User-created list
Lovely Names
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Eve
Hebrew
"life"
Eve, the oldest name in the Book, is now coming back into style, having the virtues of simplicity and purity, yet with more strength and resonance than other single-syllable names like Ann. British…
Marie
French variation of Mary
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
The ubiquitous French version of Mary came into the English-speaking world in the nineteenth century. In the United States, Marie was a huge hit at the turn of the last century and for the ensuing…
Macy
English surname, variation of Massey
"hill"
Singer Macy Gray has popularized this cute and upbeat choice—once solely associated with the department store. A modern replacement for Stacy and Tracy, Macy was most popular in the early 2000s when…
Nala
African, meaning unknown
A Disney name—Nala was the friend who became the wife of Simba, hero of The Lion King . It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2015. Keenen Ivory Wayans used it for his daughter.
Adelia
Variation of Adela, German
"noble, nobility"
The super-success of Adele, both the singer and the name, has brought attention to all her cousins — Adela, Adeline, Adelina — and the lovely Adelia. An undiscovered gem just waiting to be…
Artemis
Greek mythology
"safe; butcher"
Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the…
Bryony
Greek
"to sprout, to swell"
Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan…
Christabel
Latin and French
"fair Christian"
Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given…
Christiana
Latin feminization of Christian, Greek from Latin
"follower of Christ"
Not cutting edge, but still graceful and feminine. Parents who care about style may pass on all names Chris (or Kris) related, which were so popular in the second half of the 20th century. But…
Dolores
Spanish
"lady of sorrows"
Though it's related to the Virgin Mary, this name was once perceived as the height of sensuality, a role since taken over by nicknames Lola and Lolita. Dolores is one of the many titles given to the…
Ethel
English
"noble maiden"
Ethel is a name we once declared as 'So Far Out They'll Probably Always Be Out,' but with the return of other names on that list and with its new starbaby cred via Lily Allen, its soft sound and…
Isis
Egyptian
"throne"
Isis has gone from magical, feminist name on the rise to the forbidden list because of the extremist terror group called ISIS, an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Unsurprisingly, Isis was…
Jordana
Hebrew
"flowing down"
A feminization used more before Jordan joined the girls' camp.
Lorraine
French
"from the province of Lorraine"
Sweet Lorraine might just be old enough to be ripe for reconsideration. This French place name has moved in and out of fashion in the few hundred years it's been used as a girls' first name, somewhat…
Verona
Italian place-name
Verona is a scenic place-name with the added attraction of a Shakespearean connection, as in Two Gentlemen of ....
Zahara
Hebrew; Swahili
"to shine; flower"
Zahara, a delicate but strong multicultural name, came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie bestowed it on her Ethiopian-born daughter, and we predict other parents will adopt it as well. If you…