Animal Names for Girls

The name of the ferrymen of dead souls to the Greek underworld and the name of Pluto's desolate moon, Charon makes an interesting, if somewhat macabre, choice for a baby. There are two pronunciations of this name, depending on whether you're referring to the ferryman or the moon. While the Greek version is pronounced with a hard "k" sound, the astronomer who named the moon did not know about the Greek myth - he named the moon after his wife Charlene, so many astronomers pronounce it with a "sh" sound.

Ciza is a goddess in Polish mythology whose areas include nourishment and breastfeeding. It is recorded that the German city Ausburg was once known as Cisaris after this goddess.

A daisy-esque flower, although chamomile is much more commonly associated with the tea that's made from it.

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

The ancient German name Adelheidis gave rise to both Adelaide and Adelheid. While Adelaide is more popular and better known internationally, Adelheid is still used occasionally in Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. The German pronunciation is not that different from Adelaide, with a soft h and a long I sound instead of a long A in the last syllable.

Popular name in Israel, worth considering for a dark-haired daughter with a bit of a bohemian cast.

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

A spelling variant of Aliyah and a feminine form of the Arabic name Ali, meaning "sublime, high" or "exalted." While Aaliyah is the most familiar and popular spelling of the name because of its ties to the singer, Aliah is a concise alternative.

Not as well known as Calla Lilies, the Canna Lily is a tropical plant with large leaves and showy flowers; there was a 6th century Welsh Saint Canna, and it's also the name of a Scottish island.

In Sikhism, ajooni is the concept of divine formlessness — a tenet of the religion as Sikhs do not worship idols.

Charleston is one of those baby names that may become more popular thanks to its nickname Charlie, now used about equally for boys and girls. If you want to call your daughter Charlie but believe she needs a more formal name, you might try Charleston instead of Charlotte. And Charleston is a lovely city in South Carolina.

Carlota is the preferred version of Charlotte in Spain and Portugal, each where it ranks among the Top 50 most popular girl names. Carlotta, with two Ts, is the Italian spelling.

Antares is a star in the Scorpio constellation, making it one of the perfect names for Scorpio babies . It is the fifteenth-brightest star in the night sky, appearing as a reddish star when viewed with the naked eye. This reddish tint is what lent the star its name, which means "equal to Ares". As the God of War, Ares is associated with the red planet Mars.The sky's other name is Alpha Scorpii, but Antares is a far more romantic choice.

Clarimond is related to the Occitan name Esclarmonde, and is probably the more wearable of the two variations.

A fancy French feminine form of the Biblical name Cleopas or Cleophas, which may derive from Greek Kleopatros ("glory of the father").

Bean is a unisex word name with a cute and quirky feel. Early reader series Ivy and Bean features a young girl named Bean, short for Bernice Blue. It has appeal as a casual nickname or middle name, but it's harder to imagine as a given name.

This spelling variation of the Biblical place-name Sela is found on early American census roles, but Sela is more usual today. Cela is another early variation. Cella may also be a variation of Cilla, short for Priscilla, or Celia.

Evocative of the sand dunes at the beach, Doone is a relatively rare surname found in Scotland, Ireland and England. It was recently used with this spelling by Olympic medalist Amanda Beard; photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired, yes, by walks along the sand dunes during her pregnancy.