feminine names beginning with g

Gia is a cute if slight name that calls to mind stylish sisters Mia, Lea, Pia, Tia, and Nia. One of the most familiar Italian baby names in the US, Gia is a short form of Gianna, which in turn is a diminutive of Giovanna, the feminine form of Giovanni, the Italian equivalent of John—all of them meaning "God is gracious."

Popular in its native Italy, Giada has been quietly and stylishly used in English-speaking countries for several years now. Television cook Giada De Laurentiis made this a possibility — then semi-subtly self-referenced when she named her daughter Jade.

This variant of Gianna has been in the US Top 1000 for most of the 21st century and hit a peak in 2010 at Number 568. The original spelling outranks the trimmed down version by far.

The Italian Gianna undoubtedly owes much of its popularity in the US to its status as an honor name for John. Before the importation of Gianna, there was no truly workable feminine form of John, so Gianna found widespread favor among American parents with Italian roots and far beyond.

Gill and Jill are both medieval short forms of Gillian or Jillian, a feminine form of Julian. The problem with the G spelling is that some people will pronounce it with a hard G, like Gil, the short form of Gilbert. It's easy to see why the J spelling is more popular.

Gillian is a name that was in common usage in Great Britain until the 1970s, when it dropped out of the Top 100 and is yet to return. Until recently, it had not crossed the Atlantic in significant numbers, except in the short form Jill.

Has been used on its own since the 1920s, but still seems like only part of a name. Was very much tied to mid-century Italian sexpot Gina Lollobrigida.

This lovely alternative for the Jennifer-lover ranks among the most popular girls' names in Italy. At this point in the US, the legions of Jennifers born in the 1970s are starting to become grandmas, so Ginevra might make an apt honor name for granny Jen.

Originally a unisex nickname for a redhead -- red hair is called "ginger" in Britain -- or for the name Virginia, Ginger perennially wears pink gingham and spike heels.

Ginny was more common before Jenny and its myriad variants came along.

Like Galilea and Livia, one of the Italian names that fashionable American parents—with or without Italian roots—have started to choose for their daughters. It has endured ups and downs since entering the popularity charts in 1991.

A variation of Giselle.

The French variation of Giselle was made famous by the spectacular Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen undoubtedly gave this name a boost. The French pronunciation (jiz-ELLE) gives it a more graceful, balletic, gazellelike feel.

An Italian version of an English classic beginning to be adopted by cutting-edge American parents, including Entourage's Debi Mazar.