Fierce Girl Names

Sloane

Irish

"raider"

Sloane is a sleek, sophisticated surname name that has gradually morphed over to the girls' side. With its distinctive and intriguing sound, Sloane has been in the US Top 1000 since 2009, and in…

Freya

Norse

"a noble woman"

Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning…

Octavia

Latin

"eighth"

Octavia began as the Latin, then Victorian name for an eighth child. While there aren't many eighth children anymore, this ancient Roman name has real possibilities as a substitute for the overused…

Astrid

Scandinavian

"divinely beautiful"

Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the…

Nadia

Russian, Arabic

"hope; tender, delicate"

Nadia, an accessible Slavic favorite, has a strong run of popularity in the US in the early 2000s, partially thanks to the character on Lost called Nadia but actually named Noor, but it's since…

Kyra

Feminine variation of Cyrus, Persian

"throne"

The girls' name Kyra sounds like the also popular Keira/Kiera, but has a different root. There are twice as many baby girls named Keira as Kyra, with Kiera in third place. Kyra now ranks at #590 and…

Aadhya

Hindi

"first power"

This beautiful Hindi name made the US Top 1000 in 2016 and has been hopping on and off the bottom of that list since then. Aadhya is one of the many names for the Goddess Durga in Hinduism. Other…

Aadya

Hindi

"first power"

An epithet of the goddess Durga, associated with the beginning of the earth. Aadya, also appearing as Aadhya, Adya and Adia, is notably borne by make-up artist Aadya Reddy and by singer Aadya…

Adessa

Finnish and Swedish, meaning unknown

Adessa may be a Scandinavian variation of the place name Odessa.

Asha

Sanskrit; Swahili

"hope; life"

Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s,…

Azura

English, Persian

"sky blue, lapis lazuli"

A sparkly elaboration of the color name Azure, Azura is a vivid choice that may appeal to those who enjoy Azaria, Aurora, Astrid, and Alara. Used in English to mean "sky blue", azure ultimately comes…

Lysandra

Greek

"liberator"

This name is the feminization of mythological name Lysander, which is best known to English-speakers as a character in Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream .

Melisande

French form of Millicent, German

"strong in work"

This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized…

Nadezhda

Slavic

"hope"

Nadezhda is more familiar in the English-speaking world by its short forms, Nadia or Nadya. Well-used through the Slavic countries and Russia, Nadezhda was the name of Lenin's wife. Viewers of The…

Odessa

Russian form of Odesa, Ukrainian place-name

"voyage"

Odessa, (transcribed as Odesa in Ukrainian) is a Ukrainian port city and was given its name by Catherine the Great, who was inspired by Homer's Odyssey . It would make an original and intriguing…

Oksana

Russian from Hebrew

"praise to God"

Ukrainian figure-skating champion Oksana Baiul made it known here.

Rya

Arabic

"dream"

While many English sources say this name is a feminization of Ryan and give the pronunciation as Ryan without the final n, Rya is a genuine Arabic name for girls that rhymes with Mia and Leah. It is…

Tanith

Phoenician

"serpent lady"

Name of the Phoenician deity who was the patron of Carthage, goddess of the moon, and a fertility figure. Variations include Tanit, Tanis, and Tanitha. The name is frequently misinterpreted to be an…

Wilhelmina

German and Dutch, feminine variation of Wilhelm

"resolute protection"

Wilhelmina might once have been condemned as a clunky relic best left in the past, but a steadily increasing number of parents are dusting it off for their 21st century babies. A reasonably popular…