User-created list
My favorite girl names.
Across 9 pages
of 9
Katherina
Latin variation of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
Variation of Katherine.
Kestrel
English, bird name
A kestrel is a bird of prey. It has good potential as a strong girls' name, similar to Falcon for boys.
Laelia
Latin family name and botanical name
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…
Laetitia
Latin
"gladness, happiness"
Laetitia adds a layer of ancient patina to the more prosaic LETITIA.
Leonor
Spanish and Portuguese variation of Eleanor, from English, meaning unknown
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. In…
Lesley
Variation of Leslie, Scottish
"garden of holly"
Lesley runs a distant second to more popular sister Leslie, used for about 30 baby girls in one recent year vs. Leslie's 400+. And interestingly, no baby boys were named Lesley though about 40 were…
Lorena
Spanish variation of Lorraine
"from the province of Lorraine"
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…
Maire
Finnish, Irish variation of Mary
"sweet; drop of the sea, bitter"
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."
Margarita
Spanish, Russian, Greek
"pearl, daisy"
Margarita is an international form of Margaret that shares its meaning of "pearl", but also directly translates to "daisy" in Spanish and Greek. Despite being widely associated with the alcoholic…
May
Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month name
May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the…
Meliora
Latin, Cornish
"better; honey"
Unusual and lush Roman name adopted, improbably, by the Puritans. The Cornish version, pronounced mel-YOHR-ah, has been in use since the 13th century.
Melisande
French form of Millicent, German
"strong in work"
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…
Meriel
Variation of Muriel, Irish
"of the bright sea"
This pleasant modernization of a dated original is still rare but has real modern possibilities. Alternate versions include Merial and Meryl. Meriel was given to fewer than five baby girls in the US…
Moira
Irish, variation of Mary
"bitter; beloved; drop of the sea"
Well-established Irish and Scottish name that has never really caught on across the pond. Remembered by an older generation as the beautiful red-haired ballerina in the film The Red Shoes , Moira…
Niamh
Irish Gaelic
"bright"
Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who…
Nieves
Spanish
"snows"
A name bestowed in honor of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de la Nieves, referring to a miracle she performed with unmelted snow in the August heat of Rome.
Rhiannon
Welsh
"divine queen"
Most of us had never heard this lovely Welsh name with links to the moon until we heard the 1976 smash hit Fleetwood Mac song of that name, with lyrics by Stevie Nicks. That same year it popped onto…
Rosabel
English
"beautiful rose"
Rosabel, a vintage smoosh name created in the 18th century, feels slightly less frilly than her cousins Rosabelle and Rosabella. It could make for a more distinctive alternative to Isabel, or an…
Rosalind
Latin
"soft horse or pretty rose"
Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It . Along with a bouquet of other Rose…
Rosaline
Medieval variation of Rosalind
Rosaline, which can be pronounced to rhyme with mine or mean in its final syllable, has a deeper, richer pedigree than it might seem. Rosaline was used twice by Shakespeare and was also used in the…