UK Girl Names

Eliorah

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.
 The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann novel, Once is Not Enough, which was later made into a movie. Then, five years later, the mother-to-be of January Jones – future Mad Men star – was inspired by that character to give the name to her baby daughter, as did enough other parents in 1978 to bring January to Number 639 on the list.
 
More recently, January was used by Emily Henry in her popular contemporary romance novel, Beach Read, which might inspire parents-to-be in coming years. As of 2024, it was only used on 11 girls in the US, making it a very rare choice.
 So if you're looking for a cool and unusual namesake for a Janet, Janice or Joanna – or for someone with a birthday in the first month of the year , January might be the perfect alternative. January, along with Snow and Frost, are also perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">names for winter babies</a>.

January

Vintage and charming with a hint of southern-belle about it, Louanna blends two classic names into one. Meaning "graceful, renowned warrior", it was briefly popular in the US in the late 1800s. Alternative forms Luann, Luana, and Luanna have enjoyed more popularity, while Louanne is favored in France.


Louanna

Sweet and lively Luella has been rising up the charts in recent years, and now this sleek form in the style of Noelle, Lucille, and Estelle is catching parents' attention. Considered a compound name, blending Louisa with Ella (or Elle, in this case), Luelle has stylish sounds and is far rarer than Luella. Given to 16 babies in a recent year, it has nevertheless doubled in popularity in the early 2020s.


Luelle

The sweet and stylish Maeve, paired with that enduring -lynn suffix, in the style of Emberlynn, Jazlynn, and Kaylynn. It has a variety of meanings depending on which of Lynn you follow, but options include: "intoxicating beauty", "intoxicating lake", or "flexible, tender, and intoxicating".
 Alternative spelling Maevelyn is currently more popular (albeit only used quietly for now), and was given to 14 girls in a recent count. Maevelynn was used for 9 babies in the same year.

Maevelynn

She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">names for Christmas babies</a>.

Merry

Netta ranked in the US Top 1000 in the 1880s, when it was often used as a short form of names such as Jeanette, Annette, and Antoinette. In Jewish families, Netta was typically seen as a variation of the Hebrew name Neta.

Netta

A -lynn name with a cool, unisex edge, Rocklynn blends Rock or Rocky with the Welsh llyn or gwyn, giving it a nature-y, outdoorsy meaning. Alternatively, it may blend the Spanish names Rocío and Linda to give the meaning "pretty, beautiful dew". This spelling is used predominantly (though quietly) for girls with 6 babies given the name in a recent year.

Rocklynn

Dates from when Charlene was hot enough to have spelling variations. 

Sharlene

An elaborate diminutive name that had its (quiet) heyday back in the 1920s and 30s, Sydelle is likely derived from Sarah (via Sadie), Siegfriede (meaning "victorious peace"), or Sydney ("St Denis"). Alternative theories are it was inspired by the surnames Sidell ("wide recess; wide valley") and Seidel (either from Siegfried or a German word meaning "tankard"). 
 
Also spelled as Sydell, Sydelle peaked in 1930 when it was given to 46 girls, though it appeared in the charts as recently as 2023, when 10 girls were given the name. Actress Sydelle Noel is a notable bearer.

Sydelle

The old word name Temple has gained some recent notice as a girls' name via admired autistic writer and inventor Dr. Temple Grandin (born Mary Temple), subject of an acclaimed biopic, in which she was played by Claire Danes. 
 As a female name, it was seen as the college-girl character of Temple Drake in the William Faulkner novel Sanctuary and the 1933 film The Story of Temple Drake. And as a surname, it will forever be identified with cute child star Shirley Temple.

Temple

Possibly inspired by Viola or by the way F and V sounds are pronounced similarly in Dutch and German, Viona is a variant of the Scottish Fiona. The change of spelling brings something bright and sharp to the name, and distances it from the Shrek association some may have. 
 
Other theories about the source of Viona include that it is a variation of Winona ("first"), Viola (botanical name), Vionnet ("way, path, trail), or Vienna (place name). 
 
Notable bearers include ice hockey player Viona Harrer, footballer Viona Rexhepi, and actress Viona Rosalina.

Viona

A playful alternative to Abbie, Avery, Aubrey, and Briana, Abrie is a nickname style choice with a number of possible origins. It may be considered an variant of Aubrey, inspired by Abigail, giving it the meaning "elf ruler", however, it could equally be a feminine form of Biblical Abraham, meaning "father of multitudes". 
 
There's also the possibility that it comes from the Spanish and Catalan Abril, which translates to "April", or perhaps from the Ewe and Latin Abra which means "born on a Tuesday" and "maid" respectively. Additionally, there's the Persian Abrisham ("silk"), and the Hebrew Abriel (perhaps meaning "God is my father".)

Abrie

Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for girls since 1421. The church of the Virgin "Nuestra Senora de Africa" is in Ceuta, the Spanish city she is Patron of, in North Africa.
 There have been several other theories as to the origin of the name. Some believe it refers to the name of the ancient Berber people who inhabited North Africa, others believe Africa means "greyish" in reference to the color of sand, and yet another theory is that it is a Phoenician word meaning "colony," as Africa was once a colony of the Roman Empire. To complicate matters further, spelled Affrica, it is also used in Spanish-speaking countries, meaning "pleasant."
 Africa has been a recorded name in the U.S. since the eighteenth century.

Africa

This Anglicized spelling makes the pronunciation of Ailís or Aileas — the Irish and Scottish forms of Alice, respectively — slightly more obvious to English-speakers. Ailis or Aileas are more authentic spellings, but may be fighting a losing battle against the influence of Billie Eilish.

Ailish

Diminutive of Alvina, and a cute boyish retro nickname we can see making its way back onto a few birth certificates today.

Alvie

Analiese is the rarest form of this increasingly popular German smoosh name, at least in the US. Only 26 baby girls were named Analiese in one recent years, versus about 75 called Annaliese, 100 named Analiese, and 750 given the popular Annalise spelling.
 
The Liese part of the name is the German form of Lisa, a short form of Elizabeth.

Analiese

Anneth was derived from the Cornish word annedh, meaning "home," but it may also be viewed as a variation of the French name Annette.

Anneth

A modern word name, Anthem may be considered spiritual, patriotic, uplifting, or simply musical. Used to describe a song that is rousing and promotes a certain belief, group or country, it also links to songs performed by church choirs. 
 
Similar in sound to Anthea, Anna, and Athena, we're surprised it took until 2015 to first enter the US stats for girls, despite having been used for boys since at least 2008. Now, it is given to a small number of babies each year, with 5 girls receiving it in a recent year.

Anthem

One of the new color names that is catching on, invoking a calm, blue-green-sea feeling. 

Aqua

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 46)