theatre names for girls !

Trina

Scandinavian, diminutive of Katrina

Nickname name that retains an Old Country feel.

Chava

Hebrew

"life"

The Hebrew, Biblical form of Eve. While English speakers will likely find the forms Ava or Eve easier in everyday life, Chava is a lovely variation for a family that speaks Hebrew or Yiddish - plus,…

Sally

Diminutive of Sarah

"princess"

Sally is a cheerful, fresh-faced girl-next-door name that was originally a nickname for Sarah, but has long been used independently. Sally was popular in the eighteenth century and then again from…

Carlotta

Italian variation of Charlotte, French diminutive of Charles

"free man"

Carlotta has a large measure of finger-snapping charm and substance — despite being a not too pleasant character in The Little Mermaid . Carlotta is also the diva/prima donna in The Phantom of the…

Oda

Scandinavian, short form of Odelia

Ada, yes. Ida, maybe. But Oda, a Scandinavian version of Odelia, not really. To English speakers, it sounds too much like "odor".

Sandy

Diminutive of Sandra or Alexandra, Greek

"defending men"

Nickname name in the era of Grease . Sandy fits well in the era of boyish nicknames for girls - a la Scottie and Stevie - or as an alternative to the rapidly rising Goldie. While it peaked in 1960,…

Rita

Spanish, Hindi

"pearl; truth, order"

One of the glamour girl names of the Rita Hayworth 1940s, Rita was once a Top 50 name and stayed on the SSA list until 2002. The name Rita still has enough Latin zip to be a lively, revivable short…

Joelle

Feminine variation of Joel, Hebrew

"Jehovah is his God"

Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's…

Tracy

French

"of Thracia"

In the Top 25 in the unisex seventies, these days Tracy would more likely be Gracie.

Edna

Hebrew

"rejuvenation, delight"

Edna is one of those names that, until what it seemed like a few minutes ago, felt so terminally frumpy that no one could imagine a parent choosing it for an innocent modern baby girl. But with the…

Sheila

Irish variation of Cecilia

"blind"

Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to…

Jeanie

Short form of Jean or Jeanne

Jeanie is a midcentury bobby soxer kind of nickname that might almost be so old it's new again.

Peggy

Diminutive of Margaret, Greek

"pearl"

Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men , with intriguing mid-century characters with names…

Heather

English botanical name

"small shrub"

This flower name was one of the most popular in her class in the seventies and eighties, a fact reflected in the 1989 movie Heathers , in which every snobby girl in the high school clique bears the…

Dolly

English, diminutive of Dorothy

"gift of God"

Sweet and cosy with a touch of sass, this nickname-y choice was a familiar option up until the sixties in the US. Then, for a while, it was a bit of a one-person name, associated with singer Dolly…

Jenny

Diminutive of Janet, Jane, Jean, and Jennifer

At the height of the Jennifer craze, many parents were cutting straight to the nickname and putting Jenny on the birth certificate. But now that Jennifer is the mom rather than the daughter, Jenny,…

Georgette

French, feminine variation of George

Has a musty 1940s feel. Try Georgia -- or Georgiana.