Girls names- a work in progress

Evelyn

English from French and German

"desired; or water, island"

After decades of disuse, soft and feminine Evelyn has returned to the baby name stage in a huge way. It reached the Top 10 for the first time in 2017. Evelyn has now surpassed its former heights,…

Elena

Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen

"bright, shining light"

Elena is at its most popular point ever in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal and the overall popularity of El- names. It's more international than Ellen or Eleanor, but still accessible. A…

Cora

Greek

"maiden"

Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the…

Valerie

French variation of Valeria

"strength, health"

The name of a martyred medieval saint, Valerie has been on the popularity list since its earliest publication in 1880. Though it peaked in the 1960s, remaining in the Top 100 until 1988, it still…

Norah

English, Arabic

"woman of honor, light"

The skyrocketing success of singer Norah Jones brought this spelling of the name onto the pop charts in 2003. As well as being a spelling variant of Nora in English, it's also an alternative…

Lyra

Greek

"lyre"

Lyra is a name with ancient and celestial roots that's found new popularity thanks to its starring role in Philip Pullman's book series, His Dark Materials and its subsequent movie and TV adaptions.…

Dylan

Welsh

"son of the sea"

Boys' favorite retains more of its poetic, windswept quality when used for a girl, as Robin Wright and Sean Penn did. Alyssa Milano gave her daughter Elizabella Dylan as a middle name.

Yasmin

Persian

"jasmine flower"

This name, whose sweet and fragrant floral essence has always been widespread across the Near Eastern world, has now landed on US popularity lists in a variety of spellings. It's been dropping…

Brylee

Modern invented name

"thorny woodland clearing"

Blending the sounds of Bryce, Brian, Riley and Kylie, Brylee is a modern invention that ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2005 to 2022. It peaked back in 2012 when it was given to around 770 babies, but…

Amity

Latin

"friendship"

Amity--what nicer gift to give your little girl than a name that signifies friendship and harmony? This virtue name is also more rhythmic and feminine than the single-syllable Hope, Faith, and Grace.…

Imogen

Celtic

"maiden"

Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen…

Inessa

Russian variation of Ines; Spanish from Greek

"pure, chaste"

Inessa is a truly multi-cultural name, heard in Spain, Germany and Russia, and is related to the names Agnes and Ines/Inez. The singer who goes by the single name Inessa is German.

Tasmin

Tasmin is a feminine name that serves as a variant of Tamsin, which itself originated as a medieval diminutive of Thomasina, the feminine form of Thomas. With roots in Aramaic meaning "twin," the…