UK Girl Names

Rowan has been shooting up the charts on both the boys' and the girls' side, carrying the appeals of a trendy "o" vowel, a soft sound, and a nature connection to top it off. The modern variation Rowyn has followed in its footsteps and while the traditional spelling is used five times more often, Rowyn is still given to around 350 girls each year. 
 
The name likely comes from the tree of the same name, whose name comes from Old Norse, and means "to redden". Commonly found in Scotland, rowan trees are steeped in symbolism, said to warn off witches and provide life and protection. The alternative origin of Rowan is via the Irish name Ruadhán, meaning "little redhead" - so either way, you've got a "red" feeling name. 
 
The Rowyn spelling really took off in 2015, and it did feature, albeit briefly, in the US Top 1000 in 2022. The modern Y spelling mirrors Emersyn, Robyn, and Karsyn, and may be an effort to make it more "obviously" feminine - though Rowyn is still given to around 80 boys each year too). But the proportion of baby girls to baby boys named Owen runs more than 4 to 1 in favor of the girls, while Rowan and Rowen run 4 to 1 on the boy side. The rarest form, Roen, tips the furthest toward the boys' side.

Rowyn

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.

Averie

After a 60 year slide down the popularity ladder, Robin made a turnaround in 2020 and began climbing back into favor for baby girls. One reason may be its new status as one of the most evenly-divided gender neutral names.

For girls, Robin ranks in the Top 100 in the Netherlands, but for boys it's become extremely popular in France, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. And the trendiness of the entire group of bird names certainly helps it sound more stylish too.

Robin

Cute nickname of Angela and other angelic names, Angie is now being used on its own, although its popularity has fallen in recent years. That said, Angie is one of those surprising classics, hanging on in the girls' Top 1000 continuously since its inception in 1880.

Angie

Drew is an elegant formerly male-only alternative to Andy that joined the stylishly upscale Paige-Brooke-Blair sorority, thanks largely to Drew Barrymore. Barrymore comes by her first name legitimately: it was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother, Georgiana 'Georgie' Drew Barrymore, one of many esteemed actors in her family history.
 Jessica Simpson used Drew as the middle name of her daughter Maxwell.

Drew

A Scottish place and surname that was once adrogynous but now leans about 20 to 1 toward the girls' side, Leslie has a pleasant, heathery feel that kept it in or near the Top 100 for several decades; the Lesly and Lesley spellings are also frequently used, especially in Britain. While Leslie may not be the freshest name in the bunch, it's become a modern classic and is one of the surprising names always to have ranked among the US Top 1000 for girls.
 Trivia tidbit: Both President Gerald Ford and comedian Bob Hope were born Leslie, and Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart used the name for their daughter, in honor of actor Leslie Howard.

Leslie

Presidential name that makes a fresh substitute for MacKenzie or McKenna. Possible spelling variations include MacKinley, MacKinlee, Makinleigh ad almost infinitum. McKinley is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/472/scottish-names-for-girls">Scottish names for girls</a> that can work equally well for boys.

Mckinley

Lennox is one of the new breed of surname names on the rise as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/472/scottish-names-for-girls">Scottish name for girls</a> as well as boys. The final x makes the name a bit masculine a la Max and Felix, but female inspirations include Eurythmics' Annie Lennox, Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden, and Lennox Scanlon in sitcom Melissa & Joey.

Lennox

Y is often used to feminize a variant spelling of a name, though of course there's nothing intrinsically gendered about it. The Karsyn spelling is slightly off its peak for girls, but rising for boys.

Karsyn

Singer Macy Gray has popularized this cute and upbeat choice—once solely associated with the department store. A modern replacement for Stacy and Tracy, Macy was most popular in the early 2000s when it nearly made the US Top 100.
 
Derived from an English surname, itself borrowed from several towns in France, Macy has been in use longer than you might think. Given to a small group of girls (and a smaller handful of boys) most years since the late 1800s, it might also be used as a variation on nickname Maisy. 
 
It really began to climb the charts in the 90s when it appeared in the soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful and was boosted further by the aforementioned singer. Also used in the UK and the Netherlands, Macy has been joined in the charts by Macy, Maci, and Macie (the current favorite spelling), while Maesi, Maycee, and Macee are other forms.

Macy

While Gwen may have originated as a short form of Gwendolen and Gwendolyn, these days it frequently stands on its own. Rocker Gwen Stefani has given it a shot of cool, and parents are choosing it as a standalone more and more often—Gwen hopped back onto the US Top 1000 in 2013 after an absence of over 30 years. Gwen could also be short for Guinevere.

Gwen

Theodora is one of the most revival-worthy of the charmingly old-fashioned Victorian valentine names, softly evocative but still substantial, as is the reversed-syllable Dorothea. 
 
The name Theodora was borne by several saints and by the beautiful ninth wife of the Emperor Justinian, who became the power behind his throne. A later royal was Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, the older sister of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. 

 Theodora offers a menu of neat nicknames, from the classic Teddy to trendy Thea to the vintage Dora. Theodora also has some cool international variations as well: Theodosia, Feodora and Teodora. It re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2019 for the first time in over 60 years and for a while seemed destined to follow brother name Theodore toward the top of the list. 2024 saw it fall in popularity, though time will tell if this downward trend continues. 
 
 Keith Richards named his daughter Theodora back in 1985, while Robbie Williams did the same in 2012, and affectionately calls her Teddy. It was also chosen by content creators Jessica and Claudia Kellgren-Fozard for one of their daughters, born in 2025, a twin to Augusta. In TV's Grey's Anatomy Dr. Theodora "Teddy" Altman was a surgeon.

Theodora

Bristol Palin, the daughter of former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, grabbed her own share of headlines after her pregnancy and having appearing on Dancing With The Stars. She subsequently (almost) single-handedly propelled her distinctive name, derived from the name of a city in England, into the Top 1000 and up the charts. 
 
A very rare name before 2008 when Palin's mother was chosen as the Republican's vice president running mate, Bristol had sky-rocketed by 2009 when it made the charts. The number of girls called Bristol doubled between 2007 and 2008 when it was given to 65 babies. The following year, it was seven times more popular again, given to around 440 girls.
 
Bristol Palin was named in honor of the Bristol Inn where her mother was employed, along with Bristol, Connecticut , and Bristol Bay, Alaska, where her father spent his childhood. Meaning "the site of the bridge", it could also be a nod to the English city and to American Independence Day, as the Bristol 4th July Parade in Rhode Island is one of the longest running celebrations of the event.
 
Bristol remains in the US Top 1000 but it had seen a decline in use in recent years. Given to 573 girls in a recent year (along with 11 boys), it is a slightly off-beat yet familiar choice.

Bristol

Although the Kathryn spelling feels like a modern streamlining of this ancient royal and saints' name, it is in fact found back through history. At least one of Henry the Eighth's unfortunately wives sometimes spelled her name as Kathryn.
 
While Katherine is the number one spelling of the name these days and Catherine number 2, the Kathryn form is well-used if not exactly modern-feeling. Two recent Kathryns of note: Academy Award-winning film director Kathryn Bigelow and bestselling novelist Kathryn Stockett.

Kathryn

Take away the Mac and what do you have? Rather than "son of Kenneth," the meaning becomes simply Kenneth, which in itself means son of fire or handsome.

In the US, the name Kenzie peaked for girls about ten years ago. There are still plenty of baby girls named Kenzie, though: More than 500, versus only nine baby boys.
 
Mackenzie peaked earlier, around the turn of the century, but seems to have more staying power. It still ranks among the Top 200 names for baby girls in the US, used for more than 2000 baby girls last year.

Kenzie

A unique combination of a surname feel and dainty femininity, Lacey is a favorite in the UK where it ranks in the Top 500. Likely derived from the name of a place in Normandy, it might occasionally be considered a diminutive to Wallace ("Welshman") or Larissa ("citadel").
 
The original spelling Lacy was once used for boys in the US, but Lacey has predominantly charted for girls, peaking in the 90s when it reached the Top 200. In the UK, it even made the Top 50 in 2010, having begun to climb the charts after actress Lacey Turner took up her role in the long-running soap, Eastenders back in 2004. 
 
Also spelled Laci and Lacie, the name has seen a decline in popularity in recent years, though it remains a pretty choice.
 
Notable bearers include actress Lacey Chambert and wrestler Lacey Evans.

Lacey

Like Peggy and Patsy, Penny is a peppy vintage nickname that fell out of favor (and the Top 1000) for a while, but has recently rebounded by reentering the charts in 2013. Expect it to continue gaining traction on the heels of Penelope.
 
A Top 200 choice in England and Wales, Penny could be considered a word name, as in the copper coin used in England and the US, and as a musical choice, thanks to The Beatles song, Penny Lane.

Penny

The Maisie spelling may be more widely used, but Maisy is perfectly proper and also makes the British Top 100.  And as Maisy, she feels like a closer relative to Daisy, another Margaret diminutive.

Maisy

Lettie, also spelled Letty, is a nickname name that until recently, had rarely been heard since the 1950s. Now, this treasured antique is on the rise, fitting right in with the trend for old-fashioned, down-to-earth nickname, such as Lottie, Hettie, Hattie, Josie, and Maisie.
 One of Joan Crawford's early hit roles was in 1932 as the eponymous heroine of the film Letty Lynton, in which she wore a dress--dubbed the Letty Lynton dress--that became a national fad. More recently, the name appeared on characters in the novel and film Howl's Moving Castle and in the musical, The Greatest Showman.
 
Originally used as a short form for Letitia (or Lettice), if that doesn't appeal and you don't want to use Lettie on the birth certificate, other names with the nickname include Loretta, Violette, Scarlett, Elisabeth, Colette, Juliette, Violetta, Arlette, and potentially Charlotte or Elliot/Elliette. 
 
A rising number of parents having been choosing the name since 2015, and, as of 2024, it re-entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in nearly 80 years. In England and Wales, it made its debut in 2025
 
In a recent (US) count, the Lettie spelling was given to 358 babies, while Letty was chosen for 158. Combined, it ranks around the #580 mark, alongside Cleo, Mckenzie, Imani, and Sevyn.

Lettie

Charlie and its many forms are on the rise -- including Charley, which relates more directly to the male formal name Charles. Surprisingly, though, while the number of girls and boys named Charlie are nearly even, there are six times as many girls named Charley than boys. 
 
The Charley spelling still ranks in the Top 1000 for girls, though it's fourth in popularity behind Charlie, Charlee, and Charli.

Charley

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.

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. (Page 11)