Invented Girl Names

One of many distinctive names in the show and book series Midnight, Texas by Charlaine Harris -- and one of very few girl's names that start with the letter X.

You're so vain, I bet you think this name is about you.

Arizbeth is a compound name particularly popular in Mexico and among Hispanic parents in the US. Created by blending Ariel or Ariana with classic Elizabeth, it is one of the hottest unique names currently around.

The Early Americans invented names too, sometimes variations of classical or biblical favorites. This one appears in Colonial rosters; the Aur beginning is Latin and means "gold."

Adalee's rise is thanks to the current fashion for all names ada-related. It does have a sweet melodic charm.

More popular than the original form in Puerto Rico.

An amalgam of Brianna and Sienna that doesn't quite work.

See JALEN.

This modern invention sounds a lot more common than it actually is due to its similarities to hot names such as Amaya, Maya, and James.

Emberleigh made its all-time debut on the charts in 2009, rising steadily each year. It could be a future member of the Top 1000.

The family of Kaylin names includes a wide variety of spellings—Kaylen, Kaelyn, and Kaylynn are a few—that enjoy varying degrees of popularity. This particular spelling plays on a couple contemporary trends, namely the ae vowel combination and the -lynn ending. While it's definitely a distinct spelling, it's likely to be misspelled more often than not.

Amalisa is a smoosh of the prefix of Amabel and Amanda, which means lovable, and Lisa, a diminutive of Elizabeth that's long been used on its own. In some ways, it's an improvement on all of its root names -- fresher and more distinctive than Amanda or Lisa and easier to understand than Amabel, which is often confused with Annabel. Though Amalisa can be similarly confused with Annalisa which will inevitably become annoying.

Rydia of Mist is a sprite-like character in the Final Fantasy video game series. Fans of the game may consider it for their daughters as a rarer alternative to Lydia. Rydia first appeared on the charts in 2008.

"May" is a hot sound in girl names — just look at the rise of Maeve — which makes it ripe for creative new inventions. This cheerful, breezy number has been low-key on the US charts since 2011.

Prior to 2013, this name was unheard of. That was the year that Larry Hernandez, singer and star of reality show Larrymania, gave the name to his daughter. It has now entered the US Top 1000, following in the footsteps of Daleyza, the invented name Hernandez bestows upon his older daughter.

A modern invention that combines Taylor's ending with the kool initial K.