Animal Names for Girls

Bristol Palin, the daughter of former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, grabbed her own share of headlines by having a baby out of wedlock and then appearing on Dancing With The Stars. She single-handedly propelled her distinctive name, inspired by a city in England, into the Top 1000 and up the charts. Bristol's ascent ended a few years back.

A sweet and rare spice name, which made its first and only appearance on the US baby name charts in 1969 – the year Neil Young's song "Cinnamon Girl" was released.

A character name from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Azula is one of the two main antagonists of the series: a Firebender who produces blue flames (hence her name, which is derived from Spanish, Portuguese and Galician azul, meaning "blue").

Alaska's Denali National Park is the home of the highest mountain in the US, officially renamed Denali in 2014, endowing the name with a lofty feel. Twice as many girls as boys were given the name in 2021, but the gender gap is closing.

One of the designer baby names -- Chanel and Gucci are others -- that have appeared in this era of branding everything from your purse to your offspring.

Arbor is an original unisex tree-related choice we're sure to hear more of. Highly unusual now, Arbor takes its place alongside other new arborial names ranging from the mighty Oak (or Oakley) to the more delicate Birch to the more flowery Juniper, Acacia, and Hazel.

We give Briar Rose its own page thanks to the down-to-earth name of Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen named their newborn daughter Briar Rose, but we like Briar and Rose better when used separately. Read more about Briar Rose and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

Adhara is the name of one of the brightest stars in the sky. Also known as Adara, this name is perfectly suitable for a child.

Astarte is the ancient goddess of sexuality, fertility, and war, associated with Ishtar as well as Venus.

A popular Turkish name with a delightful meaning. It peaked at #11 in Turkey in 2002, but has since dropped back out of the Top 100 there.

Spelling variation of Danica with a modern update.

A recent coinage in English, perhaps created as a variation to Anya/Anja and Aaliyah. In Arabic, the name can mean "vessel", "pinnacle" or "helper".

Chara is the name of a star in a constellation that represents hunting dogs, recently named as one of the most likely to host extraterrestrial life. Also, Chara is a variation of both Sarah and Charlotte.

This is one surname-name that may swing decidedly to the male side, thanks to highly-visible young actor Alden Ehrenreich.

An Indian name used to describe some of the tenets of Buddhism, such as the Four Noble Truths (catvary arya satyani) or The Noble Eightfold Path (arya marga). It can also simply be a spelling variation of Aria, making it a cultural crossover name with both style and substance.

Bell-like and original.

Phonetic spelling of the Muslim Aanisah, chosen by singer Macy Gray for one of her daughters.

Diantha, a mythological flower of the supreme Greek god Zeus, is a melodious and more unusual cousin of Diana, heard most often in The Netherlands.

The middle name of the Travoltas' Ella, this French color alternative hasn't caught on with many other parents.

Trending down, along with others of both the Car and the issa groups.