Girls!

Kirsten

Scandinavian variation of Christine

Lovely, authentic name -- but any Kirsten will be condemned to a lifetime of hearing "Did you say Kristen?" They're both genuine Scandinavian names but too interchangeable.

Waverly

English

"meadow of quivering aspens"

Waverly, with its literary resonance and lilting three-syllable sound, could well become the next generation's successor to Kimberly. Its upper-crusty surname feel places it among the new stylish…

Julianne

Latin

"youthful or sky father"

This variation on the Julia theme has stayed in play due to the popularity of Julianne Moore, though it now sits at the bottom of the US Top 1000.

Blythe

English

"happy, carefree"

Blythe is Nameberry gem — one of those names that visitors to the site are often searching for, despite the fact it's never ranked in the US charts as a given name. The name is derived the Old…

Natasha

Russian diminutive of Natalya

"birthday of the Lord"

Natasha, an appealing, still unusual name, entered the American mainstream post-Cold War but seems to have peaked in the eighties, replaced by the more straightforward Natalie. As is common for…

Mischa

Russian, diminutive of Mikhail

This was a 100 percent boys' name till the willowy Mischa Barton of TV's "The OC" made it unisex, a la Sascha.

Anja

Scandinavian; Finnish; Slovene; Croatian; Serbian, from Russian

"grace"

Anja is one of the most international of several versions of Ann/Anna now being imported, also including Anya and Annika. Anja is heard in several European cultures, including Germany, the…