Mix and match favorites

Florence is back, returning to the US Top 1000 girl names in 2017 after a nearly 40 year absence. Other English-speaking countries have been quicker to welcome Florence back into fashion.

Florentine is an unusual member of a group of names destined for great popularity for girls. Its primary members are Flora and Florence, but rarer choices such as Flory and Fleur and Florentine are sure to flower in the years ahead.

Lacks the cachet of some newer place-names.

Frost is a name parents are beginning to warm to, appreciating its icy simplicity and connection with the venerable poet Robert. Frost, along with Winter, Snow, and January, are also perfect names for winter babies.

Tanya with a G.

More uncommon and powerful than garden varieties like Rose and Lily. Named for Scottish botanist Dr Alexander Garden.

Has a musty 1940s feel. Try Georgia -- or Georgiana.

Spacey.

This Danish diminutive of Elizabeth could be a sweet, less-Frozen alternative to Elsa.

Hemera was the personification of day and one of the Greek primordial deities. She is the goddess of the daytime and,said to be the daughter of Erebus and Nyx (the goddess of night).

She was queen of the Greek gods, both sister and wife to Zeus, but the name of her Roman counterpart Juno has become much more fashionable these days. That said, we think Hera has possibilities today too, as so many ancient goddess names rise to prominence.

Hestia is the name of the Greek goddess of the hearth, home and chastity. Though Hestia has been long dormant as a name, it's a possibility for the parent in search of a classic name with deep roots that's also unusual. It's one of the Greek goddess namesthat's both familiar and distinctive.

Hillary is a lovely name that, for the moment at least, is tightly bound to an individual with a strong image: Hillary Clinton. Whatever your feelings about Mrs. Clinton, her fame now dominates the name, making it feel less baby-ready than it deserves to be. Hillary as a name has so much going for it: the popular, rhythmic three-syllable structure, the fact that it's strong but light, proper but jaunty, with an irresistible meaning -- having the same root as hilarious. The Italian Ilaria may be one way to make the name fresh.

Hypatia, an ancient Greek name, has a distinguished namesake: Hypatia of Alexandria was an early philosopher and scholar of mathematics and astronomy--as well as inventor of several scientific instruments.

Hilary may feel too connected to a single personality, but this version offers a fresh and interesting alternative.

Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from plants native to India, is particularly striking for both girls and boys. Indigo is the name of a character in the Ntozake Shange novel Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and was used for his daughter by Lou Diamond Phillips.

This name of a small island off the coast of Scotland is trending upwards along with other I names.

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan.

Iris has so much going for it. It's a fashionable flower name. It's a mythological name, from the Greek goddess of the rainbow. And it's a classic name, always ranking in the girls' Top 1000 but now at its highest point ever.