This is hard.

  1. Delia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "born on the island of Delos"
    • Description:

      Delia is a somewhat neglected southern charmer that stands on its own but also might be short for Adelia or Cordelia.
  2. Vega
    • Origin:

      Arabic, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "swooping eagle; meadow"
    • Description:

      Another astral name, this one relating to one of the largest and brightest stars in the heavens, is popular in Scandinavia and Spain, where it ranks among the Top 50 girls' names. Although still very rare in the US, we think it has serious potential to follow the likes of Luna and Lyra up the charts.
  3. Mona
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "noble good"
    • Description:

      Mona had more than a moment in the sun, peaking in 1950 at Number 230 but falling off the Top 1000 completely in the late 1980s. Its similarity to the word "moaner" undercuts the appeal of its simplicity. In one recent year, fewer than 100 baby girls received the name, and we don't see it reviving any time soon.
  4. Kenzo
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "strong and healthy"
    • Description:

      Kenzo is a common Japanese name with several creative bearers: the single-named fashion designer, prizewinning architect Kenzo Takada, and painter Kenzo Okada, which makes it internationally recognizable.
  5. Gray
    • Origin:

      Color name, also diminutive of Grayson
    • Description:

      The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Gray (or Grey), is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative--if slightly somber-- choice, especially in the middle. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney recently named their son Leo Grey.
  6. Aviva
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "springlike, fresh, dewy"
    • Description:

      Aviva is vivacious and memorable, a fresh spin on the Vivian and Vivienne names that have been getting more popular since Angelina and Brad chose one for their twin daughter. Another A-beginning palindrome name: Aziza.
  7. Avi
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "father"
    • Description:

      Avi, the short form of many Hebrew names, is often used on its own in Israel. It entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.
  8. Roma
    • Origin:

      Italian place-name
    • Description:

      Never as popular as Florence; today's parents might prefer Venezia, Verona, or Romy. It is also a Hindu name meaning "one with shiny hair" and is another name for the goddess Lakshmi.

  9. Tova
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "good, pleasing"
    • Description:

      Lively modern Hebrew name with a positive meaning.
  10. Amory
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "industrious"
    • Description:

      Amory is the kind of executive-sounding surname name that became popular in the 1990s. Amory Blaine is the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, This Side of Paradise.
  11. Roslyn
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Rosalind
    • Description:

      Spelling variations abound when a name is trendy, which Rosalind is not these days. We say leave Roslyn back in the middle of the 20th century and reclaim the original Rosalind.
  12. Zia
    • Origin:

      Short form of Luzia or Terézia, Hungarian, Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "light; harvest"
    • Description:

      A short and zippy name that would blend right in with but also stand out among a group of girls named Mia, Gia, Lia and Tia. It is a multicultural choice, used in Hungary as a short from of Terézia, or sometimes Ambrozia, and as a Romansh and Portuguese nickname for Luzia or similar.
  13. Akiva
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "to protect, shelter"
    • Description:

      Akiva has a distinguished scholarly pedigree and a lovely meaning. Its softer sound is very on trend for masculine names at the moment and is in line with more familiar monikers like Ezra, Elijah and Theo.
  14. Kinley
    • Origin:

      Scottish surname
    • Meaning:

      "fair hero"
    • Description:

      A Scottish surname name, more popular as the Presidential McKinley, meaning "son of the fair hero".
  15. Rivka
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "to tie, bind"
    • Description:

      A traditional name still used in Orthodox families. Rivka is the original form of Rebekah or Rebecca, today used far more widely than the original. Rifka is a variation.
  16. Kiah
    • Origin:

      Short form of Hezekiah, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God gives strength"
    • Description:

      Drawn from old record books, Kiah is an antiquated nickname that feels perfectly appropriate for modern times -- maybe more so than father name Hezekiah.
  17. Kezia
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "cassia tree"
    • Description:

      This lively Old Testament nature name (belonging to one of the three beautiful daughters of Job) may be missing from the current US Top 1000 list, but it ranks highly here on Nameberry — making it one to watch!
  18. Djuna
    • Origin:

      Invented name
    • Meaning:

      "born in June; young; moon"
    • Description:

      Novelist Djuna Barnes introduced this interesting and unusual name with an arty, Bohemian feel to the mix. She explained that it was invented by her father, saying it came about as a combination of her infant brother's pronunciation of the word moon as 'nuna' and a character in a book her father was reading, Prince Djalma, and so he "put the Dj onto the 'una'." Result: the silent-D pronunciation (as in Django) of JOON-a.
  19. Navi
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "to name"
    • Description:

      Nickname for the star Gamma Cassiopeiae given by the late astronaut Gus Grissom after his own middle name (Ivan) spelled backwards. Navi also relates to the prophets in the Hebrew Bible.
  20. Tilden
    • Origin:

      English place-name
    • Meaning:

      "fertile valley"
    • Description:

      Though it has some distinguished political and tennis world associations, most modern parents would go for the more contemporary sounding Holden. Tilden Park is a beautiful hillside wilderness in the San Francisco Bay Area.