My Favorite Latina Names!

Isabella

Spanish and Italian variation of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

Isabella has been a Top 10 name for girls in the US for two decades now. The Latinate form of Isabel, a variation of Elizabeth which originally derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba, Isabella reigned…

Elena

Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen

"bright, shining light"

Elena is at its most popular point ever in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal and the overall popularity of El- names. It's more international than Ellen or Eleanor, but still accessible. A…

Lucia

Italian and Spanish variation of Lucius, Latin

"light"

Lucia is a lush, rich Latinate equivalent of Lucy, popular in Spain and throughout Latin America and also a cross-cultural favorite. You might be surprised to know that Lucia has ALWAYS ranked among…

Gabriella

Italian feminine variation of Gabriel

"God is my strength"

Gabriella is the feminine form of Gabriel, a name derived from the Hebrew Gavri’el. Gavri’el is composed of the elements gever , meaning "strong," and ’el , referring to God. Gabriella is used among…

Catalina

Spanish variation of Catherine

"pure"

This name of a touristed island in sight of Los Angeles makes an attractive and newly stylish variation on the classic Catherine or overused Caitlin. Santa Catalina of Siena was, along with Saint…

Selena

Latinized variation of Greek Selene

"moon"

Selena is smooth, shiny, and sensual, a nineteenth-century name that found new life in the Latino community, following the biopic of slain Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, starring Jennifer Lopez.…

Esmeralda

Spanish and Portuguese

"emerald"

Esmeralda came into use as an applied use of the Spanish word for emerald, esmeralda . In the 1831 Victor Hugo novel Notre-Dame de Paris , also known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame , the heroine was…

Alejandra

Spanish variation of Alexandra

"defending men"

Alejandra, the Spanish form of this popular and multivaried name, has fans both in and outside the Latino community. Still, it has lost ground since its peak in the 1990s.

Rosalina

Variation of Rosaline, English

"rose"

A feminine and fragrant member of the Rose family.

Emiliana

Italian variation of Emily

"rival"

The enormous popularity of Emily and Emma means that parents will be looking further afield for substitutes -- and this is one of the prettiest.

Esperanza

Spanish

"hope, expectation"

Esperanza is a Spanish classic that's found its way onto the national popularity list in recent years. It came into the spotlight not long ago when jazz singer Esperanza Spalding "stole" the Best New…

Vida

Spanish, Slovene, Lithuanian, Persian, Swedish, Serbian,"life, visible, willow, to see"

"life, visible, willow, to see"

Vida is a multicultural gem, familiar in a number of languages by not overly popular. It featured in the US Top 1000 in the first half of the 20th century, and in recent years, it has seen renewed…

Juana

Spanish, feminine variation of Juan

"God is gracious"

Juana has not achieved the popularity in the U.S. of the male version Juan. Whereas Juan has made it almost to the Top 50 on the U. S. hit parade, sister Juana has barely entered the thousand most…

Lorena

Spanish variation of Lorraine

"from the province of Lorraine"

A feminine name heard most often in the Hispanic community. Surprisingly, Lorena was on the US Top 1000 list of girls' names for an impressive 130 years, from 1880 until falling off in 2011. We do…

Noelia

Spanish, feminine variation of Noel

This name of an admired Puerto Rican pop singer has been picked up by hundreds of Hispanic parents.

Mercedes

Spanish

"gracious gifts, benefits"

Mercedes is one of the few names attached to luxury living that we can wholeheartedly recommend, it being a legitimate Spanish appellation stemming from one of the epithets given to the Virgin…

Aranza

Basque

"Among the thorns"

The name of a popular Mexican singer and a telenovela character, Aranza incredibly rose out of obscurity to become Number 607 in the US in 2014. The name comes from Arantzazu, a shrine associated…

Zamora

Spanish place- and surname

Heard in Spain more as a last name, but would work here as an alluring first.

Brisa

Spanish

"breeze"

Brisa is commonly used in Latino families, all but unheard of in others.

Rosario

Spanish

"rosary"

Anglo parents are taking note of this Hispanic classic, thanks to actress Rosario Dawson and a character on Will & Grace. Poetic and powerful, it comes from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary,…