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Elinor
Spelling variation of Eleanor, English, French
A sleek, literary alternative to Eleanor, this stripped back form of Eleanor is a well-established spelling. It notably appears in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility , borne by Elinor Dashwood,…
Greer
Scottish, contraction of surname Gregor; Latin
"alert, watchful"
This attractive Scottish surname choice, has a certain amount of glamour thanks to feisty British-born red-haired forties Academy Award winner Greer Garson, who was born Eileen Evelyn Greer…
James
Hebrew
"supplanter"
James for a girl? Believe it or not, this is one of the boy names for girls" gaining a lot of attention these days, since Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds shocked the world by choosing it for their…
Jude
Latin diminutive of Judith or variation of Judah, Hebrew, Arabic
"praised; to be generous and good to others"
Jude may be a popular boys' name, thanks to Jude Law, but boyish nicknames for girls - like Frankie and Teddy - are on trend and Jude is also a new way to spin Judy or Judith. It's long been used…
Kyle
Scottish
"narrow spit of land"
Not as popular for girls as Kylie or Kyla, but we prefer its simplicity.
Lou
Short form of Louise
"renowned warrior"
Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to…
Neve
Anglicized spelling of Irish Niamh or Italian and Portuguese
"snow"
Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his…
Rio
Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
"river or place of the cherry blossoms"
Rio is one of Japan's most popular girls' names, constantly sitting in that country's Top 10. Of course, Rio may also stem from the Portuguese and Spanish word for river, and the Brazilian city Rio…
Roe
English, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, or Korean surname
"roe deer; wise protector; son of Ruadh; red; clearing; ability"
In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion, though elsewhere it might be…
Sidney
English from French
"Saint Denis"
While Sidney in this spelling has a long history as a girls' name, it fell off the Top 1000 from the early 50s until 1990. Then it reemerged as one of the newly chic androgynous names for girls,…
Spencer
French
"keeper of provisions"
Yes, Spencer makes a plausible and powerful female choice these days, though it's still used four times as often for boys as for girls. But Spencer does not swim that far beneath the Top 1000, used…
Theadora
Spelling variation of Theodora, feminine variation of Theodore, Greek
"gift of God"
As Theodore gets more popular for boys (it's now in the Top 10, and may even reach Number 1), Theodora is becoming more widely-used for girls, which means various spellings and short forms will…
Wilder
Word name and surname
"wild, untamed, uncontrolled"
The name Wilder is still used more than 90 percent of the time for boys, but it's being used quietly for girls too. with 50 receiving the name in a recent year. Along with the rest of the Wild and…