Animal Names for Girls

There are much chicer versions of this name today, such as Claudie, Claudia, or Claude itself. Claudine is a name wobbling on the edge of extinction.

The increasingly popular Irish boys' name Declan is crossing into the girls' column now as well, used for over 50 baby girls in the US last year.

Rarely heard outside of Wales, Arianwen is one of many pretty wen-ending names prominent in ancient Welsh legend.

Romantic and mysterious, Eluned's beauty and intelligence were legendary in Welsh legend; she was the handmaiden of the Lady of the Fountain in a Welsh Arthurian romance, who had a magic ring that made the wearer invisible. Pronunciation is usually similar in emphasis to Eleanor, but with ned instead of nor at the end. However, it's sometimes also pronounced el-LIN-ed or even shortened to Luned, the sounce of Lynette, in Tennyson's Gareth and Lynette.

Cindy as a name in its own right made it into the Top 20 in 1957 and remained a Top 200 girls' name until the end of the 20th century. Although it's fallen precipitously since then and left the Top 1000 completely in 2015, Cindy remains a name commonly heard in the US. Today, though, it would more likely be attached to moms or grandmas than to babies.

Though the most famous Elia, screenwriter Kazan, was male, this name sounds like a spin on many popular girls' names, from Ella to Ellie to Isla and Leah. While the Italian pronunciation has the middle syllable as LEE, making it closer to the original Elijah would give the middle syllable a long I sound -- eh-LYE-ah.

In Greek mytholgy, Antigone was the noble and courageous daughter of Oedipus, who acts as his guide after he blinds himself. Antigone is also the eponymous heroine of a play by Jean Anouilh.

Spelled this way, Briana was coined by Edmund Spenser for his great literary work, The Faerie Queene, which gives the now-overexposed name a far classier pedigree than it's usually credited with.

Connie is a sweet and charming vintage nickname, which ranks in the top 200 in the UK and has a vintage charm that makes it ready for a comeback in the US as well.

Allie is one short form that's gotten so popular it's often used as a name on its own. Cute, friendly, yet we'd recommend using one of the proper names such as Alice to give your daughter an option. These days, Ellie might be more fashionable.

An Arabic name popular in the Muslim community. It may derive from an Arabic word meaning "replacement, substitute", or from Aisha, the name of a wife of the Prophet Muhammad.

Though it relates to the Irish original, Ashlyn and its next most popular form, Ashlynn, owe more of their popularity as baby names in the US to the megastar Ashley, though all three have been dropping on the charts lately.

From the root for aristocrat, an upwardly mobile choice -- or if you go by its other meaning, an earthy delicious choice.

Caia Caecilia was the Roman Goddess of fire and women. The name Caia would make a truly fresh alternative to the flagging Maya, with which it rhymes.

A name that would lavish your child with adoration, a princess name--as in Princess Adora of She-Ra: Princess of Power.

Simple and yet distinctive, Ara is a mythological name of a famously handsome king. Although it originated as a boys' name, in the contemporary US, it's now much more commonly used for girls.

State name Alaska stems from an Aleutian word for the land mass itself. The number of baby girls named Alaska has doubled in the past five years, and is sure to continue increasing as more place names are annexed as baby names. Wilder but as habitable as Dakota or Cheyenne, Alaska is a girls' name choice for the future.

A pretty addition to the Au-girl names like Audrey, Aurora and Autumn. The beginning Aur syllable, which often relates to gold, makes this an appropriate and one of the more unusual names for autumn babies.

Apolline is a luscious French name chic in Paris and ripe for the plucking in the English-speaking world. Derived from the mythological name Apollo, the name may mean strength; Apollo was the god of sun and light. Apolline is a perfect choice for those attracted to the name Apple who don't want to go quite that far.

Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.