Girls

Bay

English word, Old English

"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"

One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…

Beatrix

Latin

"she who brings happiness; blessed"

Beatrix has a solid history of its own apart from Beatrice, with that final x adding a playful, animated note to the name's imposing history and stately vibe. In the earliest sources it is recorded…

Belisse

Belisse is a rare feminine name with likely French or Latin origins. It may be related to the French word 'belle' meaning 'beautiful,' or possibly derived from 'Belicia,' a medieval variant of names…

Bernadette

German

"brave as a bear"

Although feminizations ending in "ette" are not particularly popular now, Bernadette is a pleasant, feminine, but strong name that doesn't feel prohibitively dated. And though strongly associated…

Beth

English diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

The sweetest and most sensitive of the pet names for Elizabeth, now also one of the most dated.

Beverly

English

"dweller near the beaver stream"

The remarkable success of the girls' name Everly makes a revival of the name Beverly seem possible. More commonly a masculine name in the 19th century, it began to be used for girls in the early…

Bliss

English word name

"great joy"

A sweet, uplifting and still fairly uncommon modern virtue name. Its single syllable makes it especially good as a middle name, but it would also make a big impact in the first spot; in fact, nearly…

Brenna

Feminine form of Brennan

"descendant of the sad one; raindrops"

Brenna is a feminine form of the Irish surname Brennan, or perhaps a variation of Brenda or Brendan—all of which have different meanings. Whatever its derivation or authenticity, it's a modern…

Britta

Scandinavian, variation of Birgit or Britt

"strength or exalted one"

If you want a pan-Scandinavian name with energy and style that could have been a winner, if not for the sound-alike water filtration company Brita.

Brisa

Spanish

"breeze"

Brisa is commonly used in Latino families, all but unheard of in others.

Calandra

Greek

"lark"

Calista Flockhart opened the door to a whole flock of graceful and unusual Greek names like this, including Calantha, Calla, Carissa, and Cassia. Calandra itself is the name of a species of lark, and…

Calixta

Greek

"most beautiful"

Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate…

Candace

Latin

"white, pure, sincere"

Candace, an ancient title of a dynasty of Ethiopian queens mentioned in the New Testament, is associated both with actress Candice Bergen and Sex and the City writer Candace Bushnell. Both spellings…

Candida

Latin

"white"

Attractive ancient name borne by several saints but sullied by association with yeast infection.

Carol

English, feminine variation of Charles

"free man"

A Caroline abbreviation that was wildly popular with Mom's generation...or Grandma's. At one time it was a name for baby girls born at Christmas . because of its association with Christmas carols.…

Carys

Welsh

"love"

Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late…