Bohemian Princess

Alaia

Basque

"joyful, happy"

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…

Diana

Latin

"divine"

Diana, the tragic British princess, inspired many fashions, but strangely, not one for her name. For us, Diana is a gorgeous and still-underused choice. Diana is the Latin name for the Roman goddess…

Romina

Arabic

"from the land of the Christians"

This pretty name found in Spanish-speaking countries shares the diminutive of Romy—also spelled Romi—with Rosemary. It joined the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015. Romina Arena is an…

Romy

Diminutive of Rosemary, Roma, Romana, Romilly etc.

Austrian actress Romy Schneider seemed to be the singular bearer of this international nickname name until it found new style currency in the past decade, entering the US Top 1000 for the first time…

Yasmin

Persian

"jasmine flower"

This name, whose sweet and fragrant floral essence has always been widespread across the Near Eastern world, has now landed on US popularity lists in a variety of spellings. It's been dropping…

Salome

Hebrew

"peace"

A soft and interesting Hebrew name long popular in France, where it has ranked in the Top 400 since 1986 (as Salomé). Ex- ER star Alex Kingston named her daughter Salome Violetta. Despite seeing…

Jana

International feminine variation of Jan

A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.

Lumi

Finnish

"snow"

Lumi may be a rare girls' name in the USA and England, but it comes in the Top 50 in Finland, where it means snow. Given the popularity of Winter, Holly, Ivy and many other wintery-christmassy names,…

Idalia

Greek, Germanic

"behold the sun; work, labor"

A pretty, if unusual choice for a summer baby, particularly a girl with an ancestor named Ida. An epithet of the goddess Aphrodite, Idalia is derived from the Greek place name Idalion. It may also be…

Fiora

Latin

"flower"

Fiora is a lost name that's now been found, a sleeker version of the antique Fiorella. There's an Italian river called the Fiora as well as a character in the video game League of Legends: Fiora is…

Elida

Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Portuguese, Spanish, Greek

"fast-sailing ship; noble; valley, lowland"

A multicultural choice and an unusual way to nicknames Ellie or Elle, Elida has its origins in Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Scandinavia. It has appeared in the charts in the US, France, and Spain…

Yulia

Russian, variation of Yuliya, cognate of Julia

"youth"

This is the Armenian version of the familia Julia, which has a rich and evocative sound. Other variations are Iuliya, and the diminitive Yulya.

Mischa

Russian, diminutive of Mikhail

This was a 100 percent boys' name till the willowy Mischa Barton of TV's "The OC" made it unisex, a la Sascha.

Kaisa

Kaisa is a feminine name with Finnish and Estonian origins, functioning as a variant of Katherine or Kaarina. Simple yet distinctive, this name carries a fresh, modern sound while maintaining…

Phaedra

Greek

"bright"

This name of a tragic figure in Greek mythology, the daughter of King Minos, sister of Ariadne and wife of Theseus, has a mysterious and intriguing appeal, and would make a dramatic choice. Phaedra…

Damiana

Greek

"tame, domesticated"

This feminine form of Damian projects a positive and lilting image, a distinct contrast to its male counterpart.

Leda

Greek

"woman, wife"

Succinct and simple in spelling, Leda is a currently rare choice from Greek mythology with that appealing four-letter, ending in -a format of Lyra, Maia, Vada, Veda, and Nora. Borne by a Spartan…

Amadea

Latin

"lover of God"

Amadea is a strong and musical feminine form of Amadeus, as in Mozart. In more conservative times, Amadea might have seemed too strange for use on a contemporary baby, but by today's sensibility, it…

Indra

Sanskrit, Latvian

"possessing drops of rain; reed, water witch; estate ruler"

In Hindu tradition, Indra is the warrior god of sky and rain, whose name is often used as element of other names, such as Jaswinder or Rajendra. Its use as a feminine name may come from the Western…

Mariska

Hungarian and Dutch diminutive of Maria

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Robust and energetic with an even blend of spikiness and elegance, Mariska is a diminutive of Maria, notably used in Hungary and The Netherlands. Internationally, it was brought into the spotlight by…