Unique Girl Names: Uncommon, Unusual, Cool

Girasol is a Spanish nature name, meaning "sunflower." As sun-related names — such as Soleil, Sol, and Sunny — heat up, we may see more of Girasol.

Originally the name of the titular faerie queene of Spenser's epic poem "The Faerie Queene," published in 1590. Gloriana was, along with Belphoebe, an allegory for Queen Elizabeth.

A medieval and early English variant of the Ismenia, which feels surprisingly on trend today.

Well used in northern Europe, almost unknown here.

Kalindi is a lovely, rhythmic name refers to one of the seven sacred rivers of India.

Photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired by the sand dunes she walked among when pregnant. Used this way, Doon might be considered a nature name, a refashioning of the word dune. But Doon might also stem from the familiar Scottish surname Dunn or Dunne, which means brown or dark, originally used for a dark-haired person.

The Spanish version, with its -eena ending, takes the name out of the Oh My Darlin' realm, which for many American parents may be just the thing.

Offbeat and romantic place-name.

This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old Norse and some modern Nordic languages, meaning "love" or "to love".

A very unique fruit name heard more often on peachy-colored dogs than on baby girls.

Not to be confused with the Aria/Arya name family, Arja is a variation of Irja, which ultimately is derived from Irene.

This French form of the name Ismeria is one of those uncommon names that's been consistently used in France since the middle ages.The origins of this rare name are shrouded in mystery. Ismeria / Ismérie is an obscure figure in European Christian legend, sometimes purported to be the great-aunt of Jesus Christ, who is connected to the devotion of the Black Madonna.

Sleek, woodsy European choice.

There's still only one.

Destry rides again, this time as a Western flavored baby name. Derived from the French surname Destrier, from an Anglo-Norman word meaning "warhorse", this rugged name was popularized by the 1930 novel Destry Rides Again by Max Brand, subsequently adapted for the big screen.

Calloway is one of those irresistibly jaunty, animated three-syllable surnames, like Sullivan and Finnegan — but this one has the added attraction of jazzy ties to the immortal "Dean of American Jive," Cab Calloway. For a girl, this could be an unconventional route to the cool nickname Callie.

This evocative term for a stone or shell carved in relief could make a striking first name for a girl, though she would have a starring role in her story, rather than a cameo.

A rare and evocative place name for a girl. Seville is the capital of Andalusia, an autonomous community in Spain. The Spanish name, Sevilla, derived from the Phoenician word sefela, meaning "plain" or "valley."

The name of medieval French saint, similar to Sally Field's name, Bertrille, on the old The Flying Nun sitcom, leading some to expect the word "Sister" in front of it.