for my future daughter

  1. Briar rose
    • Origin:

      Literary name
    • Description:

      We give Briar Rose its own page thanks to the down-to-earth name of Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen named their newborn daughter Briar Rose, but we like Briar and Rose better when used separately. Read more about Briar Rose and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
  2. Bridget
    • Origin:

      Anglicized variation of Gaelic Brighid
    • Meaning:

      "strength or exalted one"
    • Description:

      Bridget is the Anglicized form of Brigid, an Irish-Gaelic name that was derived from the word brígh, which means "strength."
  3. Briella
    • Origin:

      Short form of Gabriella
    • Meaning:

      "God is my strength"
    • Description:

      If you feel, as many parents do, that Gabby or Gabi is too harsh a short form for the mellifluous name Gabriella, try Brie, Brielle, or Briella.
  4. Brienna
    • Origin:

      American, invented name
    • Description:

      An amalgam of Brianna and Sienna that doesn't quite work.
  5. Bronwen
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white breast"
    • Description:

      Bronwen is widespread in Wales, but still rare enough here to sound somewhat international — we think Bronwen is a real winner. (Note: the Bronwyn spelling is an Anglicization, since the -wyn ending is masculine in Welsh).
  6. Bronwyn
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white breast"
    • Description:

      One of the loveliest of the Welsh names, striking the perfect balance between being familiar and unusual. In Wales, the female spelling is always Bronwen, but Americans usually see a "y" as adding femininity.
  7. Brooklyn
    • Origin:

      Place-name from Dutch
    • Meaning:

      "marshland"
    • Description:

      Extreme makeover: Brooklyn has gone from jokey Borough Boy name in the 1990s to a leading girls' name starting with B. The status of New York's Brooklyn as hipster heaven is ironic as few bona fide Brooklyn hipsters would choose this name.
  8. Brunhilda
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "armed for battle"
    • Description:

      Variant of Brunhild, still clad in heavy armor. Though the heroine Brunhilda of Quentin Tarantino's recent film Django Unchained may have given this version of the name new appeal.
  9. Bunny
    • Origin:

      Nickname deriving from a variety of B names
    • Description:

      Bunny may be adorable, but is it really enough of a name for your daughter? Plus if Buffy is fluffy, what would that make Bunny? Still, Bunny as a baby name is in the spotlight since Bryan Adams named his little girl Mirabella Bunny.
  10. Basiana
    • Bellatrice
      • Bellona
        • Belphoebe
          • Bia
            • Brienne
              • Brontë
                • Cadence
                  • Origin:

                    Latin
                  • Meaning:

                    "rhythm, beat"
                  • Description:

                    The musical word name Cadence, seemed to come out of nowhere to zoom up the charts; it rose over 700 spots between 2002 and 2004, and showed up in the Top 200 in 2007. It's gone down in the popular names list since then, though. Some might see it as a feminine relative of the popular Caden. Kadence and Kaydence are also rising.
                • Caia
                  • Origin:

                    Latin, feminine variation of Caius
                  • Meaning:

                    "to rejoice"
                  • Description:

                    Caia Caecilia was the Roman Goddess of fire and women. The name Caia would make a truly fresh alternative to the flagging Maya, with which it rhymes.
                • Cala
                  • Origin:

                    Arabic
                  • Meaning:

                    "castle, fortess"
                  • Description:

                    Extremely simple and extremely distinctive -- a winning combination. Sound-alike Calla is a Greek (and botanical) name that means beautiful.
                • Calista
                  • Origin:

                    Greek
                  • Meaning:

                    "most beautiful"
                  • Description:

                    Spelled with either one 'l' or two, Calista came to the fore in 1997 when Calista Flockhart hit it big as Ally McBeal. Flockhart, who bears her mother's middle name, didn't just introduce a name, she introduced a whole sensibility. Pretty and delicate, Calista is definitely worthy of consideration, especially for parents with Greek roots.