Doll names

Actress Leelee Sobieski's real name is Liliane, after her French grandmother -- a better choice for any baby-namer.

Leena is the form of Lena found in Finland and Estonia. It sits just outside the Top 1000 in the US, where it may be used as a Lena alternative that avoids pronunciation confusion.

This pretty, succinct Arabic name is also commonly used as a nickname for names like Carolina.

Lisette, also spelled Lizette, is a dainty,, if somewhat dated, Gallic offshoot of Elizabeth. It reached its U.S. peak of popularity in 1999, then fell off the list in 2001.

The lovely sound and image of the French river and lush valley would make this a most distinctive and captivating choice. Pronunciation: low-ahr.

A peppy nickname name associated with Lolo (born Lori) Jones, American track and field champ.

Lyra is a name with ancient and celestial roots that's finding new popularity thanks to its starring role in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, seen in the movie The Golden Compass. Simple yet unique, Lyra hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual.

This pretty sea-born name was used to dramatic effect by Shakespeare in his play Pericles for the virtuous princess who says she is "Call'd Marina, for I was born at sea."

Though it's close to the German and French form of Matthew, Mathis, this name of the great artist can work as well for girls.

Meadow's upward popularity trajectory certainly suggests that the name has transcended its connection to The Sopranos.. In the US, more than 750 baby girls were named Meadow last year, a number we expect to keep rising.

Originally used as a diminutive of Marguerite, this French term of endearment is super-rare as a given name in France, but could make for a sweet alternative to Mia in English-speaking countries. A variation is Mietta.

Milou and her near-identical twin Malou are adorable names popular throughout Europe; they're contractions of Marie or Mary and Lou or Louise. The Malou spelling will probably be easier for English speakers to pronounce; Milou may be conflated with Milo.

Most famous as a Dracula victim (where Mina is short for Wilhelmina), Mina is a name that can stand on its own or be a diminutive of any name ending in -mina, most usually Wilhelmina.

Pretty name that may pose pronunciation problems -- it's meer-AY -- but is well worth the effort.

A new favorite of the bohemian set, brought to light by actress Monet Mazur, daughter of the artist who designed the Rolling Stones' mouth logo.

Variant spelling of Nyx, the name of the Greek goddess of the night. It also coincides with the English word "nix, a corruption of German nichts "nothing".