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Francine
French diminutive pet form of Francoise
"from France or free man"
With the advent of Pope Francis, all forms of this ancient and saintly name came up for a fresh look. Along with most other -een and -ine (when pronounced like -een) names for girls, Francine has a…
Franziska
Franziska is a feminine name of German origin, serving as the female form of Franz (Francis). The name ultimately derives from Latin "Franciscus," meaning "Frenchman" or "free one." Franziska has…
Giulianna
Giulianna is a feminine name with Italian origins, representing an elaborated form of Giuliana, the Italian version of Juliana. The name ultimately derives from the Roman family name Julius,…
Hester
Medieval variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter 's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an…
Ilki
Variation of Ilka, Hungarian diminutive of Ilona
"bright, shining one"
This short, ultra-rare name is one of our favorite four-letter girl names starting with I .
Inanna
Mesopotamian
"lady of heaven"
An ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war and justice, with a name that fits modern tastes. In recent years it has become a rare but steady fixture near the bottom of the charts, and feels full of…
Lark
English bird name
Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.…
Lavinia
Latin, from ancient place name Lavinium
Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the…
Linnea
Swedish
"twinflower, lime tree"
Linnea is an attractive Scandinavian name that derives from the renowned 18th century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who developed the Linnean system of classifying plants and animals. Linnea is…
Lottchen
German diminutive of Charlotte
This sweet and spunky German nickname for Charlotte has a fun literary connection: Das doppelte Lottchen (English title: Lottie and Lisa ) is a children’s book by German author Erich Kästner, which…
Loveday
Cornish, English
"beloved day"
A loveday in medieval England was a day when people engaged in a dispute would come together and try to resolve their differences amicably. The name was sometimes given to babies, male or female, who…
Lubov
Russian
"love"
Variation of Lyubov.
Lucretia
Latin, female form of Lucretius
"profit, wealth"
A pretty and plausible Latin name that's gotten a bad rap through the years via a link to Lucrezia Borgia, who, though long considered a demon poisoner, was actually a patron of learning and the…
Ludovica
Italian, feminine variation of Ludovic
"famous in war"
This Olde World name with a large measure of European style makes an offbeat possibility for the bold baby namer in search of interesting Italian names for girls . Currently very popular in its…
Millicent
German
"strong in work"
Combining the mild and the innocent, this sweet and feminine name is worthy of a comeback, in the mode of Madeline and Cecilia. Its original, also attractive form is Melisende, which came from…
Minerva
Latin
"of the mind, intellect"
Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the mythology names for girls that might appeal to adventurous feminist parents.…
Morgana
Female version of Morgan, Welsh
"sea-circle"
Since Morgan is used as--or more--frequently for girls as for boys, this feminization has fallen by the wayside. It drew some brief attention via the pop singer Morgana King. The similar Morgiana…
Nadezhda
Slavic
"hope"
Nadezhda is more familiar in the English-speaking world by its short forms, Nadia or Nadya. Well-used through the Slavic countries and Russia, Nadezhda was the name of Lenin's wife. Viewers of The…
Nerissa
Greek
"from the sea"
An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice . Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named…
Oksana
Russian from Hebrew
"praise to God"
Ukrainian figure-skating champion Oksana Baiul made it known here.