Girl Names That Start With a Vowel
Girl names starting with vowels are the most popular and often the coolest names today. The letter A is still the most frequently used first initial for girls' names, with a third of all girl names starting with the letter A.
Names for girls starting with E are the next most popular, with Emma the top girl name internationally. But girl names that begin with I are holding their own, moving beyond the megapopular Isabella to cool girls Iris, Ivy, and Ida.
O names for girls, led by Olivia, the most popular girl name in America, have an open, optimistic feel. O names are especially popular for baby girls in the UK, where Ottilie, Octavia, and Orla are all trending.
Along with Olivia and Isabella, other girl names that start with vowels in the US Top 100 include Ava, Amelia, Evelyn, Ella, Avery, Aria, Isla, and Ivy. Cool, rare vowel-starting girl names include Elowen, Isadora, Ottilie, and Una. There are fewer girl names starting with U than with any other letter in the entire alphabet, though that includes a few choice picks, such as Una and Ursula.
If you're looking for a vowel name for your baby girl, here are our top picks for girl names starting with A, E, I, O, and even U, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Isla
Origin:
Scottish place-name or SpanishMeaning:
"island"Description:
Isla is a hit name throughout the English-speaking world, perhaps because its spelling and pronunciation don't make sense for those whose native language is not English. Think island without the final two letters.
- Eloise
Origin:
French and English variation of HeloiseMeaning:
"healthy; wide"Description:
Along with many other names with the El- beginning and featuring the L sound in any place, Eloise is newly chic. Eloise reentered the US Top 1000 girl names in 2009 after a 50 year nap and broke into the Top 100 in 2022. And she shows no signs of slowing down.
- Alice
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"noble"Description:
Alice is a classic literary name that's both strong and sweet, which got a big bounce via Tina Fey's choice of the name for her daughter. Alice has experienced a recent surge in popularity along with other girl names starting with A.
- Aurora
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
A Nameberry favorite, Aurora has consistently been on the US popularity list since the nineteenth century, but has really taken off in the past 30 years. Aurora also enjoys remarkable international popularity, ranking in the Top 100 throughout the English-speaking world as well as in Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, and several other European countries.
- Ophelia
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"help"Description:
Ophelia reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts, and rose more than 600 spots since then, with no signs of slowing down. Could Ophelia may be the next Olivia?
- Evangeline
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"bearer of good news"Description:
Evangeline is a romantic old name enjoying a major comeback, thanks to its religious overtones, Eva's popularity, and the star of the TV megahit Lost, Evangeline Lilly. Evangelia and Evangelina — two variants of Evangeline — are sure to tag along for the ride.
- Iris
Origin:
Flower name; GreekMeaning:
"rainbow"Description:
Iris is one of the bouquet of turn-of-the-last-century flower names that is gradually beginning to regain its appeal: it is now at the highest point ever. Iris is also rooted in the trending mythological class of names..
- Eleanor
Origin:
English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknownDescription:
Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.
- Ava
Origin:
Hebrew, Latin or GermanicMeaning:
"life; bird; water, island"Description:
Ava is one of the prime examples of a modern classic name, rising thought the course of a generation into the Top 10, where it has lingered for nearly 20 years.
- Amelia
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"work"Description:
Amelia is one of the hottest girls' names, a successor to the megapopular Emma and Emily. Amelia, which spent several years at Number 1 in England, vaulted into the US Top 10 in 2017 and continues to rise.
- Elodie
Origin:
French, variation of Alodia, GermanMeaning:
"foreign riches"Description:
The lyrical and melodious Elodie, a Nameberry favorite, is starting to rise through the US popularity charts for the first time since the 1880s. It's a uncommon member of the trending El- family of names, which includes Ella, Eloise, and Eleanor.
- Ottilie
Origin:
German, FrenchMeaning:
"prosperous in battle"Description:
Ottilie is trending in the UK, where the pronounced T helps the name sound pretty and delicate, ala Amelie. Ottilie is less popular in the US, where many Americans pronounce it as a near-homonym for "oddly".
- Adelaide
Origin:
Variant of Adelheidis, GermanMeaning:
"noble, nobility"Description:
Adelaide is now heading straight uphill on the coattails of such newly popular sisters as Ava, Ada, and Audrey, and in the company of Adeline and Amelia. It was chosen by actress Katherine Heigl for the name of her second daughter.
- Arabella
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"yielding to prayer"Description:
Arabella, lovely and elegant, has long been well used in Britain and finally made it onto the American list in 2005. Its meaning may also be interpreted as "beautiful," thanks to -bella.
- Imogen
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"maiden"Description:
Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.
- Adeline
Origin:
French, diminutive of AdeleMeaning:
"noble, nobility"Description:
Adeline has a lovely, old-fashioned "Sweet Adeline" charm, but has become so popular in the US under so many spellings and variations -- with Adalynn and Adalyn also popular -- that considered together it is far more popular than it first seems. Adorable nickname Addie is also pervasive.
- Anastasia
Origin:
Greek, feminine variation of AnastasiosMeaning:
"resurrection"Description:
Anastasia is the feminine form on Anastasius, a Greek name derived from the word anastasis, meaning "resurrection." It was a common name among early Christians, who often gave it to daughters born around Christmas or Easter. There are handful of saints named Anastasia, including the patron saint of weavers.
- Olivia
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"olive tree"Description:
Olivia, a lovely Shakespearean name with an admirable balance of strength and femininity, is one of the top girls' names in the world. Like her sisters Isabella and Sophia, Olivia is a mega-popular name not only in the US but throughout the English-speaking countries, Europe, and Latin America.
- Ada
Origin:
German or TurkishMeaning:
"noble, nobility, or island"Description:
Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.
- Astrid
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"divinely beautiful"Description:
Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful." Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Related names include Asta, a diminutive used throughout Scandinavia, and Astride, the French form. Despite their similarities, Astrid is unrelated to Astra, a Latin name meaning "of the stars."