Pretty names

Pretty names; cute and sweet.
  1. Astrid
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "divinely beautiful"
    • Description:

      Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful."
  2. Clara
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "bright, clear"
    • Description:

      Clara is a strong, lovely girls' name that's always ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names but has been climbing since the turn of this century. It now ranks right around Number 100, making it a modern classic that's neither too popular nor unfamiliar.
  3. Eira
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "snow"
    • Description:

      This Welsh nature name that can be pronounced exactly like the male Ira. Or, to avoid confusion, you could just name her Snow.
  4. Freja
    • Origin:

      Swedish and Danish
    • Meaning:

      "lady, noblewoman"
    • Description:

      One of the most popular names in Scandinavia, Freja--or Freyja--was a major deity of Norse paganism. Beautiful, blonde and blue-eyed, she was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. In the US, the name is most likely spelled Freya.
  5. Gigi
    • Origin:

      French diminutive
    • Description:

      Joining the likes of Coco and Fifi, Gigi has a style but some may feel it lacks substance. Model and TV personality Gigi Hadid (born Jelena) has likely drawn attention to this name, while designer Cynthia Rowley may have inspired parents to use it as a given name by choosing it for her daughter.
  6. Julia
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "youthful or sky father"
    • Description:

      Julia was an ancient Roman imperial name given to females in the house of a Julius, as in Caesar. Its origin is shrouded in history, but possible roots include Latin iuvenis, meaning "youthfu"; Greek ioulos, meaning "downy-bearded"; or Jovis, a form of Jupiter, which means "sky father".
  7. Lavinia
    • Origin:

      Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
    • Description:

      Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the mother of the Roman people.
  8. Lili
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Lily or diminutive of Lilian
    • Description:

      Lili has been blooming in many forms for a couple of decades now. The Lili version will surely get more attention now that the Duke and Duchess of Susses, aka Harry and Meghan, are using is as a short form for their daughter Lilibet Diana's name. Lili makes the slight and light though that is not necessarily a bad thing; it also mutes the name's floral identity and gives it a cute and quirky repetitive spelling, ala Coco and Lulu. A famous German song is titled Lili Marlene.
  9. Miriam
    • Origin:

      Hebrew or Egyptian
    • Meaning:

      "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
    • Description:

      The oldest-known form of Mary, serious and solemn Miriam has been a particular favorite of observant Jewish parents. But we can see it extending beyond that sphere into the next wave of Old Testament names post-Rachel, Rebecca, Sarah, Hannah, and Leah. Miriam is currently the Number 1 girls' name in Israel.
  10. Norah
    • Origin:

      English, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "woman of honor, light"
    • Description:

      The skyrocketing success of singer Norah Jones brought this spelling of the name onto the pop charts in 2003. As well as being a spelling variant of Nora in English, it's also an alternative transcription of the Arabic name Nura, from Nur/Noor "light".
  11. Olivia
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "olive tree"
    • Description:

      Olivia, a lovely Shakespearean name with an admirable balance of strength and femininity, is the Number 1 name for baby girls in the US and one of the top girls' names around the world.
  12. Stella
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "star"
    • Description:

      Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina.
  13. Therese
    • Origin:

      German and Scandinavian variation of Theresa
    • Meaning:

      "to reap, gather, harvest"
    • Description:

      A form of Theresa with a touch of European flair along with its saintly connotations, Therese is particularly familiar in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and the UK. While it has declined in use in recent years, it remains a solid choice with nicknames ranging from Reese to Tessie, Thea to Tessan, Terri to Tracey.
  14. Trudy
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "spear of strength"
    • Description:

      Innocent, sincere, and bright-eyed, and as outdated as its mother name, Gertrude.
  15. Vala
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "singled out"
    • Description:

      Mystical overtones.
  16. Vera
    • Origin:

      Russian
    • Meaning:

      "faith"
    • Description:

      Vera was the height of fashion in 1910, then was for a long time difficult to picture embroidered on a baby blanket. Now, though, it has come back into style along with other old-fashioned simple names such as Ada and Iris.
  17. Wren
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "small bird"
    • Description:

      Wren, a lilting songbird name, could be the next Robin. Wren entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2012 and is among the new wave of popular English names for girls.