This pretty and uncommon Basque name is all but unheard of in this country. Amaya is a spelling variation as well as a similar Japanese name meaning "night rain." With the newfound popularity of Amara and Amora, Amaia and Amaya are among the Spanish names for girls we'll be hearing a lot more of in the US.

Noemi is a charming Latin spin on Naomi; another twist is Neomi. A quiet mainstay on the US Top 1000 since 1957, Noemi was one of the fastest rising names in 2023.

Alejandra, the Spanish form of this popular and multivaried name, has fans both in and outside the Latino community. Still, it has lost ground since its peak in the 1990s.

Bright and vibrant but elegant too, Estrella is a rising star among Hispanic families that would make a good cross-cultural choice too. A Spanish word name that literally means "star", it is similar to other popular names with the same stellar meaning such as Esther and Stella.

Indie is an independent-sounding nickname name that is in the Top 100 in Wales. As a diminutive, it's growing in popularity -- along with indie films, indie publishing -- and the reason some parents are choosing names like India and Indigo. The Indie version seems more feminine, while Indy as in Indiana Jones tends toward the boyish.

Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.

An interesting name associated with the elegant American-born Queen Noor of Jordan. Noor is very popular among modern Muslim parents around the world and is beginning to cross over, perhaps because of its simplicity and its resemblance to the stylish Western Nora. It appeared in the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.

Bright and vivid, Marisol is a sunny name of Spanish origin and an excellent candidate to cross languages, a la Soledad, Paz, and Solana. Familiar in its native Spain (though no longer a top choice), a recent year also saw Marisol make the Top 1000 in the US, the Top 200 in Italy, and the Top 100 in Mexico.

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.

Short but energetic and substantial, Nia has special meaning for African-American parents, as it's one of the days of Kwanza. Nia also benefits by its similarity to (yet differentness from) the megapopular Mia.

Ebba, the feminine version of Ebbe (a diminutive of Eberhard or Asbjorn) and also a form of an old English name, is in the Swedish Top 10 but virtually unknown in the US. However, with the rise of Emma, Ella, Ada, and similar simple-yet-traditional names, Ebba may enjoy more widespread popularity.

Sarita is a delicately pretty name all but unknown in the US, where it can make an original honor name for an ancestral Sara....or Rita. Rita is a midcentury favorite tiptoeing back into style among adventurous parents.

Paloma is vibrant and ruby-lipped a la jewelry designer Paloma Picasso, but it also suggests peace, as symbolized by the dove. Paloma is a highly recommended striking but soft name, one of the best of the names that mean peace and girls' names starting with P.

Zainab—the name of a flowering tree and of a granddaughter, daughter, and two wives of the Prophet Muhammed—was a newcomer to the US Top 1000 in 2013. While simplified variations Zaina or Zayna are more Western-friendly, neither makes the US list.

Though it sounds like a chopped-off variation of Olivia, which means olive, the distinctively attractive Livia has been an independent name since the days of the ancient Romans, when it belonged to Livia Drusilla—the powerful wife of the Emperor Augustus—and is still commonly heard in modern Italy.

Emily gets a Bohemian spin and a French accent when it becomes Amelie. This favorite among French girl names has been gaining notice here thanks to the charming 2001 French film Amelie; it entered the American popularity list in 2002 and is now solidly established in the Top 1000.

Pronounced LOOSE, this name that refers to the Virgin Mary—"Our Lady of Light"—is one of the most widely used Spanish name for girls. Its sleekness and stylish final z gives it a modern appeal, like sister name Lux. Nicknames and variations include Chitta, Lucecita, Lucelida, Lucelita, Lucha, Lucida, Lucila, Lusa, and Luzana.

With Violet in vogue, this vibrant international variation has been on the rise since the 2010s. Vintage and floral like its more popular sister, Violetta has a slightly softer sound and a touch of extra flair. Given to 135 girls in a recent year, it also gets you to nicknames Etta, Vita, and Lettie.

Eugenie enjoyed a major dusting off when Fergie and Prince Andrew chose it for their daughter, restoring a patina of royal sheen it hadn't had since the time of Napoleon III's glamorous empress--who spent much of her life in England. It was also borne by Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, after whom Prince Andrew's younger daughter was named.

Soraya is a Persian name made famous in the Western world by the one-time empress of Iran, who settled in Europe, primarily in France. Soraya is derived from Thurayya, the Arabic name of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.