Names That Mean Woman

Parents seeking a distinctive New Testament name might consider this one. Adopted by some Puritans in the seventeenth century, Persis was used in the William Dean Howells novel The Rise of Silas Lapham for the wife of the protagonist.

This name has it all - looks, brains, charms and an international sound that can go anywhere.

Nazia is a name seen in both Pakistan and India, which derives from the word naaz, meaning pride. It may be difficult to introduce this name into the West, given the first four letters, which is unfortunate given its lovely meaning. Nazia Hassan (a singer, lawyer and social activist) was probably the most famous woman with this name.

This name of a beautiful Moorish woman character in Don Quixote is rarely heard.

Mirembe is a feminine Ugandan name stemming from the Luganda word "emirembe" meaning peace, quiet. In Luganda, Rs are pronounced similar to Ls, so mill-EM-beh is an approximate pronunciation.

This is an eighteenth century elaboration of Honor found in Charles Dickens (Bleak House) but rarely heard here and now.

Spelling variant of Arianwen. Note that in Welsh, the -wyn suffix is usually masculine.

Fatou and its long form Fatoumata are variations of the popular Muslim name Fatima, who was one of four perfect women cited by the Quran.

Agathe is a hugely popular name in contemporary France, even if it's English-speaking counterparts have not yet warmed to the usual English version, Agatha. The French pronunciation is sure to trip up non-French speakers.

The mononymous Colombian-born singer inspired a popularity blip in the 90s and early 00s.

Babs is an old-fashioned nickname for Barbara, itself an old-fashioned name that was hugely popular in the 20th century but that's not (yet) on its way back in. If you really want a vintage-y nickname name with a lot of attitude that bucks the current friends, go for Babs instead of Betty or Bea.

Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose birth certificates are not filled out on time are given generic placeholders for registration, such as Infant, Unknown, or Baby. But more influential during this decade was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman. It's the origin of the famed line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Multicultural mini name with an intuitive pronunciation — it's a recipe for success, yet Lida remains under the radar.

Fatima, a popular Muslim name, was a daughter of Muhammad and one of the four perfect women of the Quran. Fatoumata and its short form Fatou are West African variations.

Portuguese form of Magdalena or Madeleine

The Italian form of Hilda is rarer but sweeter than its mother name, which still isn't ready for revival in the US.

Itta is a cute old-fashioned name that arose parallelly as a nickname for Yehudit, used among Ashkenazi Jews, and a variation of Ita, an Irish name.

As elaborate O names such as Olympia and Ophelia gain popularity, Orithyia seems more and more usable. It's the name of several women in Greek mythology, including Orithyia, Queen of the Amazon, who co-ruled with her sister Antiope.

While cute in sound, the connotations of the word "minx" make it an inappropriate choice for a baby name.