Girls names that tickle my fancy.

  1. Brooke
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "small stream"
    • Description:

      Brooke has long projected an aura of sleek sophistication, and can also be seen as a stylish water name.
  2. Bennett
    • Blaer
      • Blanchefleur
        • Breccia
          • Callaia
            • Origin:

              English, Greek
            • Meaning:

              "beauty"
            • Description:

              A spin on Calia or Calla, with a lot of fashionable sounds.
          • Callista
            • Origin:

              Greek
            • Meaning:

              "most beautiful"
            • Description:

              Calista Flockhart spotlighted this lovely Greek name that has a long future in the English-speaking world. Kallista is another spelling; Calixta and Calixto are related.
          • Caraleigh
            • Clea
              • Origin:

                Literary name
              • Description:

                An attractive and unusual name that may be a variation of Cleo, Clea was possibly invented by Lawrence Durrell for a character in his Alexandria Quartet.
            • Clover
              • Origin:

                Flower name, from Old English
              • Meaning:

                "key"
              • Description:

                Clover is a charming, perky choice if you want to move beyond hothouse blooms like Rose and Lily, and it's recently become a new celeb favorite, chosen by both Neal McDonough and Natasha Gregson Wagner, who used it to honor her mother, Natalie Wood, one of whose most iconic films was Inside Daisy Clover.
            • Coralie
              • Origin:

                French from Latin
              • Meaning:

                "coral"
              • Description:

                Coralie is a French name not often heard here, though she's gaining some recognition via Neil Gaiman's similar sounding spooky and lovely children's book, Coraline. Other literary appearances: Coralie is the stage name of an actress in Balzac's Lost Illusions, and a French girl in an 1850 Thackeray novel.

                Coralie is currently very popular in French-speaking Quebec, and there is a contemporary French singer named Coralie Clement.

            • Calverley
              • Damaris
                • Origin:

                  Greek
                • Meaning:

                  "dominant woman"
                • Description:

                  In the New Testament, Damaris was an Athenian woman converted to Christianity by St. Paul. Known for her charitable work, her name was a favorite among the Puritans. Having slid off the bottom of the Top 1000 in 2012, Damaris might be deserving of more attention by parents in search of a New Testament name that is unusual but accessible, especially since girls' names ending in 's' are coming back into fashion.
              • Darcy
                • Origin:

                  Irish or French
                • Meaning:

                  "dark one, or from Arcy, or from the fortress"
                • Description:

                  Delicate ballerina name with grace, charm, and heft courtesy of Jane Austen's Mr.
              • Eleanor
                • Origin:

                  English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknown
                • Description:

                  Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.
              • Ellery
                • Origin:

                  English
                • Meaning:

                  "descendant of Hilary"
                • Description:

                  In the past few years Ellery has gone from middle-aged male detective to a plausible girls' name, a la Hillary.
              • Emerson
                • Origin:

                  English
                • Meaning:

                  "son of Emery"
                • Description:

                  The combination of Emily and Emma's popularity -- and the fact that Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher's daughter is named Emerson -- have put this formerly strictly boys’ name, embodying the gravitas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the limelight for girls.
              • Emery
                • Origin:

                  English from German
                • Meaning:

                  "industrious"
                • Description:

                  The superpopularity of Emily and Emma has recently boosted the unisex Emery, especially since it became a celebrity baby name when it was chosen by Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn.
              • Emiliana
                • Origin:

                  Italian variation of Emily
                • Meaning:

                  "rival"
                • Description:

                  The enormous popularity of Emily and Emma means that parents will be looking further afield for substitutes -- and this is one of the prettiest.

              • Emmeline
                • Origin:

                  Old French form of archaic German Amal
                • Meaning:

                  "work"
                • Description:

                  Emmeline is an Emma relative and Emily cousin that is destined for greater use in the wake of the megapopularity of those two names. A recommended Nameberry fave, Emmeline hopped onto the US Top 1000 in 2014 for the first time ever. While it is genuinely an old name, it was rarely used a century ago; only 17 baby girls were named Emmeline in 1915, the same number as were named Ernie!