Pretty and Unusual

Ghislaine

French from German

"pledge"

Ghislaine still sounds unusual to us, even though in France this name is dated. It can also be spelled Ghislain. In the US, it is best known through association to Ghislaine Maxwell, the…

Tessie

English, diminutive of Theresa, Greek

"to reap, gather"

With Tillie a new favorite of avant-garde parents, the British music-hall Tessie might conceivably follow.

Ailish

Scottish and Irish

"noble"

This Anglicized spelling makes the pronunciation of Ailís or Aileas — the Irish and Scottish forms of Alice, respectively — slightly more obvious to English-speakers. Ailis or Aileas are more…

Carys

Welsh

"love"

Light, pretty and distinctive in appearance, Carys is one of that sweet group of girl names with a loving meaning. A relatively modern name, it didn't come into use in its native Wales until the late…

Blythe

English

"happy, carefree"

Blythe is Nameberry gem — one of those names that visitors to the site are often searching for, despite the fact it's never ranked in the US charts as a given name. The name is derived the Old…

Coralyn

Coralyn is a feminine name that beautifully combines elements of Cora and the popular suffix "-lyn." It likely emerged as a variation of Coraline or as an elaboration of Cora, which derives from the…

Coralie

French from Latin

"coral"

Coralie is a French name not often heard here, though she's gaining some recognition via Neil Gaiman's similar sounding spooky and lovely children's book, Coraline . Other literary appearances:…

Hermione

Feminine version of Hermes, Greek

"messenger, earthly"

Hermione's costarring role in Harry Potter has made this previously ignored, once stodgy name suddenly viable. Hermione could really take off once today's children start having kids of their own. In…