girl and unisex names for girls

Atlas

Greek

"bearer of the heavens"

While Atlas is a decidedly male god and this name is in the US Top 300 for boys, it is used for an increasingly significant number of baby girls in the US. And undeniably, it's a name that imparts…

Basil

Greek

"royal"

This ancient Greek male name, well-used in Britain, also has an herbal quality that may explain its increasing use for girls. While as a name it rhymes with dazzle, the herb has a long a, making the…

Berry

Nature name

With the recent arrival of fruit names like Apple and Plum, this more traditional example, symbolic of fertility, might rise in popularity. Photographer Berry Berenson was born Berinthia.…

Bird

Nature name

We once dismissed Bird as "too flighty", but with the rise of avian names from Lark to Robin to, well, Birdie, we don't see why Bird can't be a fine choice, especially as a middle name.

Blossom

English

"to bloom"

Now that parents have picked virtually every name in the garden, from the common Rose to the captivating Zinnia, some are reconsidering the old, more generic names like Flora and Posy and Blossom —…

Blue

Color name

Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in…

Bluebell

Flower name from English

"blue bell"

Bluebell is one flower name that is used very quietly. Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell joined her former Spice Sisters in creative baby-naming with this adventurous — some might say outlandish —…

Butterfly

English word name

Fluttery and flighty. But there are a couple of names that mean butterfly you might consider, such as Yara and Farasha.

Callahan

Irish surname

"bright-headed"

This friendly Irish surname is catching on with girls, perhaps due to the easy Callie nickname.

Calloway

English from Latin

"pebbly place"

Calloway is one of those irresistibly jaunty, animated three-syllable surnames, like Sullivan and Finnegan — but this one has the added attraction of jazzy ties to the immortal "Dean of American…

Calypso

Greek

"she who hides"

Melodic, rhythmic, and poetic in sound, Calypso is a name with connections to music, mythology, space, and pop culture. A distinctive was to nickname Callie or even Pip, it has that charming -o…

Ceres

Roman

"nourishment"

Little known name of the goddess of the harvest — her name literally means nourishment, and is the origin of the word cereal. A possibility for the parent seeking something original, but with the…

Circe

Greek

"bird, hawk"

In Greek myth, Circe, daughter of Helios, the sun, was a sorceress living on the island of Aeaea (or Aiaia) who could turn men into animals with her magic wand, which is just what she did to…

Cloud

English word name

"water vapor in the atmosphere"

This kind of plainspoken nature name (think River and Sunshine) may still carry a whiff of the hippie, but this one has a nice, airy feel. It's slight similarity to Claude and Clyde helps to ground…