Miss USA + Miss America contestant/winner names

Margaret

Greek

"pearl"

Margaret is derived from the French Marguerite, which in turn came from Margarita, the Latin form of the Greek Margarites. Margarites was based on the Old Persian word margārīta , meaning "pearl."…

Nina

Short form of names that end in -nina

Nina is as multiethnic as you can get: Nina is a common nickname name in Spain and Russia, a Babylonian goddess of the oceans, and an Incan goddess of fire. Here and now, it's a stylish possibility…

Hope

Virtue name

Can a name as virtuous as Hope be cool and trendy? Strangely enough -- yes. But though this optimistic Puritan favorite is experiencing substantial popularity, Hope is too pure and elegant to be…

Vanessa

Literary invention; also a species of butterfly

Vanessa was invented by writer Jonathan Swift for a lover named Esther Vanhomrigh—he combined the first syllable of her last name with the initial syllable of her first. Swift used it in the poem…

Neely

English diminutive of Cornelia, Eleanor, Helena, or McNeilly, English, Scottish

"horn; shining torch; son of the poet"

A nickname style name, Neely could derive from the strong sounding Cornelia, as a playful alternative to Nelly from Eleanor and Helena, or as a variation of the Scottish surname McNeilly, with the…

Yolande

Yolande is a feminine name of medieval French origin derived from the Germanic elements 'yol' meaning 'viking' or 'valiant' and 'lande' meaning 'land' or 'territory'. It was introduced to England…

Betty

Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

Combine the popularity of Betty White and Mad Men 's glamorous Betty Draper Francis, with the residual sweetness of Ugly Betty 's Betty Suarez, and the result is an impending return of the name. It's…

Lee

English

"pasture, meadow"

The original brief, breezy name is somewhat out of favor now even as a middle name. The Leigh spelling has more substance and is more identifiable as female.

Macel

Macel is an uncommon feminine name with multiple possible origins. It may be a variant of Marcel (the feminine form being Marcelle), which derives from the Roman name Marcellus, meaning 'young…