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Invented Girl Names

Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Wed Jan 31 2024
Invented Girl Names

Invented girl names are as creative as they come. The only way to ensure that your daughter will have a one-of-a-kind name is to invent one yourself! Unless, of course, you invent too good of a name and it catches on... (ahem, Abrielle and Wrenley).

In addition to Abrielle and Wrenley, other invented girl names in the US Top 1000 include Kaylee, Milani, Haisley, Nevaeh, Jaliyah, Mazikeen, Novalee, and Skyla.

We tend to think of invented girl names as a modern phenomenon, but plenty of classic and well-established names are the result of someone's ingenuity. Shakespeare invented the name Jessica, for example. Other literary invented names for girls include Pamela, Lucinda, and Wendy.

Many invented names come from TV and movies, such as Khaleesi and Jovie, and celebrities with invented names have been known to popularize the likes of Miley, Kimora, and Banksy.

Many made-up girl names are a combination of trendy prefixes and suffixes, such as Bryn-, Wren-, -ley, and -yah.

Below, see our entire collection of invented names for girls, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Girl Names

  1. Ophelia

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "help"

    • Description:

      Floral, elegant, and bold, Ophelia re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts. It has risen more than 700 spots since then and shows no signs of slowing down. Now in the US Top 300, could Ophelia one day become the next Olivia or Amelia?
  2. Wendy

    • Origin:

      English, Celtic, Welsh

    • Meaning:

      "friend or white"

    • Description:

      It is popularly claimed that the name Wendy was invented by Sir James Barrie in 1904 for the big sister character in his play Peter Pan, which was followed by the classic novel in 1911. Barrie supposedly took it from the nickname "fwendy-wendy", that he was called by a young girl acquaintance.
  3. Brielle

    • Origin:

      Short form of Gabrielle, French, Cajun, Hebrew, Celtic

    • Meaning:

      "god is my strength; hunting grounds"

    • Description:

      Though it sounds modern, Brielle is, among other things, a traditional Cajun contraction of Gabrielle, and the name of a historic seaport in the Western Netherlands, also known as Brill. Today, it is used more widely as a nickname for Gabrielle and as a stand-alone name that fits in easily with Isabelle, Briana, and Brinley. In a recent year, it appeared in the US Top 200, ranking above the longer form and used nearly four times as often.
  4. Jessica

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "behold or wealthy"

    • Description:

      When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the mid-1980s and 1990s, never sounding quite as trendy as its predecessor, maybe because of its classic Shakespearean pedigree.
  5. Abcde

    • Origin:

      American invented name

    • Description:

      Taken from the first five letters of the alphabet, Abcde is a rare and polarizing invention. It made headlines in 2018, when a Southwest Airlines employee took a photo of five-year-old Abcde Redford's name and posted it on social media, mocking the name.
  6. Kinsley

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "king's meadow"

    • Description:

      Light and glittery, but with plenty of spirit, Kinsley has risen quickly into the US Top 100. Balanced between preppy and cutesy, it feels like a fresh alternative to Kelly, Kaitlyn, or Kimberly.
  7. Araminta

    • Origin:

      Literature, compound of Arabella and Aminta, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "loveable; unyielding + defender; unfading"

    • Description:

      Araminta is a poetic and enchanting eighteenth-century invention with plenty of elegance and a touch of old-fashioned clunkiness. It first appeared in William Congreve's 17th century comedy The Old Bachelor and then again in 1705 when it was used by architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh in his play The Confederacy.
  8. Vanessa

    • Origin:

      Literary invention; also a species of butterfly

    • Description:

      Vanessa was invented by writer Jonathan Swift for a lover named Esther Vanhomrigh—he combined the first syllable of her last name with the initial syllable of her first. Swift used it in the poem Cadenus and Vanessa in 1713. A century later, Johan Christian Fabricius used Vanessa as the name of a genus of butterfly.
  9. Cosette

    • Origin:

      French literary nickname

    • Meaning:

      "little thing"

    • Description:

      Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables. In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some etymologists believe it's a spin on Colette, originally a female short form of Nicolas.
  10. Kayla

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "laurel, crown"

    • Description:

      Kayla is a modern invented name that emerged in the late 1950s. Despite its similarity to the name Michaela, Kayla most likely began as a combination of the then-popular name Kay and -la suffix. Alternatively, it may be a variation of the Yiddish name Kaila, which derived from the Hebrew name Kelila. Kayla can also be considered an Anglicization of the Gaelic surname MacCaollaidhe or MacCathail.
  11. Jovie

    • Origin:

      Modern invented

    • Meaning:

      "jovial"

    • Description:

      Jovie has a lively and cheerful sound and makes a fresh twist on old (and new) favorites like Jody, Josie, and Jolie. It could be considered a short form of Jovita, Jovena, and Jovana - all feminine forms of Jove, the Roman king of gods - but it could equally work as a stand alone name.
  12. Nyla

    • Origin:

      Arabic, Sanskrit, Irish, modern invention

    • Meaning:

      "winner, one who achieves; hero; cloud; wind, air; dark blue"

    • Description:

      Bright, spirited, and playful, Nyla shares sounds with the popular Isla, Lila, Layla, and Delilah, making it feel fresh and in style. A name with a number of possible origins, it made a brief, anomalous appearance on the US charts in 1941, before disappearing again for the next 60 years. It has been back in the US Top 1000 since 2001, and is currently on the rise, given to around 1230 girls each year.
  13. Zyla

    • Origin:

      Modern invented name, English form of Xyla

    • Meaning:

      "wood"

    • Description:

      With its on trend Z initial and its similarity to Lyla, Myla, and Kaia, Zyla is a zesty, modern choice which sits just outside the US Top 1000. Given to around 250 girls in a recent count, its zippy, stylish feel may see it rise in coming years.
  14. Miranda

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "marvelous"

    • Description:

      Miranda, a shimmeringly lovely, poetic name that was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful and admirable young heroine of his play, The Tempest, is still a recommended choice even though its popularity peaked in the 1990's, partially as an antidote to Amanda. But while Amanda now sounds dated, Miranda retains a good measure of its charm.
  15. Eowyn

    • Origin:

      Literary name

    • Meaning:

      "horse lover"

    • Description:

      A literary name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for a Lord of the Rings noblewoman of Rohan. Properly spelled with an accent over the first E – Éowyn – it would make an interesting choice for literature lovers or fans of names like Elowen and Evelyn.
  16. Myra

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "sweet-smelling oil"

    • Description:

      As with many grandmother-y names, this choice may be coming back into style.
  17. Bexley

    • Origin:

      English place-name

    • Description:

      The name of an affluent suburb of Columbus, Ohio and a section of Greater London, Bexley is increasingly being coopted by parents looking for a novel name in the Kinsley/AInsley/Paisley family. Bexley debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2016 and is definitely one of the trendiest girl names starting with B. Think of it as a 21st century Becky.
  18. Lucinda

    • Origin:

      Variation of Lucia

    • Meaning:

      "light"

    • Description:

      Lucinda, an elaboration of Lucia created by Cervantes for his 1605 novel Don Quixote, is a pleasingly pretty alternative to Lucy. It was subsequently used by Moliere in his play The Doctor in Spite of Himself' (1666). More in tune with the times than Linda, Belinda and Melinda, it could be used to honor someone with one of those dated names.
  19. Geraldine

    • Origin:

      German and French, feminine variation of Gerald

    • Meaning:

      "ruler with the spear"

    • Description:

      Though twin brother Gerald is still in baby name limbo, Geraldine is in line to follow the path of Josephine to imminent revival—even though Gerry is not as spunky a nickname as Josie.
  20. Zariah

    • Origin:

      Arabic, Hebrew, Russian

    • Meaning:

      "flower, God has helped, dawn"

    • Description:

      Zariah has three possible origins: the Arabic Zahrah which means ‘flower’, the Hebrew name Azariah, meaning ‘God has helped’, or the Russian word Zaria which means ‘sunrise/dawn’. Either way, it's a strong and striking name with a range of lovely meanings.