User-created list
By MiaLen · Updated February 2026
Across 4 pages
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Hebrew and Arabic
"blooming flower; God remembers"
Zara has multiple origins, but most notably is a variation of Zahrah, a name derived from the Arabic zahrah , meaning "blooming flower." Zara can also be a diminutive of the Bulgarian name Zaharina,…
Hawaiian
"sea and sky"
Bright, melodic, and nature inspired, Kailani blends the appeal of Kaia and Leilani in terms of sounds, while in meaning, it matches the draw of Skye, Ocean, and Celeste. Derived from Hawaiian…
Arabic
"night"
Leila was popularized in the West by the poet Byron, who used it in his poem Don Juan for a ten-year-old Turkish girl. Leila also appears as a fairy in the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera Iolanthe .…
Hebrew; Australian Aboriginal
"gentle dew from heaven; by the water"
Talia is derived from the Hebrew elements tal , meaning "dew," and yah , in reference to God. In the mythology of one ancient sect, Talia was one of ten angels who attended the sun on its daily…
Hawaiian variation of Mary
"bitter"
Malia rose up the charts back in 2009 when it was brought into the spotlight as the name of the Obama's eldest daughter. It leapt into the US Top 200, and while it hasn't reached that level of…
Hebrew
"crown, wreath; fortress; who is like God?"
Kayla is a modern invented name that emerged in the late 1950s. It may have been inspired by the similar sounding Michaela, though it could equally have come about as a combination of the then…
Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, Arabic, English, Japanese, Malay
"friend; clear, pure; hero; fragrance; queen; night orchid; celebration"
More unusual alternative to Maya, Raya has risen in popularity due to the introduction of the newest Disney Princess from the 2021 film Raya and the Last Dragon . One of those truly multi-cultural…
Russian feminine variation of Cyrus
"throne"
Though such cognates of Kira as Keira, Kyra, and Ciara are increasingly popular throughout Europe and in the U.S., this Cyrus relative has a different root. As with all the many variations of this…
Spanish variation of Carmel or Latin
"garden or song"
Carmen has long been associated with the sensuous, tragic heroine of Bizet's opera, based on a novel by Prosper Merimee; more recently it has called to mind two other bombshells: Carmen Miranda (born…
Spelling variation of Layla or Sami variation of Helga, Arabic or Finnish
"night; holy"
Beguiling and lovely, Laila is one of the lilting variations of Leila and Layla. It's the name of the former-boxer daughter of Muhammad Ali and of actor Shawn Wayans. In Finland, the Sami people use…
Greek
"mother"
Maia was derived from the Greek word maia , meaning "mother." In Greek legend, she was the fair-haired daughter of Atlas who mothered Zeus's favorite illegitimate son, Hermes. To the Romans, Maia was…
Arabic, Persian, Brazilian, Hebrew
"friend, helper; strength; water nymph; honeycomb"
The multicultural Yara is a sweet but substantial choice that could make a more unusual take on Sara and also work in multiple languages. Popular in Portugal, The Netherlands, and Switzerland,…
English, diminutive of Katherine
"pure"
Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong,…
Spanish, Yiddish or Japanese
"queen; pure; wise"
An appellation for the Virgin Mary, "Queen of the apostles." After three years off the US popularity charts, Reina rejoined the list in 2014, though it lags behind alternate spellings Raina, Rayna,…
Mara is the evocative ancient root of Mary, appearing in the Book of Ruth, in which Naomi, devastated after the death of her two sons, says "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara." It's one of the girl…
Spelling variation of Reina
This variation is actually more popular in the United States than the original Spanish Reina. Reyna Grande is a Mexican author, known for the 2009 novel Dancing with Butterflies . A character with…
Irish
"little dark one"
Keira is a sweet yet tough name that's gotten a huge boost from the meteoric rise of Keira Knightley. Original spelling Kiera, which relates more directly to the male Kieran, was the more popular…
Japanese, Hebrew, Danish, Arabic
"colorful, design; honey buzzard, bird; rock, lull, happiness; sign, verse"
Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, it ranks in the US Top 1000 and was chosen for nearly 470…
Hebrew, Hawaiian, Maori, Japanese
"grace, work, glow, flower"
Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means…
"song of the Lord"
This spelling of the name has ties to Hebrew, Slavic, and Scandinavian cultures, in addition to being another alternative to Reina and Reyna. It is most recently attached to hit television show…
