Neat N Names [girls]

Feels truncated, as though a first syllable was snapped off.

Has a pleasantly fizzy, effervescent feeling.

Noel, the French word for Christmas has been given to both boys and girls born on that holiday since the Middle Ages. For girls it's often spelled Noelle.

Nola, a name with a sleek, enigmatic quality, was used for the much-pursued heroine of Spike Lee's 1986 breakout film, She's Gotta Have It, and again by Woody Allen in Match Point. It's a short form of the traditional Irish name Fionnuala. Nola reentered the US Top 1000 in 2008, for the first time in 50 years.

Nora is a lovely, refined name that conjures up images of Belle Epoch ladies in fur-trimmed coats skating in Central Park. Long seen as a quintessentially Irish name though its roots are not in Ireland, Nora is a quietly stylish favorite that's tiptoed to the top of the popularity ladder.

An icy name with an operatic namesake in late 19th - early 20th century singer Lillian Allen Norton, better known by her stage name Nordica.

Nova has the feel of both newness, from its meaning, and great energy as an astronomical term for a star that increases suddenly in brightness before fading.

The menu of usable month names seems to expand every, well, month, with such choices as November, October, and January joining more established names like April, May, June and August. Logical November nicknames include Nova, Novi, or Ember, making this a natural (if adventurous) choice for a baby girl. November is also, obviously, one of the perfect names for November babies.

A vivacious Italian name; also a diminutive of Annunziata.

Nuria is popular in Spain and Portugal (top 50 in both countries) where it is deeply associated with the Virgin Mary.

Very rarely used, could provide a distinctive alternative to Lydia.

A fairly common Greek name that would fit in well here.

In Greek mythology, Nyx was a powerful goddess and the embodiment of the night, but when spoken, its negative meaning can't be ignored.