Accalia was the human foster-mother of twins Romulus and Remus.  Her name is even more obscure than theirs.

Accalia

This lovely name from Spenser's The Faerie Queene is borne by a character who represents married love. A related unusual-yet-usable choice: Amabel.

Amoret

Anahita is the name of the water goddess who rules, among other things, fertility and wisdom. Associated with Venue, Anahita is a stylish Iranian name for girls.
 
Anahita was derived from the Old Iranian elements an and āhita, meaning "not" and "dirty, unclean" respectively.

Anahita

Rarely heard outside of Wales, Arianwen is one of many pretty wen-ending names prominent in ancient Welsh legend.

Arianwen

We usually think of place-names as a modern invention, but in fact Arizona ranked on the US Top 1000 from its inception in 1880 until 1911, when it vanished below the surface. It peaked at Number 510 in 1882, before Arizona became a state. One notorious vintage bearer: criminal "Ma" Barker, born Arizona Clark.
This unusual and evocative southwestern place name was picked for his daughter by former Everclear frontman Art Alexakis. It popped up as a first name on the quirky Dr. Arizona Robbins, introduced on Grey's Anatomy in 2009, played by Jessica Capshaw.

Arizona

Gently appealing, a floral choice in Japanese.

Bara

Barra is a Gaelic-speaking island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, that’s been inhabited since the Neolithic era.  A male nickname for Finbarr in Ireland, as well as a stand-alone name, Barra was used by George R.R. Martin as a girl’s name. It means ‘fair-haired’.

Barra

Attractive translation of Beatrice, popular with Hispanic parents. Beatriz is currently a Top 10 girl name in Portugal.
 
The original Latin form of the name, Beatrix, was in early sources spelled Viatrix, meaning "voyager". They may have been two commonly-confused names, or the spelling could have been deliberately changed to resemble the Latin word beatus, "blessed". Either way, there is room for both meanings in this name's rich history.

Beatriz

Brynn outshines the original Welsh Bryn in the popularity stakes. This simple, brisk name might be seen as a combination of Bree and Lynn, an androgynous-sounding choice that especially in this spelling is not truly unisex: Brynn, for boys, is not even in the Top 1000.
 
Other variations trendy now include Brynna, Brynnan, and Brynnley spelled many different ways.

Brynn

Undiscovered name of picturesque northern French port. 

Calais

Cassiane, also spelled Kassiani or Kasiani, is an ancient Greek name best known as the name of a saint famous as a hymnographer. The Hymn of Cassiane, traditionally sung on Tuesday of Easter Week in the Greek Orthodox Church, is associated with fallen women. The 9th century saint Cassiane was supposed to be in love with the Emperor Theophilos, who rejected her when she proved to be more intelligent than he.
 
Virtually unknown in the U.S., Cassiane may well become more prominent along with the raft of similar names gaining new style currency, from the boys' names Cassian and Cassius to Cassia, Kasia and Keziah.

Cassiane

In Greek myth, Circe, daughter of Helios, the sun, was a sorceress living on the island of Aeaea, who could turn men into animals with her magic wand, which is just what she did to Odysseus's crew in Homer's Odyssey, transforming them into swine. All was forgiven, however, as Circe and Odysseus later had a child together&mdash;Telegonus.

The name and legend have appeared in countless forms, from a section of James Joyce's Ulysses to short stories by Julio Cortazar to Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon to films to DC comics to a dance by Martha Graham.

So is Circe's seductive legend too powerful for a modern little girl to carry? Your call.

Circe

This ancient feminine form is the kind of name your child will grow into...at least by her fiftieth birthday. 

Clemencia

Constantina is a pretty, feminissima, if lengthy, variation on the Constance theme.  The fourth century Constantina, also known as Constantia and Constantiana, was the eldest daughter of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximian. Constantina received the title of Augusta by her father, and is venerated as a saint; in English she is also known as Saint Constance.



Constantina

Coralia was the name of a dancing mermaid in a 19th century ballet.  As Cora -- which has another root and means maiden -- rises, so may elaborations and related names such as Coralie, Coraline, and Coralia.

Coralia

Corinne is one of the names that, it might surprise you to learn, has never been off the US popularity charts. Its most popular year was 1926, when it ranked Number 249. Corinna is another pretty ancient form of the name, technically a diminutive.

Corinne

Dariela may have a not-quite-authentic provenance, but it's a pretty name and an unusual choice in the girly Isabella-Gabriella group.

Dariela

Ebba, the feminine version of Eberhard and also a form of an old English name, is in the Swedish Top 10 but virtually unknown in the US. However, with the rise of Emma, Ella, Ada, and similar simple-yet-traditional names, Ebba may enjoy more widespread popularity. 

Ebba

Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image. 
 The name of two American First Ladies, Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, as well as that of several early English queens, Edith is one of the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon names. Widely used in nineteenth century novels, Edith was chosen by Louisa May Alcott for the heroine of her first novel The Inheritance, written when she was seventeen.
 Edith Wharton makes a fine literary namesake, with other noted bearers including poet Edith Sitwell, iconic Hollywood movie designer Edith Head, and for francophiles, there is the reference to Edith Piaf. With the rise of so many other E-starting names from Ella to Evelyn, and the adorable short form Edie, we predict that Edith will soon sound more like a cute toddler than a dated granny, especially with the Despicable Me character and the emergence of one of the most interesting characters on Downton Abbey, Lady Edith Crawley.

Edith

This Welsh nature name that can be pronounced exactly like the male Ira. Or, to avoid confusion, you could just name her Snow. 

Eira

Elara, a lover of Zeus who gave birth to a giant son (ouch); it's also the lovely name of one of the moons of Jupiter. 

Elara

Striking name of a legendary princess and a Welsh river that feels both moody and modern. 

Eleri

Eliette

This version softens, feminizes, and glamorizes the long-time favorite. A fresh way to honor Grandma Betty. Elizabetta is a variation.


Elisabetta

A rare name even among Basque speakers (fewer than 20 women in Spain are called Elixane), this beautiful name has drawn some attention via Elixane Lechemia, the French pro-tennis player. With its trendy "El" beginning, its connections to the perennial Elizabeth, and wonderfully soft "Sha" sound, Elixane is a name that could have potential in English-speaking countries once the X=sh pronunciation issue was overcome.

Elixane

Elzbieta

Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous parents intrigued by this richly evocative and romantic choice.
 Guinevere shares the attractive short form Gwyn with Gwyneth. Other cousin ideas: Gwendolen, Genevieve, Jenna, or Gwen.

Guinevere

An unusual Gwyn name with a lovely meaning, this compound name pairs Gwyn with the name Eira, meaning "snow". A relatively modern creation, it remains very rare.

Gwyneira

The pure, simple HONOR--as chosen by Jessica Alba, is perfect as it is. It does have some literary cred though--Henry James created a character called Honorine  for his novel The Tragic Muse.

Honorine

Ixora is a type of flowering plant which in tropical climates flower all year round. Ixora is important in Hindu worship. Ixora is also the name of an album by Florida-based band Copeland. 

Ixora

Jessamine, a charming name occasionally heard in England, is just beginning to be appreciated in the U.S. as a possible successor to all the Jess names of the past. It's also spelled Jessamyn, as in Quaker novelist Jessamyn West, author of Friendly Persuasion--who started life with Jessamyn as her middle name.
 Jessamine began to be used as a first name in Britain around 1900, along with other flower-related names. Yasmin and Yasmine are other Jasmine variations.
 This would make a great choice as a namesake honoring a Jessica.

Jessamine

The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
 Kaia's star has been floating upwards for the past few decades, along with Kai's. And it still has some distance to go, though we don't anticipate it making the Top 10.
 
Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, is now a supermodel in her own right.

Kaia

Keira is an attractive <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> that's gotten a huge boost from the meteoric rise of Keira Knightley. Original spelling Kiera, which relates more directly to the male Kieran, was the more popular form until the rise of Keira Knightley reversed the order. Both are Anglicized versions of the Irish Ciara.

Keira

This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides, originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in the League of Legends games. Luz is the Spanish version.

In the Aristophenes comedy, Lysistrata is the Athenian woman who organizes her fellow wives to end war in their country by denying their husbands sex until a peace treaty is signed.  Interesting thought, but rather unwieldy as a baby name.

Lysistrata

Mattia

Maud, lacy and mauve-tinted, was wildly popular a hundred years ago but has been rarely heard in the past fifty. Some stylish parents are starting to choose Maud again, especially as a middle. Maude is another spelling, associated with actress Maude Apatow.
 
As a British royal name, Maud was the daughter of the youngest daughter of King Edward VII and granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who went on to become Queen of Norway. As a lively young girl, she was given the boyish nickname of Harry.

Maud

Frenchified name rarely used in France. And perhaps even more rarely used in the US -- there were NO baby girls given the name on the official records of 2021.

Minette

Mirae

Popular name in Spain drawn from the Provencal Mireio, coined by the poet Frederic Mistral.  Very pretty and, though difficult to spell and pronounce, simpler than the French version.

Mireia

Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who falls in love with Finn's son Oisin and takes him to the Land of Promise, where they stayed for three hundred years. Niamh can be Anglicized as Neve, Nieve, or Neave.

Niamh is particularly popular choice in Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales. Niamh Cusack is part of the acting family that also includes Sinead (wife of Jeremy Irons), Sorcha and Padraig. Americans have recently become better acquainted with Niamh via the heroine of Christina Baker Kline's bestselling novel Orphan Train.
Here, the Anglicized Neve would undoubtedly prove simpler, if less intriguing. Actress Neve Campbell pronounces her name (a family name) "NEV", and Neve is the daughter of Conan O'Brien.

Niamh

If you're a lover of the beach and sea, and want a name that relates to the largest body of water, there are several variations you could consider.
 Oceana is the female form of Oceanus, the god of the sea (Oceanus was the name of the only child born during the Mayflower's historic voyage) and is the most feminine of the group.
 Oceane (oh-she-ANN) has been one of the chicest name in France for several years and is now rated Number 31.
 Word name Ocean takes it unisex; actor Forest Whitaker has a son called Ocean Alexander.

Oceana

Sanne is hugely popular in the Netherlands, but almost unknown here; which makes it an interesting prospect for the parent in search of an unusual name. Pronounced sah-na, Sanne is in keeping with the Dutch taste for nicknames plucked from the middle or end of a name vs. the beginning, such as Bas for Sebastien or Bram for Abram.


Sanne

Before the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan made her mark in the films Ladybird and The Lovely Bones, few of us had heard this name, let alone known how to pronounce it. But now it is slowly way edging its way into the mainstream, particularly, of course, with parents who have Irish roots. It made its first appearance in the US Top 1000 in 2016, when it was the third-fastest-rising girls' name.
 
Saoirse originated as a baby name in 1920s Ireland as an applied use of saoirse, the Gaelic word for "freedom." The name was first adopted during the Irish War of Independence, when the Irish Republican Army fought the British Army for the liberation of Ireland from British rule. In modern times, Saoirse, as well as a host of other <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/1051/gaelic-names">Gaelic names</a>, are being revived in Ireland, the UK, and the US.
 Another related name Is Sorcha, pronounced SURK-ha and meaning "radiance": in the film Willow, the character's name is spelled Sorsha – another way to pronounce it.

Saoirse

This is a rare and lovely form of Susannah commonly heard in Israel. Shoshana Shapiro — nicknamed Shosh — is the character played by Zosia Mamet on the hit HBO series Girls — a fact that could give the name an upward thrust.
 And there are other recent references. She's a noble figure in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglorious Basterds, and Shoshannah Stern was a character on the TV show Weeds.
 Shoshanna Lonstein is a designer, founder of the label Shoshanna.

Shoshana

Sidra is an uncommon name shared by a gulf off the coast of Libya. Popular in the Jewish community of North Africa, its Hebrew meaning refers to a weekly reading portion of the Torah. In Arabic, it's the name of a tree, which is an Islamic symbol of the upper limit of heaven.

Sidra

Taja

When actress Susan Ker Weld changed her name to Tuesday, she opened up a whole calendar of possibilities. This was decades before the arrival of Sunday Rose Urban.

Tuesday

When the Eddie Murphys named their fourth daughter Zola, it affirmed the up-and-coming status of the name, which has African roots, but also literary links to Emile Zola. 

Zola may also be recognizable to some as the adopted daughter of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd on the hit, long-running show Grey's Anatomy.

Zola

kkilgallon's list "Girls- Unlikely but Interesting" of 50 great name ideas: Accalia - Zola!