If You Like Annalise, You'll Love . . .

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…

Amelia

German

"work"

Amelia is one of the hottest girls' names , a successor to the megapopular Emma and Emily. Amelia, the Number 2 choice in England, is now also comfortably ensconced in the US Top 10, where it ranked…

Ella

German; English

"all, completely; fairy maiden"

Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie. Ella is one of those names that has ranked in the US Top…

Alice

German

"noble"

Alice is a classic literary name that's both strong and sweet, ranking in the US Top 100 and popular throughout the Western world. Alice is derived from the Old French name Aalis, a diminutive of…

Heidi

Diminutive of Adelheid; German

"noble, nobility"

Heidi became known — and popular — via the 1880 eponymous children's classic by Swiss writer Johanna Spyri and, despite decades of American Heidis of all sizes, shapes, and personalities, the name…

Annalise

German, combination of Anna and Lise

"grace and pledged to God"

Variously spelled Annalise and Annaliese as well as several other forms, this is not a modern smoosh but a traditional German combo-name with a definite Heidi-esque feel. Anna of course is familiar…

Rebekah

Hebrew

"to tie, bind"

Many parents prefer this spelling of Rebecca, used in some versions of the Bible. Still, it's slipped considerably since its heyday in the eighties and nineties and fell off the US Top 1000…

Greta

German, diminutive of Margarethe

"pearl"

Greta is an Old World name long tied to the iconic Garbo, but now synonymous with environmental activism. In the early 2000s, Greta was showing signs of a comeback, along with other Old Hollywood…

Bernadette

German

"brave as a bear"

Although feminizations ending in "ette" are not particularly popular now, Bernadette is a pleasant, feminine, but strong name that doesn't feel prohibitively dated. And though strongly associated…

Elsa

German diminutive of Elisabeth

"pledged to God"

Lost in limbo for decades and decades, Elsa now stands a good chance of following along in the progression from Emma to Ella to Etta, thanks to the ice queen heroine who "Let It Go" in the wildly…

Clarissa

Elaboration of Clara

"bright, clear"

Clarissa, the daintier version of Claire, has a long literary history of its own, having been featured in the novels of Samuel Richardson, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf—Clarissa was the title…

Karoline

German and Scandinavian variation of Caroline, French

"free man"

Karoline is the form of the classic Caroline commonly used in Germany and throughout Scandinavia, where it is popular. It's an acceptable if not traditional spelling variation, given to nearly 100…

Elissa

Variation of Alice or Elizabeth

The Elissa version of a long-popular name is fading in favor of Alyssa, Eliza and other variants. The legion of other forms and spellings includes Alissa, Allissa, Allyssa, Alyssa, Elissah, Ellisa,…

Eleonora

Italian, German, Dutch, and Polish variation of Eleanor

Makes a serious name frilly and feminine, which, depending on your viewpoint, might be a good or a bad thing. In this case, we vote good.

Therese

German and Scandinavian variation of Theresa

"to reap, gather, harvest"

A form of Theresa with a touch of European flair along with its saintly connotations, Therese is particularly familiar in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and the UK. While it has declined in use in…

Anja

Scandinavian; Finnish; Slovene; Croatian; Serbian, from Russian

"grace"

Anja is one of the most international of several versions of Ann/Anna now being imported, also including Anya and Annika. Anja is heard in several European cultures, including Germany, the…

Liesel

German diminutive of Elizabeth

"pledged to God"

Sweet but sleek, and distinctive, Liesel is an old German nickname-name for Elisabeth. It might have once seemed inextricably tied to to its country of origin, but now, like Elsa, Enzo, Saoirse,…

Emelie

Emelie is a feminine name of Germanic origin, serving as a variant spelling of Emilie or Emily. These names ultimately derive from the Roman family name Aemilius, meaning 'rival' or 'emulating.' This…

Johannah

Johannah is a feminine name that serves as an elaborated form of Hannah, which comes from the Hebrew name Channah, meaning 'grace' or 'favor.' This elegant variation combines elements of Hannah with…

Lisbeth

German, diminutive of Elizabeth

Lisbeth is one of the many short forms of Elizabeth that are used on their own. Not only is it the name of the mother of the main character in George Eliot's novel Adam Bede, but it takes on a whole…