sappho's longlist - girls

Araminta

Literature, compound of Arabella and Aminta, Greek

"loveable; unyielding + defender; unfading"

Araminta is a poetic and enchanting eighteenth-century invention with plenty of elegance and a touch of old-fashioned clunkiness. It first appeared in William Congreve's 17th century comedy The Old…

Arcadia

Greek

"region offering peace and contentment"

Arcadia, a name for an unspoiled paradise, makes an attractive secular alternative to Nevaeh or Eden. For parents who want an unusual name with a friendlier nickname, Arcadia has the advantage of…

Ariadne

Greek

"most holy"

This name of the Cretan goddess of fertility is most popular now as the more melodic Ariana, but Ariadne has possibilities of its own. It first entered the US Top 1000 in 2014. The renewed interest…

Arianwen

Welsh

"silver, white, fair, blessed"

Rarely heard outside of Wales, Arianwen combines the pretty Welsh element gwen with the silvery arian , giving it a metallic and shining meaning. The name is sometimes listed as one of the daughters…

Arianwynne

Arianwynne is a feminine name that combines elements of Welsh and Celtic origins. It appears to be a creative variant of Arianwen, where 'arian' means 'silver' and 'gwen' means 'white, fair, or…

Aristeia

Literary term from Greek

"the best"

In epic poetry, the term aristeia is used to denote the climactic point where the hero/heroine has their finest hour. Aristeia feels at home with other big Greek names like Atalanta, Cassiopeia and…

Arrietty

Literary name, variation of Harriet

A pretty, dainty name for one of the little characters in the children's book series The Borrowers . It was the basis for a later Studio Ghible animated film, The Secret World of Arrietty . While the…

Arsinoe

Greek

"elevated mind"

Also written Arsinoë, this name appears both in Ancient Egyptian mythology and history, belonging to several queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty. It derives from Greek arsis "rise, lift" and nous "mind,…

Artemis

Greek mythology

"safe; butcher"

Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the…

Artemisia

Greek, variation of Artemis

You might think Artemisia is the feminine form of the name, but in fact the original Artemis is feminine too, the name of the Greek mythological goddess of the moon. Artemisia Gentileschi was an…

Asta

Norwegian

"divine strength"

This Scandinavian name was made famous in English-speaking countries as the name of the dog in the "Thin Man" series. Danish actress Asta Nielsen was another famous bearer. Asta can be considered as…

Astara

Place name and modern variation of Astraea, Asteria, Astra, or Setarah, Greek, Pesian

"star"

A bright and sparkly choice, likely inspired by a variety of Greek names that ultimately derive from the element aster meaning "star", or from the Persian Setarah, also meaning "star". It is also the…

Asteria

Greek

"star"

Asteria is an Anglicized spelling of the Greek Astraea or Astraia, the goddess of justice and innocence. She became the constellation Virgo, so all forms of this name would be especially appropriate…

Asterope

Greek

"lightning"

Asterope is an undiscovered name that has three wonderful nature connotations: 1) (from its meaning) lighting; 2) it is a type of butterfly 3) it is the name of an asteroid. Asterope is a great name…

Astoria

Place name

Long more associated with the New York Waldorf- hotel and the neighborhood in Queens than as a baby name, Astoria is finally beginning to emerge from their shadow and find favor with parents looking…

Astra

Latin

"stars"

A starry-eyed, intergalactic name, far rarer than Stella or Esther. It's attached both to a comic book character and to Princess Astra on "Doctor Who".

Astraea

Greek

"of the stars"

Astraea —also found as Astraia — is the Greek goddess of justice and innocence who left earth to become the constellation Virgo after she grew unhappy with the state of humanity. She was prophesised…

Atalanta

Greek mythology name

"equal in weight"

Atalanta was a beautiful mythological maiden who refused to marry any man who couldn't beat her in a footrace -- quite a role model. This myth is found in Ovid's Metamorphoses and later in…

Athalie

Hebrew and French

"God is praised"

An interesting cousin of Natalie (the 'h' is silent) found in the Louisiana Cajun community, Athalie is the name of a tragedy by classic French playwright Racine.

Athenais

Athenais is a rare feminine name with classical Greek origins. It derives from Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength,…