Animal Names for Girls

Callen is a unisex Gaelic name growing in popularity here. Its newfound trendiness is possibly related to the Chris O'Donnell character on "NCIS: Los Angeles", known only as G. Callen.

Rich purplish red color choice that may gain favor along with Claire, though the wine connection can't be ignored.

A bright and optimistic middle name choice.

This name of an Albanian supermodel is a short form of many Slavic choices but is an intriguing alternative to Emma on its own.

The personified spirit of death mists, the clouding of the eyes preceding death —Achlys also may have been a goddess of deadly poisons.

Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for girls since 1421. The church of the Virgin "Nuestra Senora de Africa" is in Ceuta, the Spanish city she is Patron of, in North Africa.

Cute but slight mix of stylish sounds Cam and Bree, chosen by Rick Schroder for his daughter.

Duna refers the Hungarian word for the Danube River or to the Icelandic term for the down of a duck. Duna also bears a resemblance to both Dune and Djuna. In this era of word names and invented names, Duna may have a bright future.

This common German-Jewish surname is a fast riser among boys but lately has been picked up by parents of girls as well. Notable figures with the surname include designer Jonathan Adler, Freud contemporary Alfred Adler, and decorator Frances Adler Elkins and her brother, architect David Adler.

This name found in the fantasy series Endymion/Rise of Endymion has a slightly physiological feel to it.

Cersei Lannister is one of the most villainous -- and, in a certain light, glamorous -- characters in HBO's Game of Thrones, played by beautiful actress Lena Headey.Though we can't say for sure how author George R.R. Martin came up with the character's name, it is a near-homophone with Circe, a seductive witch in Greek mythology.

The meaning of intelligent elevates this A-starting name for girls above other similar possibilities.

The term for a female baker was Baxter, which ironically feels less appropriate for a baby girl than Baker itself. Josephine Baker was an American-born French entertainer, French Resistance agent, and civil rights activist.

Aiden/Aidan is just beginning to wander into the girls' side of the name popularity list, but it's so huge for boys in all its spellings that it will be a long time before it can be called a unisex name.

Hot star Ashton Kutcher is pushing this unisex choice toward the boys' camp, but its variation Ashtyn is on the rise.

Chance feels like a mainstream pick for boys thanks to Chance the Rapper and several starbabies with the name. It hasn't caught on in the same way for girls, but it makes a strong alternative to the rather slight Lucky.

Dutch supermodel Doutzen (pronounced doubt-son) Kroes has introduced us to a name from the Netherlands that might have a hard time in an American classroom and is nowhere near as glamorous as its bearer.

A sweet, simple mini-name that fits into many cultures. The only drawback is the potential for confusion with Ella, Ayla, and other similar names.

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery.