997+ Unique, Rare, and Unusual Girl Names

  1. Endellion
    • Origin:

      Cornish place and saint's name
    • Description:

      Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the middle names for his fourth child, a baby girl.
  2. Indira
    • Origin:

      Sanskrit
    • Meaning:

      "beauty"
    • Description:

      A striking and feminine possibility associated with a modern hero — longtime Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.
  3. Zipporah
    • Origin:

      Variation of Tziporah, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "bird"
    • Description:

      There are many variations of this name, with or without the initial T and the final h, with one p or two. In the Bible she was the wife of Moses.
  4. Helia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "sun"
    • Description:

      The feminine form of Helios or Helio is occasionally heard in Spain and Portugal. In Greek mythology, Helia is one of the Heliades, daughters of the sun god Helios by Clymene the Oceanid.
  5. Beryl
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "sea-green jewel"
    • Description:

      Dated British favorite that never caught on in this country, where Jade remains the green gem of choice. Interesting namesakes: British writer Beryl Bainbridge and British aviatrix Beryl Markham.
  6. Esmeray
    • Origin:

      Turkish
    • Meaning:

      "dark moon"
    • Description:

      Lovers of Esme might also like this beautiful Turkish name, with its mysterious meaning. The last syllable sounds like "rye".
  7. Artemisia
    • Origin:

      Greek, variation of Artemis
    • Description:

      You might think Artemisia is the feminine form of the name, but in fact the original Artemis is feminine too, the name of the Greek mythological goddess of the moon. Artemisia Gentileschi was an esteemed Italian Baroque painter, unusual in an era when not many women were acknowledged. Artemisia is also a genus of plants which include sagebrush and tarragon.
  8. Tove
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful"
    • Description:

      Tove is a modern variation of an Old Norse name for which there are no letters on the twenty-first century keyboard. It's related to Thor, and Tove and Tuva are the forms that survive and thrive in modern Scandinavia.
  9. Amabel
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lovable"
    • Description:

      Amabel is an older name than Annabel and a lot more distinctive. Amabel was a very common name in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, then was revived during the nineteenth century British fad for medieval names.
  10. Isabeau
    • Origin:

      French variation of Isabel
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      With Isabel getting so popular, parents are searching for new varieties of the name, and Isabeau is one that makes a lovely French twist.
  11. Junia
    • Origin:

      Latin, Feminine variation of Junius
    • Meaning:

      "born in June"
    • Description:

      Juno is hot, June is showing signs of a comeback along with other month and day names, whereas Junia, the name of the the first century Christian referred to by the apostle Paul as an apostle (and who may have been male), is yet to be discovered.
  12. Ever
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Ever is a name we first heard via the now grown-up Ever Carradine, daughter of Robert. It's a truly unusual and simple name with an evocative meaning. Milla Jovovich and Paul Anderson chose it for their daughter.
  13. Dulcie
    • Origin:

      Latin, diminutive of Dulcibella
    • Meaning:

      "sweet"
    • Description:

      A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia.
  14. Vida
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      Like Vita and Viva, one of several similar life-affirming names, this one was chosen by Matthew McConaughey and his Portuguese-born wife Camila. Vida may also be a diminutive of Davida. Australian suffragette and human rights campainer Vida Goldstein is an notable bearer of this name.
  15. Georgie
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "farmer"
    • Description:

      A spunky boyish diminutive in the vein of Frankie, Billie and Charlie, but far less popular in the US. Georgie could be a nickname for Georgia, Georgette, Georgina or Georgiana – or just use it as it is, as over 90 sets of American parents did in 2021.
  16. Belen
    • Origin:

      Spanish place name
    • Description:

      Actually the Spanish name for Bethlehem, which means "house of bread," this name is high on Spain's popularity list and is rising in the US as well. Though this is one of the Spanish names for girls that has not for the most part crossed over to the English-speaking population, that could change thanks to its similarity to the popular Belle or Bella.
  17. Geraldine
    • Origin:

      German and French, feminine variation of Gerald
    • Meaning:

      "ruler with the spear"
    • Description:

      Though twin brother Gerald is still in baby name limbo, Geraldine is in line to follow the path of Josephine to imminent revival—even though Gerry is not as spunky a nickname as Josie.
  18. Nephele
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "cloudy"
    • Description:

      An enchanting ancient Greek name belonging to the Greek goddess who was created from a cloud by Zeus and so became goddess of the clouds and mother of the centaurs. The name Nephele is not widely known but as among modern parents become used to Phoebe, Penelope, and Persephone, it may become one of the ancient Greek goddess names that's back in the mix.
  19. Irie
    • Origin:

      Jamaican
    • Meaning:

      "positive and powerful"
    • Description:

      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?"
  20. Enola
    • Origin:

      Modern invented name
    • Description:

      Enola was a precursor of Nevaeh: It's "alone" spelled backwards. But the name Enola is newly in the spotlight thanks to a Netflix film.