This undiscovered Scottish port city name has a nice, upbeat feel and lots of good nickname possibilities. 

Aberdeen

Amarantha is a rare botanical name whose mythical equivalent was believed to be immortal.  The Italian and Spanish form is the somewhat-more-acccessible Amaranta.

Amarantha

A rarely used play on Amber, making it more feminine and both more modern and old-fashioned at the same time.

Amberly

Anamarie

Anitra

One of the more widely used combination forms.

Annalisa

Blakely, along with Blakeley, Blakelee and Blakeleigh, is one of the post-Ashley surname names that end with the lee sound so stylish today. Reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter named their daughter Blakesley. These surname-names are among the most stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/501/english-names-for-girls">English names for girls</a>.

Blakely

Charlotte, the name of the young Princess of Cambridge, is the latest classic name to join Sophia, Emma, Olivia, and Isabella at the top of the popularity list. It is now among the most popular girl names in many English-speaking and European countries.
 
The feminine form of Charles, Charlotte derived from Charlot, a French diminutive of Charles meaning "little Charles" and the name of Charlemagne’s son in French literature and legend. The name was popularized by England's Queen Charlotte Sophia, wife of King George III.
 
Queen Charlotte was the mother of fifteen children and a patron of Mozart and Bach. She and George ruled England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century during the French and American revolutions.
 
Charlotte is an elegant royal name, with a host of widely varied role models, from Charlotte Brontë to the spidery protagonist of E. B. White's Charlotte's Web to the more recent Charlotte York, aka the prissy one, of Sex and the City. Charlotte is appealing to a wide range of parents because it sounds feminine yet grownup, sophisticated yet lush. 
 
Charlotte is a pop culture staple—it was Scarlett Johansson's character in Lost in Translation and has been featured on TV shows like Lost and Revenge. The band Good Charlotte was named for a children's book with that title. An all-around winner of a name, Charlotte has been chosen by Chelsea Clinton, Dylan McDermott, Colin Hanks, and Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.
 In addition to Charlie, Lottie makes a cute nickname.

Charlotte

Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie.

Ella is one of those names that just misses ranking among the US Top 1000 for its entire history, falling off the list for a handful of years in the 1980s before shooting straight back toward the top. Like many names from Liam to Finn to Emma that's easy to spell and pronounce, Ella is an international favorite, making the Top 100 throughout the Anglophone world as well as in a range of French and German-speaking, Scandinavian, and Eastern European countries. 

Which makes sense for a name with parallel derivations in several different languages and cultures. Ella is the Norman variation of the Germanic Alia—itself a nickname for names containing the element ali. In English speaking countries and Scandinavia, Ella developed as a diminutive for names beginning with El-, such as Eleanor and Elizabeth. Ella is also a Hebrew name, referring to a tree in the pistachio family or in modern Hebrew, "goddess."

Ella can also be a short form of names that begin with El, such as Eleanor and Elizabeth, as well as those that end with -ella, from Gabriella to Luella to Rafaella. And it can be one of the many routes to the super-popular nickname Ellie.

Ella has long been a favorite celebrity baby name, chosen by several stars for their now-mostly-grown daughters by John Travolta, Warren Beatty, Ben Stiller, Eric Clapton, Jeff Gordon, Ioan Gruffudd, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Wahlberg.
 
Iconic singer Ella Fitzgerald adds a jazzy edge. And Ella Enchanted gave the name some princess-y pop.

Ella

Ellamae was given to a record 80 baby girls in 2021, although the data doesn't record punctuation, so we don't know how many of those will actually go by Ella Mae or Ella-Mae. It's a modern smoosh name with a sweet, old-timey feel.

Ellamae

Variation of Eliana. Entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.

Ellianna

Emily may have dropped somewhat in the current standings, but it was the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a> for over a decade because it appeals on many levels: Emily is feminine, classic, simple, pretty, and strong. Emily is Number 1 among <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/gen-z-names">Gen Z names</a>. It also has those nice literary namesakes, like Emily Dickinson and Emily Brontë.
 
Parents who a decade ago might have chosen Emily have moved on to Emma and now are looking at such alternatives as Amelia and Emmeline. But those girls' names, like Emma, may soon feel overused too.
 
Emily was derived from the Roman name Aemilia, which may have evolved from the Latin word aemulus, meaning "hardworking" or "rival." Emilia has the same Latin root as Emily, but Amelia has separate origins — it was derived from the Germanic name Amalia, meaning work. Emma is also rooted in German and means universal.
 
Modern Emilys in the spotlight include a number of the hottest young actresses — Emily Blunt, Emily Mortimer, Emily Deschanel — and even Emma Stone was christened Emily. And Emily is still one of the most widely used <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/e">girl names starting with E</a>, on its way to overtaking A as the most fashionable first initial.

Emily

Emmalea

Esmé comes from the past participle of the Old French verb esmer, meaing "to esteem" or "to love." It can also be considered a derivative of the Spanish name Esmeralda, which means "emerald". 

 Esmé began life as a masculine name, as in its original bearer, Esmé Stewart,1st Duke of Lennox, and Esmée, with the same pronunciation, was the feminine form. Today both spellings are used as feminine given names, along with Anglicizations including Esmay and Esmae.

 
Esmé is a sweet, sophisticated and charming literary name, from J. D. Salinger's classic 1950 story For Esmé, With Love and Squalor. Esme is also one of the most stylish <a href="/list/434/Baby-Names-That-Mean-Love">baby names that mean love.</a>

 A current favorite among celebs, including Samantha Morton, Michael J. Fox and Katey Sagal, Esme got a lot of publicity via the character Esme Cullen, the vampire matriarch of the Olympic Coven in the Twilight Saga. Esme has long been more popular across the pond in the UK, where it currently makes the Top 50 baby girl names.

 The final accent indicates the pronunciation of ez-may, though in English you can just spell it Esme. Whatever the spelling, Esme is one of the fastest-rising <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/e">girl names starting with E</a>.

Esme

Everdean

Instead of the usual French suspects -- Danielle, Isabelle, Gabrielle -- why not consider Fabienne, which is less common and just as pretty. 

Fabienne

Does Fay really need that e at the end? We vote no, but modern parents disagree: The Faye spelling was used for nearly 300 girls in 2014, vaulting the name back onto the Top 1000 after a 35-year absence, nearly ten times as many babies as received the Fay spelling.
Some people may feel spelling it Faye makes the name more balanced and complete, as Anne of Green Gables famously said about her name. The original Fay, Morgan le Fay, was a sorceress of the Arthurian Legends. Faye may also be used as a short form of Faith.

Faye

Fernanda is very popular in the Latino community, with a lot more charm than its male counterpart. 
The standard nickname is Nanda, and variations include Ferdinanda and Fernandina.
 Oscar-nominated Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro was born Arlette, but has said she chose Fernanda because of its 'sonority.' Fernanda Eberstadt is an American novelist and journalist; Brazil-born Fernanda Rocha is one of The Housewives of Orange County.

Fernanda

Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "Lady, noble woman", Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. 
 Freya has been one of the fastest-rising names of the past few years and is even more popular in England and Wales. We predict that along with the original Nordic spelling Freyja, Freya will continue its meteoric rise in the coming years.
 Freya can be considered a feminization of Frey or Freyr, the name of the goddess’s brother.
 .There is a Joseph Conrad novel titled Freya of the Seven Isles. A noted bearer was the explorer and writer Freya Stark.

Freya

Now more popular than Georgiana in Britain, this elegant Dickens. Jane Austen name deserves attention.   Most American parents prefer Georgia to Georgina or any other feminization of George.

Georgina

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 would be assumed to be of Scandinavian ancestry, signaling the name has never been fully integrated into the English lexicon the way other European choices from the same era like Danielle or Kathleen have.
 Still popular in its native Scandinavia, where it is a royal name, its highest US ranking was Number 380 in 1967. 
 Its meaning refers to Ing, the Norse god of fertility, peace, and prosperity, and he's looked upon as the ancestor of the Swedish kings.
 Ingrid was the name of mother figures in both Spy Kids and White Oleander.
 Trivia tidbit: It's Scarlett Johansson's middle name.

Ingrid

Leave the Z behind, please. You're better off with the classic Jasmine spelling -- though all of this name's variations have been falling in popularity in recent years.

Jazmine

This variation of Jordan entered the Top 1000 in 1989. Jordyn as well as Jordan trended throughout the 90s and early 2000s, but are beginning to fall slightly on the girls' side. While the Jordan spelling reached the highest point in popularity out of the 2, making it into the Top 50 in the late 90s and early 2000s, today Jordyn has taken the lead.

Jordyn

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.
 Some might associate it with the San Francisco rock band Journey.

Journey

Juna, a variation of the newly stylish month name June, goddess name Juno, or literary Djuna, is among the fresher-feeling <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/j">girl names starting with J</a>. While Juna has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, it's a popular choice in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Juna

Karalee

Karalyn

A widely used name, Kaylee pulls together something from Kayla and something from Hailey, yet somehow loses something in the process. It has surpassed cousin Kayla on the charts and is one of three <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/k">girls' names starting with K</a>that ranks in the US Top 100.

Kaylee

Kimberlyn

Liara

Meadow's upward popularity trajectory certainly suggests that the name has transcended its connection to The Sopranos.. In the US, more than 750 baby girls were named Meadow last year, a number we expect to keep rising.

If it can happen to Scarlett (O'Hara) and Atticus (Finch), it can certainly happen to lovely pastoral Meadow.

Before we let go of the Sopranos connection, how perfect was it that Tony Soprano's daughter's name was Meadow, suggesting that the TV mobster was once a kinder, gentler young dad?

Meadow

A melodious choice big in the sixties, Melody is now starting to pick up tempo again. It cracked the Top 150 for the first time ever in 2015. Melody is also the name of Ariel's equally curious and more tom-boyish daughter in The Little Mermaid sequel. Read more about Melody and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Melody

Less-traditional variation of Michaela that's found more popularity than the original.  The appeal for many parents is that this spelling clarifies pronunciation and also offers two names in one, incorporating the popular Kayla. While Makayla is the most popular version, all forms of the name are now dropping in the polls.

Mikayla

Nevaeh: an already bold word name with the unusual twist of being spelled backwards; a nightmare for those who love traditional, classic names; a divisive option on name forums across the internet; and a spelling and pronunciation that aren’t quite intuitive at first glance. 
Nevaeh has a lot stacked against it, and yet it’s maintained a surprising level of popularity and unexpected longevity in recent years. 
Given to just a tiny handful of babies before the 2000’s, Neveah shot up the US charts in 2001, after singer Sonny Sandoval from the rock group P.O.D used it for his daughter. He introduced the name during an MTV appearance, with the explanation that it was heaven spelled backward. 
An edgy, celebrity-style choice, fitting for the daughter of a rockstar – but what was it about Nevaeh that made it catch on in the non-celeb world and what has kept it in the US Top 100 since 2004? 
Perhaps it’s simply the heavenly meaning, made more discreet and name-y by spelling it in reverse. 
Perhaps it’s the fact that visually, it bears resemblance to classic Biblical names, such as Hannah, Leah, or Sarah, while also feeling new and on trend. 
Maybe it’s the popular end sound or the similarity it bears to other favorites – both from the 2000’s and from now. Reminiscent of Savannah, Ava, Avery, Delilah, Aaliyah, and Kayla, it feels less surprising perhaps, that Nevaeh appealed in 2001 and holds sway now. 
Alternatively, Neveah may have been brought to people’s attention because it was so often discussed on forums across the internet. As a result, it likely showed up in searches when parents were looking for baby names and they might have just liked the sound of it. 
Whatever the reasons, Neveah certainly caught parents’ eyes and its popularity spread across other English-speaking countries, including Canada, Australia, and the UK. 
In the last decade Nevaeh has seen a steady decline in use, and while it is still given to over 2000 babies in the US each year, newer favorites such as Nova, Luna, Ayla, and Aurora have pushed it back. 
What the future holds for Nevaeh is uncertain then, but its rise to fame demonstrates the power of a pop culture association and the possibility of modern, invented names to become mainstream.

Nevaeh

Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading. 
 Nova had some reasonable degree of popularity at the turn of the last century, only to disappear for more than 70 years before making a, well, astronomical comeback. Nova now ranks in the US Top 50 for baby girls and is popular in several other countries as well.
. Nova Pilbeam, the star of one of Hitchcock's early British films, had family ties to Nova Scotia. Other Nova ties: the long-running science TV show and the finest kind of lox.

Nova

Penelope is an unlikely 21st century baby name success story. Off the Top 1000 for 25 years, Penelope jumped back on in 2001 and has been heading uphill ever since, propelled by the trend for mythological names, Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, and some high-profile celebrity babies. 
 
In Greek mythology, Penelope was the wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. It has two possible origin stories—Penelope was either derived from the Greek pēnē, meaning "thread of a bobbin", or from penelops, a type of duck. Mythological Penelope was cared for by a duck as an infant, and later was known for fending off would-be suitors by pretending to weave a garment.
 
Penelope's status as a Kardashian baby name -- Kourtney's daughter Penelope was born in 2012 -- brought the ancient name to widespread attention. The most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/p">girls' name starting with P</a>, Penelope was also picked for their girls by Tina Fey, by Anna Chlumsky, and by Natalie and Taylor Hanson, of the group Hanson. 
 Penelope has several British novelists as namesakes—Penelopes Fitzgerald, Mortimer, Gilliatt, and Lively. And yes, she's also a Harry Potter character: Penelope "Penny" is a student at Hogwarts.
 A perennial Nameberry favorite, Penelope can be shortened to the traditional Penny or -- Berry style -- the fresher Nell or Poppy.

Penelope

Literary heritage: the "Loony Tunes" girlfriend of Porky Pig.  But with the increasing popularity of all kinds of unusual botanical names, Petunia may be a name we start to hear more of.  Perhaps-more-pleasing Petunia alternatives: Petal, Posy, Poppy.

Petunia

Despite her somewhat prissy, puritanical air, Priscilla has managed to stay widely used for well over a century -- it reached as high as Number 127 in 1940 -- appreciated for its delicacy and solid history.
 A New Testament name, it was Priscilla with whom the apostle Paul stayed while spreading the gospel in Corinth. It was common in the ancient Roman world and later was a favorite of the seventeenth century Puritans. Priscilla Mullins (Alden), remembered for her co-starring role in Longfellow's poem The Courtship of Miles Standish, making Priscilla one of the perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/645/delicious-thanksgiving-names">Thanksgiving baby names</a>. There was also a sympathetic Priscilla in Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance.
 The most conspicuous contemporary bearer of the name is Priscilla Presley, and it's what J. R. R. Tolkien named his only daughter.
 If you find the nickname Prissy too prissy, you could use the British-inflected Cilla.

Priscilla

Sophie is the French form of the Greek Sophia, for which it is also commonly used as a nickname. Given Sophia's long standing among the Top 10 girl names in the US, Sophie may feel more popular than it actually is.
 
Sophies are scattered throughout European royal history, including Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess of Brabant, Princess Sophie of Sweden, and in modern times, Sophie, Duchess of Wessex, the wife of Britain's Prince Edward. German-born Catherine the Great was born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, but changed her name to Catherine upon her conversion to Russian Orthodoxy.
 
Sophie is Sophia's cuter, more irreverent near-identical twin. Which do you like better? And do you see them as virtually the same name or very different? While you definitely couldn't name sisters Sophie and Sophia, you may have both on your short list and consider them distinctly separate choices. Sophie is lively and down-to-earth, while Sophia is more sophisticated and buttoned-up. 
 
Sophie was the choice of both Eric Clapton and Luke Perry, as well as of Bette Midler for her now-grown daughter.
 Sophie Zawistowska is the Polish heroine of the iconic William Styron novel Sophie's Choice, played in the 1982 film by Meryl Streep—who would play the mother of a Sophie decades later in Mamma Mia!.

Sophie

One of the most unusual flower names, Tulip is cute but tough to pull off as a first. It has some celebrity cred via Charlie Tamara Tulip, twin daughter of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell. It derives from Persian dulband "turban", due to the distinctive shape of the flowers.

Tulip

The name Veronica projects a triple-threat image: at once saintly, sensuous, and strong. The name derives from Berenice, the Latin form of the Greek name Berenike "she who brings victory", with the spelling influenced by the Latin phrase vera icon "true image". Veronica was the name of the compassionate woman who wiped Jesus's face when he was on his way to Calvary and whose cloth was miraculously imprinted with his image: she is now the patron saint of photographers.
 Then there was Veronica (born Constance) Lake, the peekaboo blonde of the 1940s, and the sultry, dark-haired rival of Betty in the Archie comics. And, more recently, we've had tough teen private eye, Veronica Mars. Veronica is also the name of an herb with small, bright blue flowers.
 Veronica was in the Top 100 from 1972 to 1991, but it might not be too soon for a comeback—sans the dated nickname Ronnie, although hit CW show Riverdale, loosely based on the aforementioned Archie comics, may provide a boost.

Veronica

Victoria is the Latin word for "victory" and a feminine form of Victor. It is the name of the ancient Roman goddess of victory, the equivalent of the Greek Nike, and also a popular third century saint.
 
Victoria, the epitome of gentility and refinement, reflects the image of the long-reigning British queen. Queen Victoria, for whom the Victorian Era is named, ruled over England for over sixty-three years.
 
In the 1990s, Victoria managed to breach the Top 20, a surprisingly high standing for a name that is more of a classic than a fashion favorite these days. One enduring appeal of Victoria is that it's a traditional girls' name with a powerful meaning. 
 
One possible role model is proto-feminist Victoria Woodhull. Ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and Victoria's Secret have given the name a more modern edge, and it also has been a Twilight name.
 
Vicky (and Vicki, Vickie, and Vikki) and Tory (along with Tori) have traditionally been used as nicknames for Victoria. Vittoria is the pretty Italian version.

Victoria

Even if you'd like your daughter to attend the venerable women's college, don't saddle her with this pretentious British surname.

Wellesley

HeavensWillow's list "My Favorite Girl Names July 2017" of 43 great name ideas: Aberdeen - Wellesley!

My Favorite Girl Names July 2017

The girl names that made my list in July 2017. All are my own personal favorites, i hope my list will inspire you!