Invented Girl Names

This ancient-looking name is actually a 20th century invention, on the model of Suzanne, Marianne, Yvonne and other similar names. It is the name of a seer in Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, and notable real-life bearers include musician and food writer Ysanne Spevack, and English actress Ysanne Churchman.

A variation of Riley with an added -lynn suffix, this girl name is bubbling right underneath the Top 1000.

Linley is one of the trendy new girls' names created from two popular halves, Lin and Ley. All names Ley ending are popular right now, with Oakley, Bexley, and Riley picking up where Ashley left off. Nearly 100 baby girls were named Linley in one recent year, so it's closing in on the Top 1000.

The Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson created Milvi as a nickname for Miranda. It's also connected to the Estonian word miilama, meaning "glow" or "burn slowly".

Aubriella is a hybrid name that marries two trendy favorites, Aubrey and Ella, into a unit that's somehow less than the sum of its parts. Though both Aubrey and Ella may be overused at this point, combining them into Aubriella does not improve the choice. Aubriella entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2014.

Timberly emerged on the charts in 1960 as an alternative to Kimberly. It never caught on and has been given to no more than 25 baby girls each year since. These days it may also be seen as an elaboration of Timber, an up-and-coming gender-neutral nature name.

With Henley and Kinsley two of the most popular new ley-ending baby names for girls, why not Hensley? We can think of several reasons, but if you like this style of name, Hensley is as attractive as any.

This contemporary creation plays on a couple of trends by applying the attractive Z to the rhyming family of names including Hailey, Bailey, and Kayley. The -ee suffix is the icing on the cake. It first entered the US Top 1000 in 2015.

In Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Kida is a warrior princess from the lost city of Atlantis. Her full name in the film is Kidagakash, which was created for the film. Read more about Kida and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

A rarely used play on Amber, making it more feminine and both more modern and old-fashioned at the same time.

Jaelyn is a name popular in many spellings and variations, including Jaelynn, Jaylin, and Jalen, and used for girls as well as boys.

Cerie -- which may be thought of as a variation of Siri or Cherie or Ceri but in fact is related to none of them -- is the name of Liz Lemon's assistant Cerie Xerox on 30 Rock. The gorgeous Cerie's name is pronounced seh-REE. As baby names go, you could do worse. But you could also do a lot better.

A modern invention that combines Taylor's ending with the kool initial K.

Though trendy Arlo is increasingly unisex -- especially since Leighton Meester and Adam Brody gave it to their daughter -- this is a more explicitly female way to spell it. It was one of the fastest-rising girls' names of 2017 and will be among the trendy unique unisex names of the future.

Janiyah’s star is definitely fading, but it will likely remain in the Top 1000 for years to come.

Many invented names that end in -isha spring from the Arabic Aisha, an important name in the Muslim religion. The Ta- or Te- prefix was especially stylish for both girls and boys in the eighties. This name may also be related to Tanis.

Normani is a name made famous by the person it was invented for, singer Normani, whose birth name is Normani Kordei Hamilton. An unlikely combination of the operatic grandma name Norma and the designer surname Armani, Normani was given to more than 50 baby girls in the US last year.

Baby girl names ending in lynn seem to become more numerous all the time, and this choice combining the pretty nature suffix Lake with lyn seems destined for more widespread use. Lakelynn and her sister name Lakelyn both entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022, with the Lakelynn spelling slightly taking the lead.

Combining popular names Brynn and Ryleigh produced a new name that has ranked in the Top 1000 since 2010, never surpassing the top mark set at Number 841 in 2013. Trendiness personified.

An updated form of Emmeline or Emmaline or a compound name that makes your chosen pronunciation more obvious. Spelling variation Emmalyn reached the US Top 500 in2017, but has since fallen out of Top 1000. However, if you put the two spellings together, this smoosh name is given to nearly 400 girls, placing it above Emmeline or Emmaline. Influence Emmalynn Minassian and Canadian singer, Emmalyn Estrada are notable bearers.