Unique Girl Names: Uncommon, Unusual, Cool

An attractive and unusual name that may be a variation of Cleo, Clea was possibly invented by Lawrence Durrell for a character in his Alexandria Quartet.

Eugenia, a name scarcely used at all since the 1980's, is another that flourished a century ago and could be due for a revival.

Music legend David Bowie lends his adopted surname considerable charisma to this stylish Scottish name for girls and boys. Born David Robert Jones, he changed his name to avoid confusion with The Monkees' Davy Jones.

Demetria is a dramatic ancient Greek earth goddess possibility with the star-studded nickname Demi. Young actor/singer/songwriter Demi Lovato was born Demetria, but contrary to common hearsay, Demi Moore was born Demi.

An even more unusual cousin name is the Cornish Demelza, made somewhat familiar via the TV series Poldark.

A strong and stylish alternative to the super-fashionable Luna, with a double background as a Scandinavian and Japanese name. It's the female form of the Nordic male name Rune, meaning "secret lore", and also a Japanese name meaning "moon" – making this an undiscovered celestial choice.

Eloisa captures a lovely name back from the spoiled little girl at the Plaza. Historical romance writer Eloisa James has helped make this antique name sound fresh and sassy again.

With Isabel getting so popular, parents are searching for new varieties of the name, and Isabeau is one that makes a lovely French twist.

A spunky boyish diminutive in the vein of Frankie, Billie and Charlie, but far less popular in the US. Georgie could be a nickname for Georgia, Georgette, Georgina or Georgiana – or just use it as it is, as over 90 sets of American parents did in 2021.

A punchy modern Cornish name derived from a place name, which is of disputed origin. It is sometimes said to derive from a rare Welsh name, Maeldaf, plus dinas, the Cornish for "fort". Another theory is that it comes from Cornish ty "house" plus malsai "eel" – likely a reference to Cornwall's fishing trade.

Fiammetta, from the Italian word for flame, has both femininity and fire. Fiammetta could make a good alternative to more conventional Italian girls' names like Giovanna.

Lane is a unisex name equally accessible to boys and girls. As a common surname, Lane is attached to such celebrities as Diane and Nathan.

Sister of Antigone and daughter of Oedipus in Greek mythology, Ismene's name is unlikely to make it in modern times because of its teasability factor. Ismay or Esme would be better bets.

The original oddball celebrity baby name, via Frank Zappa's daughter Moon Unit, who claims she's always liked it.

Idony was the Norse goddess of spring and eternal youth, and variants of her obscure name could come under consideration with the rest of the fashionable I pack.

A name with several distinguished namesakes: the wife of ancient Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a famous Italian opera singer, and two Catholic saints--making it both substantial and unusual.

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye."

Verona is a scenic place-name with the added attraction of a Shakespearean connection, as in Two Gentlemen of....

An attractive and traditional unisex name perfect for a cross-cultural child. Despite the current popularity of names ending in -ari, Johari is surprisingly rare in the US. It's currently used about twice as often for girls as it is for boys.

Jessamine, a charming name occasionally heard in England, is just beginning to be appreciated in the U.S. as a possible successor to all the Jess names of the past. It's also spelled Jessamyn, as in Quaker novelist Jessamyn West, author of Friendly Persuasion--who started life with Jessamyn as her middle name.

This somewhat snobby-sounding surname popped onto the name map when Mariel Hemingway used it for one of her daughters.