Favourite Girls names

  1. Mireille
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "to admire"
    • Description:

      Pretty name that may pose pronunciation problems -- it's meer-AY -- but is well worth the effort.
  2. Mirin
    • Origin:

      Irish and Scottish, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      The 6th century Irish saint Mirin emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football.
  3. Nellie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Helen, Ellen, and Eleanor, English, Swedish
    • Meaning:

      "light, shining torch"
    • Description:

      This sweet nickname name has seen a recent revival in the US, breaking the Top 1000 in 2019 for the first time in 40 years. By 2023, Nellie became one of the fastest rising girl names, chasing sister name Eleanor up the charts. Nellie is an elaboration of Nell, a medieval diminutive of names starting with El, such as Eleanor and Ellen. It may have arisen from the affectionate phrase "mine El" which was later reinterpreted as "my Nel".
  4. Penelope
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "weaver"
    • Description:

      Penelope is an unlikely 21st century baby name success story. Off the Top 1000 for 25 years, Penelope jumped back on in 2001 and has been heading uphill ever since, propelled by the trend for mythological names, Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, and some high-profile celebrity babies.
  5. Reverie
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Reverie is a strong-sounding word for an ethereal, dreamlike state -- a perfect contrast and meaning for a word that intends to become a first name. Popular mommy blogger Rebecca Woolf of Girls Gone Child named one of her twin daughters Reverie, setting off a groundswell of interest.
  6. Rin
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "dignified, severe"
    • Description:

      A very popular girls' name in Japan whose sound is consistent with its meaning. Another possibility is Ren.
  7. Rosalie
    • Origin:

      French variation of Latin Rosalia
    • Meaning:

      "rose"
    • Description:

      Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the Twilight series. The beautiful vampire Rosalie Hale has breathed fresh life back into this mid-century name, and the fact that the character is both sympathetic and relatively minor means Rosalie has the chance to thrive again as a baby name without feeling unduly tied to Twilight.
  8. Snow
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      There's definitely a cold front of names for winter babies moving in, with Summer, Spring and Autumn giving way to Winter--plus North, January, Frost--and Snow. This name feels brisk, fresh, pure, evocative -- and magical. A haunting middle name choice.
  9. Sophia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "wisdom"
    • Description:

      Sophia, which was the Number 1 girls' name in the US from 2011 to 2013, is among the top girl names in the Western World, with a sensuous sound and high-minded meaning. A real winner, Sophia reached the top of the charts without losing any—okay, much—of its sophisticated beauty.
  10. Violet
    • Origin:

      English from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "purple"
    • Description:

      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 second most popular color name for girls after Scarlett.
  11. Yuna
    • Origin:

      Japanese, Breton, Korean, Chinese
    • Description:

      An attractive, widely appealing, multicultural option. KPOP singer Yuna may be attracting some attention to her name.