Unique Girl Names: Uncommon, Unusual, Cool

Likely derived from the Greek name Roxanne, Rox was a short form popular in America in the mid-19th Century. Like Max and Lux, it seems sleek and contemporary and particularly suited to modern life.

Its meaning refers to the rich wood that lined the walls of King Solomon's temple. Well used in modern Israel, it's pronouced ah-REE-zuh.

Tahani, a somewhat unusual Arabic name for girls, has popped up twice on TV recently: it's the name of one of the main characters on NBC comedy The Good Place and a teenaged contestant on So You Think You Can Dance.

This and two other female forms -- AQUILA and AQUILINA -- of the Roman family name Aquilius might live on in modern times.

In the Bible, there is a reference to the Kerith Ravine, where God told Elijah to hide in order to be provided with water during a drought. There is also a Kerith in the James Michener novel The Source. A soft and gentle and very unusual addition to the category of biblical place names.

Yulisa is a spelling variation of the Latin American Julissa or Julisa. Yulisa clarifies the pronunciation of the name for English speakers.

A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially in the Favour spelling.

Eadlyn Helena Margarete Schreave de Koskinen is the protagonist of Kiera Cass' Selection novels. Eadlyn and its variants Eadlin and Edelyn are uncommon in real life, but feel bang on-trend and shorten to the adorable vintage nickname Edie/Eadie. The name may derive from the Anglo-Saxon elements ead "wealth" or adal "noble".

A beautiful name with a combative meaning (from the Latin bellare "to fight"), belonging to a Roman goddess of war. Bellona has never appeared on the SSA list, but it could be an intriguing option for fans of the popular Belle/Bella.

Dovie was a fairly popular nickname name a century or more ago, dropping off the Top 1000 in the 1940s only to be heading straight back uphill now.

There was an eighties cartoon queen named Jem (& The Holograms), and this is as likely to be a full name as a short form – deriving from Jemma, Jemima or Jameela.

Short for Olukemi or a rare name in its own right, this Yoruba name has a beautiful meaning. A notable bearer is British MP Olukemi (Kemi) Badenoch.

Authentic, melodic place-name for the adventurous, chosen by rapper LL Cool J for his daughter and given to nearly 80 baby girls in the US last year. Italia of course is what the Italians call Italy.

Louisiana is a geographic spin on the Louise theme. Pretty, if a bit of a syllable overload. Short form Lou or Lulu lightens it.

Romantic name, feminine form of the ancient name Romanus or the modern Roman, that may rise again with the league of Rom-beginning names that also include Romy and Romilly. Romana's downside: Easy to confuse with the more familiar Ramona.

Eula is a slightly sweeter and more compact version of Eulalia. Currently, neither name is given to more than a handful of girls each year. Eula was fairly popular in the US during the early twentieth century, and she last ranked in the Top 1000 in 1960.

A contemporary sounding word name with an ancient history, widely used in the Roman Empire, and based on the mythic goddess of good luck and fertility.

Évodie is the French form of Evodia

This is a Greenlandic girls' name made famous when Princess Mary and Prince Frederik named their twin daughter Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda.