NataleeMJohnson's ABC Favorite Girl Names

These are my favorite names from each letter of the alphabet:
  1. Sienna
    • Origin:

      Italian color name
    • Meaning:

      "orange red"
    • Description:

      Sienna has been a Top 100 choice in England & Wales since 2005, the year after Sienna Miller's acting breakthrough in the hit movies Alfie and Layer Cake. In the US, it also got a big boost in the early noughties, before dropping slightly then rebounding to reach an all-time high in 2022.
  2. Vivienne
    • Origin:

      French variation of Vivian
    • Meaning:

      "life"
    • Description:

      Vivienne is an elaborated Gallic version of the name Vivian, chosen first by Rosie O'Donnell for her daughter and then catapulted to superstardom when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used it for their twin daughter. An adult namesake is the British designer Vivienne Westwood. Rosie O'Donnell also has a daughter named Vivienne, known as Vivi.
  3. Louisa
    • Origin:

      Latinate feminine variation of Louis
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      Louisa, a quaint but strongvintage name, is an example of the idea that these days, old-style girls’ names are more fashionable when they end with an a rather than with an e, as in Julie/Julia, Diane/Diana. So for the next generation, Louisa may rise again, especially with the growing popularity of other Lou/Lu-starting names, like Lucy and Luna. Louisa reentered the US Top 1000 in 2014 after a 45 year absence.
  4. Diana
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "divine"
    • Description:

      Diana, the tragic British princess, inspired many fashions, but strangely, not one for her name. For us, Diana is a gorgeous and still-underused choice.
  5. Holly
    • Origin:

      English nature name
    • Description:

      Holly ranks just in British Top 50, but it's been out of favor here since the 1970s Era of Nickname Names. Still, the name may be on her way back as a rejuvenated nature pick.
  6. Wendy
    • Origin:

      English, Celtic, Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "friend or white"
    • Description:

      It is popularly claimed that the name Wendy was invented by Sir James Barrie in 1904 for the big sister character in his play Peter Pan, which was followed by the classic novel in 1911. Barrie supposedly took it from the nickname "fwendy-wendy", that he was called by a young girl acquaintance.
  7. Norah
    • Origin:

      English, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "woman of honor, light"
    • Description:

      The skyrocketing success of singer Norah Jones brought this spelling of the name onto the pop charts in 2003. As well as being a spelling variant of Nora in English, it's also an alternative transcription of the Arabic name Nura, from Nur/Noor "light".
  8. Isobel
    • Origin:

      Scottish variation of Isabel
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      The Scottish spelling of Isabel has a definite character of her own, the 'o' giving her an extra infusion of strength but also an element of confusion. How do you pronounce that? Answer: Exactly like Isabel or Isabelle.
  9. Xiomara
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Guiomar, Spanish, Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "famous in battle"
    • Description:

      The gorgeous and romantic name Xiomara popped into the Top 1000 from 2004-2011 after a contestant on America's Next Top Model increased interest in her rare name.
  10. Beth
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Elizabeth
    • Meaning:

      "pledged to God"
    • Description:

      The sweetest and most sensitive of the pet names for Elizabeth, now also one of the most dated.
  11. Anthea
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "flowery"
    • Description:

      This unjustly neglected floral name has a BBC accent and a Greek mythological heritage: Anthea is an epithet of Hera, the Greek queen of the gods, and her name has been used as poetic symbol of spring.
  12. Joanne
    • Origin:

      French variation of Joanna, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      A Top 100 name from the 1930s all the way through the 1950s, it's now firmly in Mom -- or Grandma -- land and supplanted for babies by Joanna.....or even great-grandmother Josephine. In its heyday, it had a host of variations, including JoAnn and Jo-Anne.
  13. Yolanda
    • Origin:

      Spanish from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "violet flower"
    • Description:

      Bold and distinctive, Yolanda is a floral name that doesn't sound frilly or delicate. Ultimately deriving from the Greek words ioles meaning "violet" and anthos meaning "flower", it appears in a variety of forms internationally, including Jolanda, Jolanta, Iolanthe, Iolanta, Iolanda, and Jolana.
  14. Paulina
    • Origin:

      Spanish, feminine variation of Paul
    • Meaning:

      "small"
    • Description:

      More stylish than either Paula or Pauline, it was given a glamour gloss by model Paulina Porizkova in the nineties.
  15. Rochelle
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "little rock"
    • Description:

      Long-standing French name that retains a feminine, fragile, and shell-like image.
  16. Mariam
    • Origin:

      Arabic variation of Mary
    • Meaning:

      "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
    • Description:

      Popular among parents with Arab roots. Also found as Maryam.
  17. Felice
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "lucky"
    • Description:

      Felix is rising in the chart for boys, and its feminine variations are sure to follow. The best knows these days, thanks to the TV character, is Felicity, but there's also Felicia and Felice. Like Lucia, Felice is a name with different pronunciations depending on where it's used. The Italians pronounce it fa-LEECH-ay, but the Americanized version is feh-LEESE.
  18. Emiliana
    • Origin:

      Italian variation of Emily
    • Meaning:

      "rival"
    • Description:

      The enormous popularity of Emily and Emma means that parents will be looking further afield for substitutes -- and this is one of the prettiest.

  19. Umbria
    • Origin:

      Italian place name, from the Umbri, one of the chief tribes settling the Italian nation
    • Description:

      Umbria is a lovely, virtually unused Italian name for girls, reflecting the beautiful rolling hills of the area's countryside. And since it's right next door to Tuscany, in which Siena resides, maybe Umbria could be a follow-up to the popular Siena-Sienna.
  20. Cambria
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Description:

      Most names that start with Cam- are on the upswing, so why not this obscure term for Wales as well as for a prehistoric time period.