Strong Girl Names

Innocent, sincere, and bright-eyed, and as outdated as its mother name, Gertrude.

Many names relating to oak as in the tree are becoming more popular for baby girls, including Oaklynn, more popular than twin Oaklyn three to one. About 1800 baby girls were named Oaklynn versus 600 spelled Oaklyn.

Aza is an excellent Arabic choice: elegant and simple. Too simple for you? Consider Aziza.

If you want a pan-Scandinavian name with energy and style that could have been a winner, if not for the sound-alike water filtration company Brita.

Audrina is a name that owes its fame to overnight reality TV sensation Audrina Partridge, one of the original cast of the MTV reality series The Hills.

Ermentrude was the name of two medieval queens of France. Despite these distinguished beginnings, this antique name is unlikely to catch on with contemporary parents, perhaps because the first syllable may sound unattractive to the modern ear and the last two syllables are the equivalent of intrude. Then there's that rude final syllable. English variant Ermintrude is equally unlikely to find favor.

Mythological goddess of fertility whose name seems, ironically, among the least attractive.

Shakti is the female equivalent of the god Shiva in Hinduism. A sacred name sometimes used in a secular way.

If you have an aversion to Briella, you can shorten it even further to this.

Alcina is an operatic name, best-known as the name of the beautiful sorceress of the eponymous Handel opera drawn from the Orlando poems. Alcina and her sister Morgana live on an island where Alcina seduces every passing sailor but once their novelty wears off, changes them into plants, rocks, or animals. Alcina comes with modern-sounding short forms Alcie or Alsie, which feel more baby-ready now that names such as Elsie, Elsa, and Isla are becoming popular again.

With a meaning like "elf power," Alfreda could find some appeal among fantasy enthusiasts. "Freda" makes for a pleasant nickname.

An ancient saint's name belonging to an 8th century English missionary. Variants include Walpurga and Walpurgis.

This unique one-syllable name was added to the mix by Mariel Hemingway for her now grown model/actress daughter; it could make a distinctive middle name or Bree substitute.

Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.

Girlish for Ethan: attractive and unusual.

There are a surprising number of baby boys named Barrett each year in the US -- nearly 1800 -- along with 30 baby girls. Which is more than many people might guess.

Tetsu is a female name with an unusually strong and powerful meaning. It sounds spunky and cute too.

Hereswith is a rare name that comes to us from the dark ages. She was a Northumbrian saint, whose more famous sister, Hilda, was the Abbess at Whitby and patron of the first English poet, Caedmon. The name has a soft, lispy sound that is more wearable than its spelling would suggest.

Just a few years ago, Dustin, Dylan, and Daryl seemed like radical, edgy names for girls; now even Great-aunt Alberta wouldn't raise an eyebrow.