Updated October 2026
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Spanish variation of Carmel or Latin
"garden or song"
Carmen has long been associated with the sensuous, tragic heroine of Bizet's opera, based on a novel by Prosper Merimee; more recently it has called to mind two other bombshells: Carmen Miranda (born…
Spanish and Italian from Hebrew
"garden"
Carmelo is a well-used Hispanic name associated with Mt. Carmel, home of the prophet Elijah and the location of the convent for the order of Carmelites. Carmelo is also a saint's name and — in modern…
Scottish
"garden of holly"
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;…
Old English
"settlement with a leek garden"
This first name was once a surname derived from Old English. Used quietly a century ago, the current fashion for two-syllable boy names ending in n makes this one a new hit.
Italian and Spanish variation of Carmel
Carmela has been most famous recently as the name of Tony Soprano's TV wife, played by Edie Falco. The spellings Carmela and Carmella are both used in Latin cultures including Italian, Spanish, and…
Italian and Spanish variation of Carmel, Hebrew
Most familiar as the name of Tony Soprano's wife, but she spelled it Carmela. In the contemporary US, both Carmella and Carmela are used in near-equal numbers, given to a total of about 300 baby…
Arabic
"paradise, garden"
In Islamic tradition, Jannah specifically refers to the paradise or heavenly garden that awaits the faithful in the afterlife. This spiritual significance makes the name particularly meaningful in…
While the variation Carmine is more familiar for boys, Carmen has also been used as a masculine name; consider the very macho Carmen Basilio — the American boxer famous for defeating the great Sugar…
The most popular variation of this name for baby girls is Leighton, as in Leighton Meester, the actress who introduced her name to the mainstream when she rose to fame on Gossip Girl .
Bengali and Urdu
Jannat is derived from the Arabic word jannah , which refers to the final paradise for good souls in the afterlife. Jannat is primarily used among Indian and Pakistani Muslims. Cennet is the Turkish…
Spanish and Italian variation of Carmen, Hebrew
Carmelo is the more popular spelling of this name in the US, probably thanks to basketball great Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo ranks in the Top 1000 and was given to about 350 baby boys last year, while…
This Scottish place name and surname was more popular for boys in the US until the mid-1940s; in the UK, the Leslie spelling is predominantly masculine, with Lesley widely used as the feminine…
Variation of Leslie, Scottish
Lesley runs a distant second to more popular sister Leslie, used for about 30 baby girls in one recent year vs. Leslie's 400+. And interestingly, no baby boys were named Lesley though about 40 were…
Hebrew
Carmel is a biblical place-name that is often used by Catholic parents around the world. It is given in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and is the name of a mountain ridge on the Mediterranean near…
English
"keeper of the garden"
Surely one of the most pleasant and evocative of the occupational options.
Diminutive of Carmela, Italian and Spanish
"garden, garden of God"
An elaborate diminutive of Carmela or Carmel, this name has elegance and sweetness. Derived from Hebrew, it is interpreted as meaning "garden" — or sometimes "garden of God" — and is related to the…
Diminutive of Carmel, Hebrew
Carmelita is an obscure short form of an obscure name that may rise to new prominence during the 2012 Olympics, via runner Carmelita Jeter aka "The World's Fastest Woman." Carmelita has a…
Diminutive of Carmen or Carmelo, Hebrew, Spanish and Italian
This old-school short form is showing signs of life thanks to the FX series The Bear , featuring Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto. The Carmi spelling updates it for a 21st-century baby.
Hindi, Hawaiian
"lotus or pale red; or, a garden"
A multicultural name that manages to sound soft and strong at the same time, Kamala is also another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Vice President Kamala Harris, who describes her own name's…
This Muslim girls' name has never gotten much use in the US, but Somali model Rawdah Mohamed may draw more attention to her name.