Oregon Trail era names but for girls

Belle

Short form of Isabelle or French

"beautiful"

Belle has nothing but positive associations, from "belle of the ball" to "Southern belle" to the heroine of Disney's Beauty and the Beast . As if this weren't enough good things, Belle is also one of…

Bena

Bena is a concise feminine name with multicultural origins. In Hebrew contexts, it relates to 'wisdom' or 'understanding,' while in some African languages, particularly Swahili, it can mean 'truth'…

Bernice

Greek

"she who brings victory"

Rarely heard today-- it fell off the list around 1980--Bernice is a biblical name of Greek origin. In the Bible, she is a sister of King Agrippa. Bernice was a Top 100 name in the US for more than…

Bertha

German

"bright, glorious"

Ever since Allied soldiers in World War I dubbed the enormous German cannon "Big Bertha", this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to…

Betsy

Diminutive of Elizabeth

"pledged to God"

This Elizabeth nickname has a decidedly retro feel--think Betsy Ross and the Betsy Wetsy doll-- once seen as a perkier, younger-sounding alternative to Betty. But with Betty on the brink of a…

Betty

Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

Combine the popularity of Betty White and Mad Men 's glamorous Betty Draper Francis, with the residual sweetness of Ugly Betty 's Betty Suarez, and the result is an impending return of the name. It's…