Kate's Family Names - Girl

Mattie

Diminutive of Martha or Matilda

"lady; battle-mighty"

Mattie, which might be a short form of Martha, Matilda, or even Madeline, ranked among the Top 100 names for girls in the 1880s and in fact, has held a place among the Top 1000 for most of U.S.…

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…

Mabelle

Variation of Mabel

Is Mabelle pronounced like Mabel or like May-belle or like the French words for "my beauty" — mah belle — in the Beatles song Michelle? This is a decision you'll have to ponder and a question you'll…

Nada

Arabic, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian

"dew at sunrise; hope"

Concise Nada is a cross-cultural choice with pleasant meanings. In Arabic, it is derived from nadan meaning "dew, moisture", though other possible translations include "caller" and "goodness". As a…

Mildred

English

"gentle strength"

Is it clunky cute, strong and vintage, or dreadful and mildewy? Like Gertrude and Bertha, Mildred is one that divides the crowds, but with popular nickname Mildred and renewed interest in Winifred,…

Eunice

Greek

"good victory"

Eunice is a New Testament name of the mother of Timothy, long associated with one of the Kennedy sisters, the founder of the Special Olympics. As high as Number 106 in the early 1900s, it lasted on…

Sallie

Spelling variation of Sally, diminutive of Sarah, Hebrew

"princess"

Sallie ranked highest along with other -ie ending girls' names in the 1800s. It's been downhill since then for Sallie, though she didn't fall off the Top 1000 until 1970. Last year, only a couple…

Permelia

Permelia is a feminine name with historical roots dating back to the 19th century in America. It's a variant of Pamela or Permilia, derived from Greek elements meaning 'all honey' or 'sweetness.' The…