Cool and Unusual Ladies

In the past few years Ellery has gone from middle-aged male detective -- from old school fictional hero Ellery Queen -- to a plausible girls' name, a la Hillary.

Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the middle names for his fourth child, a baby girl.

Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double Ls.

Fionnula is one of many spelling variations of this lovely Irish name for girls, underused in the US: Only 10 baby girls were given the name in 2016. Other variations include Fionnuala and Fenella. Fionnula was a legendary princess who was turned into a swan via a curse by her stepmother Aoife.

We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake.

Usually seen as a masculine name (deriving from both Welsh and Arabic), in its feminine usage it is from the Welsh alone. Idris has been used as a feminine name twice in popular culture: first by Mary Shelley in her post-apocalyptic novel "The Last Man" and also in cult British TV show, Dr Who, where Idris is the female personification of the TARDIS. A real-life Canadian woman named Idris Hall changed her name to the evocative Aloha Wanderwell and became "The World's Most Well Travelled Girl".

Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that should be ripe for rediscovery.

A short and sweet Hindi name which has been relatively popular in the UK – peaking at #280 there in 2003.

Kirrily, which rhymes with cheerily, is a name that's uniquely popular in Australia. It originated in recent decades as an elaboration of several similar names – the European Kyra or Keira, the Maori Kiri which means tree bark, or the Aboriginal word kira which means leaf – plus the lee sound. Both Aboriginal actress Kirrily Nolan and Australian fashion designer Kirrily Johnston have helped popularize the name, which has spawned a countless number of spelling variations. Kirrily is one of the unique baby names to watch.

Upside: it has an interesting ancient look and feel, related to the Roman family name Laelius of uncertain meaning. There is also a type of orchid called the Laelia. Downside: possible confusion with all those Laylas, Lailas, etc. out there.

Sweet but sleek, and distinctive, Liesl is an old German nickname-name for Elisabeth. It might have once seemed inextricably tied to to its country of origin, but now, like Elsa, Enzo, Saoirse, Freya, Soren, and Heidi, it leans more towards being international and European chic.