Animal Names for Girls

Sweet old-fashioned nickname name that could make a comeback in the wake of Sadie et al. Famous bearers include author Dodie Smith, who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians and I Capture the Castle.

Sounds elven in every sense of the word.

Turkish form of Arabic Amal, most popular in the 1980s in Turkey. Its similarity to Emma and Emily make is a good cross-cultural name.

An Anglo-Saxon name borne by the queen of Alfred the Great. American novelist Helen Ricker wrote under the pen-name Elswyth Thane. Variants include Elswith, Ealswith and Ealhswith.

A seriously classic name meaning love, Adelpha is also the name for a genus of butterflies.

An extremely rare name of Ancient Greek origin which could be a novel way to Callie. There is a minor Harry Potter character by the name: Callidora Black (later Longbottom).

Another of the new Greek-accented Cal- names.

Much fresher and more energetic than Dominique.

With Adelyn, Adelaide, Adeline, Ada, Lainey, Delaney, and Elena all in the charts, Adelaine remains surprisingly underused. Given to just 35 girls in the US in 2023, it makes a distinctive but familiar alternative to the other Ad- names in the charts and comes with the built in nicknames Lainey, Laine, Della, Addie and Ada. Beauty influencer and vlogger Adelaine Morin might draw more people's attention to the name in coming years, or perhaps it will be dismissed as it might feel more popular than it actually is.

The feminine form of Amir, a soft and regal baby name popular in the Muslim community.

Bright and bold traditionally masculine name used in Israel.

This unique one-syllable name was added to the mix by Mariel Hemingway for her now grown model/actress daughter; it could make a distinctive middle name or Bree substitute.

Despite being associated with male characters in the Bible, Anaiah is much more common for girls in the US. In Puerto Rico, Anaiah ranks in the Top 100.

This Anglicized spelling of Irish Aislinn or Aisling has enjoyed some popularity in the US as an updated Ashley.

Ayn is a nonconformist name associated with controversial Russian-born writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, (born Alisa) author of The Fountainhead, who adopted it when she moved to the US in 1926.

The site of Napoleon's exile became the great-great-aunt in the purple hat.

Capella, the eleventh brightest star in the sky, carries much mythological and astrological significance. In Roman mythology, Capella represented the goat that suckled Jupiter, whose horn became the Cornucopia or horn of plenty. In Hindu mythology, Capella is called the heart of Brahma, while English legend calls it the shepherd's star. Australian Aboriginal myth calls it the kangaroo, while in Persian mythology it's a metaphor for both great distance and the color light red. Astrologically, Capella symbolizes wealth and military honor. As if that wasn't enough, CapPella (two p's) also has a musical reference to a cappella singing.

Photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired by the sand dunes she walked among when pregnant. Used this way, Doon might be considered a nature name, a refashioning of the word dune. But Doon might also stem from the familiar Scottish surname Dunn or Dunne, which means brown or dark, originally used for a dark-haired person.

Proof that one or two letters can make all the difference: Chapel is a nouveau spiritual word name while Chappell lands firmly in surname territory. They're both pronounced the same.

Ada and Ida soundalike that has two wonderful potential meanings. A famous bearer is American model and actress Ayda Field.