Nameberry's Favorite Girl Names

Priya originated in India as a name derived from the Sanskrit word for "beloved." In India, where names are often given based on one’s birthday and horoscope, Priya is traditionally given to girls born in August. Priya is used in Hindu mythology as the name of a daughter of King Daksha—known for fathering 146 daughters.

The fact that this Spanish classic, which honors the Virgin Mary, does not end in the conventional letter 'a' gives it a special sense of strength, elegance, and style, making it a worthy choice.

Common in Scandinavia, this name has rarely come to our shores. The name of the heroine in Ibsen's Peer Gynt, Solveig is currently a widely-used name in Norway. Pronounced authentically, with a silent 'g', it becomes much more appealing.

Upper crust-y surname Sheridan gains some energy when used for a girl.

A lively, affectionate Russian pet name that is never given as a full name in its homeland, but has found some popularity in upper-crusty British society. It's also a surprising cultural crossover name due to its resemblance to the Indian name Anushka. British-Indian musician and composer Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi, is a famous bearer.

A very popular girls' name in Japan whose sound is consistent with its meaning. Another possibility is Ren.

Although they could be easily confused, Elsbeth is a fairly unusual contracted German version of Elizabeth, while cousin Elspeth hails from Scotland. With its 'beth' ending, Elsbeth feels closer to the mother name.

A simple and pretty multicultural name: as a Japanese name, it's unisex and means "sky"; as a Korean name, it's feminine and means "conch shell".

A highly unusual name in the U.S., Assumpta refers to the Assumption of Mary, the ascent of the Virgin Mary into Heaven before her death in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox doctrine. An intriguing and pious choice for a devout Catholic family — though watch out for those first three letters.

The third-most-popular spelling of this name, after Shea and Shay, is notable mostly for its connection to Game of Thrones. Shae is a "camp follower" -- AKA prostitute -- who becomes the loyal mistress to Tyrion Lannister while he is serving as Hand of the King.

Created by Sarah J. Maas for the heroine of her Court of Thorns and Roses series of YA novels. The name was based on the Old English word for "fair" or "beautiful" and has an ethereal charm.

This name of a minor character in the Old Testament, also spelled Atara, has a softly pleasing sound. In the Old Testament, Atarah was a descendant of Judah.

More often spelled Nika, this is a well-used diminutive for the Eastern European Veronika, and there's no reason that the same principle can't apply in the West. It makes a venerated saint's name sound fresh and cute.

A multicultural choice with an appealing sound. In Arabic, it means "women" and is the name of the fourth chapter of the Quran (surah an-Nisa).

Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers' fictional detective Lord Peter Wimsey, whose middle name was Death?), we see this as more fitting for a middle than a first name.

Shortened form of Zarin / Zareen.

Intriguing Old Welsh name being revived there, but would have major pronunciation problems here.

A prominent character name from the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, derived from an Arabic word meaning "(water) droplet" ⁠— Katara belongs to a water tribe.

A character name from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Azula is one of the two main antagonists of the series: a Firebender who produces blue flames (hence her name, which is derived from Spanish, Portuguese and Galician azul, meaning "blue").

If Erykah Badu can name her son Seven, why can't you name your daughter (or son) this? Eleven has recently gotten a lot of attention via the character on the TV show Stranger Things.