User-created list
By maiaraye · Updated May 2023
Across 40 pages
of 40
African, meaning unknown
A Disney name—Nala was the friend who became the wife of Simba, hero of The Lion King . It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2015. Keenen Ivory Wayans used it for his daughter.
Diminutive of James
"supplanter"
Jamie is typical of the relaxed unisex names starting with J that seemed so cool in the sixties after decades of Jeans and Joans, though now pretty tepid. Jaime and even Jamey and Jayme are alternate…
Latinate form of Eleanor, meaning unknown
Eleanor is back, Nora is back, and, as predicted, Eleanora is back too. Having left the charts in the 1930s, this elaboration of Eleanor has returned and blends the elements of its two more popular…
Variation of Aspen, tree name and place name
Divorces Aspen from its nature and ski resort associations. Aspyn first broke into the Top 1000 in 2020.
French, from German
"wealthy"
Odette is the good swan in Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake , a role for which Natalie Portman won an Oscar ---and it would make a particularly sophisticated yet upbeat choice. In fact, it charted in…
Welsh
"white shadow, white wave"
Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous…
German, diminutive of Margarethe
"pearl"
Greta is an Old World name long tied to the iconic Garbo, but now synonymous with environmental activism. In the early 2000s, Greta was showing signs of a comeback, along with other Old Hollywood…
Spanish
"to harvest"
How do you spell Teresa? Teresa, the simpler phonetic form of this name, was the most popular variation for its early life, when it was used exclusively in Spain and Portugal. Other spellings of…
Hebrew
"the Lord is my light"
A pretty and melodic name of Hebrew origin that combines the elements el referring to God, li meaning "for me", and or meaning "light". The name entered the UK Top 1000 for the first time in 2023,…
Slavic and German variation of Regina
"queen"
Strong and solid, with a touch of foreign intrigue, it's the most popular of the rain-related names, with a variety of pronunciations—RAY-na, rah-EE-na, or RY-na. Alternate spellings Reyna and Rayna…
"blessed peacemaking"
One of the few remaining unrestored vintage gems, with a choice of two winning nicknames--the girlish Winnie and the tomboyish Freddie. Winifred, the name of a legendary Welsh saint, was a Top 200…
Serbo-Croatian
"dawn"
Zora is a meaningful literary heroine name honoring Zora Neale Hurston, an important black writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Spelled Zorah, it is a biblical place name, and is also the…
Spanish feminization of Elio, Italian and Spanish
"sun"
Though the most famous Elia, screenwriter Kazan, was male, this name sounds like a spin on many popular girls' names, from Ella to Ellie to Isla and Leah. While the Italian pronunciation has the…
English
"valley of the eagle; high"
Arden, the name of the magical forest in Shakespeare's As You Like It , is a stylish A name with a strong, straightforward image. Another reason to love Arden: its similarity to "ardent." Arden is…
Irish
"dream"
This Anglicized spelling of Irish Aislinn or Aisling has enjoyed some popularity in the US as an updated Ashley.
Latin; Celtic
"heart; daughter of the sea"
Cordelia is exactly the kind of old-fashioned, grown-up name for girls that many parents are seeking for their daughters today. The name of King Lear's one sympathetic daughter, Cordelia has both…
Word name
"one who gathers information covertly"
Scout, a character nickname from To Kill a Mockingbird (her real name was Jean Louise), became a real-life possibility when Bruce Willis and Demi Moore used it for their now-grown middle daughter,…
Russian and Greek variation of Zoe, Greek
"life"
Now that Zoe is getting wildly popular in the U.S. and the U.K. -- one poll puts it at number one in Wales -- parents may start hunting down fresh twists like this.
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…
Greek
"pure, virginal"
Agnes is the Latin variation of the name Hagne, which itself derived from the Greek word hagnos , meaning "chaste." In medieval times, St. Agnes was a very popular saint, leading to its popularity as…
