One of those names like Pamela, Vanessa and Wendy, Lorna was invented for a particular literary character--the protagonist of the 1869 novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore--and then perpetuated as the name of a shortbread cookie. The author claimed to have based it on the Scottish place-name, Lorn. In baby name limbo for quite some time, it was chosen by Judy Garland for her younger daughter, Lorna Luft. Lorna Simpson is an important contemporary American artist.

Created by Sarah J. Maas for the heroine of her Court of Thorns and Roses series of YA novels. The name was based on the Old English word for "fair" or "beautiful" and has an ethereal charm.

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.

Enola has a lot of potential as a name: it includes the stylish 'nola' sound; it follows a similar letter pattern to the likes of Elora, Elara, and Elodie; it has a hint of Nevaeh about it, given that it is "alone" spelled backwards; it's familiar but not popular. For many decades, however, it was known only in relation to the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Enola Gay, and has been understandably avoided.

As frozen in the pre-Beatles era as short white gloves.

Aviana is a name that's like the megapopular Ava and Ariana, but not quite as popular as either. It entered into the mainstream back in 2010 however, after actress Amy Adams chose it for her daughter, fulfilling her desire to choose a "normal" name after all, even if it didn't seem like that a decade ago.

Inspired by the sweet but solid bird name Wren, this longer form has been storming up the charts since 2018. Given to just 13 girls back in 2014, a decade later in 2024, it ranked in the Top 150 and was chosen for more than 1900 girls. It's initial appearance in the stats back in 2013 may have been inspired by the character Renly in Game of Thrones but it has since become a name with its own identity,

This unusual name from the Nahuatl or Aztec language has one of the best meanings around. It sprang onto the US popularity list in 2006 and made a brief appearance in the Top 300 before sliding down a bit. It's popular in Mexico and with US Americans of Latino or Hispanic heritage, hitting on two big girl name trends in those communities: Ya- beginnings and -i endings.

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.

While Alivia may not have achieved the megapopularity of its mother name, it's still a widely used choice. Alivia combines the trendiness of A names with the trendiness of Olivia to create a choice that's slightly off the beaten track -- slightly being the operative word here. Is the distinction the initial A earns you worth a lifetime of explaining, "No, it's Alivia, with an A, not Olivia"? Your call, though ours would be no.

What do you get when you cross two out-of-style, mid-century favorites together?

Khaleesi is an invented name introduced to the world by inventive and prolific author George R. R. Martin for his wildly popular Game of Thrones series—it's Dothraki for "queen" and is one of the titles of the character Daenerys. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2014.

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.

The popular cosmetics brand Maybelline inspires at least a few baby girls' names each year. Company founder Thomas Lyle Williams created the name as a portmanteau of Mabel and Vaseline after watching his sister Mabel mix up a quasi-eyeshadow out of coal dust and Vaseline.

This name is a combination of the traditional Grace and the popular suffix -lyn. Gracelyn could work as an alternative to the popular Brooklyn while also sharing the modern feel of Emberlynn and Oaklyn.

A widely used name, Kaylee pulls together something from Kayla and something from Hailey, yet somehow loses something in the process. It has surpassed cousin Kayla on the charts and is one of three girls' names starting with Kthat ranks in the US Top 100.

Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene, which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with.

Melodic and stylish, Elani blends the lani ending of Hawaiian names like Alani, Kalani and Leilani, with the sounds and beginning of choices like the Hebrew Eliana, the Greek Eleni, and the classic Eleanor.

The name entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2024, coming in at #989. Given to 260 girls, it might be one to watch out for.

Invented for Bellini's opera, Norma had some star quality in the silent-screen and Marilyn Monroe days, but at this point it's a graying grandma in baby name limbo.

As all good Anne of Green Gables buffs would know, Avonlea is the fictional Canadian town created by L. M. Montgomery that Anne Shirley considers home. The literary creation inspired a real Canadian town to adopt the name. Avonlea would make a lovely literary choice for any baby, and would fit in with the Ava and "-lee" naming trends right now.