User-created list
a+ names :^)
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Ellington
English place-name and surname
"Ellis' town"
Ellington's popularity may be inspired by jazz great Duke, but the name is used slightly more often for girls today, perhaps because of its trendy El- beginning. Like a host of other El- names, from…
Elliot
English diminutive of Elias, Greek
"Yahweh is God"
Elliot is another traditional boy name used for girls" , a trend led by political commentator George Stephanopoulos and his actress wife Ali Wentworth. Variously spelled Eliot, Elliot, Elliott and…
Ellison
English
"son of Ellis"
Updates Allison—which everyone will misunderstand it as. But it's definitely a fresh spin on the Ellie names, and a rising surname name choice for girls. Ellison made its first appearance on the US…
Ernestine
Femeninization of Ernest, English from German
"serious, resolute"
One time joke name, à la Lily Tomlin's bossy telephone operator, Ernestine is ready for a possible reevaluation, like cousins Josephine and Clementine.
Escarleth
Spanish
"scarlet"
Scarlet or Scarlett with a Spanish twist, based on the Spanish pronunciation of the name. Escarlett and Escarlet are also occasionally used.
Everett
German
"brave boar"
Everett is a male name that's a prime crossover candidate, much like Eliot, Ellis, and Ellery. With its newfound popularity for boys stemming from its similarity to trendy sisters, Eva, Evelyn and…
Hester
Medieval variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter 's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an…
Iekeliene
Dutch
Dutch model Iekeliene Stange is a famous bearer of this one-of-a-kind name. Its meaning is unknown, but it may be a combo name formed from Ieke + the common suffix -liene.
Isabelline
Variation of Isabella and color name
With the popularity of Isabella, you might think of Isabelline as a further elaboration -- though it would be the definition of gilding the lily. But Isabelline is also a color, an amorphous pale…
Jayden
Spelling variation of Jaden
"thankful"
This once obscure name was propelled to fame by Britney Spears, and by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the 2000's. It skyrocketed into the US Top 10 for boys, but it also saw significant use for…
Joel
Jennalynn
Lawrence
Latin
"from Laurentium or bay laurel"
We approve of this name for a girl, but prefer the au, Laura-Laurenish, spelling.
Lynette
French elaboration of Lynn or Welsh
"idol"
Linda begat Lynn which gave way to Lynette, which peaked in the late 1960s. Lynette has been off the Top 1000 for a couple decades now, and the Lynn variations finding the most favor are those that…
Reinette
French
"little queen"
Reinette was the childhood nickname of Madame La Pompadour, perhaps a cute short form for Regina or Reina but hardly worthy of the full name on the birth certificate today.
Renelle
French variation of Reinhild, German
"advice, counsel + battle"
A rare French name, with the more contemporary feel of Renee, Wrenley, and Rochelle. It comes from the Germanic Reinhild via Renelde, though it is sometimes used as a variation of Renee, meaning…
Temperance
Virtue name
Not too long ago, Temperance was found only on lists of Puritan baby names . With increased increase in virtue names, and Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan on long-running television series Bones , this…
Vermilion
Color name
This vivid reddish orange color name is an undiscovered possibility -- kind of a female equivalent of Cerulean for boys.
Wendell
German
"to travel, to proceed"
Old man's name just conceivable for a girl--makes a new spin on Wendy.
Xanthene
Color name
A yellowish chemical compound that produces fluorescent dyes ranging from bright yellow to hot pink to flaming red -- but as a name sounds glaringly sci-fi.