 Benedikta

Baani is a beautiful Punjabi name used in India — an alias of the goddess Saraswati. Baani or Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning.

Baani

When the once-popular Barbara makes a comeback, so might Baba.

Baba

Babara

Babba

Babbie

Babby

You can call your baby "babe," but don't name her that. 

Babe

A less common relic of the Claudette-Paulette-Annette era. 

Babette

Babochka

Babs is an old-fashioned nickname for Barbara, itself an old-fashioned name that was hugely popular in the 20th century but that's not (yet) on its way back in. If you really want a vintage-y nickname name with a lot of attitude that bucks the current friends, go for Babs instead of Betty or Bea.

Babs

Badaidra is an unusual name with some usage in the US.

Badaidra

A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, featured in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon. A modern spin on Bella, so you might consider the meaning to be beauty or beautiful.

Baela

Plausible music hero choice with undertones of Joan Baez's social activist folkie persona. 

Baez

Baha

This popular Muslim name would more easily translate to English-speaking cultures in its Bahar form.

Bahaar

A beautiful option for a springtime baby. Bahar is also the name of a Persian newspaper and many villages in Iran. 

Bahaar is an alternation spelling that may create more difficulties in English-speaking cultures.

Bahar

Bahia

A pretty Arabic possibility which would work well in many languages.

Bahira

Bahr


This alluring Spanish nature name would fit in with classmates Mar, Cielo, and Sol.

Bahía

This possible word name, which rhymes with Maia, makes an even more distinctive alternative.

Baia

Baibín

Baie

An offbeat approach to Bella. Also a Yiddish form of Bilhah, one of the four women who gave birth to the tribes of Israel.

Baila

Like other "ee" names, Bailee is starting to lose its shine, slowly slipping down the charts.

Bailee

Baileigh

Bailie

Baillie

Bailor

Bailou

Baily

This fabric word name would be a one-of-a-kind. 

Baize

Pronounced Bah-hah, this name of the Mexican peninsula attached to California makes for an out-of-the-ordinary possibility. 

Baja

Like the masculine version, Bakar, the meaning makes this a depressing choice for a child.

Bakarne

In India, Bala is a unisex name, but is likely to be perceived as more feminine in the West. In its feminine form, Bala is associated with the daughter of the red goddess, Lalitha Parameshwari.

Bala

The Ancient Roman Balbina is the feminine form of Balbus or Balbinus. While certainly unique, it's hard to imagine this name will go far in the modern English-speaking world.

Balbina

Baleigh

Evokes picture-postcard image of colorful Indonesia.  Bali Barret is a Paris fashion insider who oversees women's style for Hermes.  Bali rhymes with tally or galley.

Bali

Balia

Might sound as if your child had the sniffles every time she said her name. 

Ballencia

Bama

Bambalina

Bandar

Bani is a beautiful Punjabi name used in India — an alias of the goddess Saraswati. Bani or Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning.

Bani

Name introduced here via Chinese cinema, has middle-place potential. 

Baojin, sometime hyphenated to Bao-Jin, has a luxurious meaning making it a relatively common choice for Mandarin-speaking parents.  Baojin can be used for girls and boys. But this meaning also means that baby Baojin will also share his/her name with a mining company, an expressway and a housing policy.

Baojin

Probably too evangelical for mass importation. 

Baptista

Gently appealing, a floral choice in Japanese.

Bara

Barabal

Barah

Its resonant rhythm and positive connotations have led to some popularity with African-American parents, though it tends to have a masculine feel, particularly considering the rise of a certain Barack.

Baraka

Barbara is back! Among the fastest-rising names of 2023, Barbara came back from oblivion at the very bottom of the Top 1000, gaining nearly 100 places on the popularity list.
 
Credit 2023's breakout movie Barbie, which gave a new stylish feel to the classic Barbara. Rooted in ancient Greek and ranking in the Top 10 in the US throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Barbara is now poised to become fashionable again for the next generation of babies.
 The name Barbara has the same root as the word barbarian, meaning stranger or foreigner. There is the popular third century St. Barbara, who was reputed to have been imprisoned in a tower and may have been the inspiration for Rapunzel. She became the patron of architects, stonemasons, fortifications, and geologists, and protects against fire and lightning.
 
Barbaras appear in works by Dickens and Thackeray and, most notably, as the idealistic protagonist of the George Bernard Shaw play Major Barbara. Noteworthy bearers include real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, actress Barbara Stanwyck (born Ruby), novelist Barbara Pym, TV's Barbara Walters, and "My Name is Barbra" Streisand. Barbara Gordon was the original Batgirl in the comic books.
 And the of course there's Barbie, though today, Bebe, Bobbie, or even Babs might make a cuter retro nickname.

Barbara

Barbarella

In Medieval England, Barbary was a common given name and short form of Barbara. Today it exists as a surname, either derived from Barbara itself, or in French, from the Occitan barbari, meaning "barbarian."
 
The Barbary Coast historically referred to the coastline of modern-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Barbary was used as a baby name by enslaved people from the region.

Barbary

Barbe

Barbee

Barbette

Barbi

Barbica

Despite the voluptuous doll's various career choices, from astronaut to doctor, her name still remains a euphemism for "bimbo". 

Barbie

Barbika

Barbra

Barby

Attractive but somewhat unwieldy place-name name. 

Barcelona

Bardou is a holiday destination in France, known for its pictureque village nestled in mountains. It is also a region of Guinea. As a name, it is more commonly known from its English derivation, meaning axe-wielding wolf.

Bardou

Baret

A city in Italy, or simply a feminized spelling of Barry.

Bari

A name to consider when seeking an offbeat substitute for the more familiar Mariah. 

Bariah

Barit

Barra is a Gaelic-speaking island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, that’s been inhabited since the Neolithic era.  A male nickname for Finbarr in Ireland, as well as a stand-alone name, Barra was used by George R.R. Martin as a girl’s name. It means ‘fair-haired’.

Barra

Barree

Barret

Bartolomea

Basha bears a family resemblance to other newly popular Slavic names Sasha and Mischa, all of them hearty, warm and welcoming.

Basha

Bashya

Basia

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 pronunciation BAY-zel.

Basil

Rare but attractive female form of Basil. 

Basilia

Basilie

Basja

A sweet and warm Arabic name with a meaning to match.

Basma

Bassilly

Bassy

Bastia

This feminization of Bastian really stems from Sebastian — a Latin name that came from the Greek Sebastos, meaning "honored" or "revered".

Bastiana

Rare French option for girls, but feels familiar thanks to the popularity of Sebastian.

Bastienne

Bastina

Basya

Bat-sheba

Bat-sheva

It looks like a creative respelling of battle, but this name is anything but. Instead, Batel is a Hebrew name with a lovely meaning. 

Jenna Jameson chose this name for her daughter in 2017, putting it on the map of unusual, but potentially accessible, possibilities.

Batel

Derived from the Germanic element badu "battle" combined with Old Norse hildr "battle", this name
belonged to a 7th-century English saint who became queen of the Franks after being sold to them as a slave. Its mighty meaning is a plus, but connection to the Harry Potter character "Batty" Bathilda Bagshot might be a strike against.

Bathilda

Bathseva

Popular with the Puritans, this name of the shrewd and beautiful wife of King David and mother of King Solomon could be a bit of a load for a modern girl to carry. 
 Bathsheba is the name of the central character in the Thomas Hardy novel Far from the Madding Crowd and there's a Harry Potter character named Bathsheba Babbling, Ancient Runes professor at Hogwarts.

Bathsheba

The short form Shira is more manageable. 

Bathshira

Bathshua

Batia

alyshadragonfriend's list "Queen and Princess Names Starting With B" of 981 great name ideas:  Benedikta - Büşra!

Queen and Princess Names Starting With B

Names that sound like they could belong to a queen or a princess. Honestly, like they could belong to any female noble. This is the 2nd installment of a series.