Pretty and Slightly Weird Girls' Names

  1. Acacia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "thorny"
    • Description:

      Acacia is an attractive, rarely used Greek flower name enhanced by its popular beginning-and-ending-with 'a'-construct, and is gradually beginning to catch on as a new member of the stylish girl names starting with A.
  2. Alta
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "elevated"
    • Description:

      Alta, one of the newer names bookended by the letter A, has a meaning that might raise a child's self-esteem. It was the middle name of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
  3. Amethyst
    • Origin:

      Gem and Color name
    • Description:

      As flower names become more unique, so can gem names move beyond Ruby and Pearl to names like Topaz, Sapphire, and Peridot. Amethyst, the purple birthstone for February, has never been in the Top 1000, but could have some appeal, joining similarly-hued Violet and Lilac, all of which make great names for Aquarius babies or names for February babies.
  4. Arcadia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "region offering peace and contentment"
    • Description:

      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 cute Cady.
  5. Arrow
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Names that have not historically been names are not intrinsically gendered, so though we originally pinned Arrow as a boys' name, both starbaby Arrows that have been born recently have been girls. And with Arrow given to 60 girls in the US in 2015 and 94 boys, we call that a pretty decidedly gender neutral name. With its forward-moving, true-landing imagery, Arrow is one of the new inspirational names.
  6. Artemis
    • Origin:

      Greek mythology name
    • Meaning:

      "safe or butcher"
    • Description:

      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 moon. Artemis is the equivalent to the Roman Diana, but a fresher and more distinctive, if offbeat, choice.
  7. Astor
    • Origin:

      Provencal; Icelandic
    • Meaning:

      "hawk; thunder god"
    • Description:

      Similar to the floral name Aster, this spelling derives separately from Old Provençal astur "hawk") and from the Icelandic name elements as ("god") and þor ("thunder").
  8. Astrid
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "divinely beautiful"
    • Description:

      Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful."
  9. Aura
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "soft breeze"
    • Description:

      Aura is a New Age-y word turned name turned contemporary slang for karm. In Greek and Roman mythology, Aura was the Titan of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of early morning. But at odds with her peaceful, well, aura, the mythological Aura is a tragic figure, ultimately transformed into a fountain by Zeus.
  10. Aya
    • Origin:

      Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "colorful, bird, sign"
    • Description:

      Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2012.
  11. Amulet
    • Bronte
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "thunder"
      • Description:

        This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. While the original name took an umlaut over the e, modern English speakers may find that more trouble than it's worth.
    • Cadence
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "rhythm, beat"
      • Description:

        The musical word name Cadence, seemed to come out of nowhere to zoom up the charts; it rose over 700 spots between 2002 and 2004, and showed up in the Top 200 in 2007. It's gone down in the popular names list since then, though. Some might see it as a feminine relative of the popular Caden. Kadence and Kaydence are also rising.
    • Delta
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "letter or island"
      • Description:

        Delta is an unusual vintage option with a lazy-day-down-by-the-river feel. Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet and also the geographical name given to an island formed at the mouth of a river.
    • Eden
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "place of pleasure, delight"
      • Description:

        Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the seventeenth century.
    • Ember
      • Origin:

        French variation of Amber
      • Description:

        Unlike Amber, which is in decline, this name still has a bit of a glow left -- though confusions between the two will inevitably arise.
    • Eureka
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "I have found [it]"
      • Description:

        For most, Eureka will be tied up with the bathtub myth of Archimedes' discovery of volumetric displacement, making it linked to the idea of invention, discovery and innovation. Some Australians might more closely link it to the Eureka stockade, a 19th Century rebellion of miners and workers against the colonial British government. Amanda Knox named her baby girl Eureka in 2021.
    • Euca
      • Evaluna
        • Fauna
          • Origin:

            Roman
          • Meaning:

            "young deer"
          • Description:

            Fauna is the Roman goddess of the earth as well as one of the fairies who protected Disney's "Sleeping Beauty".