Uncommon and cute girl names

Amber

Word name, English

Though perhaps not as currently stylish as Ruby, Jade, or Pearl, Amber has a colorful history (remember the notorious Forever Amber heroine?). Unfortunately, it does come with the "Amber Alert"…

Virginia

Latin

"virginal, pure"

A literary name and a place name with a grand yet familiar feel, Virginia has been in the US Top 1000 since records began in the late 19th century. Also familiar in Spain, Brazil and Italy, recent…

Monica

Latin

"advisor"

This saintly name--she was the mother of St. Augustine--plummeted after the double whammy of Lewinsky and the demise of Friends.

Bethany

Biblical place name and Hebrew

"house of figs"

Bethany is a lyrical name that still strikes many parents as a fresher, more substantial substitute for the overused Brittany/Brittney or the more antiquated Beth. In the New Testament, Bethany is…

Shannon

Irish

"old and wise"

Irish place-name -- it's a river, a town, and an airport -- once popular but now supplanted by such newer immigrants as Saoirse and Seanan.

Tegan

Welsh

"darling, pretty"

Tailored Tegan is a Welsh name, developed from the element teg meaning "beautiful, pretty". Sweet but tough, is interpreted to mean "darling, or favorite", and is also the Welsh word for toy.…

Joelle

Feminine variation of Joel, Hebrew

"Jehovah is his God"

Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's…

Ellen

English variation of Helen

"torch; shining light"

An medieval English form of Helen, the sensitive but clear-eyed Ellen has swung in and out of style for centuries, often alternating with the parent name. Ellen was the more common in medieval…

Larisa

Greek

"citadel"

This version of the name of a Greek nymph, based on the ancient city of Larisa, is widely used in Russia thanks to a martyr saint venerated by the Eastern Church.