Unique Girl Names: Uncommon, Unusual, Cool

There's a craze for royal names right now, including Royal itself, so c'mon down, Contessa, and join Prince, King, Duke, Royalty -- the whole blue-blooded gang. Bonus: Short form Tess or Tessa makes this an almost-ordinary name.

Selby, a rarely heard British surname, feels sleeker and more distinctive than Shelby. Todd Selby, known primarily by his last name, is a hip photographer of interiors.

The Czech word for the violet flower would make for a sweet and quirky nature name for a baby girl.

Rigby is a rather stiff British surname, which might call to mind the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or, from the recent past, Cathy Rigby, the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics competition. The problem with Rigby may be its similarity to the word "rigid."

The Spanish name Belén is a well-established girl name, but parents have been slower to use the English equivalent. It is beginning to come into wider use, along with other New Testament place names like Galilee and Nazareth.

Enyo is the Greek goddess of war, the female counterpart to the god Ares. Enyo's Roman equivalent in Bellona.

A sweet Hindi girls' name, a variation of Anokhi, that would wear well in the Western world.

A unisex Nahuatl name with a strong and stylish sound, but a meaning that some might find off-putting.

Rare and rhythmic.

A traditional female name in the Choctaw tradition.

Sua is a short and sweet name with many different origins, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Basque. It would make a fresh and offbeat honor name for a familial Sue.

Toni Morrison, the modern master of literary names, made this one famous as the title character of a novel. But things didn't work out so well for that Beloved.

Soft, sultry resonance.

Pleasingly quaint and dainty New Testament possibility; the nickname Dru modernizes it.

The attractive actress Vivica A. Fox has done a lot to add this version of the name into the mix.

Dimity is fairly common in Australia, but unheard of outside of it, which is surprising given its similarity to names like Amity, Verity, and Cassidy.

Long forgotten Old Testament name with modern potential.

An Ethiopian name that means "joy."

An appealing unisex Hawaiian name (more commonly used for boys) with a lovely meaning and vibrant sound. It derives from the words ke "the" and aloha "love". Keahloha is also a common Hawaiian surname.