Medieval Germanic Girls

Emma

German

"universal"

Emma has now been among the top girl names in the United States for several years, claiming the Number 1 crown in 2008 and again from 2015 to 2018 before dropping back to second place. Emma is simple…

Adelaide

Variant of Adelheidis, German

"noble, nobility"

Adelaide is now heading straight uphill on the coattails of such newly popular sisters as Ava, Ada, and Audrey, and in the company of Adeline and Amelia. It was chosen by Britain's Princess Eugenie…

Adela

German

"noble"

A vibrant variation of Adele, with a bit of extra flair from that "-a" ending. It could join the army of popular A girls' names, especially with its tie to the success of singer Adele. Adela, which…

Gisela

German; Dutch; Spanish; Portuguese

"pledge, hostage"

A variation of Giselle.

Bertha

German

"bright, glorious"

Ever since Allied soldiers in World War I dubbed the enormous German cannon "Big Bertha", this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to…

Asta

Norwegian

"divine strength"

This Scandinavian name was made famous in English-speaking countries as the name of the dog in the "Thin Man" series. Danish actress Asta Nielsen was another famous bearer. Asta can be considered as…

Gertrude

German

"strength of a spear"

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T. , revive the long shunned Gertrude? It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked…

Rosamund

German

"horse protection"

This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation. There was a…

Hildegard

German

"comrade in arms; battle enclosure, battle ground"

Hildegard is an ancient name that sounds it, but it does have sweet short forms Hildie and Hilda to recommend it, as well as several illustrious historical bearers. Strong and striking, it would make…

Fara

Fara is a feminine name with multiple potential origins, giving it a rich cross-cultural significance. In Arabic, Fara can mean "joy" or "happiness," while in Persian it may relate to "glory" or…