Unique Girl Names: Uncommon, Unusual, Cool

Farley

English

"fern clearing"

An English surname-sounding choice with an appealing nature-inspired meaning, Farley could work as an alternative to Harley, Marley, or Charlie.

Petal

English from Greek

"leaf"

Petal is the soft and sweet-smelling name of a character in the novel and film, The Shipping News . With the rise of such flower names as Poppy and Posy, we believe Petal — down-to-earth yet romantic…

Petronel

Greek

"rock, stone"

Medieval English variant of Petronella or Petronilla, which relate to the male name Peter.

Floy

Diminutive of Florence

"flourishing, prosperous"

All but unheard of today, Floy was a popular Florence nickname used on its own in a century ago: it was Number 448 in 1914. Charles Dickens uses Floy as a pet name for the character Florence Dombey…

Forsythe

English from Gaelic

"man of peace"

Forsythe is a rare and intriguing surname name, most likely derived from the Old Gaelic name Fearsithe, meaning "man of peace." It may instead come from a bygone place name meaning "fairy meadow" or…

Folami

Yoruba, African

"honor and respect me"

Nigerian name with an honorable meaning.

Pomeline

French, related to "apple"

"apple"

A rarely heard--even in France--name, most prominent as the third name of Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly.

Flordelis

Latin

"fleur de lys"

This name was occasionally used in the Middle Ages by members of the House of Sicily. A revival of this floral name would make an interesting addition to the increasingly broad selection of botanical…

Provence

French place-name

"province"

One of the most picturesque and enchanting areas of France could become a distinctive baby name. Provence Maydew is a Canadian actress.

Floralie

A fragrant, feminine, floral elaboration of Flora.

Fjolla

Albanian

"snowflake"

If you can get past the unintuitive J (it's pronounced like a Y), Fjolla is a perky and attractive girl name. It is derived from the Albanian word for snowflake, fjollë , and is most common in Kosovo.

Pomelo

Word name

"citrus fruit"

Clementine, Peaches, Cherry, and Pepper (and more occasionally, Apple) are all in use for girls, while the name of the largest citrus fruit, Pomelo, might be a more unisex option if you want…

Phrynia

Variant of Phryne, Literature, Ancient Greek

"toad"

Used by Shakespeare in his play Timon of Athens , Phrynia is a Shakespearean that hasn't caught on as Ophelia, Jessica, or Imogen have — possibly because of its unusual sounds, its toady meaning, and…

Fioralba

Italian

"flower of the dawn"

A lush, romantic flower name for people who think Rose, Violet and Lily are 1000 times too popular.

Quimby

Variation of Quenby, English

"queen's settlement"

Quincy may be unisex, but Quimby is decidedly feminine — at least according to the stats, it's never been used for boys. Perhaps it's because of Beverly Cleary's children's book heroine Ramona…

Quitterie

French

"the red one"

Quitterie is a quirky saint’s name which is considered très chic in France at the moment. St Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in…

Radiah

Swahili

"agreeable"

Also spelled Radhiya, this is a strong but--as the definition says--agreeable name.

Finna

Old Norse

"Sámi, Finn, wanderer"

A simple and attractive feminization of the Nordic name Finn.

Revelry

Word name

"lively celebrations"

Reverie, Revel, Rebel, and Jubilee have seen increased use in recent years and Revelry encapsulates the sounds or feel of all four. While some might think too much of raucous parties, others might…

Rhonwen

Welsh

"slender, fair"

The delicate and haunting Welsh Rhonwen is still a rarity in the U.S., where her English version Rowena is better known, but would be a lovely choice for any parent in search of a name that was both…