Second Favorite Ladies

Marietta would make for a classy and uncommon long form for cool nickname Etta.

Katerina and its near-identical twin Katarina have a pleasingly lilting European sound, though for some Americans they may be uncomfortably close to Katrina, which will be linked for a long time to the hurricane that devastated New Orleans.

This was a 100 percent boys' name till the willowy Mischa Barton of TV's "The OC" made it unisex, a la Sascha.

A name that gained some currency through its rhyming relationship to Breanna, though it has been on a downward trend since 1989.

Simple and melodic, this spelling offers an alternative to the more-popular Aliyah or Aaliyah -- the name of the late R&B singer who propelled the name into the US Top 100.

This Anglicized spelling of Irish Aislinn or Aisling has enjoyed some popularity in the US as an updated Ashley.

Biblical name long associated with the fallen-yet-redeemed Mary Magdalen, now rising improbably into the ranks of the fashionable among parents hungry for classic yet distinctive girls' names. The Magdalene and Magdalena versions are perhaps even more stylish. Can be shortened to Maggie or Magda but the full version is prettiest. One of our new favorites!

Galilee is a highly unusual place name, Galilee being a large region in northern Israel, the home of Jesus during at least thirty years of his life, and also where he cured a blind man. The Sea of Galilee gets its name from the area.

One of the oldest and most widely used compound names, now a bit dated but not as much so as its opposite Mary-Ann. The hyphen is optional.

Ilana is a name with seemingly endless variations, well used in Israel, sometimes chosen for little girls born on the holiday of TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.

An updated form of Emmeline or Emmaline or a compound name that makes your chosen pronunciation more obvious. Spelling variation Emmalyn reached the US Top 500 in2017, but has since fallen out of Top 1000. However, if you put the two spellings together, this smoosh name is given to nearly 400 girls, placing it above Emmeline or Emmaline. Influence Emmalynn Minassian and Canadian singer, Emmalyn Estrada are notable bearers.

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.

The French variation of Giselle was made famous by the spectacular Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Pronounced a la Bette (Betty) Davis or Bette (Bet) Midler, a twentieth-century relic. Though if the equally vintage Betty comes back, Bette may be close behind.

Pretty and unusual, Livana may find a lot more fans as parents look for alternatives to Number 1 Olivia. Livana was used for only seven baby girls in the US last year.

Marcheline was the first name of Angelina Jolie's late mother, who was part French-Canadian, which Jolie and Brad Pitt used as the middle name for their twin daughter Vivienne. The name is related to the Latin Marcellus and Marcus, which come from Mars, the name of the God of War, and is often spelled Marceline. Jolie's mother's birth name was Marcia Lynne.

This form of Alannah was derived directly from the Gaelic term a leanbh, meaning "child." Though not as popular as the more traditional Alana spelling, it has consistently charted in the US since 2007. Alannah Myles is popularizing this spelling of Alana.

Fading since the 1970s -- but still a lovely name.

Charlize is a name that owes its very life to a star: elegant blond South African actress Charlize Theron. She was named after her father, whose name was Charles. Charlize jumped onto the popularity lists in 2004, the year the actress won the Oscar for lead actress in Monster.