1798 Four Letter Girl Names

Multicultural name often heard in the Near East. Also spelled Neema.

Is it pronounced MEE-ah or MY-ah? Only the bearer knows for sure, which is one of the central problems with this hybrid name.

Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.

Related to the powerful South African warrior people, sometimes chosen by African-Americans to celebrate their heritage.

An early unisex nature name that has been surpassed by others, Dale is still a simple, sylvan and serene option.

For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.

Kady, though it has an authentic Irish meaning, may also be a variation of Katy short form of Kadence, or combination of initials K. and D. Though Kady is more distinctive, everyone will just hear it as Katy.

A springtime baby name appropriate for either sex.

Malu is a charming Hawaiian name chosen by ex-Talking Head David Byrne for his daughter. Malu might also be an abbreviated form of Malou, which is an abbreviated form of Mary Louise. Malu or Malou might be a retro-chic nickname for a child given the family names of Mary and/or Louise.

Men may be from Mars, but now that not one but two celebrities -- singer Erykah Badu and Workaholics star Blake Anderson -- have named their daughters Mars, we have to add it to the girls' roster. It fits right in with the other mythological names gaining in popularity today.

Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up in the US anytime soon. At last count, it was only given to five American baby girls.

Nele originated as a German nickname for Cornelia, but it superseded its mother name and has been a Top 30 name in Germany since 2000.

Ocie is yet another antiquated ie-ending short form that was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s and now has almost dropped from sight.

Linked to one of the great screen beauties, but has never appealed much to Americans.

Eula is a slightly sweeter and more compact version of Eulalia. Currently, neither name is given to more than a handful of girls each year. Eula was fairly popular in the US during the early twentieth century, and she last ranked in the Top 1000 in 1960.

Idra is one of the less obvious botanical names. In ancient times, a fig tree was a symbol of learning, peace, and prosperity.

As a name, Prim is generally short for Primrose – as in the sweet younger sister of heroine Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. But a word of warning: it also coincides with the English word "prim", meaning "disapproving, overly correct".

Isla is newly popular, so why not Isle?

This big cat name is especially striking with its X ending.