Unnamed List

Poppy

Flower name, English from Latin

"red flower"

Poppy, unlike most floral names which are sweet and feminine, has a lot of spunk. Long popular throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Poppy is finally starting to rise toward the top in…

Fiona

Scottish

"white, fair"

Fiona entered the American consciousness with the opening of the 1954 Broadway musical Brigadoon , but didn't come onto the U.S. popularity list until 1990. Fiona is the best known of a group of…

Marina

Latin

"from the sea"

This pretty sea-born name was used to dramatic effect by Shakespeare in his play Pericles for the virtuous princess who says she is "Call'd Marina, for I was born at sea." Marina was an epithet of…

Birdie

English

"bird"

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…

Ramona

Spanish, feminine variation of Ramon

"wise protector"

Ramona is a sweet spot name – neither too trendy nor too eccentric. Kids will associate it with the clever Ramona Quimby character in the series of books by Beverly Cleary, also seen on TV. It was…

Circe

Greek

"bird, hawk"

In Greek myth, Circe, daughter of Helios, the sun, was a sorceress living on the island of Aeaea (or Aiaia) who could turn men into animals with her magic wand, which is just what she did to…

Marlin

Combination of Mary and Lynn

Sounds like Marlon (as in Brando) and looks like marlin (as in the fish).

Christabel

Latin and French

"fair Christian"

Though Isabel is a smash hit, Christabel still hasn't been fully embraced. It was originally popularized in England via the Coleridge poem Christabel ("whom her father loves so well") and was given…

Rita

Spanish, Hindi

"pearl; truth, order"

One of the glamour girl names of the Rita Hayworth 1940s, Rita was once a Top 50 name and stayed on the SSA list until 2002. The name Rita still has enough Latin zip to be a lively, revivable short…

Astra

Latin

"stars"

A starry-eyed, intergalactic name, far rarer than Stella or Esther. It's attached both to a comic book character and to Princess Astra on "Doctor Who".

Cela

Spelling variation of Sela

"rock"

This spelling variation of the Biblical place-name Sela is found on early American census roles, but Sela is more usual today. Cella is another early variation.

Justine

French feminine variation of Justin

"fair, righteous"

Justine is a French name that's never reached the popularity we think it deserves. Like its far-more-common brother Justin, Justine is sleek, and sophisticated, but still user-friendly. Justine has…