Girl Names Uncommon in the US

Iria is a diminutive version of Eirene / Irene and is therefore associated with the Greek goddess of peace.

Nele originated as a German nickname for Cornelia, but it superseded its mother name and has been a Top 30 name in Germany since 2000.

Lise is most often found in the U.S. as the second half of the hybrid name Annalise. Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet bears a pretty alternative spelling, pronounced LEESE.

High profile supermodel/entrepreneur Tyra Banks has put this name in the spotlight, endowing it with her confident, superattractive image.

Lova, a Louise relative virtually unknown in the US, is one of the top girl names in Sweden.

Wilda (or Wylda) has two widely divergent images. Pronounced vill-da, it feels like a cousin of Hilda: a sturdy and none-too-attractive prairie settler. But you can also think of her as wild-ah, as in the feminine of wild and wilder.

A romantic take on Ariadne, who in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Minos of Crete. She saw over the labyrinth, where she later helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur.

Assia is a Muslim name, best known in the Western world via tragic poet Assia Wevill, who was married to British poet Ted Hughes after Sylvia Plath and also committed suicide.

Common form of Emma found in the Baltic and Slavic states.

Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for girls since 1421. The church of the Virgin "Nuestra Senora de Africa" is in Ceuta, the Spanish city she is Patron of, in North Africa.

Cato may have risen to new prominence in the English speaking world as an ancient Roman boys' name, popularized by The Hunger Games. But in the Netherlands, it's most widely used as a short form for Catharina and other forms of Katherine, ranking close to the Top 100, higher than any formal variation of the name. Cato for a girl is a cute idea and a fresh way to shorten the ubiquitous Catherine.

Festive name of the wife of Salvador Dali. In Spanish, Gala comes from the Roman name Galla, a feminine form of Gallus meaning "rooster" or "a person from Gaul".

Finja Is a Josephine nickname that ranks among the Top 100 girl names in Germany.

Triana is a Top 50 girls' name in Spain largely unknown and unused in the US: Only 10 baby girls in the US were given the name in 2017. Also a surname, Triana is the name of a distinctive neighborhood of Seville that's known for being home to artists, flamenco dancers, and bullfighters. Its name comes from the Roman emperor Trajan, which means "three rivers". Some sources list Triana as a short form of Katherine, a variation of Trina, and you can use it that way to honor an ancestral Katherine.

Katharina is an attractive form of Katherine and a great way to update a classic. But English speakers may want to choose the Katerina or Katarina spelling to avoid pronunciation confusion.

Both Karla and Carla are sliding down the ranks, though Karla remains far more popular in the USA than Carla.

Fien is a popular enough girls' name to make the Top 100 in The Netherlands. Dutch parents love nickname-names taken from the last vs. the first syllable of a name, like Sanne for Susanne or Lotte for Charlotte.

The popular Dutch name Lieke is one of those diminutives, like Lena, that can be short for a range of names ending in its sound -- which, by the way, is the two-syllable LEE-ka. Despite its versatility, we don't see Lieke's popularity translating to English-speaking cultures.

A variation of the name Nere, both choices are distinctive and accessible. In the Top 20 in Spain.