Word Names for Girls
- Laurel
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"laurel tree"Description:
Laurel takes Laura back to its meaning in nature, resulting in a gentle, botanical option. Even more directly than Laura, Laurel relates back to the laurel wreath signifying success and peace in ancient Greece and Rome.
- Lavender
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"purple flower"Description:
Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold.
- Lazuli
Origin:
Persian place nameDescription:
Now deeply associated with the gemstone Lapis Lazuli, Lazuli is derived from one of the places where the stone was first mined. The word Lazuli is the root for words like azure. Lapis Lazuli is a deep and rich blue color and was used for pigments and jewellery.
- Leaf
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
Leaf is a hippieish choice that, for girls, still retains an evergreen quality.
- Lemon
Origin:
American fruit nameDescription:
Lemon is one of the more unique names related to fruit, compared with sisters Clementine and Apple. That may be because lemon is also a word that's slang for a clunker, something that doesn't work very well. No baby wants to feel like a Lemon, so this is one of those unusual names that is best avoided.
- Lilac
Origin:
English, from PersianMeaning:
"bluish or lilac"Description:
Could Lilac be the next Lila or Lily or Violet? It certainly has a lot going for it--those lilting double 'l's, the fabulous fragrance it exudes, and the fact that it's a color name as well, providing a ready made nursery theme. In addition, the lilac is symbolic of first love.
- London
Origin:
English place-nameDescription:
The capital of the United Kingdom makes a solid and attractive twenty-first-century choice, with a lot more substance than Paris. It's in the unisex column, with both girls and boys given the name in recent years.
- Lotus
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"lotus flower"Description:
Lotus is one of the most languorous of the flower names, with intriguing significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, symbolizing purity, grace and spiritual growth — not to mention a familiar yoga position.
- Love
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"love"Description:
Love makes an endearing middle name, as in Jennifer Love Hewitt. However, more parents are considering Love as a first name — enough for it to enter the charts for the first time in 2022 as one of the fastest-rising names of the year. Other love-related alternatives include Juliet, Valentina, and Amor.
- Lyre
- Lyric
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"lyre"Description:
A musical name with Greek roots, appealing to parents who like such other names as Harmony, Melody, and Cadence.
- Lime
- Magenta
Origin:
Color nameDescription:
Magenta is a vivid Crayola color name, that could make a vivid, colorful choice. It was named in 1859 after the Napoleonic Battle of Magenta, a town in Northern Italy.
- Magnolia
Origin:
Flower name, from French surnameMeaning:
"Magnol's flower"Description:
Magnolia, a sweet-smelling Southern belle of a name made famous via the iconic Edna Ferber novel and musical Showboat, is one of the latest wave of botanical names, along with unexpected blossoms Azalea and Zinnia. It is named for French botanist Pierre Magnol.
- Mahogany
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"rich, strong"Description:
Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.
- Maple
Origin:
English tree name from LatinMeaning:
"piece of cloth"Description:
If Apple and Juniper, Oak and Pine can be baby names, why not Maple? Why not indeed. We've heard Maple starting to be used quietly, but with its lush sound and attractive image, we predict its use as a first name will grow — and its choice by the Jason Batemans — who combined it with the sweet middle name Sylvie — will only accelerate that growth.
- Margarita
Origin:
Spanish, Russian, GreekMeaning:
"pearl, daisy"Description:
Margarita is an international form of Margaret that shares its meaning of "pearl", but also directly translates to "daisy" in Spanish and Greek. Despite being widely associated with the alcoholic beverage in English, it has a long history of use in Spanish, Greek and several Slavic languages — most notably being the name of the heroine of Mikhail Bulgakov's 1966 novel Master and Margarita. It currently ranks in the Top 30 girl names in Russia.
- Marguerite
Origin:
French variation of Margaret; also a flower nameMeaning:
"pearl; daisy"Description:
Marguerite is a classic French name with a remnant of old-fashioned Gallic charm; and is also a variety of daisy. Chic again in Paris, it's definitely ripe for revival here.
- Marigold
Origin:
Flower name, from EnglishMeaning:
"golden flower"Description:
Marigold, once found almost exclusively in English novels and aristocratic nurseries, is beginning to be talked about and considered here. It has a sweet, sunny, quirky feel. The marigold was the symbol of the Virgin Mary.
- Marvel
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century, when Marva was also in style.