Invented Girl Names

When British beauty Laura Hollin morphed into supermodel Agyness Deyn, she created a name few others would want to adopt.

Agyness

What a lovely name for the much-longed for daughter - no wonder Aino is in the Top 5 in Finland, whence the name originates. Like other popular Finnish names, Aino is short and avoids the ubiquitous "a" ending we usually see in <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">feminine names</a>, which gives it a fresh feel and sound.
 The name Aino was created by Finnish author Elias Lönnrot who compiled the epic poem Kalevala. In the work, Aino was the only daughter of ambitious parents who chooses death rather than complying with her father's wish that she marry a powerful but old God. The name was immediately popular with the Finnish nationalist community and has recently enjoyed a resurgence of popularity.

Aino

Aloma is a name invented for a Hawaiian dancer, the title character in a 1925 play later adapted twice as a film. But long before that, it was also used by the medieval scholar Ramón Llull, possibly as a feminine form of Alomar (from the Germanic name Aldemar, "old + famous"). The Catalan author Mercè Rodoreda used it for the heroine of her novel Aloma/, making it a classic Catalan literary choice.
 It has not been used enough to make the US charts since the 1980s, but would fit with the trend for liquid-sounding, multicultural names like Alaia and Alina.

Aloma

Though rapper Chingy's (real name: Howard) Alzea is a boy, this name seems more appropriate for girls.

Alzea

Amalisa is a smoosh of the prefix of Amabel and Amanda, which means lovable, and Lisa, a diminutive of Elizabeth that's long been used on its own.  In some ways, it's an improvement on all of its root names -- fresher and more distinctive than Amanda or Lisa and easier to understand than Amabel, which is often confused with Annabel.  Though Amalisa can be similarly confused with Annalisa which will inevitably become annoying.

Amalisa

Blends Samantha and Amanda, yet feels fresher than either.

Amantha

Anelma derived from the Finnish word anella, meaning "to beg." It was invented in 1906 by a lawyer named Edla Kojonen.

Anelma

Phonetic spelling of Ariane worn by the Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who goes by the nickname Arnie.

Ariarne

Arlenis Sosa, the hot young supermodel from the Dominican Republic, is popularizing this lovely and unusual choice, related to Arlen or Arlene.

Arlenis

Torquano Tasso likely invented this name for the magical enchantress who beguiles the crusaders in his celebrated poem Jerusalem Delivered. Armida is also the eponymous heroines of operas by Handel and Rossini and the name of an American actress, Armida Vendrell. 
 
As an invented name, its meaning is not certain, however, it may well be based on Amada or Amata ("beloved"), Armanda ("army woman"), Arminia ("whole, universal"), Artemisia or Artemidora ("gift of Artemis"), or Amadea ("loved by God").

Armida

Lady Aurex is a character in L. Frank Baum's Glinda of Oz, a sequel to The Wizard of Oz.

Aurex

The Early Americans invented names too, sometimes variations of classical or biblical favorites.  This one appears in Colonial rosters; the Aur beginning is Latin and means "gold."

Aurinda

Credit, of course, to the artist for inventing this secretive pseudonym, but we actually have Hilary Duff to thank for Banksy as a baby name. Banksy is Duff's nickname for her daughter Banks, born in 2018. Banksy debuted on the US charts in 2020, and in a more recent year, was given to seven girls. 
 
For some, it may feel too much of a mononyn, while others may see it as an arty alternative to Banks.

Banksy

Up-and-coming actress Beanie Feldstein is attracting attention toward her unusual — but rather cute — nickname. She was born Elizabeth Greer Feldstein but nicknamed "Elizabeanie" by her childhood nanny. It was later simplified to Beanie by her older brothers.

Beanie

The name of the character in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" whom the poet intended as a representation of Queen Elizabeth I. While it will no doubt thrill your daughter's English professor, the addition of the "Bel" to already great Phoebe is on the fussy side. 

Belphoebe

An invented name inspired by the Irish/Scottish May Day festival of Beltane. And perhaps a modern way to honor a Tania?

Beltania

You know who Beyonce is. One of the most famous people in the world. When she was born, her name was truly unique; it was a riff on her mom's maiden name, Biyence, with an accent over the final E.
 
Though we traditionally think of beloved celebrities boosting the popularity of their names, outlandish mononyms like Rihanna and Madonna often do the exact opposite, because they become so closely associated with their bearer that they sound strange on anyone else.
 
Yet in this category, as in so many others, Beyonce is an unusual case. When she first rose to fame in Destiny's Child, she inspired many imitators — 353 baby girls born in the U.S. in 2001 were named Beyonce, enough to make it the 700th most popular name that year. But that was the peak. As Beyonce's star rose (and once she started dropping her last name, Knowles), her name started to lose favor with parents. In 2016, just six newborns in the U.S. were named Beyonce. And the following year, the name dropped off the popularity list altogether, meaning it was given to fewer than five children. There's only room for one.
 
Major Beyonce fans who want to honor their favorite artist with a baby name might want to consider her middle name, Giselle, her sister's name, Solange, or even her sometime nom de guerre Sasha.

Beyonce

A playful and whimsical choice for a child that works as a given name or a nickname (perhaps for Beatrix).
 
American model Binx Walton (born Leona) was nicknamed by her brothers after the Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks.

Binx

A hybrid of Birdie and Ella used briefly in the early 20th century.

Birdella

Along with Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, Bixby joins the ranks of virtual assistant names.

Bixby

 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 

 good of a name and it catches on... (ahem, Abrielle and Wrenley).

In addition to Abrielle and Wrenley, other 

 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

s, 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 

Below, see our entire collection of invented names for girls.

Invented and made up modern baby girl names including history, origin, and popularity. (Page 20)