Four Letter Girl Names Starting with I

Ilse

Dutch variation of Ilsa

"pledged to God"

Pronounced with two syllables, as if spelled Ilsa, Ilse is popular in The Netherlands and may rise here with cousin Elsa.

Ilia

Variation of Iliana or Julia, Greek, Basque, Bulgarian "from Illium or Troy; youthful or sky father; Yahweh is God"

"from Illium or Troy; youthful or sky father; Yahweh is God"

Three syllables in only four letters is quite a feat, but that's exactly what you get with Ilia, a versatile, unisex option with various origins. It could derive from the Greek Iliana, which could…

Ilya

Ilsa

German variation of Elizabeth

"pledged to God"

Ilsa is remembered as the radiant but tragic heroine of "Casablanca," and it's having something of a European resurgence.

Iana

Latin, Slavic variation of Jane

"God is gracious"

In Roman mythology, Iana was an epithet of Diana, goddess of the moon. If pronunciation troubles worry you, use the Yana spelling instead.

Inti

Quechua

"sun"

This name traces back to Incan mythology, where Inti is a sun god celebrated as the patron of the Incas. A cute name with a rich history and celestial meaning, Inti is well-used in various South…

Inna

Russian

Inna is an uncommon name even in Russia, whose meaning is unknown. Originally a male name, it is now mostly given to girls. It also made a brief appearance in the French Top 500 a few years ago. A…

Ivry

Ione

Greek

"violet flower"

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan. Ione was one of the fifty sea nymphs —…

Itza

Variation of Itzel, Mayan

"rainbow lady"

Itza is a rare Itzel variant that shares its colorful meaning. Itza also connects to the Itza people of Guatemala and their language of the same name. Chichen Itza was a city built by the Mayans in…

Iyah

Ilma

Finnish, Hungarian, Spanish, or literary Quenya

"air; starlight"

A name that's unknown in the US and Britain but is popular as a nature name in Finland. May also be known as a Hungarian variation of Amelia and a Spanish form of Wilhelmina. Ilma also appears in…

Isel

Iyra

Arabic, Urdu or Sanskrit

"respectable, awe-inspiring; or a name for the goddess Saraswati"

Variant of Ayra

Izza

Iley

English variation of Eisele, German

"blacksmith"

A trimmer version of Riley, Miley, Kylie, et al., used by model Coco Rocha for her daughter in 2020.

Ipek

Ivah

Ivah is a feminine name with multiple possible origins. It may derive from Hebrew, potentially related to 'avah' meaning 'desire' or representing a place name mentioned in biblical texts.…

Iara

Variation of Yara, Arabic, Tupi

"small butterfly; lady of the water"

Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the…

Iola

Greek or Welsh

"violet; beautiful lady"

Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that…