Favourite girlnames

Percy

French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge

Percy is a traditional boys' name that could be cute and unexpected for a girl – perhaps as a short form for Persephone or Persis. Adventurous and literary Percy could follow in the footsteps of…

Edwina

Feminine variation of Edwin, English

"wealthy friend"

Edwina may still be taking tea in the parlor, but we can see her joining friends like Matilda and Josephine for a comeback, especially if pronounced like Edwin rather than Edween. She had a very…

Fae

Spelling variation of Faye, English

"fairy"

Now that Faye is back on the Top 1000 after a decades-long absence, its spelling variations are being revived as well. Fae was given to nearly as many baby girls last year as Fay and may be…

Brontë

Greek

"thunder"

Bronte is the lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name; a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. An extra element of Bronte's appeal: the…

Claude

Latin

"lame; enclosure"

Yes, we tend to think of Claude as a male name and Claudia and Claudette as the female, but this ancient clan name is used in France for girls as well as boys, and could make a distinctively chic boy…

Antionette

Variation of Antoinette, French feminine form of Anthony, Latin

"from Antium"

There may be some parents who deliberately transpose the i and the o in this name, pronouncing it an-tee-oh-net. And then there are those parents who are just spelling Antoinette differently. Most…

Evette

French, spelling variation of Yvette or diminutive of Eve, Hebrew

"yew tree or life"

Evette could be considered a spelling variation of the French Yvette, a feminization of Yves, which has a botanical meaning, or a pet form of Eve, meaning life. About 50 baby girls were named Evette…