Names from what I hear and read.

Harper

English

"harp player"

You might think of Harper as the hottest name of the last decade, jumping from obscurity to the Top 10, where it remained until last year. Victoria and David Beckham's choice of Harper for their…

Layla

Variation of Leila, Arabic

"night"

A lovely musical name (remember the old Eric Clapton-Derek & the Dominos song?), Layla's seen a significant surge in popularity, partly partly all names with a double L are stylish, and partly…

Georgia

English, feminine variation of George

"farmer"

Georgia is so rich, lush and luscious, it's almost irresistible. Georgia's now a rising star among the feminizations of George, helped by associations with the southern state (named for British King…

Miriam

Hebrew or Egyptian

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

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…

Rosie

English

"rose"

Rosy-cheeked and cheery, Rosie (also spelled Rosy) has been standing on her own for many decades, back to the days of 1943 musical Sweet Rosie O'Grady . She's one of the perky nickname-names that are…

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…

Dede

English diminutive of any girl name that starts with D

Of all the names with repeating sounds , Dede isn't the first we'd use (Lulu or Coco, maybe), but it certainly isn't the last — we much prefer it to Dodo or Fifi.

Sissy

Diminutive of Cecilia; pet name for "sister"

"sister"

Old-fashioned nickname for a sister, almost never heard today.

Yvonne

French

"yew wood"

Peaking in the 1950s, Yvonne has now dropped out of the Top 1000 in 2003 and doesn't look set to return soon, although its rare Y initial might endear it to some. Yvaine, from Neil Gaiman's Stardust…

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.

Delia

Greek

"born on the island of Delos"

Delia is a somewhat neglected southern charmer that stands on its own but also might be short for Adelia or Cordelia. Delia's name is based on that of the Greek island of Delos, which in Greek myth…