Stylish Girl Names That End in Consonants

One of the best known of the Irish girls' names, thanks to singer Sinead O'Connor. Though it's still in the Irish Top 100, it's no longer quite as fashionable in Ireland as Aoife or Aisling. But by now everyone in the Western World knows it's pronounced shin-aid and so would have no trouble fitting in on an American playground.

Simple and pretty and user-friendly, the Welsh Sian was used by U2's Dave "the Edge" Evans for his daughter. In Welsh, it is also spelled Siân.

This rarified Greek name -- in classical mythology Pallas Athena was the goddess of wisdom and the arts -- might appeal to literary-minded parents. Among the raft of stylish girl names that start with P, Pallas is one rare choice that is often overlooked....but shouldn't be.

Anais, the name forever attached to the daring French-born American novelist and diarist Anais Nin, is unusual and French enough without appending an e, though some may think it clarifies pronunciation.

Araluen is a beautiful Aboriginal Australian place name, used in several sites, always connected to the dainty water lily.

Lettice is still occasionally heard in upper-class British families, but we fear it would cause too much salad-green teasing to be considered in the U.S. Calling your little Lettice Lettie could help make the name more user-friendly, or go all the way to the original Letitia.

If you're looking for an unusual alternative to all those Rose names, Rhoswen might be a good choice. This name has the soft sounds we've come to love from the Welsh language but is still not as familiar as Bronwen and Rhiannon.

This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized tribute to an Aunt Melissa or Melanie.

A name with a surprising amount of history--it was the name of the wife of Ptolemy I of Egypt, occurs in the New Testament, and belonged to a fourth century saint. In the US, it has long been spelled and pronounced Bernice. Nicknames include Bernie, Berry, Binnie and Bunny.

Not a spunkier version of Merlin, Zerlin has roots in the Middle East, Spain and Eastern Europe and is thought to mean "beautiful dawn". The countries where this name is most heard are Israel, Romania and the US, though it has never made it into the Top 1000. Italian and Spanish variant Zerlina and the French Zerline were once popular in the theatre for pretty and clever female characters.

Sweet, modern descriptive name, but perhaps a little too cute for its own good.

Viridis is a medieval Italian name which is also the Latin word for green. This name is a beautiful option for parents looking for an unusual name that conveys freshness, youth, springtime and nature.

Montserrat is a Catalan name meaning ‘serrated mountain’. That may not be the most appealing meaning, but the exceptional beauty of the Montserrat mountain range near Barcelona, Spain might change your mind. Montserrat is, unsurprisingly, most common among the Spanish community.

Paz, currently represented by actresses Paz Vega and Paz de la Huerts, would make a sparkling middle name choice. It originated as a title of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Peace, and is one of the names that mean peace, derived from the Latin word "pax".

Madelief is an uncommon name but not unheard of in the Netherlands, where 123 girls were called Madelief in one recent year. With its soft sounds and similarities to all those "Madeleine" type names as well as names ending in "eef/eev" sounds (Aoife, Eve, Genevieve), Madelief has potential in English-speaking countries to be a fresh and pleasant change from Daisy, Margaret and Madeleine.

Charming French endearment, first used as a name by Goethe, that now makes an appealing choice -- though the proper feminine form is Mignonne. Note, though, that this is not actually used as a name in France, where Manon would be the closest choice.

An Anglicized form of Medb borrowed by both Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley for the of queen of the fairies. Perfect if you want something both adventurous and simple - though you could use it as a nickname for Mabel, Mirabel, Mabli, or Amabel too.

Instead of the usual French suspects -- Danielle, Isabelle, Gabrielle -- why not consider Fabienne, which is less common and just as pretty.

Sophisticated, stylish feminine form of Pascal especially appropriate for girls born around Easter or Passover.

Famously borne by the woman (born Bessie) for whom an English king sacrificed his throne, Wallis has the force of a masculine name with a distinctive spelling to set it apart from the boys. Anthony Edwards revived it for his daughter, and we're hearing some buzz about it on Nameberry.