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Fanciful Names for Girls

  1. Brigitta

    • Description:

      Brigitta is a feminine name with rich historical roots, derived from the ancient Celtic name Brighid, meaning 'exalted one' or 'high goddess.' It's the Central European form of Bridget, particularly popular in Hungarian, German, and Scandinavian cultures. The name is associated with Saint Brigid of Kildare, one of Ireland's patron saints known for her generosity and compassion. Brigitta gained international recognition through characters in literature and film, including Maria's friend in 'The Sound of Music.' While maintaining its classic origins, Brigitta offers a more distinctive alternative to the more common Bridget or Brigitte, combining ancient Celtic heritage with continental European elegance.

  2. Katarina

    • Origin:

      Slovak; Swedish; Serbian; Croatian; Slovenian, variation of Katherine

    • Meaning:

      "pure"

    • Description:

      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.
  3. Brigitte

    • Origin:

      French variation of Brighid

    • Meaning:

      "strength or exalted one"

    • Description:

      Brigitte is the French version of the ancient Irish Brighid long associated with 1950s sex symbol Brigitte Bardot. If you want to pronounce Brigitte the French way, it's brih-ZHEET.
  4. Avielle

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "God is my father"

    • Description:

      Variation of Aviela/Abiela, feminine forms of the Biblical Aviel/Abiel "God is my father". The modernized/anglicized double-l spellings are popular now in English-speaking countries.
  5. Odilia

    • Origin:

      Germanic

    • Meaning:

      "wealth, fortune"

    • Description:

      Though it has never charted in the United States, this frilly name has the elements some brave, modern namers might find attractive—namely, the initial O and the -ia suffix.
  6. Arietta

    • Origin:

      Compound name, variation of Harriet

    • Meaning:

      "little song; little lion; home ruler"

    • Description:

      A name that is either inspired by the classic Harriet (and by the character Arrietty in The Borrowers), or, a compound name, merging Aria and Ari with Etta, to generate the meanings "little song" or "little lion"
  7. Callaia

    • Origin:

      English, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "beauty"

    • Description:

      A spin on Calia or Calla, with a lot of fashionable sounds.
  8. Flannery

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Flannghal"

    • Description:

      Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending sound.
  9. Calluna

    • Origin:

      Botanical name

    • Description:

      From the botanical name for common heather, Calluna vulgaris, which ultimately derives from the Greek kallos "beauty". A unique, nature-inspired route to the fashionable nicknames Callie and Luna.
  10. Kimana

    • Origin:

      Native American, Shoshone

    • Meaning:

      "butterfly"

    • Description:

      Kimana, the name of a resort in the foothills of Mountain Kilimanjaro in Kenya, would make an unexpected path to the nickname Kim.
  11. Melusine

    • Origin:

      French, folkloric name

    • Description:

      Melusine was a figure from early European folklore, associated with the water. Her legends are especially connected with the northern and western areas of France, as well as the Low Countries. She is also connected with the French Lusignan royal house which claimed to be descended from Melusine. This name makes a good choice for people looking for a feminine mythological name but want to steer clear of Greek and Arthurian mythology.
  12. Faraday

    • Origin:

      Scottish surname

    • Meaning:

      "wood man"

    • Description:

      This unusual Scottish surname was made immortal by Michael Faraday, a British scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His name is now a unit of scientific measurement for electricity - a 'power'ful name for any little boy.
  13. Calixta

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "most beautiful"

    • Description:

      Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.
  14. Dulcinea

    • Origin:

      Spanish

    • Meaning:

      "sweetness"

    • Description:

      Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional world of the book, though, Dulcinea is not the woman's real name; Aldonza is. And because she never appears in person in the text, it's unclear whether she is as beautiful and saintly as the protagonist believes her to be. Probably not, given Don Quixote's track record.
  15. Alchemy

    • Origin:

      Latin word name

    • Meaning:

      "a medieval chemical science"

    • Description:

      One of the most extreme of the new word names, recommended only to the most mystical-minded parents. Actor Lance Henriksen spelled his daughter's name Alchamy.
  16. Augustina

    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Augustus, Latin

    • Meaning:

      "the exalted one"

    • Description:

      While Augusta is the more traditional feminine form of the name, tacking on the -ina ending makes Augustina more feminine and contemporary sounding.
  17. Arabelle

    • Origin:

      Variation of Arabella, Latin, Scottish

    • Meaning:

      "yielding to prayer; lovable"

    • Description:

      This more succinct form of the elegant Arabella might appeal to those who are looking for a less popular spin on Annabel or those who like the sounds of Arabella but want something with fewer frills. Given to around 90 girls in 2024, it is around ten times less popular than its longer counterpart.
  18. Mariposa

    • Origin:

      Spanish

    • Meaning:

      "butterfly"

    • Description:

      Mariposa is a rare, romantic choice with an intriguing meaning.
  19. Talitha

    • Origin:

      Aramaic

    • Meaning:

      "little girl"

    • Description:

      Talitha appears in the Bible as words Jesus says to awaken a young girl whose parents feared she was dead. It has been used in the US since colonial times. Talitha is also the name of two stars in Ursa Major, where it's related to the Arabic word for "third." Talitha definitely makes a fresh spin on Tabitha or Talisa.
  20. Clarinda

    • Origin:

      Literary elaboration of Clara

    • Meaning:

      "bright, clear"

    • Description:

      A poetic name first used in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" in 1596, it had a literary vogue in the 18th century, especially favored by Robert Burns. "inda" names--Melinda, Belinda, Linda" are not particularly in right now.