Twin girls

Gianna

Italian, diminutive of Giovanna or feminization of Gianni, forms of John

"God is gracious"

The Italian Gianna undoubtedly owes much of its popularity in the US to its status as an honor name for John. Before the importation of Gianna, there was no truly workable feminine form of John, so…

Hannah

Hebrew

"grace"

Hannah is one of the nation's top biblical girls' names — it surpassed Sarah in 1998, and ranks in the Top 100 along with Elizabeth, Abigail, Chloe, and Naomi. Hannah is a name with many sources of…

Savannah

Spanish

"flat tropical grassland"

A place name with a deep Southern accent, the once-obscure Savannah shot to fame, with others of its genre, on the heels of the best seller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , which was set in…

Brynn

Spelling variation of Bryn, Welsh

"hill"

Brynn outshines the original Welsh Bryn in the popularity stakes. This simple, brisk name might be seen as a combination of Bree and Lynn, an androgynous-sounding choice that especially in this…

Mckenna

Irish

"son of Kenneth"

Mackenzie begat McKenna - a catchy but very trendy choice. While the Mc or Mac prefix means "son of," this is much more popular as a girl name in the US, peaking at #177 in 2002.

Hanna

Spelling variation of Hannah

This simplified version is not nearly as popular as the original (it also destroys a perfectly good palindrome), and has been on the decline in recent years.

Kenna

Scottish, feminine form of Kenneth

Kenna is the Scottish version of Kendra, both of which are feminine versions of Kenneth. Used in the TV show Reign for one of the supporting characters.

Malina

Feminine form of Malcolm or spelling variation of Melina or Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian

"raspberry"

Malina is a synthetic-feeling name that may be a feminization of the Scottish Malcolm or a spelling twist on the Greek Melina and that also has a fruit meaning in several Eastern European languages.…

Evanna

Feminine variation of Evan, Welsh

"God is gracious"

Evanna is the name of a Harry Potter actress who pronounces it ee-vah-na. This might be considered another international feminine form of the many variations of John; Ivana, Giovanna, and even Joan…

Kalynn

Kalynn is a feminine name with a modern feel, likely developed as a variation of names like Kaitlyn, Kaylin, or Lynn. The name combines the popular 'Kay' sound with the ending 'lynn,' creating a…

Malinna

Malinna is a feminine name with multiple possible origins, potentially representing a melodic variation of Melina (Greek, meaning 'honey'), Malina (Slavic, meaning 'raspberry' or Polish for…

Ryann

Spelling variation of Ryan

An attempt to make this name swing more to the feminine side, though the original Ryan is becoming perfectly acceptable for girls. Ryann O'Toole is an American professional golfer.