Surname Names for Baby Girls
- Rydel
Origin:
SwedishMeaning:
"of the woodland clearing"Description:
This fashionable-sounding surname is surprisingly rare, considering its proximity to popular Ryder. Musical fans will recognise it as the fictional high school setting for Grease (albeit with two Ls), after which singer Rydel Lynch was apparently named.
- Azumi
Origin:
Japanese, HausaMeaning:
"safety, peaceful, beauty, apricot; born during the month of fasting"Description:
Azumi is both a Japanese given name and a surname. It was used as the title of an award winning manga series that ran between 1994 and 2008 and is borne by singers Azumi Takahashi and Azumi Inoue and voice actress Azumi Asakura.
- Mendoza
Origin:
Basque surnameMeaning:
"cold mountain"Description:
Mendoza is a common Basque surname derived from the words mendi, meaning "mountain," and hotz, "cold." As a given name, it could easily be worn on a girl or a boy. Notable people who have carried the name include Cristóbal Mendoza, the first President of Venezuela, and baseball player Carlos Mendoza.
- Loyola
Origin:
Spanish surnameDescription:
Loyola is a Spanish surname occasionally used as a first name for girls. This is most likely in honor of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Loyola O'Connor was an American silent film actress.
- Jancey
Origin:
English surname, Scottish variation of JanetMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Jaunty Jancey hails from the United Kingdom, where it appeared in England as a surname and in Scotland as a nickname for Janet. It's extremely uncommon in the US, given to fewer than five baby girls in the most recent year on record. You'll be hard-pressed to come across another Jancey in your life, so if unique names are a priority for you, this jolly and accessible choice belongs on your list.
- Pevensie
Origin:
Literary and surname nameDescription:
This rare English surname's most famous bearers are Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie: the four siblings who are the protagonists of C. S. Lewis' Narnia books. It probably derives from Pevensey, the name of the bay in East Sussex, England where William the Conqueror landed in 1066.
- Greeley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"pock-marked, scarred"Description:
This English surname was originally a nickname for someone with a pock-marked face. It's a less-than-ideal meaning, but Greeley's upbeat sound and modern unisex style keep it on our lists.
- Leotine
Origin:
Variation of Leontine, French from GreekMeaning:
"lion"Description:
A unique form of the already-rare name Leontine. Leotine has been recorded as a name a handful of times throughout history, both as a given name and a surname.
- Brennley
Origin:
American invented name, variation of Brinley, EnglishMeaning:
"burnt meadow"Description:
Along with Brenley, a rising surname-style name for girls.
- Thoreau
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"strength of a bull"Description:
A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".
- Reynolds
Origin:
English from GermanMeaning:
"powerful counsel"Description:
A truly gender-neutral surname name used equally between the sexes.
- Blakesley
Origin:
English place-name and surnameMeaning:
"dark wolf's wood or clearing"Description:
Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter. Blakesley joins other -ley ending names -- Hadley, Finley -- as one of the most popular forms of unisex names with a girlish spin.
- Copeland
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"bought land"Description:
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland may draw more parents to consider her surname for a baby girl — which at last count was 29% female.
- Mclaren
Origin:
GaelicMeaning:
"son of Labhrainn"Description:
A rare Mc surname used for both girls and boys in the US. It ultimately derives from Laurentius, as does Lawrence.
- Zatara
Origin:
Surname nameDescription:
Zatara is a relatively uncommon surname found in Arabic and African cultures that could be quite cute on a baby girl.
- Mellon
Origin:
English and Irish surnameMeaning:
"from Meulan; descendant of Meallán"Description:
It's too close to the fruit "melon" to make a good first name, but if there are Mellons on your family tree, why not put it in the middle? The English form of this surname is habitational, and at one time denoted someone from Meulan-en-Yvelines, a commune outside of Paris.
- Beasley
Origin:
English surnameMeaning:
"bent grass clearing"Description:
Beasley is a fashionable yet undiscovered surname name that is particularly well-suited for baby girls. Bea is a possible nickname.
- Campana
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"bell ringer"Description:
Most often heard as an Italian surname, this might be an unusual yet musical option. While it's not among the traditional Italian names for girls, it can fill that role.
- Tresillian
Origin:
CornishMeaning:
"Sulien's farm"Description:
An intriguing Cornish place name and surname derived from the Cornish name Sulien.
- Quinby
Origin:
NorseMeaning:
"queen's settlement"Description:
Love Quinn but find it too popular? Quinby is a rare spin on names in the Quinn and Quincy constellation, familiar as a surname and a fresh nonbinary choice.