Animal Names for Girls

Cardi B is the stage name of the rapper born Belcalis Almanzar. The name Cardi originated as a short form of Bacardi, a nickname the musician got because her sister is named Hennessy, after the cognac. The B, she says, stands for a range of things, depending on the day, including Belcalis and Bacardi. Cardi is one invented name that's found instant fame and could go much further. For now, it's definitely one of the most talked-about girl names starting with C.

Pretty smoosh name from the popular elements Ella + Dora, or a spin on Eleanora influenced by Dora "gift".

If you're planning to have a younger one.

Allena may feel like a somewhat antiquated feminization, though Allen itself is a tad old-fashioned. In many ways, Allena -- pronounced ah-LEN-ah -- feels more appealing that Alana or ah-LAH-ah.

Princess Atta is a royal ant in the Pixar film A Bug's Life, named for a genus of ants.

Girl names ending in -lani are invented every year — Ehlani is among the latest pseudo-Hawaiian inventions.

Ameyo is a common name in West Africa, where it is traditional to give a child a name that reflects their time of birth. Ameyo means "born on Saturday" and is derived from the word mene. Kwame is the masculine counterpart.

This name comes from a genus of beautiful black and white Australian butterflies. Given the rise of "el" names such as Eleanor, Eloise, and Ella, Elodina could make a good choice for someone looking for a rarer name.

A whole raft of names that start with Adel are coming back into fashion, from Adele to Adelaide to Adeline to Adelina, and so Adelisa -- a hybrid of the Adel sound and the isa suffix -- was given to a handful of girls last year. While still a quiet variation, we predict we'll see more of Adelisa in the coming years, and as hybrid names go, it's quite charming.

Heard more in Israel than the U. S.

The Early Americans invented names too, sometimes variations of classical or biblical favorites. This one appears in Colonial rosters; the Aur beginning is Latin and means "gold."

A little like Elliot (or Elliette), Electra, and Etta, Ellette is a zippy but rarely used compound name.

Spelled with or without the final "h," Achsah, pronounced AK-suh, was the daughter of Caleb in the Old Testament. We can't imagine anyone finding it greatly appealing.

The shimmery Celeste has been solidly in the Top 1000 for as long as data has been recorded. The dainty variation Celesta certainly feels useable as well. Other intriguing variations include Celestia and Celestine.