User-created list
By MiaLen · Updated January 2024
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English, combination of Brynn + Lee "burnt clearing; hill + meadow"
"burnt clearing; hill + meadow"
Brinley was a surprise entrant to the US Top 1000 in 2009, however, in 2023, it doesn't feel surprising at all. In fact, alternative spellings Brynleigh and Brynlee also rank in the Top 1000, with…
Spelling variation of Skylar or Schuyler
While Skylar is currently the most popular spelling choice for girls, the Skyler option is more (statistically) unisex. Given to boy and girls in nearly equal numbers each year, it ranks around the…
English
"white meadow"
Surname style Whitley emerged in the late 1980s as a spin on the (then) mega-popular Whitney, rising dramatically from obscurity to the Top 500 after it featured on a character in the TV sitcom, A…
Scottish surname
"fair hero"
A Scottish surname name, more popular as the Presidential McKinley, meaning "son of the fair hero". Kinley also feels like a modern invention, ala Kenzie or Kimbry. Kinley peack in 2011-12, when it…
Irish
"little king"
This ultrapopular boys' name is rapidly becoming a hot name for girls ; admired for its buoyant Irish spirit. Ryan returned to the Top 500 for girls in 2015 and will no doubt continue to climb…
Modern invention
A modern creation, likely inspired by names such as Brynlee, Rylee, Kinsley and so on. First appearing in the US stats in 2014, it suddenly shot up the charts in 2025, climbing into the Top 1000 for…
Variation of Hadley
Adley made the Top 1000 at Number 735 in 2012 on the heels of sister name Hadley, only to vanish again in 2013. But now, with the popularity of Adelaide and Adeline, it has leaped upward and entered…
"strip of clearing in the woods"
With its surname-style, literary feel, and similarity in sound to Finley, Juniper, Pippa, Riley, and Presley, Ripley is an unexpected choice that was given to more than 200 girls in each recent year.…
English and Irish
"rye land"
A unisex name, Rylan plays on many popular baby names , including Ryan and Riley. For boys, the trendy Rylan is in the US Top 500, while for girls, it fell out of Top 1000 in 2023, having been a…
"stag meadow"
Smart and preppy, but with plenty of heart, Hartley is a surname style name that could work as an alternative to the popular Harley, Harlowe, Harper, and Hadley. Quietly used for boys throughout the…
"slender"
Keeley is well-used in modern Ireland, also found as Keely and Keela. The boys' form is Keelan. Largely unknown in the US, this could make an interesting update for Kelly or Kaylie or Kylie. A famous…
Modern Invented Name
A variation of Riley with an added -lynn suffix, this girl name is bubbling right underneath the Top 1000.
"cleared wood; reed clearing; channel clearing"
Can one prominent character affect the gender identity of a name? Definitely, as has supernatural bad girl Ridley Duchannes of the Beautiful Creatures series-turned-movie, played by the gorgeous Emmy…
Welsh
"hill"
Bryn is an up-and-coming gentle, yet substantial, Welsh name that would also be effective in the middle spot. In Wales it's a traditional boys' name, but it's far more popular for girls now in the…
Variation of Riley, Irish
"courageous"
Riley is the most popular Irish girls' name in the US as well as the most popular baby girl name starting with R, so it's no surprise that it's spawned legions of variations. Ryla is one of the rarer…
Modern invented name or surname, English
"briar meadow, briar clearing"
Similar to Brielle and Riley, this name lags quite far behind these more common variations. It peaked at Number 622 in 2009 in the US, but it is now descending the ranks. It coincides with the…
German surname
"iron"
Eisley and sister Isley are drawn from the German surname Eisele, which means iron and was often used as a nickname for a blacksmith. More than 100 baby girls were named Eisley in the US last year,…
English surname, Scottish diminutive of William
"from Wylye, from the willow clearing; resolute protection"
Similar in sound to choices like Riley, Miley, and Kylie, Wylie has been sporadically featuring in the US stats for girls since the 1920s, though it has been more consistently used since the late…
English variation of Eisele, German
A surnamier take on Isla. Isley may be derived from the German occupational surname Eisele (of the same pronunciation), or be related to the Old English word hesli , meaning "hazel grove." The Eisley…
Spelling variation of Kylie
"boomerang"
Kiley is one of the more reasonable of the Kylie variations, which also include Kilea, Kilee, Kileigh, Kili, Kilie, Kylee, Kyley, Kyli, ad infinitum. Despite its similarity to the popular Riley, the…
