D - Girls' Names

Danna

Latinate feminization of Daniel, Hebrew, or variation of Dana

"God is my judge; from Denmark, gift; wise"

This Dana-Donna variation has started to carve out its own place on popularity lists; an interesting alternative to Daniella as a namesake for a relative named Daniel.

Dagan

Hebrew

"corn, grain"

Popular in Israel for girls and boys born on Shavout, a harvest festival. In Babylonian mythology, Dagan was the god of the earth and grain.

Dagmar

Norse

"Day maiden"

This royal Danish name has long been used across Scandinavia, Germany and Slavic countries and somewhat in the US around the turn of the last century --it was #622 in 1888. There were two notable…

Damaris

Greek

"dominant woman"

In the New Testament, Damaris was an Athenian woman converted to Christianity by St. Paul. Known for her charitable work, her name was a favorite among the Puritans. Having slid off the bottom of the…

Danu

Celtic, goddess of fruitfulness

This sprightly Irish mythology name would make an attention-grabbing choice.

December

English word name

"tenth month"

Cooler than April, May, or June, but also a tad icy. December gets its name from the number ten as the old Roman calendar only had ten months, and as now, December was the last.

Decima

Latin

"tenth"

In the days of huge families, this name of the Roman goddess of prophecy and childbirth, and one of the Fates, would be saved for bambina number ten. Now it might be used for a girl born in October,…

Delphine

French from Greek

"of Delphi; womb"

Delphine is a sleek, chic French name with two nature associations — the dolphin and the delphinium, a bluebell-like flower, a well as a link to the ancient city of Delphi, which the Greeks believed…

Dianthe

Dianthe is a rare feminine name with Greek origins, derived from the elements 'dia' meaning 'divine' or 'heavenly' and 'anthos' meaning 'flower.' This beautiful combination creates the poetic meaning…

Domitilla

Italian feminine diminutive of Roman family name Domitius, Latin

"tamed"

Domitilla is the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Vespasianus and the mother of the emperors Titus and Domitianus. There is a Santa Domitilla with catacombs in Rome named after her. The…

Domitille

French feminine variation of Roman family name Domitius, Latin

"tamed"

Domitille is the French form of the ancient royal name Domitilla. Domitille is used today, and was in the French Top 500 during the 2000s. While English speakers might say it as dom-ih-till or…

Donatella

Italian, feminine diminutive of Donato

Stylish and dramatic, a la Donatella Versace.

Donita

Donita is a feminine name with Latin origins, likely derived from the root "donna" meaning "lady" or possibly as a feminine form of Don or Donato, meaning "gift." The name has a gentle, melodic…

Dulcinea

Spanish

"sweetness"

Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional…