classic and unusual character names for Women

A coffee filter.

This name — also seen as Mellonia — belonged to the Roman goddess of bees and bee-keeping, said to encourage the supply of honey.

Sixties-style nickname which is also the name of a small biting insect, particularly prevalent in Scotland.

This girls' name, largely unknown in the English-speaking world, is popular among Muslim parents especially in Pakistan.

Mirabel is one of those names that's not on the Top 1000 but ought to be, and undoubtedly will be soon following the release of Disney's 2021 Encanto. Mirabel is the film's quirky and highly relatable heroine. Mirabel had a significant rise in 2022, going from 34 births in 2021 to 153 births in 2022. Read more about Mirabel and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

If you're looking for a fresher belle name than Isabelle, Mirabelle is lovely, and we also like the extra flourish of Mirabella. And if you want a nature tie, Mirabelle is also the name of a delicate French plum.

Miranda, a shimmeringly lovely, poetic name that was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful and admirable young heroine of his play, The Tempest, is still a recommended choice even though its popularity peaked in the 1990's, partially as an antidote to Amanda. But while Amanda now sounds dated, Miranda retains a good measure of its charm.

The original oddball celebrity baby name, via Frank Zappa's daughter Moon Unit, who claims she's always liked it.

Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard in the British series Doc Martin and Poldark. Morwenna Banks is a British actress.

Intriguing Old Welsh name being revived there, but would have major pronunciation problems here.

Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top.