Girls Names K Through O

Lilia

Spanish, Italian and Russian

"lily"

Lilia is pretty double L name that makes for sparkly, floral choice with plenty of international flair. More distinctive that Lily, less popular than Liliana, Lia, and Lilian, Lilia was a new entry…

Mercy

English word name

"compassion"

The quality of mercy makes this lovely Puritan virtue name a quiet favorite today. Although it was most popular in the late nineteenth century, Mercy is on its way to a comeback -- it rose 143 spots…

Marianna

Italian, Polish, English

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + grace"

While Marianna looks like a spelling variation of Mariana, the two names have different etymologies. While the one-N spelling derives from the Roman name Marianus, Marianna is a combination of two…

Kylee

Noongar, Scottish

"boomerang; narrow channel"

Variation of Kylie with the popular suffix -ee. Kylie was popular in Australia in the 1970s and 80s, said to come from a Noongar word for "boomerang". In the US, it has also been used as a…

Odette

French, from German

"wealthy"

Odette is the good swan in Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake , a role for which Natalie Portman won an Oscar ---and it would make a particularly sophisticated yet upbeat choice. In fact, it charted in…

Lilianna

Spelling variation of Liliana

Deriving from "Lilian", as an elaborate form of the flower name, "Lily", Lilianna is a clean and polished spelling for those wanting the pronunciation Lily-Ann-uh. While the Spanish-influenced…

Mariel

Spanish, Latin American, English, and Filipino diminutive of Mary, Hebrew

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Actress and author Mariel Hemingway popularized this attractive and unusual variation of Mary, which first emerged in the 20th century. Also the name of a Cuban town — which provided the source of…

Liv

Diminutive of Olivia, English, Norse

"olive tree; life, protection"

Liv combines the succinct charm of a nickname—people might assume it's short for Olivia—with the solidity of being a classic stand-alone Scandinavian name with a life-force meaning. It was brought…

Liora

Hebrew

"light"

A beautiful Hebrew name that would work perfectly for a child today.

Linda

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian

"pretty"

Linda will live forever in baby name history for toppling Mary from its four hundred year reign as Number 1. Queen of Names in 1947, Linda has fallen even further in favor than Mary today. Still,…

Micah

Hebrew

"who is like the Lord"

While Micah is traditionally a boy name, it is now increasingly used for girls too, likely because it works as an alternative to Michaela, Maia, and McKenna. Still, Micaiah, the name from which Micah…

Maddie

Diminutive of Madeline or Madison, English

"woman from Magdala or son of Matthew"

Britney Spears' little sister Jamie Lynn was one of the first to put this nickname on the birth certificate. Cute for a child, but we recommend giving her the option of the full name for later use.

Mariella

Italian and Dutch diminutive of Maria

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Lilting and nearly unknown here, with the currently popular ella ending, makes a good Marissa alternative. The meaning of Maria is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots…

Marcella

Latin

"warlike"

Marcella is a name of Latin origin, which has been neglected for decades now. Depicted as the world's most beautiful woman in Don Quixote (where it's spelled Marcela), it has plenty of flair and…

Milena

Czech; Slovak; Serbian; Croatian; Polish; Italian

"love, warmth, grace"

This popular name in various Slavic countries and in Italy holds considerable continental appeal. It is the full name of Ukranian-born actress Mila Kunis, noted for her award-winning role in the film…

Love

English word name

"love"

Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of…

Malaysia

Place-name

This evocative place-name is rising in popularity -- despite (or perhaps because of) the unfortunate association with an airplane that went missing in March 2014.

Nancy

English diminutive of Ann or Agnes, Hebrew or Greek

"grace or pure"

To some, Nancy is a sweet, sparkly, vintage choice with plenty of energy and style. For it strays too much into '"old-lady" territory to be cool again yet. It's out of fashion in France, New Zealand,…

Leylani

Hawaiian, spelling variation of Leilani

"heavenly flower"

With the melodic Leilani in the US Top 100, and gaining traction across the pond in the UK too, alternative spellings have naturally come into use. Leilany and Laylani are currently the more popular…

Laken

Variation of Lake, English

"lake"

Not quite a nature name and not quite a surname — whatever Laken is or isn't, we know it's definitely a name to watch.