leafsgirl44's list of names

Yet another spin on the megapopular Adeline names. About 1000 baby girls were named Adeline in the US last year, and fewer than five named Addilyn, which is a good thing.

Variation of the very trendy Addison, perhaps lending itself more obviously to the nickname Addy.

A modern English variant of the Arabic name Aaliyah, Alayah was likely inspired by the names Amaia, Amaya and Alannah. It could also be an alternative spelling of the Basque name, Alaia, which means "joyful", and it coincides with Alaya, a type of consciousness in Buddhism.

Alexis, a one-time exclusively-boys’ name, was more popular than its sister Alexandra for quite a while, but in recent years Alexandra has overtaken it once again. Alexis was a Top 20 girls’ name from 1994-2010 but has experienced a decline in popularity in recent years, though now it's one of the top unisex names.

While Alivia may not have achieved the megapopularity of its mother name, it's still a widely used choice. Alivia combines the trendiness of A names with the trendiness of Olivia to create a choice that's slightly off the beaten track -- slightly being the operative word here. Is the distinction the initial A earns you worth a lifetime of explaining, "No, it's Alivia, with an A, not Olivia"? Your call, though ours would be no.

Powerful and pretty, Aliyah is popular a name with two different origins.

Well-used spelling of Amara, particularly among those using the Arabic variation of the name.

The name of nine minor male biblical characters, this could easily make a gender switch as a singular substitution for the popular Mariah. It has also spawned the popular gender-neutral name Amaris, used for 300 baby girls and 100 baby boys last year, along with spelling variation Amarys.

The feminine form of Amir, a soft and regal baby name popular in the Muslim community.

While this name is a phonetic variant of Amaya and Amaia, its popularity could also stem from its similarity to names such as Aliyah, Amelia, and Amara too. It entered the US Top 1000 back in 2003, peaked in 2017 at #257, but has been on decline in recent years. Nevertheless, it is one of four variations of Amaia in the Top 1000 and when you combine these names together, they were collectively given to 3256 babies in a recent year, making the name *feel* or at least *sound* like a Top 100 choice, similarly popular to Ruby, Claire, Audrey, or Alice.

Aniyah is a cross-cultural choice with a modern sound and classic roots. Currently in the Top 1000 in both the US and the UK, it has two different origins.

Ariyah jumped into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, probably because some American parents see it as a creative spelling of the popular Aria or Arya. But it's also an authentic Hebrew name in its own right, a feminine form of the Biblical Aryeh, heard in modern Israel..

Aubree and its big sister name Aubrey are both very widely used names, and if taken together would be among the most popular girl names. The Aubree spelling came into the limelight on the show Teen Mom 2.

Spelling variation of Ava, perhaps influenced by the biblical-style, ends-in-H names currently trending: Delilah, Alayah, Aniyah, et al. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2008 where it remained for 14 years, peaking in 2018 when it was given to nearly 680 girls. Now in decline, it was given to around 230 girls in 2023.

Aviana is a name that's kinda like the megapopular Ava, and kinda like the popular Ariana, and not quite as widely appealing as either of them. But it's on everyone's scope now as the choice of actress Amy Adams for her new daughter -- ironic as she was quoted as saying she wanted a "normal" name. Turns out that Adams was born in Aviano, Italy, explaining the mystery. The first syllable of the name can be pronounced ah, ay, or (most commonly) to rhyme with have.

The -lee ending feminizes Bentley, although the really girly version is Bentleigh.

Blakely, along with Blakeley, Blakelee and Blakeleigh, is one of the post-Ashley surname names that end with the lee sound so stylish today. Reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter named their daughter Blakesley. These surname-names are among the most stylish English names for girls.

Though it sounds so modern, Brielle is, among other things, a traditional Cajun contraction of Gabrielle, but it has now spread far beyond that community. Brielle is also the name of a historic seaport in the western Netherlands.