Unusual Girl Names

An ancient tree that figures in literature from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and is believed to possess magical powers, Willow is a lovely name, as graceful as its inspiration.

Fresher, brisker and, yes, cooler than Summer or Autumn or Spring, Winter is now a full-fledged female choice, especially since Nicole Richie and Joel Madden used it for daughter Harlow's middle name, and Gretchen Mol picked it as her daughter's first, as did media mogul Sean Parker. Winter continues to be the preferred spelling and has risen in popularity significantly over the past few years.

Less month, more trendy, more times needing to spell it to people. This spelling variation entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013—and doesn't appear to be going anywhere any time soon.

A yellowish chemical compound that produces fluorescent dyes ranging from bright yellow to hot pink to flaming red -- but as a name sounds glaringly sci-fi.

The longer form of Xia is more rhythmic but also more problematic.

Yesenia is a Latinx favorite popularized by a character on a Spanish-language soap opera. Jessenia is another variation. The name is drawn from the name of a palm tree in South America, but Yesenia is also an Arabic name meaning flower, making it an excellent cross-cultural choice.

The dashing Zabel -- or its Frenchified variation Zabelle -- was the name of a 13th century ruling queen of Armenia. In this modern era ruled again by the name Isabella and Isabel, Zabel provides a fresh and lively spin.

Zabelle and Zabel are fresh (to us) and ancient forms of Isabel, making zippy variations for modern lovers of that ancient name who feel the original is overexposed.

When aspiring British writer Sadie Smith decided to change her name to the more distinctive and zippy Zadie at the age of fourteen, this attention-magnet name was born. But though it might sound like a modern initial-switch, Zadie was actually Number 539 in 1881, remaining in the Top 1000 for almost thirty years.

Has an evocative feel, unusual to the Western ear without being identified with any particular culture.

This name of a daughter of Zeus has an intriguing air of antiquity.

Zerynthia is one of the alternate names of Hecate, deriving from one of the caves in which she appeared. Zerynthia is also the name of a set of strikingly-coloured Spanish butterflies. This is one name that deserves more attention.

Name of the imaginary Queen of Ix created by L. Frank Baum for one of his Oz books.

Modern Irish form of the mythological name Étaín.