This feminine form of Abel is also a flower name and makes a distinctive alternative to the widely used Abigail.  There is a similar name, Adelia, that is beginning to be rediscovered thanks to the trend for all names Adel- related.

Abelia

Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D. Eisenhower spent his boyhood. Abilene is a much more untrodden path to the nickname Abbie/Abbie than the Top 10 Abigail.
 In 1857, Eliza Hersey named the frontier village of Abilene, Kansas after a vast plain described in Luke's gospel.
 Abilene is the title of a Sheryl Crow song, and the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo features a sweet character named Abilene.

Abilene

Abraxas is a sci-fi-sounding name with earthly possibilities, but some playground challenges. 
 Abraxas has a long and convoluted history, dating back to ancient Egyptian mythology and the Gnostics who worshiped him as the Supreme Being. The name Abraxas was carved on antique gemstones that were used as charms.
 Abraxas lives on in modern pop culture, as the name of the musical group Santana's second album, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as Draco's grandfather, on several TV series and video games, and as a cosmic entity in Marvel Comics.
 Trivia note: Abracadabra was based on Abraxas.
 One of those <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique baby names</a> with powerful vibes!

Abraxas

No longer tied to the hapless Ace Ventura, this jaunty, high-flying nickname name is starting to take flight among celebrity and other parents, with its countless positive references to doing well in tests and poker games, on the tennis court and golf course, and in the air.
 Natalie Appleton, Tom Dumont, Jennie Finch, and Jessica Simpson all have little Aces. The best known grownup with the name is Ace Frehley, born Paul, one-time KISS guitarist.

Ada is one of the classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/">baby names</a> for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.
 
Ada is derived from the German name Adelaide, which came from the ancient name Adalheidis. The root, adal, is a Germanic word meaning "noble." Ada can also be considered a variation of the biblical name Adah, pronounced AH-da, one of the first <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> mentioned in the Book of Genesis. 
 
A worthy namesake is Ada Lovelace, mathematician daughter of the poet Lord Byron, who worked with Charles Babbage on the forerunners to the calculator and the computer. In his poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Byron addresses her as "Ada! sole daughter of my house and heart."
 
Ada has a number of fictional references as well, appearing in Dickens's Bleak House and Nabokov's 1969 novel Ada; additional characters with the name were portrayed by Holly Hunter in The Piano and Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain.
 
Ada returned to the Top 1000 in 2004, after being off since 1992; by contrast, Ada was a Top 100 name in the 1880s.
 
The Turkish name Ada means "island" and is unrelated — though it makes an excellent option for parents looking for a name spanning two cultures.

Adalie

Perfect name for a Virgo or an Aries baby. It is also the name of a character in the fantasy Belgariad series.

Adara

Adelie

Adira is one of those rare names that's both little-used and simple, and crosses languages easily. Pronounced ah-DEER-ah, Adira is given to only a handful of girls in the US each year and could make a worthy substitute for such overexposed favorites as Ava and Ariana.
 
Serena Williams recently named her daughter Adira River, which is guaranteed to boost this name's profile.

Adira

The name of a figure from Greek mythology, Adonis is a high-pressure name often synonymous with masculine beauty. Nonetheless, many mythological names that would have previously been deemed off limits have made their way up the popularity charts—for instance, Penelope currently ranks highly for girls. And indeed, Adonis was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2016, moving up 307 spots on the U.S. popularity chart in just one year.

Adonis

A name that would lavish your child with adoration, a princess name--as in Princess Adora of She-Ra: Princess of Power.

Adora

Adore

This female form of the ancient Latin Aelian has an appealing sound, though kids might have a hard time handling that initial "ae" spelling. Just remember that the "ae" is pronounced "ee" (think Aesop's fables).The Annals of Aeliana is a children's fantasy series by Ryan Watters. 

The meaning is uncertain but is thought to derive from the Greek helios, which means sun.

Aeliana

Aemilia is the Ancient Roman spelling of the popular Emilia and family. With Emilia and Amelia so popular, this version, while authentic and attractive, will only create confusion without adding real distinction.

Aemilia

This name found in the fantasy series Endymion/Rise of Endymion has a slightly physiological feel to it.

Aenea

He was the legendary son of Venus, hero of Troy and Rome, and broke the heart of Queen Dido of Carthage. Sure, its more challenging than Charlie - but if you're looking this name up, that's probably part of its appeal. 

Aeneas

Aenya

Aeric

Sympathetic new twist on a Puritan virtue name. 

Affinity

Agata is an Agatha form widely used throughout Europe.  And the hard t may be more appealing to your ear than the th sound.

Agata

Though it's French, most Americans would pronounce it as the stone.

Agate

Agnia

Aida is a melodic name largely associated with the title character of the 1871 Verdi opera, an enslaved Ethiopian princess who dies to save her people. In the past, her name was rarely heard outside the Latino community, but in the current time of love for all A-starting girls' names, this could very well change.
 Aida did have a period of some U.S. popularity; in 1954, it reached as high as Number 663, but fell off the list in 1976. Aida Turturro played Tony Soprano's sister in The Sopranos.

 Arabic families often pronounce it with two syllables — as EYE-dah — rather than three.

Aida

Aiko is a very common Japanese name with a lovely meaning that is rarely heard outside the Asian community.

Aiko

A pretty Kazakh name derived from Turkish ayla, meaning "moonlight". The Hawaiian name 'Ailana (with the 'okina mark) means "loving".

Ailana

While Irish Gaelic spellings add intrigue to a name, they'll prove endlessly confusing. Ailbhe is pronounced like the less intriguing but infinitely simpler Alva.

Ailbhe

This attractive and unique Scottish form of Alice can also be found in the spelling Aileas. Like Alice, it ultimately derives from the Germanic name Adalheidis. Spelt with the fada, Ailís, it's Irish and pronounced with a longer final vowel: AY-leesh.

Ailis

This nature name hasn't escaped the hippie dippy air of others like River or Sky. 

Old Irish name that's taken off in its Anglicized forms, mainly Ashlyn or Ashlynn. Nonetheless, this more traditional version debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.
 Aislinn Paul is a Canadian actress known for her role of Clare Edwards in Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Aislinn

The <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/128/boy-baby-names-that-mean-wise">meaning of intelligent</a> elevates this A-starting name for girls above other similar possibilities.

Akilah

Akira is a popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.  Akiro is a related name popular for boys.

Akira

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.

Ala is the Igbo earth goddess whose symbol is the crescent moon. In a very different vein, Ala can be a diminutive for Alicja or Alexandra or really any other name with an A at both ends and an L in the middle. Ala is also an Arabic name meaning "excellence, supremacy"; could be confused as a homonym for Allah, or as part of a phrase like a la mode.

Alaia, a fast riser in the US, sounds just like several other popular stylish names, many of them with different origins and meanings.  There's Arabic Aaliyah, like the late singer, and the Hebrew Aliya and the Sanskrit Alaya.  Azzedine Alaia is a high-fashion Parisian designer of Tunisian origin.

Alaia

Alair is a lighter, more unusual form of Hilary. 

Alair

Alaira

In its three most popular spellings -- Alan along with Allen and Allan -- this midcentury favorite has tended to skew older. It was a Top 100 name from 1938 to 1971, peaking at Number 40 in 1951. Alan has had leading roles on recent TV, in shows like Two and a Half Men, 24 and Boston Legal.
 Current bearers include Alan Alda, Alan Cummings, and writers Alan Bennett and Alan Ayckbourn.
Alan is a venerable Celtic name, first used in England in the Middle Ages. We like the Welsh spelling Alun.

Alan

Aland

One of those names you may not even be aware of if you haven't been paying attention to recent naming trends, Alani was given to more than 700 baby girls in the US in one recent year, to be the second most popular feminization of Alan after Alana. It's certainly the most modern-sounding female version of Alan.

Alani

The name of a beautiful water fairy in Turkish mythology, who has the power to grant wishes and mend broken hearts. Alara is also a popular name in Armenia.

Alara

Alaric is an ancient regal name that sounds modern enough to be considered. Alaric was a traditional name for the kings of the Ostrogoths, the most famous of whom was Alaric I, the King of the West Goths who sacked Rome in 410. 
 In literature, Alaric was a noble character in P. G. Wodehouse's Blandings Castle novels, the lead character in Alexander Theroux's Darconville's Cat, appeared in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, and was the name of a history teacher on The Vampire Diaries.
 More unusual than Frederic or Roderic, Alaric could make a quaintly quirky path to all the Al and Rick nicknames.

Alaric

Alayne

Albert has acquired a new gloss as one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/341/royal-names-for-boys">royal baby boy names</a>, a considerable upgrade from its serious, studious image (think Einstein, Schweitzer). 

Albert became popular in Britain following the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria to the German Prince Albert and remained in vogue for 80 years. In the US, it's been on a downward slide for a century, though it's always ranked in the US Top 1000 and is a Top 100 name in England and Denmark.

Along with such stalwarts as Walter and George, it could now make a distinctive yet classic choice. Enlivening nickname Bertie is popular on its own in the UK.

Albert

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. 

Alchemy

Alcina is an operatic name, best-known as the name of the beautiful sorceress of the eponymous Handel opera drawn from the Orlando poems.  Alcina and her sister Morgana live on an island where Alcina seduces every passing sailor but once their novelty wears off, changes them into plants, rocks, or animals.  Alcina comes with modern-sounding short forms Alcie or Alsie, which feel more baby-ready now that names such as Elsie, Elsa, and Isla are becoming popular again.

Alcina

Alcyone was the wife of Ceyx, but the happy pair angered the gods by calling each other Zeus and Hera.  Ceyx's ship was sunk, Alcyone hurled herself into the sea, but then in sympathy for their grief the gods made the lovers halcyon birds or kingfishers.

Alcyone

Alder is an occasionally-used name that derives from an old English surname and also might refer to the alder tree, whose wood is used to make electric guitars.

Alder

Alena is a modern variant of Helen.   Alena might also be a spelling twist on the Slavic Alina or a long form of Lena.

Alena

Alenna

Young Canadian pop singer Alessia Cara has given this spicy-sounding name a new lease on life, propelling it into the Top 1000 in 2016. (It was one of the year's fastest-rising girls' names.) The main risk is that it feels so close to Alexa, Alicia, Alexis and Alyssa-- all becoming overused -- that it could be mistaken for one of those more familiar names. 

Alessia

Alethea, the name of the Greek goddess of truth, came into fashion in England in the 16th century, in tandem with the virtue names. Alethea may find new favor now as one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/433/goddess-baby-names">goddess names</a> stylish for baby girls.

Alethea

Aletheia

A form of Adelaide (and therefore related to Alice, too) used in the Netherlands. The country's first female physician was Aletta Jacobs. In the USA, Aletta is rare, but on a slight upward trend. It fits perfectly into the sweet spot of being deep-rooted and straightforward, yet barely used, and has Etta and Lettie as potential nicknames.

Aletta

Alexandros

Alexei could well join the legion of Alex names popular in the US. There are countless opportunities to liven up Alexander, and Alexei (or Alexey) is one of the most straightforward and appealing.

Alexei

Very popular on its native turf, foreign-sounding here. 

Alexios

Alexius

Alfonso was a royal name in Spain as far back as the 7th century, but it is rarely heard outside the Hispanic community in the US.

Alfonso

Alia is the most classic and feminine form of Ali, one of the 99 attributes of Allah within Islam. Meaning "supreme, exalted, high, sublime", it is pretty, powerful and spirited. 
The name is also used by Christians and Jews as it can be derived from the Hebrew word "alah", meaning "ascending" or "to rise" and is associated with making a pilgrimage or migrating to Israel. 
Alia also given to the heroine of Frank Herbert's science fiction classic,Children of Dune and with the release of the new film adaptations of Dune, it may just gain more attention.
 While Alia is the sleekest version of the name, both the most ancient and the most modern-feeling, its most famous relative in the U.S. today is Aaliyah, a Top 100 name, associated with the singer.

Alia

Alida had a brief flurry of popularity a hundred years ago but is rarely used today. But given the rise of so many names related to Adelaide and Adeline, Alida might be rediscovered.

Alida

Also seen as Alyenor and Eleonore, this is an old French name dating back to the Arthurian romances and still heard today.

Alienor

Alik

Aline may have originated as a short form of Adeline in the Middle Ages, but it may also be a variation of the Irish Aileen or Scottish Eileen. Aline dropped off the Top 1000 in the 1950s. Fewer than 40 baby girls were named Aline in the US last year.

Aline

The brightest star in Ursa Major, this is one of the major navigational stars used by ships.

Alioth

Alisa is less popular than more complicated forms of Alice like Alyssa or Alicia, perhaps because of its association with the once-overused Lisa. 

Alisa

Alix

Aliza might seem like yet another variation of the eternal Alyssa/Alicia/Eliza loop, but it's a distinct name all its own. The z adds zip. 

Aliza

This old Persian name was chosen by actress Geena Davis for her daughter.  It's an attractive variation on a name that exists in dozens of forms, from Alissa and Eliza to the French Alizee, but you'll forever be explaining how to spell and pronounce this version.

Alizeh

A short form of Alexandra and Alice used everywhere from Russia to Spain. A fresh alternative to Allie.

Alla

In music, the term allegro means "quickly, lively tempo," which makes this quintessential Bohemian ballet dancer's name all the more appealing. Allegra is one of the most distinctive yet accessible <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girl names starting with A</a>.
 One of the most creative sounding of names, Allegra has been associated with the American prima ballerina Allegra Kent, and has been chosen as a first or middle name for their daughters by poets George Gordon, Lord Byron and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as by R. Buckminster Fuller and Donatella Versace.
Caveat: There is that current connection to the allergy medication.

Allegra

Sounds like a princess -- or an enticingly evil witch -- in a fairy tale. 

Allura

A Spanish TV show made this one popular, along with single-named Mexican singer, Alondra. 

Alondra

The eleventh brightest star in the sky has a celestial feel, but also could be the name of a commercial airline. 

Altair

Altalune is an invention used by Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson as one of several <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a> for their daughter, its Latin meaning roughly translated as "over the moon." Celebrity baby Altalune will be called the more familiar Luna for short.

Altalune

Althia

Alya is most familiar in the US in its much-more-complicated form Aaliyah, the spelling used by the later singer. The traditional name of the star system Theta Serpentis, Alya is also an established Muslim first name and a Turkish place-name.  It may also be a Russian short form for Alexandra or any other Al- name.

Alya

One of the many international variations of the classic Helen.

Alyena

Alys

Alysanne

Alyse

Alysia

Alyx

Amabel is an older name than Annabel and a lot more distinctive. Amabel was a very common name in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, then was revived during the nineteenth century British fad for medieval names.
 In a short story by H.H. Munro, about Amabel, the vicar's daughter, it is said "Her name was the vicar's one extravagance."
 Amabel's shortened form Mabel overtook the mama name early on.

Amabel

This pretty and uncommon Basque name is all but unheard of in this country. Amaya is a spelling variation as well as a similar Japanese name meaning "night rain." With the newfound popularity of Amara and Amora, Amaia and Amaya are among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/495/spanish-names-for-girls">Spanish names for girls</a> we'll be hearing a lot more of in the US.

Amaia

Amalia is a widely cross-cultural name, heard from Italy to Romania, Germany to Scandinavia. The current heir to the Dutch throne is Princess Catharina-Amalia of Orange. It can be pronounced ah-MAH-lee-a or ah-mah-LEE-a. 
</br.
Like Amelia and Emilia, this name is likely to continue to climb. Frequently in the US Top 1000 in the early twentieth century, it spent nearly eighty years off the list until rejoining in 2011.
 Amalia's popularity was spread in eighteenth century Europe due to the fame of Anna Amalia, a Duchess who was a great patron of the arts.
 Amalia would make a lovely and more distinctive alternative to Amelia. Another spelling variation is Amalya.

Amalia

A rarely heard name that was the title of a hugely popular Big Band song in the forties. Amapola, with the emphasis on the third syllable, is one flower name that has not been widely discovered.

Amapola

Strong, attractive, and stylish, Amara is a true multicultural choice enjoying some popularity in both the US and the UK. In the US Top 1000 since the turn of this century, Amara has been holding steady in the rankings between overly popular and obscure.
 
Amara is the Italian word for bitter, from the same root as Mary and Miriam. It has separate roots in West Africa as a name that means "grace" in the Igbo language. These two meanings are the best-known, but Amara is also a Sanskrit name meaning "immortal", an Arabic word meaning "tribe" and a Mongolian name meaning "peaceful".

Amara

Amaris sounds like "amorous," which is a loving name for a child, but doesn't really have a clear derivation or meaning of its own. The popular Amara is one of the most international names on the charts, with derivations and meanings in cultures that truly span the globe. And Amariah is an ancient Hebrew name. Still, Amaris is unusual and pretty, and that may be enough.

Amaris

If you love both <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique baby names</a> and flower names for girls, Amaryllis might be a perfect choice for you. 

A showier flower name than Lily, but in the same botanical family, Amaryllis is not as outre as it might at first sound. It was used in Greek poetry as the appellation of pure pastoral beauties; Amaryllis is the heroine of Virgil's epic poem Ecologues, after whom the flower was named. 

Other references are characters in the George Bernard Shaw play Back to Methuselah and The Music Man. James Bond-creator Ian Fleming had a half sister named Amaryllis Marie-Louise Fleming, who was a noted British cellist.

Amaryllis

The Spanish form of Amaya is both a given name and a surname, originating from the Spanish mountain and village of Amaya. In this context it means "mother city" or "the capital." Amaya can also be considered a derivation of Amaia, a Basque name meaning "the end." In Japan, Amaya is a surname.
 
Actors Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann are the parents of a young daughter named Amaya Josephine.

Amaya

Now that the range of names including the modern Emmeline and Amelia -- relatives of each other, but of neither Emily nor Emma -- has become so fashionable, the original root name Amelina is also due up for reconsideration. A lovely, delicate choice, its main disadvantage is that it sounds like a modern elaboration rather than the original name. And perhaps that it will be so often misspelled and mistaken for other forms of itself. But it is a lovely name with deep roots.

Amelina

As flower names become more unique, so can gem names move beyond Ruby and Pearl to names like Topaz, Sapphire, and Peridot. Amethyst, the purple birthstone for February, has never been in the Top 1000, but could have some appeal, joining similarly-hued Violet and Lilac, all of which make great <a href="https://nameberry.com//list/614/names-for-aquarius-babies">names for Aquarius babies</a> or <a href="https://list/630/70-lovely-names-for-february-babies">names for February babies</a>.
 In the M.M. Kaye children's novel The Ordinary Princess, the protagonist is Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne of Phantasmorani — Amy for short — who has been given the "gift" of ordinariness.

Amethyst

This Amy/Mia combination debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2013. It could also be seen as a variant of Amaya.

Amia

One of the romantic names favored by British pastoral poets, more appealing in its longer form, Araminta. 

Aminta

Amity--what nicer gift to give your little girl than a name that signifies friendship and harmony? This virtue name is also more rhythmic and feminine than the single-syllable Hope, Faith, and Grace. 
 Amity is a neglected gem that could make a distinctive namesake for an Aunt Amy.

Amity

This lovely name from Spenser's The Faerie Queene is borne by a character who represents married love. A related unusual-yet-usable choice: Amabel.

Amoret

Amory is best known for the hero of Fitzgerald's 1920 This Side of Paradise, Princeton student Amory Blaine. Amory is in some danger of being borrowed by the girls, a la Avery. Alternate spellings Amori or Amorie also relate to the Latin word for love.

Amory

Amory is the kind of executive-sounding surname name that became popular in the 1990s. Amory Blaine is the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, This Side of Paradise.

Anais is an unusual, alluring name forever attached to the daring French-born American novelist and diarist Anais Nin (born Angela, with Anais as one of her middle names), who became the inspiration for the naming of the daughter of musician Noel Gallagher. Anais is also the name of a popular perfume.
 Anais can be found as a character in Balzac's "Lost Illusions", and in Colette's 'Claudine' books.
 Anais would make a creative and distinctive <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle name</a>.

Anais

Genuine Indian name some parents turn to as an Amanda alternative; also connected to a network of spiritual communities. 

Ananda

Dark Angel's list "Celestian Names" of 1067 great name ideas: Abelia - Zuleika!

Celestian Names

For those indecisive parents that are having problems deciding on a name for their new progeny, fear not, the legendary Eleni Aristede has come to your rescue as always. This is a list of Celestium's most popular names, past and present.