Awesome Names

Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls.

This up-and-coming single-syllable name has a few famous bearers, including baseballer Cale Iorg and Canadian hip-hop musician Cale Sampson. Sounding like Kale, this name also has a crunchy, hipster vibe.

Old English name as outmoded as the use of the word maid for a young girl.

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

K-beginnings are often substituted for Cs, and this spelling is definitely finding favor with many parents, among them skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. However, sometimes the original is the best - we suggest sticking to the still unusual Cadence.

Though little used as a first name, Loa will be familiar to many from the name of Hawaii's most famous volcano, Mauna Loa, on the Big Island.

Singer Wainwright is the third in his family to carry this unusual name.

A cool, engaging surname, Keaton might feel like a fresh spin on Katelyn, Keeley or Katherine. While it is used ten times more often for boys, 27 girls were still given the name in a recent year.

Tolkien may have been inspired by this unisex name of a Celtic goddess of war. Welsh poet Dylan Thomas named his daughter the variation Aeronwy. With goddess names so hot for baby girls, this ethereal choice is one to consider.

Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey Deschanel.

Fane, used as a nickname in the Middle Ages for someone with a cheerful disposition, is one of the more offbeat members of the Zane-Kane family.

Right in step with the two-syllable irish surname-names now on the rise.

In the Bible, Joram and "all his chariots" pass over Zair.

Finlay is a Scottish royal name (it belonged to Macbeth"s father) that was revived by several celebrity parents who did a gender switch when they used it for their daughters. Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn, Daniel Baldwin and Lisa Marie Presley all named their daughters Finley.

Attractive Spanish name heard in the movie Spanglish. Roll that final r. Or say it the French way: Fleur.

There are a dizzying number of varieties of the Arabic name Leila or Layla, two of the most popular versions, with Lela one of the rarer, given to fewer than 100 baby girls in the US each year. Pronunciation and spelling can be a challenge, so if you choose this simple, lovely name, you will be explaining it much more often than you want to.

A city in Benjamin's territory that makes a perfect first name.

Avis is a bird name that's been in hibernation for awhile, possibly due to the car rental association, but it could make a return on the wings of Ava. Baldwin brother Daniel chose it for his daughter.

Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola.

An attractive enough name, but for die-hard Star Wars fans only.