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Best One-of-a-Kind Names for Girls

Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Sun May 04 2025
Best One-of-a-Kind Names for Girls

Rare girl names that nobody (literally!) in the US include the following, all ranking below the five-baby cutoff necessary to make the Social Security extended list.

Among the coolest rare girl names are vintage gems such as Leocadia, Ottoline, Effia, and Zephyrine. Other literally unique girl names include hot international choices Madelief, Lowri, and Petronilla, and nature names Freesia, Quarry, and Plum.

Among these one-of-a-kind girl names are many classic choices as well as new and unusual name ideas.

If you want a truly rare name for your baby girl, here are our suggestions, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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  1. Kirrily

    • Origin:

      Aboriginal, Australian

    • Meaning:

      "tree bark or leaf"

    • Description:

      Kirrily, which rhymes with cheerily, is a name that's uniquely popular in Australia. It originated in recent decades as an elaboration of several similar names – the European Kyra or Keira, the Maori Kiri which means tree bark, or the Aboriginal word kira which means leaf – plus the lee sound.
  2. Endellion

    • Origin:

      Cornish place and saint's name

    • Meaning:

      "fire soul"

    • 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.
  3. Ianthe

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "purple flower"

    • Description:

      Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the daughter of Oceanus, supreme ruler of the sea, and also a Cretan woman so beautiful that when she died the Gods made purple flowers grow around her grave.
  4. Delphi

    • Origin:

      Greek place name

    • Meaning:

      "of Delphi; womb"

    • Description:

      An interesting unisex possibility, with an air of mystery connected to the Delphic Oracle, the most important oracle in ancient Greece; it was also a major site for the worship of the god Apollo.
  5. Kerensa

    • Origin:

      Cornish

    • Meaning:

      "love"

    • Description:

      Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an 's' or 'z', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys.
  6. Alouette

    • Origin:

      French

    • Meaning:

      "lark"

    • Description:

      Alouette is a sweet Gallic twist in the stylish bird name genre made familiar via the charming French children's song, Alouette, gentile alouette.
  7. Bluebell

    • Origin:

      Flower name from English

    • Meaning:

      "blue bell"

    • Description:

      Bluebell is one flower name that is used very quietly. Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell joined her former Spice Sisters in creative baby-naming with this adventurous — some might say outlandish — choice. Andie MacDowell has a granddaughter named Bluebell Coyote through her daughter Rainey Qualley.
  8. Zephyrine

    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Zephyr, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "west wind"

    • Description:

      Zephyr may not be a name often heard in the U.S., but its variations are used throughout Europe. Zephyrine, a cousin in sound and feel if not in fact to such lovely names as Severine and Seraphina, has distinctive possibilities.
  9. Desdemona

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "ill-starred"

    • Description:

      Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time, there might be some adventurous parents willing to overlook that.
  10. Sophronia

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "sensible, prudent"

    • Description:

      A name some people first encountered in the old children's book series The Five Little Peppers, in which Sophronia, the youngest of the Peppers is nicknamed Phronsie.`It was also used by Dickens in two of his novels: The Old Curiosity Shop and Our Mutual Friend.
  11. Plum

    • Origin:

      Fruit name

    • Description:

      British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The French equivalent, Prune, is very fashionable there but would not fly with English speakers.
  12. Aphra

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, variation of Aphrah

    • Meaning:

      "dust"

    • Description:

      Aphra would make an interesting choice-- especially since it's the name of the first professional female writer in English, the seventeenth century's Aphra Behn. Born in 1640, she was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration, and a spy.
  13. Eluned

    • Origin:

      Welsh

    • Meaning:

      "idol, image"

    • Description:

      Romantic and mysterious, Eluned's beauty and intelligence were legendary in Welsh legend; she was the handmaiden of the Lady of the Fountain in a Welsh Arthurian romance, who had a magic ring that made the wearer invisible. Pronunciation is usually similar in emphasis to Eleanor, but with ned instead of nor at the end. However, it's sometimes also pronounced el-LIN-ed or even shortened to Luned, the sounce of Lynette, in Tennyson's Gareth and Lynette.
  14. Thalassa

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "the sea"

    • Description:

      A pretty, rarely used Greek name, Thalassa is the ancient personification of the sea, particularly the Mediterranean, who is sometimes considered the mother of Aphrodite. In 1991, a newly discovered moon of Neptune was dubbed Thalassa.
  15. Whimsy

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "whimsical or fanciful"

    • Description:

      Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers' fictional detective Lord Peter Wimsey, whose middle name was Death?), we see this as more fitting for a middle than a first name.
  16. Amandine

    • Origin:

      French, diminutive of Amanda

    • Meaning:

      "much-loved"

    • Description:

      This fragrant, almond-scented name has hardly been heard in this country, which is a pity--we've loved it since John Malkovich used it for his now grown daughter.
  17. Perdita

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "lost"

    • Description:

      A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale, Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with the appealing canine character in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmations.
  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. Leocadia

    • Origin:

      Spanish

    • Meaning:

      "splendid brightness"

    • Description:

      Leocadia marries a mix of sounds: the strength of a lion, with a rhythmic Latin ending.
  20. Pomeline

    • Origin:

      French, related to "apple"

    • Meaning:

      "apple"

    • Description:

      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.