Animal Names for Girls

Ever since Little Egypt practically invented the belly dance in the 1890s, this name has had a suggestive aura. Astonishingly, Egypt is now among the Top 1000 names for girls in the US. Cairo is a related option.

The energetic Brody is a name that claims different meanings and origins depending on whether you're looking at its Irish, Scottish, or English history -- and Eastern Europeans claim a version too. This spelling is much more popular for boys, but has seen some use for girls in recent years, including volleyball player Gabrielle Reese's daughter. An alternate spelling is Brodie.

The rarely heard feminine version of the saint's name Cassian, this name is elegant and somewhat frilly, but holds the possibility of more straightforward nicknames like Cass, Cassie or Ana. With the rise of the whole group of names for both genders starting with the Cass sound, Cassiana has the potential to become one of the more visible girl names starting with C.

Carmelita is an obscure short form of an obscure name that may rise to new prominence during the 2012 Olympics, via runner Carmelita Jeter aka "The World's Fastest Woman." Carmelita has a particularly international flavor with the original Carmel a Hebrew name long popular in Ireland, with Carmelita itself most popular in Latin countries.

A Zulu name given to a child who is planned be the last born, literally meaning "enough, sufficient".

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.

Braxton has been a major hit of the 21st century for boys, and now parents are looking at it with fresh eyes for their daughters.

A once very common Irish diminutive of Bridget that has unfortunately been associated since the 18th century with a pejorative slang term for an old or fussy woman.

Alerie Hightower is the mother of Margaery Tyrell in the hit book and television series Game of Thrones. Though a minor character, we think this name has potential, fitting in with the modern trends of names starting with A and ending in "ie".

Chartreuse is the name of a French liqueur, named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery of the Carthusian Monks that produce it. The monastery was built in the Chartreuse mountains of southeastern France. Chartreuse is also familiar as a color name, a yellow-green hue that matches the color of the highest-quality liqueur.

This rare vintage name can be an alternative spelling of Abilene, a Biblical place name. It is also a Spanish and German feminine form of Abel.

Naming your baby Adoria is a little like naming her Love or Desire. It's a loving message, but perhaps a bit too loving.

We all know that Chaka really means disco.

Rising boys' name could cross the gender line.

In Greek mythology, Arachne was a woman who bested Athena in a weaving competition. She later killed herself from the shame, but Athena reincarnated Arachne as a spider.

Clementia, related to names like Clementine and Clemence, was the older and original feminine version of this name. It was used most frequently in the Middle Ages in continental Europe. Clementia was also a minor Roman goddess (or personification) of mercy.

There's a craze for royal names right now, including Royal itself, so c'mon down, Contessa, and join Prince, King, Duke, Royalty -- the whole blue-blooded gang. Bonus: Short form Tess or Tessa makes this an almost-ordinary name.