UK Girl Names
By Nameberry
Updated Tue Jun 09 2020
UK names for baby girls originate from all the languages and cultures of the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, along with Cornwall and the Isle of Man. UK girl names range from the top female names in the English-speaking world, such as Ann, Ella, and Kate to thousands of unique girls' names like Lettice, Myfanwy, and Pixie.
Browse this list of UK girl names from the Nameberry database that originate in the English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, Cornish and Manx languages and cultures. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
Browse this list of UK girl names from the Nameberry database that originate in the English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, Cornish and Manx languages and cultures. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
- Isla
Origin:
Scottish place-name or SpanishMeaning:
"island"Description:
Isla is a hit name throughout the English-speaking world, perhaps because its spelling and pronunciation don't make sense for those whose native language is not English. Think island without the final two letters.
- Eloise
Origin:
French and English variation of HeloiseMeaning:
"healthy; wide"Description:
Along with many other names with the El- beginning and featuring the L sound in any place, Eloise is newly chic. Eloise reentered the US Top 1000 girl names in 2009 after a 50 year nap and broke into the Top 100 in 2022. And she shows no signs of slowing down.
- Eleanor
Origin:
English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknownDescription:
Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.
- Lucy
Origin:
English variation of Lucia, LatinMeaning:
"light"Description:
Lucy is both saucy and solid, a saint's name and heroine of several great novels. First fashionable in England and Wales, Lucy is now popular in the US as well.
- Mae
Origin:
Diminutive of Mary or MargaretMeaning:
"bitter or pearl"Description:
Mae, a sweet and springlike old-fashioned name, hadn't been on the national charts in forty years, but finally made it back in 2010. Mae is derived from May, the month name that was chosen for its connection to Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood.
- Daisy
Origin:
Diminutive of Margaret or flower name, EnglishMeaning:
"day's eye"Description:
Daisy, fresh, wholesome, and energetic, is one of the flower names that burst back into bloom after a century's hibernation. Originally a nickname for Margaret (the French Marguerite is the word for the flower), Daisy comes from the phrase "day's eye," because it opens its petals at daybreak.
- Maisie
Origin:
Scottish diminutive of Margaret or MaryMeaning:
"pearl or bitter"Description:
Maisie, a charming name long popular as a nickname for Margaret or Mary, entered the Top 1000 as itself ten years ago and continues to rise. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams helped propel the name back into the limelight, along with the that of her character, Arya.
- Olive
Origin:
English, from Latin, nature nameMeaning:
"olive tree"Description:
Though greatly overshadowed by the trendy Olivia, Olive has a quiet, subtle appeal of its own -- and is now enjoying a remarkable comeback. Olive is one of only four girl names starting with O on the US Top 1000. Cool couple Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen chose it for their daughter, reviving the name to stylishness, and now Drew Barrymore has a little Olive too, as has country singer Jake Owen.
- Audrey
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"noble strength"Description:
Audrey is one of the girls' names that have been rising due to their connection to Old Hollywood glamour—in this case the eternally chic and radiant Audrey Hepburn. Audrey has another very different appeal as one of the elite group of girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful.
- Lily
Origin:
English flower nameMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Lily came into use as a given name as a direct influence of the flower. The floral name was derived from the Latin lilium, itself derived from the Greek leirion. Lily later became an adjective to describe whiteness and purity.
- Hazel
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"the hazelnut tree"Description:
Hazel has a pleasantly hazy, brownish-green-eyed, old-fashioned image that more and more parents are choosing to share. Former Old Lady name Hazel reentered the popularity lists in 1998 and now is near the top of the charts.
- Elsie
Origin:
Diminutive of Elizabeth via its Scottish variation, ElspethMeaning:
"pledged to God"Description:
Elsie is a sweet vintage nickname-name turned modern star. After a 30-year hiatus, Elsie started climbing the US popularity list 20 years ago and is still headed for the top.
- Scarlett
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"scarlet, red"Description:
Scarlett originated as an occupation surname, designating a person who sold scarlet, a luxury wool cloth produced in Medieval Europe. The word is thought to derive from the Arabic siklāt, referring to silks dyed with kermes. The fanciest, favorited color was scarlet red.
- Flora
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"flower"Description:
Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names we think is due for a comeback— alongside cousins Cora and Dora. Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all.
- Edith
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"prosperous in war"Description:
Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image.
- Elowen
Origin:
CornishMeaning:
"elm"Description:
A beautiful modern Cornish nature name that is rapidly picking up steam in the States: even spawning variant spellings like Elowyn and Elowynn. In its native region, it wasn't widely used as a name before the twentieth century, when the Cornish language was revived. A (currently) unique member of the fashionble El- family of names, it has a pleasant, evocative sound.
- Jane
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
No, we don't consider Jane too plain. In fact, for a venerable and short one-syllable name, we think it packs a surprising amount of punch, as compared to the related Jean and Joan.
- Ella
Origin:
German; EnglishMeaning:
"all, completely; fairy maiden"Description:
Ella has parallel derivations, first as the Norman variation of the Germanic Alia—itself a nickname for names containing the element ali. It’s also a Hebrew name, referring to a tree in the pistachio family or in modern Hebrew, "goddess." In English speaking countries and Scandinavia, Ella developed as a diminutive for names beginning with El-, such as Eleanor and Elizabeth.
- Wren
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"small bird"Description:
Wren, a lilting songbird name, could be the next Robin. It makes a particularly pleasing middle name choice, as does her newly discovered cousin Lark. Wren entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2012 and is among the new wave of popular English names for girls.
- Clover
Origin:
Flower name, from Old EnglishMeaning:
"key"Description:
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.