The beguiling Darya is the name of a character in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. As a Russian name, it's a spelling variation of Daria, while in Iran, it's a girl's name that means "the sea".

A name made famous by Marisas Berenson and Tomei, never became as saturated as its cousin Melissa, so still a feasible choice. Marisa is one of those Spanish and Italian names for girls that sounds at once unusual and familiar, which makes it truly an international choice.

Cross-cultural name with a great nautical meaning. It boomed in the 1930s and has potential for revival now.

Evocative Spanish city name that would make a one-of-a-kind given name.

Used for a free-spirited character on a 1990s sitcom, this name of a beautiful Southern California canyon does have an unconventional aura.

This mythological sea monster, as described in Homer's Odyssey, lives on one side of a narrow channel of water opposite her counterpart Charybdis. Scylla is described as having 12 feet and six heads on long snaky necks, each head having a triple row of sharklike teeth. She had the habit on snacking on passing sailors, including several of Odysseus's crew.

French diminutive of Marine

The name of several early saints, including one, Pelagia the Penitent, a beautiful and licentious dancing girl who repented, then, disguised as a man, spent the rest of her life living alone in a cave on the Mount of Olives. Because of her early vocation, she is the patron saint of actresses.

Stella Maris ("star of the sea") is an historic title for the Virgin Mary, in use since at least the early medieval period. Although it actually arose from a scribal error in the etymology of the name Mary, it came to be seen as symbolic of Mary's role as "guiding star" on the way to Christ. Under this name, the Virgin Mary is believed to intercede as a guide and protector of seafarers in particular, and many coastal churches are named Stella Maris or Star of the Sea.

In English, Kailea is an unusual variant spelling of Kayley or Kaylee. In Hawaiian, Kaileʻa means "sea of joy".

Kailea is one of

One of the many names for the Virgin Mary, this name is popular in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities.

This Maori name, often heard in New Zealand, is an attractive, evocative choice for lovers of the ocean made famous – perhaps too famous – by the Disney heroine. Moana was also an alternate name for the heroine Ofelia in Pan's Labyrinth. Moana may also be a color name for a deep ocean blue ("lanu moana"). Moana and other Disney Princess Names are the subject of a featured blog.

Coast conjures up images of big waves, beach days, and expansive shorelines and could be a cool alternative to Cove, Ocean, or Bay. Given to just 15 girls in a recent year, compared to 184 boys, it does lean masculine in the US.

Irish Gaelic spelling of Molly, which derives from Mary.

An undiscovered gem with clunky, buttoned-up appeal and a literary feel thanks to poet Delmore Schwartz.

Sunny and energetic, but with a hint of cool cowboy, Zealand has been sparingly used since the 2000s, Zealand but shot up the charts in 2021 after YouTube family The Labrants gave it to their son the previous year. By 2022, it had quadrupled in popularity, revealing the influence celebs can make on baby name choices.

Like others in this vein, problematic due to the feminine Hailey connection.

Cormorant is definitely one of the most unusual of the newly fashionable animal names, and one of the rare bird names for boys.

Highly unusual water name -- and actor Colin surname -- with a Scottish burr. Firth derives from the Old Norse word fjord.

A perfectly fine Anglo surname, though we'd prefer Keaton. Oscar-winning writer-director George Seaton (Miracle on 34th Street, The Country Girl) was actually born George Stenius.