

Eleanor is back, Nora is back, and, as predicted, Eleanora is back too. 
 Having left the charts in the 1930s, this elaboration of Eleanor has returned and blends the elements of its two more popular sisters into one elegant, grand, and sophisticated sounding choice. 
 
Given to around 300 babies in the US in a recent year, the addition of that final vowel gives Eleanor a little flip at the end, making it more Latinate and poetic, while still sounding perfectly familiar and grounded. The name also ranks in the UK where it recently made its Top 1000 debut. 
 
If you love the idea of this but don't want her to become just another Nora or another Ellie, you could consider Leonor or Lenore too.

Eleanora

Divorces Aspen from its nature and ski resort associations. Aspyn first broke into the Top 1000 in 2020.

Aspyn

Sweet and simple, Ayah is a beautiful Arabic name with the particularly lovely meaning of "miracle". In Islam, Ayah refers to signs of God's existence, and is also the name for a verse in the Qur'an. Ayah was one of the newest entries to the US Top 1000 in 2023, feeling like a fresh alternative to popular cross-cultural choices like Layla, Maya, and Ayla. In a more recent year, it was chosen for 270 girls, while the similar Aya was given to nearly 500 babies.

Ayah

Adrianna

Strongly feminine variation of Colby with two prime associations: singer Colbie Caillat and actress Colbie Smulders (born Jacoba).

Colbie

As an English nickname, Emi can be short for anything beginning with (or containing) the popular "em" sound, such as Emily, Emilia, or maybe even Clementine.
 As a Japanese name, it can be formed of various different combinations of kanji characters, with different meanings, including "beautiful favor" "smile", "blessing, fruit" or "beautiful picture". It might also be used as a short form or part of the name Emiko. 
 
It might also be used as a Yoruba name, as either a short form of names such as Adeyemi or Olufemi or sometimes as a stand-alone, with the element emi meaning "mine, I, soul, spirit."
 
It's one of those names that works well across different cultures and in different places, from Hawaii to Japan, from Slovenia to Nigeria.

Aviana is a name that's like the megapopular Ava and Ariana, but not quite as popular as either. It entered into the mainstream back in 2010 however, after actress Amy Adams chose it for her daughter, fulfilling her desire to choose a "normal" name after all, even if it didn't seem like that a decade ago. 
 
Adams got the name from her place of birth, Aviano, Italy, though we suspect many parents go with Aviana for its bird related meaning and popular sounds. The first syllable of the name can be pronounced ah, ay, or av (like in have).
 
In 2024, it was a fast rising choice, given to over 400 girls, despite having previously been on the decline.

Aviana

Berkeley, with an extra E, is the more familiar variation of this name, associated with the California school. But it's the streamlined Berkley that has proven itself to be more popular as a baby name, at least in the US.
 
This name is pronounced BARK-lee in the UK, while in the US we say BIRK-lee.

Berkley

Anais is an unusual, alluring name forever attached to the daring French-born American novelist and diarist Anais Nin (born Angela, with Anais as one of her middle names), who became the inspiration for the naming of the daughter of musician Noel Gallagher. Anais is also the name of a popular perfume.
 Anais can be found as a character in Balzac's "Lost Illusions", and in Colette's 'Claudine' books.
 Anais would make a creative and distinctive <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle name</a>.