Rare Spanish Girl Names

Arely

Spanish feminization of Areli, Hebrew, or contraction of Araceli

"lion of God; sky altar"

Appearing in the US Top 1000 and popular among Spanish speaking families, Arely may be one of two things: a twist on the Hebrew masculine name, Areli, or a shortened form of the Spanish Araceli. If…

Carlota

Spanish, Portuguese variation of Charlotte

"free man; Frenchman"

Carlota is the preferred version of Charlotte in Spain and Portugal, each where it ranks among the Top 50 most popular girl names. Carlotta, with two Ts, is the Italian spelling.

Leire

Basque place name

Also spelled Leyre and taken from the name of a monastery fortress, the popular and lilting choice in Spain will pose pronunciation problems elsewhere. Among the Top 100 girls' names in Spain, Leire…

Blanca

Spanish

"white"

More colorful than Blanche, but blanker than Bianca.

Laia

Catalan diminutive of Eulalia

"sweet-speaking"

Saint Eulalia was born in Spain and is the patron saint of Barcelona, so her name and its derivatives are popular throughout the land — especially in her native Catalonia.

Jana

International feminine variation of Jan

A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.

Iria

Portuguese variation of Eirene

"peace"

Iria is a diminutive version of Eirene / Irene and is therefore associated with the Greek goddess of peace.

Berta

Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Slovene, Scandinavian variation of Bertha

"bright"

A pan-European variant of Bertha and nickname for -berta ending names, such as Alberta and Roberta. It's certainly much more appealing than its predecessor, but unlikely to become a hit in the US…

Crisanta

Spanish from Greek

"golden flower, chrysanthemum"

Crisanta, while not related to Christine, would make a pretty and highly unusual alternative to that tried-and-true name. Because of its relationship to the chrysanthemum, the flower of the month of…

Dominga

Spanish, feminine variation of Domingo

Nice for a little girl born on Sunday.

Alexia

Diminutive of Alexandria, Greek

"defending men"

This diminutive, similar to Alex or Alexis, has been yo-yoing in popularity since the turn of the 21st century.

Ines

Italian, Portuguese, Slovene and Croatian variation of Agnes

"pure, virginal"

This form of Agnes, Ines has always been popular since the true story of the thwarted lovers Queen Ines of Castro and King Peter of Portugal. This has to be one of the most heartbreaking and bloody…

Gala

Russian and Slavic feminine form of Galina

Festive name of the wife of Salvador Dali. In Spanish, Gala comes from the Roman name Galla, a feminine form of Gallus meaning "rooster" or "a person from Gaul".

Olalla

Galician or Spanish form of Eulalia, Ancient Greek

"sweetly speaking"

A playful and spirited form of Eulalia, familiar in Spain.

Aroa

Basque

"era, time"

Part of a group of lovely A-starting names popular in Spain, along with Ainhoa and Aitana. Spanish actress Aroa Gimeno introduced this one.

Esperanza

Spanish

"hope, expectation"

Esperanza is a Spanish classic that's found its way onto the national popularity list in recent years. It came into the spotlight not long ago when jazz singer Esperanza Spalding "stole" the Best New…

Engracia

Spanish from Latin

"endowed with God's grace"

Charming alternative to the overused Grace.

Almira

Almira is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins, possibly derived from Arabic "al-amirah" meaning "princess" or "commander," or from Germanic elements meaning "noble" and "famous." The name…

Elodia

Spanish variation of Alodia, German

"foreign riches"

As Elodie filters into the mainstream, parents may turn to the rarer Spanish form Elodia as an alternative.

Cristina

Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Romanian variation of Christina, Greek

"a Christian"

Cristina is one case where the streamlined version feels more alluring. Cristina is found more often than Christina in many European countries and cultures, including Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking…