A - Z All My Favorite Names

Piano

Piano is an unusual feminine name derived from the musical instrument, which itself comes from the Italian word 'piano,' meaning 'soft' or 'quiet.' As a given name, Piano is extremely rare,…

Serenade

Music name

Peaceful and melodic, but a bit pretentious.

Feline

Feminine form of Felinus, Latin

"cat-like"

This Top 100 girls' name in The Netherlands is unlikely to translate to the U.S., where it would undoubtedly pronounced fee-line and mistaken for the adjective that means cat-like. While the name…

Catriona

Scottish form of Katherine, Greek

"pure"

This Katherine variation, used through Ireland and Scotland, is pronounced like Katrina. The name became popular after the Crusaders brought home stories about the colorful fourth century martyr,…

Quilla

English

"quill, hollow stalk"

A heroine in a Victorian novel written with a quill pen, has an unusual, offbeat charm.

Frostine

French

"freezing"

Frostine, best known in the U.S. as the name of the Candyland queen, is newly fashionable in France and is certainly a choice that any little girl the world over would love. Fanciful, if…

Calico

English word name

"cotton cloth imported from India; a blotched or spotted animal"

A word name with fashionable o -ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago, while it was selected more recently…

Cappella

Itallian, musical term

It's usually preceded by the letter 'A'--as in 'a capella'--singing without accompaniment, and probably has never been used as a girl's name, but in this anything-goes naming climate, we're putting…

Rapunzel

German flower name

"rampion; lamb's lettuce"

Rapunzel is famous as the long-haired heroine of the fairy tale, locked in a tower only to fall in love with a handsome prince who climbed to her side via her hair. Rapunzel has never been widely…