Animal Names for Girls

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.

Begonia is a pretty flower named for French administrator and amateur horticulturalist Michel Bégon, who was an avid naturalist but also a proponent of slavery. A rare floral choice which has never really caught on as a baby name, Begonia would certainly stand out from the Lilys and Roses.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.

Pretty in a polka-dancing way.

A Hungarian name rarely heard outside its native culture.

Melodic and unusual, and she will outgrow any bib jokes.

Like other "ee" names, Bailee is starting to lose its shine, slowly slipping down the charts.

Along with many other Irish surnames, Conley is picking up in use among both boys and girls.

Alsie and Alcie feel more baby-ready now that names such as Elsie, Elsa, and Isla are becoming popular again. Mother name Alcina was an operatic sorceress who turned men into animals and trees.

Elula, female derivation of Elul, the name of the sixth month on the Hebrew calendar, was used by Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen for their second daughter. The couple kept their unusual choice under wraps for several months, perhaps to get a head start on the hordes of fans who might adopt the fashionable-yet-unusual double-l name for their own. Reminiscent of (though not actually related to) Eulala, the stylish pick of Marcia Gay Harden for her daughter. Lula, Lulu, or Lu could be short forms.

This unusual form of Alexandra might be seen and pronounced as a combination of Alex and Anne.

This extra-N variation matches up with the current preferred spellings of Oaklynn, Raelynn, and Adalynn, however it has always been outranked by popular Brooklyn. Though both spellings have trended downwards since their peak in 2011, Brooklyn maintains its place in the US Top 100, while Brooklynn lags behind in the #300s.

Baojin, sometime hyphenated to Bao-Jin, has a luxurious meaning making it a relatively common choice for Mandarin-speaking parents. Baojin can be used for girls and boys. But this meaning also means that baby Baojin will also share his/her name with a mining company, an expressway and a housing policy.

Intriguing twist on several familiar names, though many people will mistake this for Elsa, Eliza, and so on.

The name of a character in the once scandalous novel Valley of the Dolls now sounds a little more dated than the similar Arden.

This version softens, feminizes, and glamorizes the long-time favorite. A fresh way to honor Grandma Betty. Elizabetta is a variation.