by Pamela Redmond Satran
What’s so special about European names?, you might ask. After all, the majority of the baby names most widely used in the US have European origins.
But what we’re talking about here are baby names that are not widely used in the US. A diverse group of names that are largely unknown in the US yet are familiar enough that they rank just below the Nameberry Top 1000.
Search here to find a distinctive name from your family’s culture of origin. Or think of these names as a way to spark up old favorites that have perhaps grown a bit boring in their usual American incarnation. Emily may feel a lot more appealing as Emiliana and Sophronia may freshen up Sophia.
These girls’ names hail from a wide range of European countries, from Ireland to Russia, Spain to Sweden. What they have in common is a stylish European flavor that will be in good taste anywhere.
- Ailish
- Aine
- Aisling
- Akasha
- Alethea
- Alienor
- Amandine
- Amaris
- Amerie
- Amoret
- Anaelle
- Annaliese
- Anoushka
- Antonella
- Antonina
- Aoibhe
- Apolline
- Araceli
- Artemisia
- Atarah
- Aurelie
- Avril
- Axelle
- Aziza
- Belen
- Branwen
- Brisa
- Britta
- Bronwen
- Calixta
- Callisto
- Caprice
- Carlotta
- Catriona
- Celestina
- Ceres
- Ceridwen
- Ciel
- Clodagh
- Corisande
- Cybele
- Dasha
- Demetria
- Doutzen
- Eabha
- Eimear
- Eleri
- Elettra
- Elke
- Emiliana
- Eos
- Esperanza
- Estrella
- Eugenie
- Eulalie
- Evadne
- Faustina
- Fenella
- Fenna
- Finola
- Fiorella
- Flavia
- Freja
- Ghislaine
- Giada
- Ginevra
- Giovanna
- Gisele
- Giulia
- Giuliana
- Gretel
- Griselda
- Hebe
- Hilda
- Ilaria
- Ilsa
- Imelda
- Indra
- Inga
- Iolanthe
- Irina
- Isa
- Ismay
- Ivana
- Jules
- Kassia
- Katya
- Keren
- Kirsten
- Liesel
- Lilo
- Lisette
- Lotte
- Lourdes
- Luz
- Madelief
- Maelie
- Maelys
- Magdala
- Mairead
- Malou
- Marcheline
- Marine
- Marit
- Mattea
- Melisandre
- Mignon
- Milana
- Minette
- Minna
- Morag
- Morrigan
- Morwenna
- Natalya
- Nephele
- Oceana
- Odile
- Olwen
- Ottoline
- Perdita
- Perla
- Rafaella
- Ravenna
- Rhonwen
- Rosalia
- Sandrine
- Sanne
- Sarai
- Satine
- Seren
- Sian
- Sidonie
- Sidra
- Signe
- Sigrid
- Solana
- Soledad
- Solene
- Sophronia
- Sorcha
- Tanith
- Thalassa
- Thessaly
- Undine
- Valeria
- Vianne
- Xanthipe
- Xena
- Ximena
- Xiomara
- Yasmin
- Zephyrine
- Zosia
Would you use any of these names for your baby girl? Which are your favorites?
