Names That Mean Woman

Portuguese form of Magdalena or Madeleine

Itta is a cute old-fashioned name that arose parallelly as a nickname for Yehudit, used among Ashkenazi Jews, and a variation of Ita, an Irish name.

Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose birth certificates are not filled out on time are given generic placeholders for registration, such as Infant, Unknown, or Baby. But more influential during this decade was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman. It's the origin of the famed line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Mirembe is a feminine Ugandan name stemming from the Luganda word "emirembe" meaning peace, quiet. In Luganda, Rs are pronounced similar to Ls, so mill-EM-beh is an approximate pronunciation.

With so many A-beginning names finding their way into style, Agacia is one unusual choice that could get more attention. It's part Agatha, part Acacia, and quite intriguing.

Sacagawea (or, sometimes, Sakakawea or Sacajawea) was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who was instrumental to the Lewis and Clark Expedition across what is now the western part of the USA. She traveled thousands of miles with the men, helping to make contact with local indigenous populations and providing valuable information about the natural history of the region.

The Czech, Slovak and Lithuanian form of Barbara isn't quite far enough from the English one to make it sound fresh to us. Our favorite international version is Greek Varvara.

A rare but rising unisex name — used more often on baby girls.

Laudine is a name from Arthurian legend, created in the 12th century by poet Chrétien de Troyes for his romance titled Yvain. Laudine, known as the Lady of the Fountain, marries the protagonist, Yvain, after he slays her husband.

Still heard today on the Faroe Islands, Drós comes from the Old Norse word for woman.

In Medieval England, Barbary was a common given name and short form of Barbara. Today it exists as a surname, either derived from Barbara itself, or in French, from the Occitan barbari, meaning "barbarian."

This Judeo-Italian name combines Alta, meaning "high", with Donna, meaning "woman" — translating to a woman of high status or rank. A grand but beautiful name choice.

A strong Indian name used for a character in the series The Legend of Korra.

A rare and historic member of the Alice and Adelaide family of names, ultimately from Adelheidis.

Another name for the Mona Lisa, who was married to a Florentine businessman surnamed Giocondo; others say the title referred to her mysterious smile.

Agatha is an ancient name that hasn't quite joined the fashionable ranks of old lady names....yet. Agathi may be intriguing but it will also surely be confusing.

A lovely meaning, but a crude soundalike word has stopped it from being widely used.

Matleena is a contraction of Magdaleena, the Finnish variation of the biblical Magdalene.

There are many ways to spell Madeline — eight currently rank in the Top 1000, and many more make the extended charts — but Maddalin is a truly unique variation. It has never been given to more than four baby girls in a single year.