Girl Names

Lovely, authentic name -- but any Kirsten will be condemned to a lifetime of hearing "Did you say Kristen?" They're both genuine Scandinavian names but too interchangeable.

A pretty, dainty name for one of the little characters in the children's book series The Borrowers. It was the basis for a later Studio Ghible animated film, The Secret World of Arrietty. While the connection to Harriet is tenuous, you might want to consider Arrietty as an honorific for an ancestral Harriet, Harry, or even Henry or Henrietta.

One of the new word names, appealing to parents attracted to the idea of a spiritual -- or even an actual -- voyage. The Journee spelling is also being used. Unisex alert: Jenna Jameson used Journey for one of her twin boys, as did the Black Eyed Peas rock musician known as Taboo.

Part Ashley, part Ainsley, part Annie, Ansley featured in the US Top 1000 from the late '90s until 2020. It peaked in 2011 when it nearly reached the Top 600, but has declined in recent years.

This diminutive of Kimberley is gaining momentum as a standalone name. For our part, we're stumped by its rise.

This still attractive place name was one of the first to gain popularity, though it now probably owes some of its favor to the similar Aisha. Asia ranked as high as Number 195 on the US baby names popularity list in 1997.

The Russian version of Katherine is usually Ekaterina, but this form is used throughout Eastern Europe and may be more friendly to the American ear.

With diverse roots and meanings, Ayana is a cross-cultural possibility with Arabic, African, and Kazakh origin. Both Ayana and Ayanna enjoyed a spike of popularity in the 1990s, but have faded since then, though 246 girls were given the name in the US in a recent year, placing it just outside the Top 1000. It appeared in the Kazakhstani top 15 multiple times in the 2010s and recently ranked in the UK Top 500.

Acadia, the French name for Nova Scotia and the name of a gorgeous national park in Maine makes a fresh, rhythmic choice for your little girl. Acadia is an original yet accessible member of the stylish girl names starting with A.

A long-popular name, particularly among the African-American community, Keisha was first publicized by the child actress, Keshia Knight Pulliam, who starred on the old Cosby Show. It entered the US Top 1000 in 1967 and remained there for 30 years, but it hasn't featured again since 1997.

Kallie is usually used as a nickname for more unusual names like Calliope, Kalliope, and Calendula. We also think this is a fresher alternative to Kelly.

Kiersten is the version of Kirsten you use if you really really really don't want anyone to mispronounce it as ker-sten or kris-ten. But they probably still will.

Adding an extra 'R' to Kiera makes it rhyme with the fashionable Sierra. Kierra is a more distinctive choice than Kiera, Keira, or Kyra, all similarly pronounced, but there may be some pronunciation confusion.