Deb's Favorite Girl Names

Mia

Italian word name or Scandinavian short form of Maria

"drop of the sea"

Mia is an appealingly unfussy multicultural name that has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the charts and is now firmly among the ten top girl names . Mia has surpassed its mother name Maria as the Number…

Ava

Hebrew, Latin or Germanic

"life; bird; water, island"

Ava is one of the prime examples of a modern classic name, ranking in the Top 10 for 20 years, from 2005 through 2024, only falling out in 2025. In medieval times, Ava was a diminutive of Germanic…

Chloe

Greek

"young green shoot"

Chloe is a pretty springtime name symbolizing new growth. Though slightly off its peak in the Top 10 in 2010, Chloe still ranks in the Top 20 and is solidly a modern classic. Along with the US, Chloe…

Ivy

Botanical name

The quirky, offbeat and energetic botanical name Ivy is enjoying a deserved revival, propelled even higher by its choice by high-profile parents Beyonce and Jay-Z for daughter Blue Ivy. Ivy is also…

Mila

Slavic, Russian

"gracious; dear"

Mila is a popular name that took a 125 year nap, ranking in the Top 1000 in 1881 and then not ranking again until 2006, after actress Mila Kunis appeared on That 70s Show . Ukrainian-born Kunis was…

Eden

Hebrew

"place of pleasure, delight"

Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the 17th century. Eden entered the Top 1000 in 1989, and…

Ayla

Hebrew or Turkish

"oak tree; halo, moonlight"

Bright, fresh, and sunny, Ayla is a fashionable and exciting international choice for girls. Reminiscent of other trending names such as Layla, Isla, and Ava, Ayla has recently found its place in the…

Lyla

Spelling variation of Lila, Arabic

"night"

The Lyla spelling variation has now superseded the original Lila — the former remains on the rise while the latter is consistently falling in popularity. Celebrity couple Katherine Schwarzenegger and…

Caroline

French, feminine variation of Charles

"free man"

Caroline is a perennial classic, one of the elite group of girls' names that's ALWAYS ranked among the Top 1000 and that's been in the Top 100 since 1994. Elegant yet strong, Caroline calls to mind…

Georgia

English, feminine variation of George

"farmer"

Georgia is so rich, lush and luscious, it's almost irresistible. Georgia's now a rising star among the feminizations of George, helped by associations with the southern state (named for British King…

Juliette

French diminutive of Julia, Latin

"youthful or sky father"

Juliette, pronounced with the emphasis on the last syllable, adds a little something extra to Juliet. In the past years it has been rising up the chart. Juliet originated in the Middle Ages as a…

Eliza

Hebrew

"pledged to God"

Eliza is a name with a wonderful combination of streamlined zest and Eliza Doolittle charm and spunk. It's a classic that's popular right now -- but not too popular. Eliza has not been in the Top 100…

Eva

Latin form of Eve, Hebrew

"life"

Eva is a simple, classic Hebrew name for girls that recently slipped out of the US Top 100 for the first time in more than a decade. Pronounced either like her more popular sister Ava or less popular…

Sage

Herb name, Latin

"wise and knowing"

Sage is an evocatively fragrant herbal name that also connotes wisdom, giving it a double advantage. It entered the Top 1000 at about the same time for both genders in the early 1990s, but it has…

Lilah

Variation of Lila, Arabic, English

"night"

Lilah may be a simple spelling variation of Lila— itself an alternative form of the Arabic Leila — or you might think of it as a shortening of Delilah or an Anglicization of the Hebrew Lilach, which…

Celeste

Latin

"heavenly"

Celeste is a softly pretty and somewhat quaint name with heavenly overtones, which kids might associate with Queen Celeste of Babar's elephant kingdom. She's a light and lovely choice that's finally…

Rory

Irish

"red king"

Rory is a buoyant, spirited name for a redhead with Celtic roots. The name Rory is getting more popular overall, but for the past few years has been trending decidedly toward the boys' side --…

Norah

English, Arabic

"woman of honor, light"

The skyrocketing success of singer Norah Jones brought this spelling of the name onto the pop charts in 2003. As well as being a spelling variant of Nora in English, it's also an alternative…

Juliet

English from Latin

"youthful or sky father"

One of the most romantic names, the lovely and stylish Juliet seems finally to have shaken off her limiting link to Romeo. In Shakespeare's play, it was Juliet who said "What's in a name?" Juliet…

Thea

Greek

"goddess, godly"

Succinct and stylish, sweet but vivacious, multicultural and versatile, Thea has a lot going for it. A Top 100 choice in Sweden, France, Norway, New Zealand, and the UK, it is also familiar in…