Personal favorites during teenage years.

Kara

Spelling variation of Cara or Norse mythology name

"wild stormy one"

Kara and the soundalike (though not necessarily related) Cara are among the most multi-cultural names around. Cara has roots in Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Kara can be viewed…

Melusine

French, folkloric name

Melusine was a figure from early European folklore, associated with the water. Her legends are especially connected with the northern and western areas of France, as well as the Low Countries. She is…

Ambelin

Australian Aboriginal

This name is connected to Ambelin Kwaymullina, an Indigenous Australian teen fiction author. Ambelin could be a nice alternative to Amber or Ember, if you can get past the fact it sounds very similar…

Thomasin

English, feminine variation of Thomas, Aramaic

"twin"

Pre-Thomasina female form of Thomas, now seen as more literary and upscale British. In Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native, a leading character is Thomasin Yeobright.

Mellie

Short form of Melissa, Amelia, Melanie and related names

Mellie is not Millie and it's not Nellie, though it will forever be confused with those too more familiar nicknames. It's cute, too, and while some of the names it's usually short for may be sailing…

Ellia

English elaboration of Ella

"all, completely; fairy maiden"

Ellia is one of the newer entries in the extremely popular El group of names for girls, which includes Ella, Ellie, Elle and so on, as well as L-starting names such as Lillia. Nearly 100 baby girls…

Ellisyn

Ellisyn is a contemporary feminine name that appears to be a modern creation combining elements of Ellis and popular feminine suffixes like '-syn' or '-lyn.' It emerged in the early 21st century amid…

Margaux

French spelling variation of Margo

Yes, it's pronounced with a long o sound at the end, just like Margo and Margot. This spelling was popularized by supermodel, actress, and tragic Hemingway granddaughter Margaux, whose name spelling…

Allisen

Allisen is a feminine name that represents a modern variant spelling of Alison or Allison. These names ultimately derive from the medieval French diminutive of Alice (Alison), which itself comes from…

Naia

Hawaiian, Greek, Basque

"dolphin; to flow; wave, sea foam"

A multicultural option that's equally intriguing but more unusual than Maia. Connected to water and the ocean, it is a Top 100 choice in Spain and Puerto Rico and has been rising up the charts in…

Zoha

Arabic

"morning"

A short and punchy Arabic name referring to the time between sunrise and noon. Also spelled Zuha.

Cressida

Greek

"gold"

Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on…

Nairi

Armenian place name

This was the old name for ancient Armenia, land of canyons.

Kiona

Native American

"brown hills"

Striking and accessible choice.