girls namesss yo

Valentina

Latin

"strength, health"

Effortlessly stylish, with plenty of sweetness and strength, Valentina feels like a fresh alternative to Valerie, Victoria, or Vanessa, even if it does now rank ahead of them in the US charts.…

Aaliyah

Variation of Aliya, Arabic

"heavens, highborn, exalted"

Both powerful and pretty, with a melodic sound, Aaliyah joins Layla, Lila, Zara, and Aisha as a name of Arabic origin that is also popular in the English-speaking world. Back in 1993, the name was…

Anastasia

Greek, feminine variation of Anastasios

"resurrection"

Anastasia is the feminine form on Anastasius, a Greek name derived from the word anastasis , meaning "resurrection." It was a common name among early Christians, who often gave it to daughters born…

Astrid

Scandinavian

"divinely beautiful"

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…

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…

Angel

Spanish and English

"angel, messenger"

Angel is one of those names that has a very different trajectory for girls and boys. As a female name, it was most popular in the US from the 1970s until the turn of this century, almost breaking…

Hadassah

Hebrew

"myrtle tree"

This Hebrew name of Queen Esther is well used in Israel (especially for girls born around the holiday of Purim), and in the US is the name of a Zionist women's philanthropic organization. Formerly…

Selene

Greek

"moon"

Selene may be the mythological Greek original, but Latin variation Selena is used more often in the US these days. Selene is the Greek goddess of the moon, sister of Helios the sun god. Selene is…

Monica

Latin

"advisor"

This saintly name--she was the mother of St. Augustine--plummeted after the double whammy of Lewinsky and the demise of Friends.

Nyomi

Variation of Naomi, Hebrew

"pleasantness"

This spelling of Naomi increases the chances you'll get the nye-O-mee pronunciation and feels reminiscent of Japanese Kiyomi. It is surprisingly underused, given to just 7 girls in a recent year.

Yasmin

Persian

"jasmine flower"

This name, whose sweet and fragrant floral essence has always been widespread across the Near Eastern world, has now landed on US popularity lists in a variety of spellings. It's been dropping…

Adine

Variation of Aideen or Adina

Spelled this way, Adine could be a relative of either the Irish Aideen, which means jealousy, or the Arabic Adina, meaning slender. We'll go with the slender.

Alisen

Alisen is a feminine name that appears to be a variant spelling of Alison or Allison, which originated as a medieval French diminutive of Alice, ultimately derived from the Germanic name Adalheidis…

Dania

Italian, diminutive of Daniela, Arabic

"God is my judge; close, near"

Dania is a fun, offbeat name with international flair that would be a wonderful choice to honor a Danielle, Daniel, or a Dana. It is both an Italian diminutive of Daniela and a spelling variation of…

Dasha

Diminutive of Dariya or Darya, Russian

"possessing goodness"

An energetic — dare we say dashing — Russian diminutive of Darya that hasn't caught on in the same way as Sasha has in the English speaking world. Singer Dasha (born Anna Dasha Novotny) , actress,…

Deshona

Deshona is a modern feminine name with African-American origins. It's likely a creative variation of names like Deshawn or a feminine form of Deshon, combining popular name elements 'De-' with…

Dominica

Italian, feminine variation of Dominic

"belonging to the Lord"

Fashionably Continental and much fresher than Dominique, though it's been used since the Middle Ages. Dominica can be spelled any number of ways, from Dominika to Domenica, but we prefer this…

Glory

Word name

Glory sounds fresh and uplifting and a lot more modern than Gloria (which is definitely feeling the stirrings of a revival, though some might still view it as a terminal Old Lady name). Glory, as in…

Ingrid

Norse

"fair; Ing is beautiful"

The luminous Ingrid Bergman's appeal was strong enough to lend universal charisma to this classic Scandinavian name, which has been somewhat neglected in the US. Even today, a child named Ingrid…

Isadora

Greek

"gift of Isis"

For a long time, Isadora has been overlooked in favor of Isabella, owing perhaps to its association with the tragic modern dancer, Isadora Duncan, or because parents would rather their daughter be a…