Guilty Pleasures

Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.

For anyone seeking a more unusual version of Alexander, this is a real winner.

Alouette is a sweet Gallic twist in the stylish bird name genre made familiar via the charming French children's song, Alouette, gentile alouette.

This is a charming name that rose steeply along with other-belle names, such as Isabelle, until the horror film Annabelle and its sequels knocked it out of favor. Made famous by the Edgar Allen Poe poem Annabel Lee. Annabelle is saucy and stylish, a tad upscale, has a sense of humor, is melodious and lively, but is unfortunately off its peak.

Part Ashley, part Ainsley, part Annie, Ansley featured in the US Top 1000 from the late '90s until 2020. It peaked in 2011 when it nearly reached the Top 600, but has declined in recent years.

Arcelia is an undiscovered Spanish treasure worth considering.

Part of a group of lovely A-starting names popular in Spain, along with Ainhoa and Aitana. Spanish actress Aroa Gimeno introduced this one.

Atticus, with its trendy Roman feel combined with the upstanding, noble image of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, is a real winner among boy names. Atticus entered the US Top 1000 in 2004 and is a firm Nameberry favorite.

Ava is one of the prime examples of a modern classic name, rising thought the course of a generation into the Top 10, where it has lingered for nearly 20 years.

A classic in its native Scandinavia, Axel has a cool rock 'n' roll flavor in the US, thanks to Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose (born William). With its distinctive letter 'x', it has an effortlessly cool vibe about it, and is currently growing in popularity.

Bright, fresh, and sunny, Ayla is a fashionable choice for girls. Reminiscent of other trending names such as Layla, Isla, and Ava, Ayla has recently found its place in the Top 100.

Birdie was until recently a middle-aged Ladies' Club member wearing a bird-decorated hat --but now it's just the kind of vintage nickname (think Hattie, Josie, Mamie, Millie) that's coming back into style in a big way. Actress Busy Philipps named her baby Birdie (inspired by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson), as did soap star Maura West.

Fairy-tale memories of Sleeping Beauty inspire some parents—such as Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen—to call their daughters Briar Rose. But Briar plus a different middle name might work even better. It's one of the newly popular nature-word names, charting in the US for the first time in 2015 for both genders.

Cadia is a feminine name with multiple possible origins. It may be a variant of Arcadia, referring to the idyllic region in ancient Greece, suggesting pastoral paradise and harmony. Alternatively, it could derive from the Arabic 'Khadija,' meaning 'early baby' or 'premature child.' Cadia has a melodic quality with its flowing vowels and soft consonants. Though rare in most English-speaking countries, the name has seen occasional use across different cultures. Its relative obscurity combined with familiar phonetics makes it accessible yet distinctive. The name carries a gentle, ethereal quality that appeals to parents seeking something uncommon but easily pronounced and spelled.

Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.

Coriana is a feminine name with a melodic quality that appears to blend classical and modern naming elements. It may have developed as an elaboration of Cora (derived from the Greek 'kore' meaning maiden) with a romantic suffix. Alternatively, it could be a creative variation of names like Corinna or Corina, which have roots in Greek mythology. The name has a flowing, musical quality with its four syllables and pleasing rhythm. While not commonly found in traditional naming records, Coriana has likely emerged in recent decades as parents seek distinctive yet accessible names. Its elegant sound profile combines familiarity with uniqueness, making it appealing to contemporary naming preferences without appearing too unusual.

Corinne is one of the names that, it might surprise you to learn, ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names until 2020, when it fell off the charts after 140 years. Its most popular year was 1926, when it ranked Number 249. Corinna is another pretty ancient form of the name, technically a diminutive.

Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables. In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some etymologists believe it's a spin on Colette, originally a female short form of Nicolas.