User-created list
By MiaLen · Updated March 2024
Across 6 pages
of 6
Scottish and Irish, Brazilian
"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"
A unisex name with lots of flair and a daring spirit, Adair was first noticed as a girl's name in the 1980's, thanks to the long-running daytime drama Search for Tomorrow , with the character Adair…
English from Latin
"pebbly place"
Calloway is one of those irresistibly jaunty, animated three-syllable surnames, like Sullivan and Finnegan — but this one has the added attraction of jazzy ties to the immortal "Dean of American…
Irish
"descendant of Caoinlean, slender "
Quinlan is an Irish surname name given to a few dozen baby girls in the US each year. With the success of Quinn as a girls' name, Quinlan and its variant spellings Quinlin and Quinlyn might follow…
Word name, English from Greek
"cyan, greenish-blue"
Cyan is an attractive color names, but for a girl, better go all the way to Cyane, the name of a Sicilian nymph who lived in a blue pool.
"yellow"
She's the bff of Blair, Blake, and Brooke who shop at Bergdorf's, Bonwits and Bendel's.
"white, fair"
The most enduringly popular hero of Irish myth was Finn McCool, whose name is one of the coolest ever. When used for the female protagonist of How to Make an American Quilt , Finn established its…
"descendant of the red-haired one"
A winning last-name-first Celtic choice, Flynn is still mostly used for boys, such as the son of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr. Though Flynn is definitely one of the Irish surname names, from Quinn…
Spelling variation of Sean
"God is gracious"
Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at…
Geographical name
Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie put this name of a geographical feature on the baby name map when she chose it for her newborn daughter, Vale Guthrie Feldman. Vale might be considered part nature…
"red-haired warrior"
Irish surnames are hot, and this one can successfully cross the line to work for girls, replacing the outdated Casey. And only a dozen girls were named Clancy in the US in one recent year (along with…
Modern invented name
Mix a bit of old-fashioned Jane with the male-inflected Zane, et voila.
Welsh
"white, blessed"
A male name in Wales, Gwyn has been mostly feminine in the US thanks to its resemblance to the more familiar Gwen. It derives from the same Celtic root as the popular Finn family of names.
"love, friendship"
Connelly is a rollicking and rare example of the popular surname genre that may work even better for girls. A huge update on Colleen.
"descendant of Flannghal"
Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending…
Lynne is a feminine name with Welsh origins, derived from the Welsh word 'llyn' meaning 'lake' or 'waterfall.' It gained popularity as an independent name in the mid-20th century, though it was…
Latin
"seek; mission"
Cool new Q-starting possibility which suggests a sense of curiosity and purpose.
Irish surname
Cullinan is an Irish surname that is unusual but accessible, with the unique nickname of Cully. Trivia tidbit: The Cullinan diamond was the largest rough diamond ever found--over 3,000 carats--when…
English from Quintus; diminutive of Quinton
Clint with a glint; used for flinty characters in old TV westerns and soap operas.
Cyn is a feminine name typically functioning as a diminutive form of names containing this element, particularly Cynthia. Derived from Greek origins, the root relates to Mount Kynthos on the island…
Diminutive of Dwynwen
"wave"
Short, but still kind of a mouthful.
