Stage Names

  1. Bettie
    • Cara
      • Origin:

        Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese
      • Meaning:

        "dear; friend; face"
      • Description:

        Cara is a simple, sweet, Italian endearment that enjoyed its greatest popularity from the 1970s through the 1990s, reaching a high of Number 189 in 1977. Despite the rising celebrity of English model/actress Cara Delevingne, who played Enchantress in Suicide Squad, Cara dropped off the Top 1000 in the US in 2020, perhaps because it sounds too close to the dreaded Karen.
    • Claudia
      • Origin:

        Feminine variation of Claude
      • Meaning:

        "lame; enclosure"
      • Description:

        Claudia is a classic name with ancient Roman roots. Never truly in or truly out, Claudia feels like a strong, modern choice that hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual..
    • Kara
      • Origin:

        Spelling variation of Cara or Norse mythology name
      • Meaning:

        "wild stormy one"
      • Description:

        Kara and the soundalike (though not necessarily related) Cara are among the most multi-cultural names around. Cara has roots in Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Kara can be viewed as simply as K-starting version of Cara.
    • Kira
      • Origin:

        Russian feminine variation of Cyrus
      • Meaning:

        "throne"
      • Description:

        Though such cognates of Kira as Keira, Kyra, and Ciara are increasingly popular throughout Europe and in the U.S., this Cyrus relative has a different root. As with all the many variations of this appealing name, there is often confusion around spelling and pronunciation -- does the first syllable rhyme with ear or eye?
    • Mara
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "bitter"
      • Description:

        Mara is the evocative ancient root of Mary, appearing in the Book of Ruth, in which Naomi, devastated after the death of her two sons, says "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara." It's one of the girl names starting with M that both fits in and stands out.
    • Margot
      • Origin:

        French, diminutive of Margaret
      • Meaning:

        "pearl"
      • Description:

        Margot is suddenly a star again. After a nearly-half century absence, it hopped back on the Top 1000 list in 2013 and is on the rise. The Margot spelling is now given to three times as many baby girls as the Margo one.
    • Marianne
      • Origin:

        French combination of Marie and Anne
      • Meaning:

        "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + grace"
      • Description:

        A midcentury Catholic classic that's not chosen by many parents today. Leonard Cohen fans might think of the beautiful song So Long, Marianne, named for his lover and muse Marianne Ihlen.
    • Matilda
      • Origin:

        German
      • Meaning:

        "battle-mighty"
      • Description:

        Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its rise, along with others of its class like Eloise and Caspian.
    • Mona
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "noble good"
      • Description:

        Mona had more than a moment in the sun, peaking in 1950 at Number 230 but falling off the Top 1000 completely in the late 1980s. Its similarity to the word "moaner" undercuts the appeal of its simplicity. In one recent year, fewer than 100 baby girls received the name, and we don't see it reviving any time soon.
    • Neva
      • Origin:

        Spanish
      • Meaning:

        "white snow"
      • Description:

        Has a pure, clean aura, but is also evocative.
    • Nico
      • Origin:

        Italian, diminutive of Nicola
      • Meaning:

        "people of victory"
      • Description:

        A much more dynamic nickname than Nicky for any of the Nic-names. Nico was chosen by Thandiwe Newton for her daughter.
    • Stella
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "star"
      • Description:

        Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina.
    • Vivian
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "life"
      • Description:

        Vivian, once an elderly lady name, is on the rise, along with all form of girl names that mean life -- from Zoe to Eva to those who share the vivid Viv syllable. It was one of the fastest-rising names of 2023, vaulting into the Top 100.