little_billie's list "Girls Names" of 20 great name ideas: Raleigh - Kiley!

Girls Names

Extraordinary girl's names you won't hear every day.

An attractive North Carolina unisex place name, Raleigh's soft sound is particularly appropriate for a girl. 

Raleigh

Suri, a once obscure name, hit the headlines when it was chosen by Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise for their daughter in 2006. A truly multi-cultural choice, Suri is a unique name with a variety of different origins.
 
As a Yiddish name, it is a variation of the Hebrew Sarah, while in Persian, it is a botanical and color name, used as both the adjective for red and as the name of a red rose. In Thai, it translates to "sun", while in Sanskrit, it could either be a contracted form of Sunrita, meaning "truthfulness", "joyfulness", or "friendly speech" – or from surya, also meaning "sun". 
 
Beyond that, it is also the name of a breed of Alpaca, a mountain in Peru, a type of edible larvae, a title used for Jain monks, and a Japanese word for "pickpocket".
 
Short and stylish with that cool -i ending and with plenty of meaning behind it, Suri did see a tenfold increase in use after Holmes and Cruise announced her name. Peaking in 2012 when it was given to 246 girls, Suri has declined in popularity since then and is now steadily given to around 130 babies each year.

Suri

Refers to one of the seven sacred rivers of India. 

Reva

Most names that start with Cam- are on the upswing, so why not this obscure term for Wales as well as for a prehistoric time period. 

Cambria

Juno is hot, June is showing signs of a comeback along with other month and day names, whereas Junia, the name of the the first century Christian referred to by the apostle Paul as an apostle (and who may have been male), is yet to be discovered.


Junia

Bryn is an up-and-coming gentle, yet substantial, Welsh name that would also be effective in the middle spot. In Wales it's a traditional boys' name, but it's far more popular for girls now in the US.
 Bryn entered the U.S. girls' popularity list in 1999 but is outranked by the Brynn spelling. Reality star Bethenny Frankel named her daughter Bryn in 2010.
 Trivia tidbit: Bryn Mawr college was the first institute of higher learning to offer graduate degrees to women.

Bryn

Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D. Eisenhower spent his boyhood. Abilene is a much more untrodden path to the nickname Abbie/Abbie than the Top 10 Abigail.
 In 1857, Eliza Hersey named the frontier village of Abilene, Kansas after a vast plain described in Luke's gospel.
 Abilene is the title of a Sheryl Crow song, and the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo features a sweet character named Abilene.

Abilene

Taliah is a feminine name with Hebrew origins, typically considered a variant of Talia, meaning 'dew from heaven' or 'gentle dew from God.' The added 'h' gives the name a slightly more elaborate appearance while maintaining its melodic sound. Taliah conveys softness and natural beauty through its meaning while still having a contemporary feel. The name has gained modest popularity in recent decades as parents seek names with spiritual significance and cross-cultural appeal. Taliah works particularly well as it combines biblical roots with a modern, accessible sound. It's sometimes associated with qualities of blessing and divine favor due to its meaning.

Taliah

Jules is one of the adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for girls. It's rarer than Billie, with a cool and casual feel. It's use in the popular TV series Euphoria - where the character of Jules Vaughn was portrayed by Hunter Schafer - brought this name into the spotlight. 
 
TV personality Jules Asner made this middle-aged male name suddenly seem young and fresh and female, after having been an off-the radar-nickname for Julia and Julie. Author and wife of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver spells her name Jools, and we've also seen Joolz.

Jules

Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the mother of the Roman people.
 Later literary bearers include the protagonist's daughter in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (which has the line "She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov'd"), the heroine of G.B. Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, and characters in David Copperfield, Henry James' Washington Square, and the contemporary The Hunger Games and Downton Abbey--and Lavinia was also used by Thackeray, T. S. Eliot, and by Ursula Le Guin for an eponymous novel.
 Trivia tidbit: Lavinia was Ava Gardner's middle name.
With its vintage nickname Vinnie, Lavinia might well appeal to parents who favor lavender-tinged names like Amelia and Matilda and Maude.

Lavinia

Coco came to prominence as the nickname of the legendary French designer Chanel (born Gabrielle) and has lately become a starbaby favorite, initially chosen by Courteney Cox for her daughter Coco Riley in 2004. At first it was the kind of name that the press loves to ridicule, but we predict Coco's heading for more broad acceptance and even popularity.

Coco

Bryce is the preferred spelling over Brice for both genders, with nearly 70 girls named Bryce in one recent year vs. only five called Brice.  But note that there were over 3000 boys named Bryce and 240 named Brice, making this a predominantly male name.  Actress Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron, is the most notable female bearer of this name.

Bryce

Solenne is a feminine French name derived from the Latin word 'sollemnis,' meaning 'solemn' or 'ceremonial.' In French culture, it carries connotations of dignity, grace, and reflection. The name has been consistently used in France for generations but remains relatively uncommon elsewhere. Solenne gained some international recognition in the late 20th century as cultural barriers diminished, though it retains its distinctly French character. Those named Solenne are often perceived as thoughtful, dignified, and possessing inner strength. The name's beautiful sound combined with its meaningful etymology makes it an elegant choice for parents seeking something traditional yet distinctive.

Solenne

Aveline is a name that's long been an obscure cousin of more widely-used choices, but may come into its own riding the tail of the megapopular Ava, which may derive from the same root.

 Although Aveline is a cognate of the French word for "hazlenut", the name actually derives from an obscure Germanic root, the meaning of which is not clear. Theories include "desired, wished for" and "water, island".
 
Aveline is different enough to sound distinct, but be warned: You will forever be explaining that no, it's not Adeline, not Evelyn, and so on.

Aveline

A lively feeling choice with multicultural origins, Tova is both a Hebrew name with a positive meaning and a Swedish variant of Tove, a modern Old Norse name meaning "beautiful, beloved". In Hebrew, it would be pronounced as TOH-VAH, while in Swedish, it would be said as TOO-vuh.

Tova

Similar in sound to choices like Riley, Miley, and Kylie, Wylie has been sporadically featuring in the US stats for girls since the 1920s, though it has been more consistently used since the late 90s. A recent year saw it given to 65 girls — the highest number of girls called Wylie in a single year. 
 
One of those names with multiple origins, Wylie can be viewed as an English surname, denoting someone from the town of Willey (meaning "from the willow clearing" or "idol's meadow") or someone from the River Wylye (meaning "tricky river"). Alternatively, its a Scots form of the classic William, making this an unexpected way to either the name without using Wilhelmina, Willow, or Willa. 
 
Also spelled as Wiley (though less popularly for girls), the name is used around 3 times more often for boys.

Wylie

Cyra is an unusual name that can be pronounced either SEER-a or SI-ra, rhyming with Keira or Tyra. This name may be a feminine variation of Cyrus but is also a Persian name that stands on its own.  One noted bearer is writer Cyra McFadden.

Cyra

Keely is well-used in modern Ireland, also found as Keeley and Keela.  The boys' form is Keelan.  Largely unknown in the US, this could make an interesting update for Kelly or Kaylie or Kylie -- though it might ultimately prove to close to one of those trendy names.

Keely

Starr today is more fashionably the plain-spoken Star or the more obscured Stella, Esther, or Estella.

Starr

Kiley is one of the more reasonable of the Kylie variations, which also include Kilea, Kilee, Kileigh, Kili, Kilie, Kylee, Kyley, Kyli, ad infinitum. Despite its similarity to the popular Riley, the high ranking Kylie will ensure that this choice comes with spelling confusion. For our part, we'd rather people stuck with the original Kylie, especially seeing as that is a Noongar Aboriginal word.