~Girls~

Hermina

Hermina is a feminine name with Germanic origins, functioning as a feminine form of Herman or Armin. It derives from the elements 'heri' or 'hari' meaning 'army' and 'man' meaning 'man,' together…

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…

Hero

Greek

"demi-god"

Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…

Hester

Medieval variation of Esther, Persian

"star"

The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter 's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an…

Idalis

Variation of Ida or Idalia, Latin Amerian

"work, labor"

An elaboration of Ida or Idalia, inspired by other similar options used in Latin America and the Caribbean, such as Odalis and Ivelis. Also spelled as Idalys, is can mean "work, labor" from the…

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…

Isis

Egyptian

"throne"

Isis has gone from magical, feminist name on the rise to the forbidden list because of the extremist terror group called ISIS, an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Unsurprisingly, Isis was…

Jemima

Hebrew

"dove; daytime"

Jemima, the name of a strong and beautiful Biblical daughter of Job, has long been among the chicest choices of aristocratic Brits, and has since shifted to be used more generally too, replacing…

Mona

Irish

"noble good"

Mona had more than a moment in the sun, peaking in 1950 at Number 230 but falling off the Top 1000 completely in the late 1980s. Its similarity to the word "moaner" undercuts the appeal of its…

Rona

Scottish spelling variation of Rhona; Norwegian; Hebrew

"might; song"

Rona ranked in the US Top 1000 in the mid-20th century but holds new meaning in the 2020s. "Rona" has become slang for coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, which gives the name a dark and somber…

Ronia

Hebrew

"God's joyful song"

Hebrew name related to Ronit and Roni, also used in different cultures as Ronya, Ronja, and Roniya. Virtually unknown in the English-speaking world though certainly an easily-translatable choice.

Shaw

English

"lives by the thicket"

Shaw is a streamlined and more modern-sounding Shawn, with many notable surname namesakes.

Iona

Scottish place-name

This name of a small island off the coast of Scotland is trending upwards along with other I names.

Io

Greek mythology name

Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example. Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter,…

Pandora

Greek

"all gifted"

Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…

Larissa

English, German, and Portuguese variation of Larisa, Greek and Russian

"citadel"

Daintily pretty without being frilly, Larissa is familiar but more quietly used than its sound-alikes Melissa and Alyssa. Though this is the more common variation in the Western World, the original…