Guilty Pleasure Girls Names

Valentina

Latin

"strength, health"

Effortlessly stylish, with plenty of sweetness and strength, Valentina feels like a fresh alternative to Valerie, Victoria, or Vanessa, even if it does now rank ahead of them in the US charts.…

Freya

Norse

"a noble woman"

Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning…

Ophelia

Greek

"help"

Floral, elegant, and bold, Ophelia re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts. It has risen more than 700 spots since then and shows no signs of slowing down. Now in…

Calliope

Greek mythology

"beautiful voice"

Melodic and beautiful but with a touch of sass, Calliope is the name of the muse of epic poetry — and perhaps less glamorously, the musical instrument on the merry-go-round. Bold and creative, it…

Clementine

French feminine version of Clement, Latin

"mild, merciful"

Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list. A female variation of the more-unusual Clement, Clementine's meaning…

Indie

Short form of India, Indigo etc

Indie is an independent-sounding nickname name that is in the Top 100 in Wales. As a diminutive, it's growing in popularity -- along with indie films, indie publishing -- and the reason some parents…

Persephone

Greek

"bringer of destruction"

Magical and earthy, sophisticated but off-beat, Persephone appears as the daughter of Zeus by Demeter in Greek mythology. After she was kidnapped by Hades to be Queen of the Underworld, it was…

Akira

Japanese

"bright, intelligent"

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games and because of its international feel. It was a fast rising choice in 2024, when…

Echo

Greek mythology name

"echo or sound"

Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…

Saoirse

Irish

"liberty"

Before the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan made her mark in the films Ladybird and The Lovely Bones , few of us had heard this name, let alone known how to pronounce it. But now it is slowly way…

Kairi

Japanese

"sea"

Kairi is the name of the main female character in the popular role-playing video game series, Kingdom Hearts . Voiced by Hayden Panettiere in the main series, Kairi is one of the seven Princesses of…

Lavender

English color and flower name

"purple flower"

Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names…

Cassia

Feminine form of Cassius or Greek

"cinnamon"

Cassia is related to the cassia tree, which has yellow flowers and produces a spice that can be a substitute for cinnamon. Keziah, the name of Job’s daughter in the Old Testament, derives from the…

Callista

Greek

"most beautiful"

Calista Flockhart spotlighted this lovely Greek name that has a long future in the English-speaking world. Kallista is another spelling; Calixta and Calixto are related.

Lark

English bird name

Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.…

Anouk

Dutch and French variation of Anna

"grace"

Anouk, made famous by French actress Anouk Aimée, is a singular name with a lovely sound and a Bohemian feel. Anouk Aimée was born as Francoise, but adopted the first name of the character she played…

Poet

English word name

A recently entered name on the roster, Poet was used for her daughter by Soleil Moon (Punky Brewster) Frye, who obviously appreciates the advantages of an unusual name. This is a possible middle name…

Amaryllis

Greek

"to sparkle"

If you love both unique baby names and flower names for girls, Amaryllis might be a perfect choice for you. A showier flower name than Lily, but in the same botanical family, Amaryllis is not as…

Hero

Greek

"demi-god"

Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…

Oriana

Latin

"dawn; gold"

Oriana is a dashing medieval name, with a meaning similar to Aurora. At this point, though, Oriana is much more unusual than Aurora and makes a unique choice if you're searching for names that mean…