Girls names that tickle my fancy.

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…

Clea

Latinate variation of Cleo, Greek

"glory"

An attractive and unusual name that may be a variation of Cleo, Clea was possibly invented by Lawrence Durrell for a character in his Alexandria Quartet . Actress Clea DuVall is one noted bearer of…

India

Place name, from the River Indus

Euphonious and long stylish in England, India was one of the fastest-rising names on the 2013 list, after jumping 240 spots back into the Top 1000. Gorgeous as it may be, the usage of India as a name…

Aurelie

French variation of Aurelia, Latin

"the golden one"

Aurelie is the delicate French variation of Aurelia, one of the most improbable popular names of recent years. Both versions of the name are lovely, but it might be difficult to insist that Americans…

Rosamund

German

"horse protection"

This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation. There was a…

Novalie

Elaboration of Nova, Latin

"new"

Novalie combines the uber stylish and starry Nova with the trendy -lie ending, making it even more modern sounding than it was before. Novalee appeared on the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016,…

Safia

Safia is a feminine name with Arabic origins, meaning 'pure' or 'clear.' It's a variant of the name Safiya (or Safiyyah), which has significant historical importance in Islamic tradition as it was…

Isis

Egyptian

"throne"

Isis has gone from magical, feminist name on the rise to the forbidden list because of the extremist terror group called ISIS, an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Unsurprisingly, Isis was…

Romilly

English

"citizen of Rome"

Originally a surname deriving from the Roman twin Romulus, this attractive name was introduced to the English-speaking world as a first name by painter Augustus John who used it for his son. Romilly…

Argentina

Latin

"silver"

South America provides a continent of interesting, undiscovered names -- Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and the tango-rhythmed Argentina.