Musical Girl Names

Girl names inspired by classical music. Includes relevant female opera characters, musical terms, and more!
  1. Aida
    • Origin:

      Arabic; Italian
    • Meaning:

      "returning visitor; happy"
    • Description:

      Aida is a melodic name largely associated with the title character of the 1871 Verdi opera, an enslaved Ethiopian princess who dies to save her people. In the past, her name was rarely heard outside the Latino community, but in the current time of love for all A-starting girls' names, this could very well change.
  2. Aria
    • Origin:

      Italian and Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "air; song or melody; lion"
    • Description:

      Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
  3. Cadence
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "rhythm, beat"
    • Description:

      The musical word name Cadence, seemed to come out of nowhere to zoom up the charts; it rose over 700 spots between 2002 and 2004, and showed up in the Top 200 in 2007. It's gone down in the popular names list since then, though. Some might see it as a feminine relative of the popular Caden. Kadence and Kaydence are also rising.
  4. Caprice
    • Origin:

      French from Italian
    • Meaning:

      "impulsive change of mind"
    • Description:

      Caprice is a word name with an appealing sound and a light-hearted meaning. Caprice is a rare name, used for only ten baby girls in the US in 2023.
  5. Carmen
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Carmel or Latin
    • Meaning:

      "garden or song"
    • Description:

      Carmen has long been associated with the sensuous, tragic heroine of Bizet's opera, based on a novel by Prosper Merimee; more recently it has called to mind two other bombshells: Carmen Miranda (born Maria) and Carmen Electra (born Tara), as well as the great jazz singer Carmen McRae. In the celebrity baby name world, this classic Spanish name for girls was used by Hilaria and Alec Baldwin for their oldest daughter.
  6. Coda
    • Echo
      • Origin:

        Greek mythology name
      • Meaning:

        "echo or sound"
      • Description:

        Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse. Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love.
    • Harmony
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Meaning:

        "harmony"
      • Description:

        If Melody and Lyric are on your style sheet, the peaceful Harmony, popularized by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, should be too. Girls names starting with the "Har" sound like Harper, Harley, and Harlow have been trending in recent years. This musical choice fits right in, and it is no wonder that Harmony has been in the Top 200 since 2014.
    • Lyric
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"
      • Description:

        Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it and joins the likes of Melody, Harmony, Cadence, and Aria as musical names that have become baby names. A unisex name, it is currently three times more popular for girls in the US where it sits in the Top 600. It has declined in use since its 2014 peak, but was still given to around 560 girls in a recent year.
    • Lakme
      • Marguerite
        • Origin:

          French variation of Margaret; also a flower name
        • Meaning:

          "pearl; daisy"
        • Description:

          Marguerite is a classic French name with a remnant of old-fashioned Gallic charm; and is also a variety of daisy. Chic again in Paris, it's definitely ripe for revival here.
      • Melody
        • Origin:

          Greek
        • Meaning:

          "song"
        • Description:

          A melodious choice big in the sixties, Melody is now starting to pick up tempo again. It cracked the Top 150 for the first time ever in 2015. Melody is also the name of Ariel's equally curious and more tom-boyish daughter in The Little Mermaid sequel. Read more about Melody and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
      • Reverie
        • Origin:

          Word name
        • Description:

          Reverie is a strong-sounding word for an ethereal, dreamlike state -- a perfect contrast and meaning for a word that intends to become a first name. Popular mommy blogger Rebecca Woolf of Girls Gone Child named one of her twin daughters Reverie, setting off a groundswell of interest.
      • Rhapsody
        • Sonata
          • Origin:

            Music name
          • Description:

            Undiscovered musical form melodious enough to be a hit on the name charts.
        • Sonnet
          • Origin:

            English from Italian
          • Meaning:

            "little song"
          • Description:

            Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter.
        • Vienna
          • Origin:

            Place-name: the capital of Austria
          • Meaning:

            "forest stream; white foundation"
          • Description:

            Vienna is one of the more popular of the European place-names, with a particularly pleasant sound, evoking elegant images of the Blue Danube, of castles and cafes, sweets and sausages and Strauss waltzes—and Sigmund Freud. It could be a possible substitute for the popular Sienna, although Vienna has been climbing the charts herself. Vienna was one of the fastest rising girl names in 2023.