Girl Names Lists · Popular Names and Name Trends
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 19 pages
of 19
Word name
Loyalty is one of the Modern Virtue Names rising precipitously for babies in recent years, used last year for nearly 300 children, about 85 percent of them girls. Loyalty may also owe some of its…
Glory sounds fresh and uplifting and a lot more modern than Gloria (which is definitely feeling the stirrings of a revival, though some might still view it as a terminal Old Lady name). Glory, as in…
African place-name, Maasi
"cold water"
Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. The name comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cold water."…
Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
"river or place of the cherry blossoms"
Rio is one of Japan's most popular girls' names, constantly sitting in that country's Top 10. Of course, Rio may also stem from the Portuguese and Spanish word for river, and the Brazilian city Rio…
Modern invented name
"thorny woodland clearing"
Blending the sounds of Bryce, Brian, Riley and Kylie, Bryleigh is a modern invention that ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2010 to 2017, alongside its more popular counterpart, Brylee. Peaking in 2015…
Variation of Carly, English
"free man"
This nouveau spelling peaked at Number 583 in 2004. In spite of its trend-making K and "ee" ending, Karlee is much less popular than the original Carly.
English word name
"having been selected as the best or most appropriate"
Chosen is officially a baby name thanks to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who chose (can't resist) the word as the name of his newborn son. While it may inspire bad puns, Chosen is…
Cute but slight mix of stylish sounds Cam and Bree, chosen by Rick Schroder for his daughter.
Jaelyn is a name popular in many spellings and variations, including Jaelynn, Jaylin, and Jalen, and used for girls as well as boys.
Native American, Cherokee
"sparrow"
This name of a giant tree, itself named for a nineteenth-century Cherokee who invented a way to write his tribe's language, makes a strong, stately statement.
Place name, Latin from Welsh
"Wales"
Most names that start with Cam- are on the upswing, so why not this obscure term for Wales as well as for a prehistoric time period.
Jamaican
"positive and powerful"
A name used in the Caribbean, taken from the Rastafarian term that translates best to "positive and powerful." Rastas often greet each other by saying, "Are you feeling Irie today?"
English
"aristocracy"
Gentry is a word name that's gaining ground for girls as a kind of updated Jennifer, especially in the Jentry (or Jentri or Jentree) spelling.
Virtue name
Not too long ago, Temperance was found only on lists of Puritan baby names . With increased increase in virtue names, and Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan on long-running television series Bones , this…
Hebrew
"highest point"
A Biblical place name and a unisex choice that has been on the rise in the US in recent years. With its bright sound and cool, zippy Z beginning, it blends religious significance and trendiness.…
Place-name, world's tallest mountain
"from Évreux"
Everest has an attractive enough sound and lofty enough meaning to come into style, à la Sierra. George Lucas bestowed this aspirational name on his baby daughter in 2013 and it has been climbing up…
Most parents today would prefer the softer-sell Stella. But Star has symbolic power related to Christmas, so this could make one of the perfect names for December babies .
American invented 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…
English surname
"one who lives on the hillside or riverbank"
Banks as a girls' name was brought into the lexicon by actress Hilary Duff and musician Matthew Koma, who chose it for their daughter, Banks Violet. As both a surname and a word name, Banks refers to…
Kaci is a feminine name with multiple origins. It can be an Irish variant of Casey, derived from 'Cathasaigh' meaning 'vigilant' or 'watchful.' It's also seen as a diminutive of Katherine or a modern…
