Girl Names from American Idol

Paris

French place-name

Paris, a one-time mythical and Shakespearean boys' name, peaked in 2004 at Number 157 at least in part due to the highly publicized Paris Hilton. Michael Jackson used it for his daughter.

Katie

English, diminutive of Katherine

"pure"

Friendly mega-popular short form of Katherine that has definitively replaced Kathy, Katie is often given on its own. Going forward, though, Katie is more stylishly clipped itself to the grownup Kate.

Briana

Feminine variation of Brian

"strong, virtuous, honorable"

Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene , which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with.…

Jessica

Hebrew

"behold or wealthy"

When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the…

Jazmin

Spelling variation of Jasmine, Persian flower name

The inclusion of the trendy "z" doesn't do much for this variant of Jasmine. We recommend the original spelling.

Leslie

Scottish

"garden of holly"

A Scottish place and surname that was once adrogynous but now leans about 20 to 1 toward the girls' side, Leslie has a pleasant, heathery feel that kept it in or near the Top 100 for several decades;…

Ryan

Irish

"little king"

This ultrapopular boys' name is rapidly becoming a hot name for girls ; admired for its buoyant Irish spirit. Ryan returned to the Top 500 for girls in 2015 and will no doubt continue to climb…

Lacey

English

"from Lassy"

A unique combination of a surname feel and dainty femininity, Lacey is a favorite in the UK where it ranks in the Top 500. Likely derived from the name of a place in Normandy, it might occasionally…

Christina

Latin, Greek

"a Christian"

Christina, a pretty and feminine, crystal clear classic, may be trending downward, but it's never out of style and its extra syllable does keep it fresher feeling than Christine. Christina's short…

Kendra

Feminization of Kenneth or English

"handsome or knowing"

Kendra was once seen as a feminization of Kenneth -- but it's now firmly established as a standalone. American parents can't seem to make up their mind about it though: it was one of 2013's…

Kelly

Irish

"war"

Once the quintessential bouncy teenager name, Kelly helped launch the trend of unisex Irish names . But it now takes a backseat to more substantial surname names like Kennedy.

Haley

English

"hay field"

The second most popular spelling of this name is also the most straightforward.

Julie

French from Latin

"youthful, sky father"

Wildly popular in the 1960s and '70s, Julie is no longer anywhere near as stylish as the name's longer forms. Try Juliet, Juliana, or even the more grownup Julia. Julia and Julie derive from Julius,…

Megan

Welsh diminutive of Margaret

"pearl"

Megan originally evolved from Meg, which itself derived as a nickname for Margaret. Margaret ultimately comes from the Greek word margarites , meaning "pearl." Megan is no longer a common nickname…

Lisa

English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian

"pledged to God"

Elvis naming his daughter Lisa Marie and Nat King Cole's hit song "Mona Lisa" conspired to catapult one of Elizabeth's many offshoots to a high of #4 in 1970. It has largely fallen from favor in the…

Alexandrea

Alexandrea is a feminine name representing an elaborate variant of Alexandra, which derives from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning 'defender of mankind' or 'protector of people.' This particular…