Animal Names for Girls

The name recently given to their daughter by Susan and Robert Downey, Jr. is pronounced like Avery and may be seen as a kree8tiv spelling variation of that popular unisex name or a girlish short form of Avraham, the Biblical Hebrew form of Abraham.

A Biblical place name referred to by the Old Testament prophet Ezra. It may be a corruption of Caspian, or may derive from Hebrew keceph "silver, money".

Betsan is little-known outside of the U.K. but it could provide an intriguing alternative to Liz, Beth, Betsy, Betty, and Libby.

Alda's brother name Aldo has been a mainstay of the U.S. popularity chart for decades now, and the related Alden is soaring up as well. This version has never really caught on. (Maybe it's the association with Alan Alda: great actor, unlikely namesake for a little girl.) However, there is possible hope now that Alba and Alma are on the rise. Aida and Arden are more familiar alternatives.

This stunning name feels like a rare and distinct successor to the popular Eleanor, Eloise, and similar names. It also shares elements with the fast-rising Luna.

There aren't many characters in the notoriously amoral world of Game of Thrones with a spotless record of moral righteousness -- but Brienne of Tarth comes close. She's one of the most accomplished, ferocious fighters in the entire series -- she was one of the few people ever to best The Hound in one and one combat. And yet she always tries to use her power for good.

This Spanish month name has been quietly used for several years now in the US.

Has an incomplete feeling....

Bright, just like its meaning.

Dariel is one of many similar forms and variations of different names—Dara, Dariela, Daria and Darya—that are all unusual and pretty if not quite authentic-feeling.

This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK, even less frequently in the US.

A fresh and pretty Welsh nature name whose beautiful meaning would be perfect for a winter baby girl.

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.

Canada is an undiscovered but attractive place-name possibility, up till now a masculine territory.

Cimarron is a Great Plains city and river name used by Edna Ferber as the title of a popular novel. The Cimarron people of Panama were previously enslaved Africans who had escaped from their Spanish masters and lived together in defiance of colonial rule. In the 1570s, they allied with Francis Drake of England to defeat the Spanish conquest.

Name introduced here via Chinese cinema, has middle-place potential.

Alura has an entirely different root from the similar Allura and shares the fairy tale tinge. It could be a great choice for a wise baby girl.

The Roman goddess of hinges. She is one of three deities that ruled over doorways, along with Forculus, god of the door, and Limentinus, god of the threshold.