User-created list
Alternatives to Willow
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Laurel
Latin
"laurel tree"
Laurel takes Laura back to its meaning in nature, resulting in a gentle, botanical option. Even more directly than Laura, Laurel relates back to the laurel wreath signifying success and peace in…
Cielo
Spanish word name
"sky"
Like Araceli, Cielo is a heavenly name associated with the Virgin Mary. Cielo, the Spanish word for "sky," began being used as a name in honor of María del Cielo , a title for the Virgin Mary meaning…
Elowen
Cornish
"elm"
A beautiful modern Cornish nature name that is rapidly picking up steam in the States: even spawning variant spellings like Elowyn and Elowynn. In its native region, it wasn't widely used as a name…
Indigo
Greek
"Indian dye"
Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from…
Aspyn
Variation of Aspen, tree name and place name
Divorces Aspen from its nature and ski resort associations. Aspyn first broke into the Top 1000 in 2020.
Arrow
Word name
Names that have not historically been names are not intrinsically gendered, so though we originally pinned Arrow as a boys' name, both starbaby Arrows that have been born recently have been girls.…
Heather
English botanical name
"small shrub"
This flower name was one of the most popular in her class in the seventies and eighties, a fact reflected in the 1989 movie Heathers , in which every snobby girl in the high school clique bears the…
Juno
Latin
"queen of the heavens; young"
Juno is an ancient name that feels as fresh as if it had been minted, well, not yesterday, but in 2007. Since the release of the popular indie film Juno , this lively but strong Roman goddess name…
Liam
Irish diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
A tiny percentage -- a tenth of one percent -- of babies named Liam in the US are girls. But Liam has been so popular for baby boys for so long, not only in the US but around the western world, that…
Linden
English tree name
"tree of the genus Tilla"
Though this name of a sturdy tree that can live for centuries was quite popular for boys in the first half of the twentieth century, at this point in time we can see Linden as a fresh-sounding…
Liu
Chinese
"willow tree"
Commonly associated with Chinese supermodel Liu Wen.
Sparrow
Nature name
"sparrow, a bird"
With related choices such as Lark and Phoenix gaining popularity, why not Sparrow? Though it's usually thought of as a female name, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden chose it for their son.
Vilma
Russian, diminutive of Vilhelmina; a Polish place-name
Not much to recommend this relative of Wilma; consider Willa or Willow instead.
Wellesley
English
"the farm amonst the willows"
Even if you'd like your daughter to attend the venerable women's college, don't saddle her with this pretentious British surname.
Wendell
German
"to travel, to proceed"
Old man's name just conceivable for a girl--makes a new spin on Wendy.
Weslee
Weslee is a feminine variation of the traditional masculine name Wesley, which originated as an English surname meaning 'western meadow' or 'western clearing.' This modern spelling adaptation…
Wesley
English
"western meadow"
Wesley, the long-standing classic boy name that has never dipped below the Top 200, is popular again — this time for boys and girls. The shared sounds with Leslie — which was once a masculine name…
Whimsy
English word name
"whimsical or fanciful"
Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers'…
Wilder
Word name and surname
"wild, untamed, uncontrolled"
The name Wilder is still used more than 90 percent of the time for boys, but it's being used quietly for girls too. with 50 receiving the name in a recent year. Along with the rest of the Wild and…
Wildrose
English
"wild rose"
A dramatic botanical smoosh name that's starting to gain attention among adventurous baby namers. If Primrose feels a little... well, prim for you, Wildrose could be a daring alternative.