My Girls Names Master List

Cypress

Botanical name

Lovely entry into the tree name genre, joining Juniper, Maple, and Willow. Nearly 200 babies were named Cypress in the US last year, about 40 percent of them female.

Sylvana

Latin

"from the forest"

Sleek, woodsy European choice.

Olympia

Greek

"from Mount Olympus"

With its relation to Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods, and to the Olympic games, this name has an athletic, goddess-like aura, making it the perfect Olivia substitute. A well-known art reference…

Millicent

German

"strong in work"

Combining the mild and the innocent, this sweet and feminine name is worthy of a comeback, in the mode of Madeline and Cecilia. Its original, also attractive form is Melisende, which came from…

Eos

Greek; Welsh

"dawn; nightingale"

Eos -- that's pronounced with a short e like eros without the r -- is the Greek Titan of the dawn. Any ancient name with a sleek modern feel has definite revival possibilities. Eos could be an…

Parthenope

Greek

"maiden's face"

A mythological name, Parthenope is a rare and distinctive choice that may nevertheless appeal to those looking for little known alternatives to Penelope or Persephone. While some sources suggest the…

Bronte

Greek

"thunder"

This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights . While the original name took an umlaut over…

Annabeth

Combination of Anna and Beth

This is a long-recognized smoosh name merging Anna with the short form of Elizabeth, and is one of the prettiest combo names, a possible alternative to Annabel. Annabeth Chase is one of the main…

Orlaith

Irish

"golden princess"

In early, pre-Norman Ireland, this name was borne by both a sister and a niece of high king Brian Boru. Now, the English form Orla is more commonly used.