Pretty, Whimsical and Strange

  1. Amity
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "friendship"
    • Description:

      Amity--what nicer gift to give your little girl than a name that signifies friendship and harmony? This virtue name is also more rhythmic and feminine than the single-syllable Hope, Faith, and Grace.
  2. Ianthe
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "purple flower"
    • Description:

      Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the daughter of Oceanus, supreme ruler of the sea, and also a Cretan woman so beautiful that when she died the Gods made purple flowers grow around her grave.
  3. Yvaine
    • Origin:

      Female variation of Yvain or Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "evening star"
    • Description:

      A mix of Yvonne and Elaine, Yvaine was first noticed in the Neil Gaiman fantasy novel and then movie Stardust, in which Claire Danes played the 'fallen star' Yvaine. This In all its forms, one of the most classic Scottish names for girls is now attracting namer attention--just as that other Gaiman-inspired name, Coraline, did. Yvaine has a definite romantic, medieval charm. A small segment of namers are definitely taking notice.
  4. Story
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "an account of incidents or events"
    • Description:

      An imaginative choice with an uptempo Cory/Rory/Tori sound, perfect for the child of a writer — or anyone with a good story to tell. Story has been finding some appreciation among celebs like Minnie Driver and others as a middle name. This is just one of the literary word names that have recently entered the realm of possibility, such as Fable, Sonnet and Poem.
  5. Jemima
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "dove; daytime"
    • Description:

      Jemima, the name of a strong and beautiful Biblical daughter of Job, has long been among the chicest choices of aristocratic Brits, and has since shifted to be used more generally too, replacing Gemma/Jemma as a way to nickname "Jem". In a recent year, it featured in the England and Wales Top 500.
  6. 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.
  7. Ariadne
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "most holy"
    • Description:

      This name of the Cretan goddess of fertility is most popular now as the more melodic Ariana, but Ariadne has possibilities of its own. It first entered the US Top 1000 in 2014. The renewed interest in the name falls in line with the revival of other mythological names like Apollo and Athena. The trendy nickname Ari doesn't hurt either.
  8. Bambi
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Bambina, Italian
    • Meaning:

      "child; baby girl"
    • Description:

      Although Disney's cute deer was a male, Bambi has always been used for girls. It first appeared on the charts in 1943, the year after the Disney movie was released. Bambi featured in the Top 1000 from 1954-1964 — a decade where girl names ending in I, like Lori and Teri, were big — and again from 1977-1982.
  9. Magdalena
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "from Magdala"
    • Description:

      Magdalena is a pretty name forever associated with the fallen-yet-redeemed Mary Magdalen; often heard in the Hispanic community. But forward thinking parents are reviving Magdalena along with Magdalene and the unrelated but similar-sounding Marguerite.
  10. Andromeda
    • Origin:

      Greek mythology name
    • Meaning:

      "advising like a man"
    • Description:

      One of the stellar unique baby names from mythology, Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of Cassiopeia who, like her mother, literally became a star--the constellation that bears her name.The Bohemian Andromeda makes a dramatic and adventurous choice in a time when four-syllable mythological names are gradually making their way into the mainstream.
  11. Teddy
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Theodora, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      Cute boyish short forms like Teddy and Frankie and Billie are in some ways a relic of the past, of the days before unisex names, when girls were given feminized versions of their father's names, but they are starting to come into their own again.
  12. Dinah
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "God will judge"
    • Description:

      Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume. In the Old Testament, Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah and while some conflate her with the Biblical Adinah, they are in fact different figures.
  13. Sonnet
    • Origin:

      English from Italian
    • Meaning:

      "little song"
    • Description:

      Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter.
  14. Eilidh
    • Origin:

      Gaelic form of Eleanor
    • Description:

      Long popular in Scotland, this attractive name is strictly-speaking the Gaelic version of Eleanor, but is also often considered part of the Helen family of names. After the Normans introduced it into the British Isles, it was transformed into Aileen or Evelyn. It has rarely been heard in the US, but it is slowly starting to be used here too.
  15. Idony
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "love again, renewal"
    • Description:

      Idony was the Norse goddess of spring and eternal youth, and variants of her obscure name could come under consideration with the rest of the fashionable I pack. Variations include Idonie and Idonia.
  16. Elva
    • Origin:

      Feminine form of Alf or anglicized form of Ailbhe, Danish, Icelandic, Irish
    • Meaning:

      "elf; bright, light, white"
    • Description:

      Elva is a multicultural choice, being both an anglicization of the Irish Ailbhe and an feminine form of the name Alf, meaning "elf". Popular in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, it remained in the charts until the 1970s before falling out of favor.
  17. Signe
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "new victory"
    • Description:

      Signe could make an offbeat, more unusual alternative to Sydney or Sigrid. In Norse mythology, Signe was the twin sister of Sigmund. Can also be spelled Signy.
  18. Thisbe
    • Origin:

      Greek mythological name, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Thisbe, the name of a beautiful but tragic lover in mythology, is lively and cute -- in a slightly thistly, prickly way. Ovid retold the story of Thisbe and Pyramus, young lovers in ancient Babylon kept apart by family rivalry, which was the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. A modern bearer of the name is writer Thisbe Nissen.

      In Sarah Dessen's novel Along for the Ride, the baby daughter is named Thisby, nn Isby.

  19. Posy
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "a bunch of flowers"
    • Description:

      A sweet, nostalgic nosegay kind of name, Posy has been long fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is still rarely heard in the US, though it could be seen as a more unusual possible alternative to Rosy or Josie.
  20. Pixie
    • Origin:

      Swedish or Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "fairy"
    • Description:

      Pixie is a cute -- quite possibly too cute -- name that suddenly feels possible thanks to the craze for names that contain the letter x. Though its origin may be uncertain, a pixie is internationally recognized as a sprite or fairy: tiny, sometimes green, usually pointy-eared.

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