Unusual Favorites~ Girls

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.

Artemis

Greek mythology

"safe; butcher"

Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the…

October

English word name

"month name"

What is so rare as a month named June? October – and November and December – are a lot rarer. Brisk and substantial, they're so much more memorable and modern than April or May. October got its name…

Qiturah

Arabic

"incense, scent"

Twist on the attractive and underused biblical name Keturah.

Echo

Greek mythology name

"echo or sound"

Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…

Aveline

French from German

"desired; or island, water"

Aveline is a name that's long been an obscure cousin of more widely-used choices, but may come into its own riding the tail of the megapopular Ava, which may derive from the same root. Although…

Arlise

Irish

"pledge"

This feminine form of Arliss, is familiar via the recent HBO series. But why not just use Arliss?

Cala

Arabic

"castle, fortess"

Extremely simple and extremely distinctive -- a winning combination. Sound-alike Calla is a Greek (and botanical) name that means beautiful.

Saga

Swedish word name

"story; seeress"

Apt name for a little drama queen with a long future ahead of her. Saga is a Top 30 girls' name in Sweden. Saga was the Norse goddess of poetry, storytelling, and history. She was a prophetess — able…

Fiorella

Italian

"little flower"

Not only are individual flower names more popular (and out-there) than ever, but so too are the more generic names like Florence and Flora. While brother name Fiorello became known via long-term New…

Reverie

Word name

"pleasant, dreamlike state"

With strong sounds but a whimsical feel, Reverie is a word name associated with being in a dreamy, ethereal state, of being lost in a daydream, or coming up with a pleasant fantasy for the future.…

Vivianne

Variant of Vivian, Latin

"life"

Vivian is the classic spelling, now in the Top 100, while Vivien is the most common alternative. This one foregrounds the "Anne," and so could serve as a nod to a relative or friend by that name.

Carbry

Irish

"charioteer"

Male name from Irish mythology makes stylish-sounding choice for girls.

Gwenora

Cornish form of Guinevere, Welsh

"white shadow, white wave"

Gwenora teeters on the line between unique gem and modern invention. But it's not a smoosh name fashioned from Gwen and Nora but an old Cornish form of Guinevere, like its much more famous sister…

Marlene

German variation of Madeline; combination of Mary and Magdalen

Marlene Dietrich made it famous when she condensed her first two names, Maria and Magdalena. Now more often pronounced with two syllables rather than three.