Girls Names

An ancient tree that figures in literature from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and is believed to possess magical powers, Willow is a lovely name, as graceful as its inspiration.

An interesting name associated with the elegant American-born Queen Noor of Jordan. Noor is very popular among modern Muslim parents around the world and is beginning to cross over, perhaps because of its simplicity and its resemblance to the stylish Western Nora. It appeared in the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.

Justine is a French name that's never reached the popularity we think it deserves. Like its far-more-common brother Justin, Justine is sleek, and sophisticated, but still user-friendly.

Name of an Old Testament soldier that's been also used as a girls' name in modern Israel. An alternate spelling is Adinah. Some mistake Adina and Adinah to be the root of Dinah, but the Biblical name Dinah is borne by a different figure and has a different meaning. You can consider the modern short forms Dena and Dina as stemming from either Adina or Dinah.

Popular in its native Italy, Giada has been quietly and stylishly used in English-speaking countries for several years now. Television cook Giada De Laurentiis made this a possibility — then semi-subtly self-referenced when she named her daughter Jade.

Khione was the name of several minor figures in Greek mythology, of which the most notable is the nymph who Hermes turned into a snow cloud. Khione works as both a high-brow mythological name and a Kardashian-trendy K name.

This pretty palindrome name is rarely heard in the US, but could make an interesting namesake for an aunt or grandma Ann. It's also a German diminutive form of Anna.

The spiritual sounding Kiva has a number of other-worldly associations. Kiva is a "Stargate" character who becomes a commander in the Lucian Alliance, as well as a planet in "Star Wars." Kiva is also the name of a room used by the Hopi for spiritual ceremonies.

Nahla is a lovely name chosen by Halle Berry for her daughter. Not to be confused with the Disneyfied Nala.

The menu of usable month names seems to expand every, well, month, with such choices as November, October, and January joining more established names like April, May, June and August. Logical November nicknames include Nova, Novi, or Ember, making this a natural (if adventurous) choice for a baby girl. November is also, obviously, one of the perfect names for November babies.

Mazarine is a deep blue color also used as a first name in honor of Cardinal Mazarin, a leader of France in the 17th century. As a first name, Mazarine is as charming as it is unusual.

Has not caught on as much as other Golden State place-names — Sierra, Marin, West, or even Francisco — probably because of its length.

Aloha is more familiar but less namelike than Alohi, a Hawaiian name that means bright and shining. However, with the rise of word names, Aloha might make an undeniably cool and modern choice. Aloha Wonderwell (born Idris Hall) was dubbed "The World's Most Widely Travelled Girl" in the 1920s.