Cheeky Yet Innocent Girls Names

Violet

English from Latin

"purple"

Violet is soft and sweet, yet with a vivacious edge. Today, Violet is the top flower name for girls, outranking Lily and Iris in the Top 100, and the most popular color name for girls, pulling ahead…

Zoe

Greek

"life"

Zoe is one of those surprising names that has been on the Top 1000 nearly every year since 1880, but it's only since the turn of this century that it's ranked in the Top 100. Despite its popularity…

Piper

English occupational name

"pipe or flute player"

Piper is a bright, musical name that entered the list in 1999, one year after the debut of the TV series Charmed , which featured a Piper, and it's been a consistent riser since. Piper Kerman is the…

Phoebe

Greek

"radiant, shining one"

Bubbly, bright, and versatile, Phoebe is a name with mythological, biblical, and literary ties. Used since the 17th century, it fell out of fashion in the US during the '60s, only to be revived after…

Sage

Herb name, Latin

"wise and knowing"

Sage is an evocatively fragrant herbal name that also connotes wisdom, giving it a double advantage. It entered the Top 1000 at about the same time for both genders in the early 1990s, but it has…

Zara

Hebrew and Arabic

"blooming flower; God remembers"

Zara has multiple origins, but most notably is a variation of Zahrah, a name derived from the Arabic zahrah , meaning "blooming flower." Zara can also be a diminutive of the Bulgarian name Zaharina,…

Poppy

Flower name, English from Latin

"red flower"

Poppy, unlike most floral names which are sweet and feminine, has a lot of spunk. Long popular throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Poppy is finally starting to rise toward the top in…

Finley

Irish and Scottish

"fair-haired hero"

This was Irish name was once used exclusively for boys, and remains so in England and Wales where it's a Top 50 choice. In the US, however, celebs Jason Sehorn, Angie Harmon, and Lisa Marie Presley…

Charli

Variation of Charlie, English diminutive of Charlotte, French "free man"

"free man"

Charli may be the new Charlie, which is the cooler Charlotte. British singer-songwriter Charli (born Charlotte) XCX, creator of the hit album Brat, and TikTok star Charli D'Amelio popularized the…

Frankie

Diminutive of Frances, Latin

"from France; free man"

Frankie is a vintage nickname name for girls, with a down-to-earth country feel. It's one of the hottest boyish nicknames for girls, in the forefront of that trend. This renewed interest placed…

Indie

Short form of India, Indigo etc

Indie is an independent-sounding nickname name that is in the Top 100 in Wales. As a diminutive, it's growing in popularity -- along with indie films, indie publishing -- and the reason some parents…

Abby

Diminutive of Abigail, Hebrew

"my father is joyful"

Gently old-fashioned stand-alone nickname that owes its popularity to mega popular Abigail.

Tilly

Diminutive of Matilda

"battle-mighty"

A favorite in England and Wales where nicknames as given names are very much the norm, Tilly has the potential to catch on in the US, given its similarity to the popular Lily and Ellie and the rising…

Scout

Word name

"one who gathers information covertly"

Scout, a character nickname from To Kill a Mockingbird (her real name was Jean Louise), became a real-life possibility when Bruce Willis and Demi Moore used it for their now-grown middle daughter,…

Imogen

Celtic

"maiden"

Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen…

Sailor

Occupational name

Supermodel Christie Brinkley launched an entire name genre when she picked this breezy occupational name for her daughter in 1998, and it has become more prevalent in recent decades. The Saylor…

Indiana

American place-name

"land of the Indians"

Indiana is one of those place-names (think Camden and Trenton) that sounds cooler than the place that inspired it. Its fashionable -ana ending certainly sounds eminently name-like, and…

Jorja

Modern American phonetic spelling of Georgia

This simplified form of the lovely name Georgia was spotlighted by the actress Jorja Fox, and seems to be making inroads; rocker Bret Michaels chose it for his daughter. Still, we'd opt for the…

Pippi

Norse variation of Philippa

"lover of horses"

Pippi may be cute but isn't very practical. In addition to being forever Pippi Longstocking, there is that variant pee-pee spelling to consider. Try Pippa instead.

Pansy

English flower name from French

"thought"

Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.