Favorite Female Names of a Sexagenarian

Sleek and sophisticated.

A gentle old-fashioned compound name that has never been epidemically popular, but is now almost unused.

Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its rise, along with others of its class like Eloise and Caspian.

Meryl is a name that's at once rare and famous, thanks to Meryl (born Mary Louise) Streep. Streep's name is an invented short form of Mary Louise, but Meryl might also be a contraction of the unique Irish name Meriel.

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 1 girls' name starting with M.

Mika is a sparky and stylish Japanese girls' name that translates easily to English. Also used as a Slovene and Hebrew diminutive for Mihaela and Michaela, as an alternative spelling to the Biblical Micah, and as a Greek diminutive of Dimitra (via Mimika), it is a truly multi-cultural choice.

Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the mythology names for girls that might appeal to adventurous feminist parents. With Juno and Jupiter, she made the Capitoline triad, whose worship was at the very center of Roman religion.

Frenchified name rarely used in France. And perhaps even more rarely used in the US -- there were NO baby girls given the name on the official records of 2021.

Monika is a feminine name primarily of Latin origin, being a variant spelling of Monica. The name derives from the Latin 'moneo' meaning 'to advise' or 'to remind.' Monika is particularly popular in Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, and Hungary, where this spelling is preferred over the more Anglicized 'Monica.' The name gained international recognition through Saint Monica, the persistent and prayerful mother of Saint Augustine. Monika has a melodic quality with its soft consonants and balanced syllables. While the 'Monica' spelling peaked in popularity in the United States during the 1970s, the 'Monika' variant maintains steady usage particularly in European countries and among families honoring their European heritage.

Once a poetic Celtic name, that of the angel who governs the month of June, Muriel became the mom or grandma on TV sitcoms. A Top 200 name from 1912 to 1933, Muriel may be due for a comeback according to our Hundred Year Rule. Only 50 baby girls were given the name in the US last year, and none were given Muriel's French variation, Murielle.

Nell, once a nickname for Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor, is a sweet old-fashioned charmer that is fashionably used today in its own right. While Nell is perfectly in tune with contemporary vintage name style, it hasn't taken off the way some of its sisters have and so maintains an air of distinction. Use Nell or Nellie as a short for any name from Eleanor to Penelope or just name her Nell.

A sweet, simple Sanskrit name which would work in many languages and has an sparkling, colorful meaning.

The mythological queen whose perpetual weeping for her slain children turned her into a stone has always cast a pall over this name. Still, when other names with less-than-savory associations -- Delilah, Ophelia, Persephone -- are becoming popular, parents might want to consider this one of the more unusual mythology names for girls.