Girls' Arabic/International Names

Zoe

Greek

"life"

Zoe is one of those surprising names that has been on the Top 1000 nearly every year since 1880, but it's only since the turn of this century that it's ranked in the Top 100. Despite its popularity…

Vivian

Latin

"life"

Vivian, once an elderly lady name, is on the rise, along with all forms of girl names that mean life — from Zoe to Eva to those who share the vivid Viv syllable. It was one of the fastest-rising…

Rosalie

French variation of Rosalia, Latin

"rose"

Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the…

Diana

Latin

"divine"

Diana, the tragic British princess, inspired many fashions, but strangely, not one for her name. For us, Diana is a gorgeous and still-underused choice. Diana is the Latin name for the Roman goddess…

Miriam

Hebrew or Egyptian

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

The oldest-known form of Mary, serious and solemn Miriam has been a particular favorite of observant Jewish parents. But we can see it extending beyond that sphere into the next wave of Old Testament…

Sylvia

Latin

"from the forest"

The musical, sylvan Sylvia seems poised to join former friends Frances and Beatrice and Dorothy back in the nursery. Sylvia has been consistently on the popularity list since records started being…

Maryam

Arabic, Persian, and Urdu variant of Mary, Hebrew

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Classic Mary has many international variations and the strong, pretty Maryam is the Arabic, Persian, and Urdu form. Popular in many countries across the world, from Azerbaijan to France, The…

Mariam

Arabic variation of Mary

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Popular among parents with Arab roots. Also found as Maryam. Mary was ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Mariam. The original meaning of Mariam is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the…

Rosa

Latinate variation of Rose

"rose, a flower"

As sweet-smelling as Rose but with an international flavour, Rosa is one of the most classic Portuguese, Spanish and Italian names , which is also favored by upper-class Brits, having an ample…

Nancy

English diminutive of Ann or Agnes, Hebrew or Greek

"grace or pure"

To some, Nancy is a sweet, sparkly, vintage choice with plenty of energy and style. For it strays too much into '"old-lady" territory to be cool again yet. It's out of fashion in France, New Zealand,…

Anneliese

German, Dutch

"grace + oath"

Anneliese is a German and Dutch combination of Anna and Liese (a form of Elizabeth) with an Old World feel but modern appeal. The Anglicized Annalise spelling in in the US Top 500, but this authentic…

Jasmin

Variation of Jasmine, a Persian flower name

"jasmine flower"

Jasmin doesn't have the grace of Jasmine (which in 2016 ranked at 122 in the US Top 1000), but it is far more preferable to the trendier versions doing the rounds like Jazmin or Jazzmyn. If you are…

India

Place name, from the River Indus

Euphonious and long stylish in England, India was one of the fastest-rising names on the 2013 list, after jumping 240 spots back into the Top 1000. Gorgeous as it may be, the usage of India as a name…

Rosemarie

Combination of Rose and Marie

"rose flower + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Rosemarie had its moment in the sun back in the middle of the last century, when parents were looking for new ways to recycle traditional family names. So a child might combine her two grandma's…

Zuleika

Arabic

"fair, brilliant beauty"

Zuleika is a high-wire act of a name that might appeal to the intrepid baby namer, Like most 'Z'-starting girls' names, it projects a cool, strong aura, as exemplified by the character in Max…