User-created list
By readingreverie · Updated April 2025
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English
"son of the king"
Royce is a grandpa name with an upscale link to Rolls Royce, and a surprising rise for girls since the early noughties. Rebel Wilson has a daughter named Royce Lillian.
Flower name, from English surname
"Wister's flower"
A frilly southern-accented flower name yet to be planted on many birth certificates. In the language of flowers, the wisteria is a symbol of devotion. It is named for American horticulturalist John…
Estonian and Spanish diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle mighty"
Actress Tilda Swinton injected this dated nickname name with some modern charm.
Scottish variation of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"
Elspeth is one of those names that never quite made it out of the British Isles--particularly Scotland, but possesses a winningly childlike charm. Elspeth was used by Sir Walter Scott for several of…
English word name
"surprise mingled with admiration"
Wonder is a lovely quality for a modern virtue name. With ethereal word names like Dream and Love rising fast in the charts, Wonder feels right at home. Australian singer, Sia, used it as a middle…
Nature name
Nickname name from the era of Father Knows Best , though we can see it making something of a comeback, a la Clover and Pippa. Cricket has new potential especially since it has recently been chosen by…
"holy day"
A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting…
"clove"
Clove is a spice name that is a tad more piquant than Saffron or Cinnamon. It might get more attention now as a member of The Hunger Games family of names.
"the state of being able to see"
This newly-minted gender neutral word name has a spiritual and creative feel. It was given to 6 baby girls and 13 boys in 2021.
Greek botanical name
Long in our category of so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out category, once seen as a gum-cracking 1940's telephone operator, we think it's time to reassess Myrtle, and look at is as a nature name, a…
"bright"
Bright is a rare yet intriguing word name used for a female character in Ann Patchett's novel The Dutch House.
Irish
"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…
Greek
"gold flower"
One of the rarest of the flower names, that of the blossom celebrated in Japan as a symbol of the sun and a possible object of meditation. One of the rare flower names counted among names for autumn…
"day"
A bright and optimistic middle name choice.
"demi-god"
Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…
English word name or combination of Mary and Lee
"cheerful, joyful; drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + meadow"
Slightly sing-song and very joyful, with a hint of Melody, a bit of Felicity, and a dash of Truly thrown in, Merrily was briefly popular in the 1940s. It can be considered a smoosh name, blending…
French feminine variation of Albert
"bright, noble"
Albertine and Alberta are old-fashioned feminizations ala Geraldine and Roberta: a little bit clunky, a little bit regal, just waiting for a celeb to use them to make them cool again. Familiar in…
"dweller at the old cottage"
Intriguing alternative that goes beyond Louisa and May, for Little Women fans.
Latin, French
"blessed, well-spoken"
This variation of Latin Benedicta has a little more European pizzazz. Pronounced like Benedict but with a slightly longer final vowel sound, Benedicte or Bénédicte is used as a female name in France.…