Name Spellings, Initials and Sounds
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
Diminutive of Sarah
"princess"
Sally is a cheerful, fresh-faced girl-next-door name that was originally a nickname for Sarah, but has long been used independently. Sally was popular in the eighteenth century and then again from…
Word name
Heavenly, the word that's become a name, has been flirting with the bottom of the Top 1000 for a handful of years now. Heaven and cousins like Nevaeh have been well-used so adding the popular -ly…
Less common than other virtue names, Liberty is nonetheless a name with a long American heritage. Liberty is seeing a level of popularity not seen since the end of the First World War, but its heyday…
Irish, Hebrew
"stately, gift"
A variant spelling of either Irish Shea or Hebrew Shai, Shay feels at once vintage and modern.
Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month name
May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the…
Variation of Nellie and Nell
"light"
Nelly or Nellie is an adorable nickname name that can be short for a wide range of more formal appellations or that can stand on its own, and is typical of the vintage nickname genre that is growing…
English, Celtic, Welsh
"friend or white"
It is popularly claimed that the name Wendy was invented by Sir James Barrie in 1904 for the big sister character in his play Peter Pan , which was followed by the classic novel in 1911. Barrie…
Turkish
"dark moon"
Lovers of Esme and Ayla might also like this beautiful Turkish name, with its mysterious, moonstruck meaning. The last syllable sounds like "rye", rather than with ray. A notable bearer was Esmeray…
English place name, Old Norse
"Geirr's island"
An established place name, associated with a sunny island in the English Channel, the Garden State in the US, knitted pullovers, reality TV, and a Broadway musical. It peaked in the late 2000s and…
Aracely is a feminine name with Spanish origins, particularly popular in Latin American countries like Mexico. It likely derives from Araceli, which comes from the Latin phrase "ara caeli" meaning…
Latin
"truth"
If you love Puritan virtue names and want to move beyond Hope and Faith and Grace, this is a wonderful choice, both for its meaning and its sound. A rare find here, though occasionally heard in…
Japanese modern name, variation of Winifred
"friend of peace; blessed peacemaking"
The name of a character from Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist manga and anime series. She is a strong-willed teenage mechanic, who has consistently been ranked among the best female characters in…
Feminine variation of Cecil
"blind"
Cecily is as dainty as a lace handkerchief. Cecily has a wide assortment of namesakes. One Cecily was the mother of King Richard III, whose beauty gained her the title "the Rose of Raby," Cecily…
English surname
"king's meadow"
Regal Kingsley seems like an all-boy name, but a growing number of parents have bestowed this name on a girl. Credit the ever-trendier -ley suffix. Kingsley Wilson is a MAGA influencer and a…
English, diminutive of Dorothy
"gift of God"
Sweet and cosy with a touch of sass, this nickname-y choice was a familiar option up until the sixties in the US. Then, for a while, it was a bit of a one-person name, associated with singer Dolly…
Glory sounds fresh and uplifting and a lot more modern than Gloria (which is definitely feeling the stirrings of a revival, though some might still view it as a terminal Old Lady name). Glory, as in…
Diminutive of Judith, Hebrew
"He will be praised or woman from Judea"
Judy was the nickname of choice for almost all the Judiths born in the 1940s and 50s; today's little Judiths are much more likely to be called Judith -- or, possibly, Jude.
English
"aristocracy"
Gentry is a word name that's gaining ground for girls as a kind of updated Jennifer, especially in the Jentry (or Jentri or Jentree) spelling.
"pear tree"
Perry fits right in with rising boyish nicknames for girls and cool picks like Frankie and Scottie. This relaxed name sounds novel compared to such former favorites as Kerry and Sherry. Perry is the…
English variation of Molly, diminutive of Mary, Hebrew
"bitter"
An alternative to the no-longer-fresh Molly, the initial 'P' gives Polly a peppier sound, combining the cozy virtues of an old-timey name with the bounce of a barmaid. Associated with Tom Sawyer's…
