Animal Names for Girls

There are a surprising number of baby boys named Barrett each year in the US -- nearly 1800 -- along with 30 baby girls. Which is more than many people might guess.

Has joined Chanel and Armani on the fashionista hit parade of names. The meaning of Dior is uncertain but it may be "gold".

Alize feels like a blend of Alice and Eliza but it's not related to either of those names, rather to the more unusual (in the US, at least) Aleeza, a Hebrew name meaning joy, or Alizee, a French name meaning wind, or the related Alizeh, a Persian name that also means wind. The final e can take an accent, which might elucidate pronunciation, but English speakers are sure to be confused.

Ties to the unfortunate Mama are now unraveling, leaving Cass or Cassie to stand on its own as a fresher sounding Cathy or Kate. But with so many lovely long forms, we'd advise keeping this as a nickname.

Melodious and unusual form of a name with an uncountable number of variations. Many will understand it as the more down-to-earth Annalee.

Alazne is a traditional name in Euskera, the language of the Basque people.

A feminization of Adam with several sweet nickname options — Addie, Ada, Minnie, or Mina being a few.

Truly a cross-cultural name, with usage in Germany, Scandinavia, India, France, and Iceland.

What a lovely name for the much-longed for daughter - no wonder Aino is in the Top 5 in Finland, whence the name originates. Like other popular Finnish names, Aino is short and avoids the ubiquitous "a" ending we usually see in feminine names, which gives it a fresh feel and sound.

Aryan and Arian are common names in Iran but in the US and much of the English-speaking world, the term Aryan has strong connections with white supremacy. It's a name best avoided.

One of the romantic names favored by British pastoral poets, more appealing in its longer form, Araminta.

A Quranic name for girls referring to signs or manifestations of the divine.

Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.

This Irish surname packs a lot of attitude, projecting an image of spunk and sass. The Welsh singer Duffy, born Aimee Anne Duffy, is best known for her songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue.

"Girls Gone Child" blogger Rebecca Woolf made Boheme a first name when she gave it to one of her twin daughters (the other one's name is Reverie). La Boheme -- "The Bohemian" -- is a Puccini opera that was transmogrified into the modern play Rent. Boheme means a literary or artistic person who lives outside conventional society.