325+ Cool Girl Names
- Dakota
Origin:
Native American tribe and place name; SiouxMeaning:
"friendly one"Description:
A Native American tribe name which is found in the names of two US states, Dakota was one of the first trendy nineties place names, but is now flagging a little in popularity. The cultural question around using a Native American tribe name as a baby name may be partly to blame.
- Susannah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Susannah is by far the most stylish form of the classic name now that Susan and Suzanne have retired. Susannah has biblical and musical pedigrees, is impervious to trends, and has an irresistible, flowing rhythm. It can be spelled just as properly with or without the final 'h.'
- Hester
Origin:
Medieval variation of Esther, PersianMeaning:
"star"Description:
The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an eccentric aristocrat, much more accepted in the U.K. than she has been here.
- Temperance
Origin:
Virtue nameDescription:
Not too long ago, Temperance was found only on lists of Puritan baby names.
- Bailey
Origin:
Occupational nameMeaning:
"law enforcer, bailiff"Description:
Bailey -- a jaunty surname -- was first used for a female TV character in 1978 in the show WKRP in Cincinnaati, then caught on big time. Bailey's still an appealing choice, though, and a celebrity fave. Parents of daughters named Bailey include Scot Baio and Stella McCartney.
- Stevie
Origin:
Short form of Stephanie, GreekMeaning:
"garland, crown"Description:
Stevie survives as a short form of Stephanie thanks to the immortal Ms. Nicks. After a little more than a decade out of the limelight, she rejoined the US Top 1000 in 2014. It is now leading the trend of boyish nicknames for girls - standing alongside picks like Charlie and Scottie.
- Lilou
Origin:
Occitan pet form of French LilianeMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Lilou is a charming, rarely heard import. Occitan is a language spoken in Provence, in the south of France, in which the suffix "ou" denotes a pet form — thus, Lilou as a short form of Liliane or its Occitan form Liliana or Liliano. Its popularity in France--where it's currently Number 12--can be traced to the 1997 film The Fifth Element.
- Coraline
Origin:
Diminutive of Coralie and Caroline, EnglishMeaning:
"coral; man; army"Description:
Coraline may not be original to Neil Gaiman's wonderful book of the same name, but it might as well be. Gaiman's young heroine Coraline Jones is constantly called Caroline but as a name Coraline is more distinctive and has a more mysterious feel. The 2002 novel Coraline was made into a 2009 animated film voiced by Dakota Fanning and nominated for an Academy Award.
- Logan
Origin:
Scottish surnameMeaning:
"little hollow"Description:
Logan, with its appealing Scottish burr, is a very hot boys' name—it's in the national Top 10 and heading for Number 1 in some states—and can also make a rich and resonant choice for a girl. Jason and Jordan Mewes have a daughter named Logan Lee.
- Juni
Origin:
ScandinavianMeaning:
"June"Description:
Juni is the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish form of the month name June. While Juni feels cute and fresh, most Americans would assume it was a nickname or a Joni variation. We prefer Juna or the English June.
- Dylan
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"son of the sea"Description:
Boys' favorite retains more of its poetic, windswept quality when used for a girl, as Robin Wright and Sean Penn did. Alyssa Milano gave her daughter Elizabella Dylan as a middle name.
- Marguerite
Origin:
French variation of Margaret; also a flower nameMeaning:
"pearl; daisy"Description:
Marguerite is a classic French name with a remnant of old-fashioned Gallic charm; and is also a variety of daisy. Chic again in Paris, it's definitely ripe for revival here.
- August
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"majestic, venerable"Description:
Though associated traditionally (and fashionably) with boys, it has been used occasionally for girls as well – by Garth Brooks, Nicolas Cage, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, for example. But August is used significantly more often for girls these days than traditional feminine variations Augusta and Augustina, and makes for a fresh twist on traditional month names like April and May, as well as an updated spin on season name Autumn.
- Hayden
Origin:
English place nameMeaning:
"hay valley"Description:
A newly successful name for girls, which, like Brayden and Caden, used to be strictly for the boys. Young Heroes and now Nashville star Hayden Panettiere planted it in the girls' camp.
- Presley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"priest's meadow"Description:
Presley is a much more popular name for little girls than you might think, entering the charts as a girls' name in 1998 and hovering around Number 200 for the last decade.
- Vita
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"life"Description:
Vital and vivacious, Vita is stirring back to life along with many of her V-themed sisters -- Vivian, Vivica -- and is becoming a new celebrity baby favorite.
- Harley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"the long field"Description:
Once a macho biker name, Harley is now showing its softer side. In the UK, Harley is predominantly masculine, but it's currently more popular for girls than boys in the US.
- Pixie
Origin:
Swedish or CornishMeaning:
"fairy"Description:
Pixie is a cute -- quite possibly too cute -- name that suddenly feels possible thanks to the craze for names that contain the letter x. Though its origin may be uncertain, a pixie is internationally recognized as a sprite or fairy: tiny, sometimes green, usually pointy-eared.
- Carolina
Origin:
Variation of Caroline; also place-nameMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Romantic, and classy, this variation heats up Caroline and modernizes Carol, adding a southern accent. A popular choice in Portugal, Spain, Mexico, and Italy, it recently entered the US Top 500.
- Campbell
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"crooked mouth"Description:
This unisex name, the seventh most popular surname in Scotland, can make a more unusual Cameron alternative. It is represented on the girls' side by TV news correspondent Campbell Brown, for whom it was a family name, Brown was born Alma Dale Campbell, Alma Dale being her grandmother's name,and Campbell her mother's maiden name.