My favorite girl names.

This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized tribute to an Aunt Melissa or Melanie.

Delphina is another form of the sleek French Delphine, rising in popularity. The Blessed Delphina was a Provencal nun.

This most proper form of the name shot up the charts in the nineties, only to sink just as precipitously, supplanted by upstarts Makayla and McKayla ad infinitum. The Michaela version retains some elegance as the closest feminine form to the original.

This name's meaning derives from the material from which the mythical sculptor Pygmalion chiselled his ideal woman - she was carved from ivory. Pygmalion fell in love with his creation and Aphrodite, taking pity on him, brought the sculpture to life. The woman was named Galatea due to her incredibly pale skin. The Pygmalion myth was the inspiration behind the story of "My Fair Lady" starring Julie Andrews on stage and Audrey Hepburn on screen.

A feminine name heard most often in the Hispanic community. Surprisingly, Lorena was on the US Top 1000 list of girls' names for an impressive 130 years, from 1880 until falling off in 2011. We do not predict an imminent return.

Why is Evangeline so popular -- close to Number 200 in the US -- while Evangelina hasn't charted in the Top 1000 since the early 1950s? The stardom of Evangeline Lilly has something to do with the relative popularity of that form, but Evangelina is just as pretty and romantic but given to only 10% as many baby girls.

Daniella, Daniela, and Danielle were among the hottest names for twenty years, but now, though still popular, they can no longer be considered stylish options, lagging behind the newer Ella, Stella, Bella, Gabriella, and Isabella.

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye."

This pleasant modernization of a dated original is still rare but has real modern possibilities. Alternate versions include Merial and Meryl.

This streamlined variation of Eleanor is common in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly Portugal itself, where it has ranked among the Top 3 baby girl names for over a decade.

This ancient name, belonging to a Byzantine empress, may be difficult for a modern child to carry, though it can be an original way to get to cute nickname Thea or even Theo or Teddie. The English variation Tiffany may be more wearable, but with a much less elegant image.

This name, whose sweet and fragrant floral essence has always been widespread across the Near Eastern world, has now landed on US popularity lists in a variety of spellings. It's been dropping precipitously over the past few years, though, perhaps due to a combination of tensions in the Middle East and the fading fashion status of Jasmine itself.

A name some people first encountered in the old children's book series The Five Little Peppers, in which Sophronia, the youngest of the Peppers is nicknamed Phronsie.`It was also used by Dickens in two of his novels: The Old Curiosity Shop and Our Mutual Friend.

Fiammetta, from the Italian word for flame, has both femininity and fire. Fiammetta could make a good alternative to more conventional Italian girls' names like Giovanna.

The name of the wife of Alexander the Great, more attractive than the better-known Roxanne. Roxana was first used in the English-speaking world in the 1600s and was popularized by Daniel Defoe's novel Roxana, published in 1724. An underused and attractive possibility and perfect if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings.

Katerina and its near-identical twin Katarina have a pleasingly lilting European sound, though for some Americans they may be uncomfortably close to Katrina, which will be linked for a long time to the hurricane that devastated New Orleans.

Saira is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins, creating a beautiful cross-cultural connection. In Arabic, it means "traveler" or "one who travels by night," while in Persian it can mean "bird" or "swift." The name also appears in Indian cultures with various meanings including "princess" or "flowering shrub." Saira gained some recognition in Western countries through Bollywood actress Saira Banu. The name features a melodic quality with its flowing vowels and soft consonants, making it both elegant and approachable. While not among the most common names in the United States, Saira has steadily increased in usage as parents seek globally recognizable names with meaningful origins. Its brevity and easy pronunciation make it accessible across different languages and cultures.

Upside: it has an interesting ancient look and feel, related to the Roman family name Laelius of uncertain meaning. There is also a type of orchid called the Laelia. Downside: possible confusion with all those Laylas, Lailas, etc. out there.

Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea, meaning "sweet."

See PHILOMENA.