a few of my FAVORITE female names

Olivia

Latin

"olive tree"

Olivia, a lovely Shakespearean name with an admirable balance of strength and femininity, is the Number 1 name for baby girls in the US and one of the top girls' names around the world. Olivia ranks…

Lillian

English from Latin

"lily; pledged to God"

Lillian has ranked among the US Top 100 for the past 20 years, making it Lily's less popular but more grown-up cousin. A Top 10 name at the turn of the last century, the heyday of Lillian Gish and…

Camilla

Latin

"young ceremonial attendant"

The Spanish Camila, pronounced ka-MEE-la, is the fastest rising version of this ancient Roman name, but recent royal Camilla may have helped promote the British brand. In Roman myth, Camilla was a…

Meredith

Welsh

"great ruler"

Meredith is a soft, gentle-sounding name with subtle Welsh roots. Although originally a boys’ name , Meredith is used mainly for girls now. Meredith's highest point of popularity for girls in the…

Brinley

English, combination of Brynn + Lee "burnt clearing; hill + meadow"

"burnt clearing; hill + meadow"

Brinley was a surprise entrant to the US Top 1000 in 2009, however, in 2023, it doesn't feel surprising at all. In fact, alternative spellings Brynleigh and Brynlee also rank in the Top 1000, with…

Emilie

Spelling variation of Emily; German and Scandinavian feminine form of Aemilius

Unlike most creative spellings, this one isn't overly trendy or overdone—in fact, it's quite delicate and pretty. However, it is clearly suffering from the plethora of similar names that are flowing…

Rosalind

Latin

"soft horse or pretty rose"

Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It . Along with a bouquet of other Rose…

Kathleen

Anglicized form of Irish Caitlin

"pure"

Kathleen is the early Irish import version that came between Katherine and Kaitlin, and which hasn't been used in so long it's almost beginning to sound fresh again. It was a surprise pick by one of…

Corinne

French variation of Greek Korinna

"maiden"

Corinne is one of the names that, it might surprise you to learn, ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names until 2020, when it fell off the charts after 140 years. Its most popular year was 1926, when…