UK Girl Names

Stockard Channing -- "West Wing" 's first lady -- picked this strong, Waspy first name over her original, Susan.

Yes, it's a word name, but Busy is also a rare pet form of Elizabeth. And yes, actress Busy Philipps was christened Elizabeth--she was given the nickname because she was such an active child. She must have been happy with the name, because she also gave her daughters adorable unique baby names, Birdie and Cricket.

Royce is a grandpa name with an upscale link to Rolls Royce, and a surprising rise for girls since the early noughties. Rebel Wilson has a daughter named Royce Lillian.

Merrill, once fairly common for males, is rarely used for girls (or boys either, for that matter) with this spelling. Chef Emeril Lagasse dropped the initial E from his name and called his daughter Meril.

Sounds a lot like the recently revived Adele.

A distinctive name, originally male, that could be an updated tribute to Grandma Marian.

Occasionally heard in Ireland, small chance of success here.

You say Bryn, he says Bryana -- here's a name you might agree on.

Ashley substitute with a slightly more unisex feel; it was picked for her daughter by TV host Nancy O'Dell.

One of the rare cases where spelling a name with a y makes it less rather than more feminine. Birdie might be the freshest choice in this aviary.

Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve is another single-syllable surname waiting to be borrowed by the girls.

Compact and creative, it has been associated with one-time Cagney & Lacey star Tyne Daly.

With the growing popularity of Celia and Cecilia, this vintage canasta-playing nickname name could be due for a comeback.

The kind of countrified-combo name that you would think went out with ruffled gingham pinafores. Still, it's managed to hold its ground in recent years.

Has a pleasant Scottish burr.

Many virtue names have long been in style or have seen a resurgence in recent years. Happy, however joyous, seems unlikely to join this trend. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to Joy or Hope) and because it's such a familiarly used word in day to day life (unlike Verity or Felicity).

Fluttery and flighty. But there are a couple of names that mean butterfly you might consider, such as Yara and Farasha.

Lleucu is often considered the Welsh equivalent of Lucy, as it shares the same meaning of "light", and a similar sound. (Lwsi and Liwsi are the phonetic Welsh spellings of Lucy.) It's a statement choice even within Wales, and the spelling/pronunciation would make it extremely bold in other countries.

Common in Wales, but would really stand out here. One of the middle names of Stella McCartney's daughter Reiley; Dilys Powell was a well-known British film critic, Professor Dilys Derwent a Harry Potter character., a witch who worked as a Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital, and was a celebrated Headmistress of Hogwarts School..

There aren't many Glendas under forty.