the ultimate list of girl names

The multicultural Yara is also the name of a beautiful green-skinned Brazilian goddess and might make a more unusual spin on Mara or Sara.

Form of Jasmine commonly used in Turkey.

A Top 10 name in Moscow. In Russian, the emphasis is put on the first syllable.

An appealing, usable Japanese choice, since there are so many familiar ori/ory-ending Western names.

Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Julia.

Simple but sultry.

With historical roots as a beautiful and intelligent ancient queen and literary ties to Hawthorne and Edith Wharton novels, this rarity could appeal to adventurous parents seeking the romantically unusual. Tina Fey used it as her daughter Alice's middle name.

Zephyrus was the Greek god of the west wind, and all names associated with him have a pleasantly gentle, breezy feel.

Zeynep is one of the most popular girls' names in Turkey, related to the also-popular Arabic Zaynab which is well-used throughout the Muslim world. But like many Turkish names, Zeynep is largely unknown in Europe and the US.

Zoe is one of those surprising names that has been on the Top 1000 nearly every year since 1880, but it's only since the turn of this century that it's ranked in the Top 100.

Zoey is a modern spelling variation of Zoe, the Greek Jewish translation of Eve. For a few years, it was even more popular than the original Zoe, but has now dropped back to the second ranked spelling.

As Sophia gets more popular, parents search out more unusual spins, and the Z makes this qualify.

Remember Zuzu, the adorable little girl you watch every Christmas in "It's a Wonderful Life"? Here's a direct path to that nickname, a lot more zesty than the more familiar Susannah.

Zümra is derived from the Turkish word for "emerald," zümrüt. The Ü in Zümra is pronounced with a short U sound similar to the ou in words like "should" and "could."

Irish spelling of Eva or Ava, also spelt Eabha in Ireland.