Four Letter Girl's Names

Alys

Welsh form of Alice, German

"noble"

Popular in Wales, familiar across the UK, and ultimately derived from the Germanic Adalheidis, this isn't a creative respelling of a classic, but the Welsh variant of it.

Amie

Variation of Amy or Aimee, French

"beloved"

Amy and all her sisters and cousins was such a popular name that this version was among the Top 1000 girl names in the US until the mid-90s. Last year only 32 baby girls were names Amie.

Aroa

Basque

"era, time"

Part of a group of lovely A-starting names popular in Spain, along with Ainhoa and Aitana. Spanish actress Aroa Gimeno introduced this one.

Asia

Place name

This still attractive place name was one of the first to gain popularity, though it now probably owes some of its favor to the similar Aisha. Asia ranked as high as Number 195 on the US baby names…

Asma

Arabic

"supreme"

Asma is a simple but powerful name, and holds significance in Islamic tradition. Asma was a niece of Muhammad whose refusal to betray her uncle and father helped them escape to Mecca. A very popular…

Asta

Norwegian

"divine strength"

This Scandinavian name was made famous in English-speaking countries as the name of the dog in the "Thin Man" series. Danish actress Asta Nielsen was another famous bearer. Asta can be considered as…

Asya

Turkish; Russian and Bulgarian diminutive of Anastasia

"Asia; resurrection"

Asya has dual origins: it is both the Turkish word for Asia (the continent), and a short form of Anastasia in Russian and Bulgarian. Beyond that, it is a beautiful example of a "travelling light"…

Avia

Latin, Hebrew

"bird; God is my father"

Avia is one of those multi-cultural, vowel-heavy girls' names so popular today, along with such choices as Ayla and Aya.

Avis

Latin

"bird"

Avis is a bird name that's been in hibernation for awhile, possibly due to the car rental association, but it could make a return on the wings of Ava. Baldwin brother Daniel chose it for his…

Beda

Beda is a feminine name with Germanic origins, derived from the Old English elements 'beado' or 'beda' meaning 'battle' or 'pledge'. Historically, it was also associated with the Venerable Bede, an…

Bibi

French, Persian, or diminutive of Bibiana

"toy; delight; lady of the house; life"

A spunky nickname name for parents with showbiz aspirations for their daughter.

Cara

Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese

"dear; friend; face"

Cara is a simple, sweet, Italian endearment that enjoyed its greatest popularity from the 1970s through the 1990s, reaching a high of Number 189 in 1977. Despite the rising celebrity of English…

Cate

English diminutive of Catherine

"pure"

Time was, even C-starting Catherines who called themselves Kate spelled it with a K, but Cate Blanchett changed all. Cate is now as acceptable as (but not as well used as) Kate. Cait might be short…

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…

Clio

Greek

"glory"

Clio is the name of the ancient Greek mythological muse of history and heroic poetry, one that is rich with modern charm and would make an intriguing choice, especially thanks to its dynamic…