Alice is a classic literary name that's both strong and sweet, ranking in the US Top 100 and popular throughout the western world. Alice is derived from the Old French name Aalis, a diminutive of Adelais that itself came from the Germanic name Adalhaidis, which is composed of the Proto-Germanic elements aþala, meaning "noble," and haidu, "kind, appearance, type." 
 Alice is quite distinct among traditional <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a>—more feminine and dainty than Mary and Helen, more substantive than Ann or Jane, yet with more lightness and innocent charm than Margaret or Katharine. 
 
Alice has been riding a fresh wave of popularity, not only in the US and other English-speaking countries but in places as diverse as Italy, France, Brazil, and Sweden. That makes Alice a remarkably international choice.
 Alice is a darling of literature, from the immortal heroine in Alice in Wonderland to an unusual number of fine modern writers like Alices Munro, Walker, Sebold, Hoffman, McDermott, Adams, and Elliott Dark. In other fields, there were First Daughter Alice Roosevelt, painter Alice Neel, food innovator Alice Waters, and literary figure Alice B. Toklas, to name a few.
 As a British royal, Alice was Queen Victoria's second daughter, the princess who shocked her Victorian mother by breastfeeding her baby. More recently, Tina Fey helped popularize the name when she chose it for her daughter.

Alice

Amelia is one of the hottest <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' names</a>, a successor to the megapopular Emma and Emily. Amelia, which spent several years at Number 1 in England, is now comfortably ensconced in the US Top 10.
 
Now the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girl name starting with A</a>, Amelia is also a Top 10 girls' name in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland. So while Emilia and Emelia are sound-alike names, it's the Amelia version that's on the fast track. 
 
Amelia is derived from the German name Amalia, which in turn is a variation of Amalberga. The root, amal, is a Germanic word meaning "work," and in the context of female given names suggests themes of fertility as well as productivity. Aemilia, the name from which Emily is derived, is unrelated to Amelia.
 
Kids might associate Amelia with the wacky children's book character Amelia Bedelia, while adults could appreciate it as the eponymous heroine of the Henry Fielding novel. Amelia also appears in novels by Trollope and Thackeray, as a Harry Potter name, and as detective Amelia Peabody in the Elizabeth Peters series. Angelina Jolie played patrol cop Amelia Donaghy in The Bone Collector.
 
Amelia became a British royal name via the daughters of Kings George II and III. American heroes who have inspired a new generation of namesakes are aviatrix Amelia Earhart and feminist Amelia Bloomer.
 
Trivia tidbit: Amelia is the birth name of Minnie Driver.

Amelia

Anna has become the dominant form of the Ann family, offering a touch of the international to English speakers and a bit more style than the oversimplified Ann or Anne.
 Anna is the Latin form of Hannah, a Hebrew name that derived from root chanan, meaning "grace." European Christians embraced the name for its associations with the Virgin Mary’s mother, Saint Anna — known in English as Saint Anne.
Anna has been used for generations throughout Europe, from Russia to Italy, Spain to The Netherlands. While Hannah and Anna are the most common forms of the name, variations including Annie, Annalise, Anya, Anika, Nancy, and Anais also rank in the US Top 1000.
 
Classic and simple, Anna would be an excellent choice for parents in search of a name that will bridge two different cultures, say Jewish and Italian.
 
In literature, Anna is associated with Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The name was given some fresh life when it was used for the adorable younger sister voiced by Kristen Bell in the animated film Frozen. Three current bearers are actresses Anna Kendrick, Anna Friel, and Anna Paquin.
 
Anya takes it more into international territory, and Anja, even further. Read more about Anna and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Anna

This is a charming name that rose steeply along with other-belle names, such as Isabelle, until the horror film Annabelle and its sequels knocked it out of favor. Made famous by the Edgar Allen Poe poem Annabel Lee. Annabelle is saucy and stylish, a tad upscale, has a sense of humor, is melodious and lively, but is unfortunately off its peak.
 Annabelle was well used in the early twentieth century, took a long rest, then resurfaced in 1995.

Annabelle

Ava is one of the prime examples of a modern classic name, rising thought the course of a generation into the Top 10, where it has lingered for nearly 20 years.
 
In medieval times, Ava was a diminutive of Germanic names beginning in Av-, in particular Aveline, from which the name Evelyn would eventually arise. It may derive from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "island" or "water". However, the medieval name eventually fell out of use entirely, only to resurface in contemporary times. 
 
This suggests that today’s Ava may be a modern variation of Eva. Alternatively, Ava could also derive from the Latin avis, meaning "bird." Ava has separate Persian roots as a name meaning "voice" or "sound."
 
Ava was given a huge popularity boost—Ava's currently among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names/nameberry/girls">top girl names</a> and the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girls' name starting with A</a>—when dozens of high-profile stars such as Reese Witherspoon and Hugh Jackman chose Ava for their daughters. Another reason for its appeal: It's one of the elite group of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/607/girl-names-that-mean-life">girl names that mean life</a>. This Glamour Girl name via Hollywood beauty Ava Gardner is attractive but epidemically popular! 
 
Some parents who love Ava's simplicity and style have looked on to other choices that might take her place: Eva, Avery, Ada, Aveline and so on. The result, as with other popular names such as Hailey and Aiden that have spawned a raft of imitators, is that Ava is beginning to feel even more ubiquitous than it might otherwise based on its Top 5 standing. 
 
Ava seemed to be headed towards Number 1—it's no accident we titled one of our books on baby name style Beyond Ava & Aiden—but, though it seems to have been somewhat side-swiped by the Olivia-Isabella-Sophia group, it will still certainly stay in the Top 10 for years to come. It's a lovely name on many levels, but if you want something that will stand out, keep looking. 
 
One of the most fascinating things about Ava is that it's a much more ancient name than its modern-feeling sleekness would suggest. St. Ava was the daughter of King Pepin and was cured of blindness and became a nun. 
 
While Ava Gardner represents the Golden Age of Hollywood image of the name, director Ava DuVernay updates it to new Hollywood, together showcasing the name's attractive mix of glamor and strength.

Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in different spellings and forms, from John Travolta and Kelly Preston's Ella Bleu to Alicia Silverstone's Bear Blu. Dave 'The Edge' Evans named his daughter Blue Angel back in 1989.
 Blue is the heroine of the trendy Marisha Pessl novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

Blue

Frances, a soft and gentle classic last popular a hundred years ago, is trending again. The cool nickname Frankie is one reason for the revival of Frances, adding lightness and sass to a serious name.
Frances is the feminine form of Francis, the English variation of the Latin name Franciscus. Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman," was taken from the Germanic tribe the Franks, which got its name from the francisca, the axe they used in battle. Until the seventeenth century, the spellings Frances and Francis were used interchangeably for both sexes.
 
More recently, Frances started receiving new attention when it was chosen in the early 90s by Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love for their only child. It's been by such stylish parents as Jimmy Fallon and Amanda Peet (who nicknamed her daughter Frankie).
 
Frances was a favorite of the Tudor aristocracy after being given to Henry VII's granddaughter. St. Frances (Mother) Cabrini was the first American citizen to be canonized.
 
Some of the best known pop culture bearers of the name were known by diminutives—the Franny of J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Frankie in A Member of the Wedding, Baby in Dirty Dancing, and Gidget in Gidget. Traditional nickname Fran feels a bit bland and Fanny, though possessing some eighteenth century charm, is unusable in Britain and Australia where it is slang for female genitalia.
 Frances is the endearing badger in the childhood favorite Bedtime for Frances and other Frances books.
 Among well known bearers are Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor in the Roosevelt era; actresses McDormand, Dee, Farmer, and Fisher; journalist Fitzgerald; and writers Burney and Hodgson Burnett.
 Frances was the abandoned first name of Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, and Dale Evans.
 Some attractive foreign versions are the increasingly popular Francesca, Francoise, Franca, Fanya, and Francine.
 Frances began trending upward before Pope Francis was named in 2013, but that helped propel it up further than this somewhat sedate classic name might have gone on its own.

Frances

Grace, a simple and pure virtue name which originally referred to divine grace, is a fashionable classic. In the early 2000s, it seemed headed for the Top 10 but pulled back from the upward trajectory, which you may consider a very good thing.

Grace is one of the most luminous of names, recalling the cool elegance of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. Embraced by Americans of the Victorian era, it was the eleventh most popular name in this country in 1875 and has always ranked among the Top 1000 girl names.

Currently, Grace is the Number 1 girls’ name in Ireland, and ranks highly in other English-speaking countries. In the US, it’s one of the most popular one-syllable middle names for girls.
 
Grace is derived from gratia, the Latin word for "grace." It existed as Gracia in the Middle Ages but was not in common use until the Puritans adopted it along with other Christian attribute names in the sixteenth century. It was used as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/373/virtue-names">virtue name</a>, in reference to divine grace — the love and kindness of God.
 
If Grace is too overused for you, consider an international variation like Engracia or Graziella. Some parents have even migrated into the gender neutral camp in search of Grace equivalents such as Gray or Grayson or even Gracelyn. Choosing the nickname Gracie for the birth certificate is a popular option.

Grace

Helena is one of those classic names that just misses making the US Top 1000 girl names for its entire history, falling off for a single year in 1992. Since then it's been drifting lazily up the charts, and makes a perfect choice if you want a name that both fits in and stands out.
An airier and more elegant version of Helen, Helena was a favorite of Shakespeare, who used it in both All's Well That Ends Well and A Midsummer's Night Dream. 

Historically, Helena was the mother of Constantine the Great (and, supposedly, the daughter of Old King Cole), who became a fourth century saint--Evelyn Waugh wrote his only historical novel, Helena, based on her story.
 British star Helena Bonham Carter and Danish model Helena Christensen have done much to keep the name alive, and it is also remembered via beauty mogul Helena Rubinstein. Helena is also the title of a song by the group My Chemical Romance.
 Helena is a recommended <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a> for those who find the classic version a bit bland.
 HELL-ehn-a is the best modern pronunciation for Helena, but hell-AYN-a or even hell-EEN-a work too.

Helena

Isla is a hit name throughout the English-speaking world but hasn't found the same popularity in other western countries, perhaps because its spelling and pronunciation don't make sense for those whose native language is not English. Think island without the final two letters.

Adding to the confusion, the name is a twin of the Spanish word for island, which is pronounced EES-la. Isla is part of a trend for simple, old-fashioned <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> that start and end with a vowel: Ava, Ada, Ella, Emma, Eva, Ida, Ivy. 
 
Red-haired actress Isla Fisher, married to Sacha Baron Cohen, propelled the name to stardom. Isla Black Hitchens is a Harry Potter character; Queen Elizabeth has a great-granddaughter named Isla Elizabeth Phillips. 
Some other similar names that are not as trendy as Isla: Islay and Ailsa.

Isla

One of the most romantic names, the lovely and stylish Juliet seems finally to have shaken off her limiting link to Romeo. In Shakespeare's play, it was Juliet who said "What's in a name?" 
 

 Juliet originated in the Middle Ages as a diminutive form of Julian, then a predominantly female name. It ultimately derives from Julius, a Roman family name. Its origin is shrouded in history, but possible roots include Latin iuvenis, meaning "youthfu"; Greek ioulos, meaning "downy-bearded"; or Jovis, a form of Jupiter, which means "sky father".
 
French version Juliette, pronounced the same by most English speakers though the French emphasize the last syllable, was more popular than Juliet for the first time in 2015. Both names have taken over for Jennifer and Jessica as fashionable <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/j">girls' names starting with J</a>.
 Juliet Burke was a character on Lost and Juliet Sharp on Gossip Girl. Juliet Low was the founder of the American Girl Scouts.
 Other ideas to consider: the original Julia, still lovely; Juliana; or even Jules.

Juliet

June, a sweetly old-fashioned month name derived from the goddess Juno, was long locked in a time capsule with June Allyson (born Ella) and June Cleaver, but is rising again especially as a middle name. 
 June was a Top 100 name from 1915 to 1941, peaking in 1925 at Number 39. It fell off the U.S. Top 1000 in 1987 and returned in 2008 after a two-decade hiatus. Now, we'd call it one of the vintage girls' names starting with J due for a comeback. Balthazar Getty has a daughter named June and Amanda Peet used it as her daughter Molly's middle name.
 Juni is the Scandinavian version; other related choices are Junia, Juno, Juna and Djuna.

June

Lila is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girl names</a> with a double l sound — Lila, Lola, Layla, Leila, Lily et al — that have caught on in a major way., Delicate yet dynamic, Lila has a slightly international flair.
 
The one caveat, and you may consider it a big: As a group, the La-La names have gotten so stylish so quickly that they're verging on full-blown trendiness and tend to blend into one another. So while there may not be another little girl named Lila in town, between those named Lillian, Lily, Layla, and so on, you may feel there's a double L overload.
 
Lila was derived from the Arabic word laylah, meaning "night." It has separate roots in Sanskrit with the meaning "play." In Hinduism, Lila is a conceptualism of the universe as a playground of the gods. Lilah and Lyla are variant spellings. 
Lila has been a recent hot TV character name, seen on such shows asDamages and Dexter, as well as Friday Night Lights, where the name is spelled Lyla—another trendy version.
 Trivia tidbit: Diane Sawyer was born Lila Diane.

Lila

Louisa, a quaint vintage name, is an example of the idea that these days, old-style <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> are more fashionable when they end with an a rather than with an e, as in Julie/Julia, Diane/Diana. So for the next generation, Louisa may rise again, especially with the growing popularity of other Lou/Lu-starting names, like Lucy and Luna. Louisa reentered the US Top 1000 in 2014 after a 45 year absence.
 Very popular in the eighteenth century, Louisa was finally toppled at the end of the nineteenth by the French form Louise, which was a top name through the first quarter of the twentieth century.
 Louisa has many literary associations, including Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and Little Men; two Charles Dickens novels, Hard Times and Dombey & Sons; and two novels by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. 
 Louisa is a First Lady name, being the wife of President John Quincy Adams. One of Meryl Streep's daughters is named Louisa.
 Some international variations: Luisa, Lovisa, Ludovica, and Luigia. Nicknames include Lou, Lu, Lulu, and Ouisa.

Louisa

A versatile classic, Lucy is both sweet and solid, a saint's name, and the heroine of several great novels. First fashionable in England and Wales, Lucy is now a popular choice in the US, The Netherlands, and New Zealand.
 
The English form of the Roman Lucia, Lucy derives from the Latin word lux, meaning “light.” Once given to girls born at dawn, Lucy is also associated with Saint Lucia, the patron saint of the blind.
 
Lucy has a wide range of namesakes, from the bossy friend in the Peanuts comic, to psychedelic "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," to the rash and zany heroine of I Love Lucy. 
 
It is a name with a rich literary history, chosen for the heroines of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Villette, E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View, Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy, and C. S Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia - just to name a few. 
 
Beyond fiction, Lucy Stone was an important American activist, Lucy Worsley is a successful author and historian, and Lucy Lui is an actress who has imparted strength and style to the name.
 
Simple but sophisticated, playful but grounded, it is no wonder Lucy is a popular choice. Given to over 4000 girls in the US each year, it is a classic that doesn’t feel dusty.
 
If you love Lucy, but don’t love its popularity, you could consider one of its many variants. From vintage Lucille, to the musical Lucetta, to the fresh, unexpected Lux; from nickname-y Lou to sleek Luciana, there are plenty of possibilities.

Lucy

Matilda is a sweet vintage name that has been gently climbing the popularity list for the past 15 years, after a half-century slumber. The spunky children's book heroine Matilda is one factor in its rise, along with others of its class like Eloise and Caspian.

The comeback of this sweet vintage name, one of the most stylish girls' names starting with M, has been prompted by a boomlet of starbaby Matildas, beginning with chef Gordon Ramsey's in 2002 and Moon Unit Zappa's two years later. But the renaissance of this name of the charming Roald Dahl heroine was assured when Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger chose Matilda for their daughter. 
 Matilda was introduced to the English-speaking world by the eleventh century Matilda of Flanders, queen of William the Conqueror, then used for his granddaughter, known as Maud. In literature, Matilda appeared in Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby.
<p.>Trivia tidbit: The Matilda in the Australian song 'Waltzing Matilda' refers not to a person but to the knapsacks that swing, or waltz, on the backs of itinerant laborers as they walk along.
 Highly popular in England and Australia, Matilda has a choice of great nicknames: Tillie for the bold, Mattie for the shy, Tilda for the slightly more eccentric, such as Tilda Swinton, born Katherine Matilda.
 Molly Ringwald used the spelling Mathilda for her daughter.

Matilda

Nina is as multiethnic as you can get: Nina is a common nickname name in Spain and Russia, a Babylonian goddess of the oceans, and an Incan goddess of fire. Here and now, it's a stylish possibility that's been underused. "Weird Al" Yankovic chose this decidedly nonweird name for his daughter.
 Nina has been a permanent resident on the Social Security list, mainly in the low hundreds. 
 In literature, Nina Zarechnaia is one of the principle characters in Chekhov's drama The Seagull, as well as appearing in Trollope's Phineas Finn and Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies.
 More recent real-life bearers have included jazz singer Nina Simone (born Eunice) and Nina Garcia of Project Runway fame.
 Natalie Portman was awarded an Oscar for her role as ballerina Nina Sayers in the 2010 Black Swan.

Nina

Rosy-cheeked and cheery, Rosie (also spelled Rosy) has been standing on her own for many decades, back to the days of 1943 musical Sweet Rosie O'Grady. She's one of the perky nickname-names that are filling the popularity lists of other English-speaking countries. In the US, she came back to the Top 1000 in 2013, after a 30 year hiatus.
 A hobbit character in Lord of the Rings, Rosie's current representatives include Rosie (born Roseann) O'Donnell, Rosie Perez (born Rosa), and British-born pregnancy guru Rosie Pope. The Rosie Project is a 2013 bestselling novel by Graeme Simsion.

Rosie

Vibrant, sassy, and bubbly, Ruby is a vintage gem that hasn’t lost any of its sparkle. Currently popular in a number of English-speaking countries, Ruby is proof of the 100 Year Rule, trending again for the first time since its heyday in the 1910s. 
The name of a precious stone, Ruby was ultimately derived from the Latin ruber meaning “red”. Despite its sweet, shiny contemporary feel, Ruby has in fact been used as a given name since the 1500s, though it really took off in the Victorian era, alongside Pearl and Opal. 
Many cultures consider rubies to be the stone of kings, and the gem is surrounded by symbolism of wealth, power, life blood, success, and protection. It is also the birthstone for July, which could make it a discreet honor for a July-born relation or just right for a July-born baby. 
In the US, Ruby was a popular choice in the early 20th century, and it peaked at #22 in 1911. By the 1940s however, it was falling down the charts, and while it never left the Top 400, parents turned away from Ruby and to the likes of Judy, Crystal, Rebecca, and Robin instead. 
Then, in the mid-2000s, Ruby made big moves in the UK, leaping to #1 in 2007. Propelled upwards by the catchy song by The Kaiser Chiefs which was released the same year and influenced by celebs such as Tobey Maguire and Charlotte Church choosing it for their daughters, Ruby moved back into the US Top 100 in 2013. 
A truly musical name, Ruby has featured in hits by The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, and Kenny Rogers, while namesakes of the fictional and famous variety including Rue from “Euphoria”, Ruby from “Steven Universe”, and Ruby Rose of “Orange is the New Black”, have kept the name in the public eye. 
Given to more than 3000 babies in the US every year and continuing to climb the charts, Ruby is one of those <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/339/vintage-baby-names">vintage baby names</a> that feels totally modern and full of life. 
Love Ruby but want to beat the trends? You could try another vintage gem like Edith, Lula, Twila, Betsy, or Fern, or perhaps something with a similar sound, like Thisbe, Prue, Billie, or Rumi.

Ruby

Sadie started as a nickname for Sarah, but their images couldn't be more disparate. Where Sarah is serious and sweet, Sadie is full of sass and fun.
 Sadie has been soaring in popularity recently. Its last heyday was a century ago. She's been chosen by celebrities including Adam Sandler and Christina Applegate for their daughters.

 In popular culture, there's Somerset Maugham's Sadie Thompson, portrayed by Joan Crawford in Rain, Sadie Hawkins Day, where the girls get to ask the boys to dance, and songs like the Beatles' Sexy Sadie.

Sadie

Sage is an evocatively fragrant herbal name that also connotes wisdom, giving it a double advantage. It entered the Top 1000 at about the same time for both genders in the early 1990s, but it has pulled ahead for the girls. Toni Collette named her daughter Sage Florence.
 The Greeks and Romans wrote that the smoke from burned sage leaves imparted wisdom, and in the tenth century, Arab physicians said that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least, a long and healthy life.
 In Vampire Diaries, Sage is a beautiful vampire possessing super strength and speed.

Sage

Sophia, which was the Number 1 girls' name in the US from 2011 to 2013, is among the top girl names in the Western World, with a sensuous sound and high-minded meaning. A real winner, Sophia reached the top of the charts without losing any—okay, much—of its sophisticated beauty. 
 
Derived from sophia, the Greek word for wisdom, the name was first famous via St. Sophia, venerated in the Greek Orthodox church—St. Sophia was the mother of three daughters named Faith, Hope and Love. It was first used in England in the seventeenth century and was the name of George I's both mother and wife.
 
Like its sister baby girl names Isabella and Olivia, Sophia has gained widespread favor by appealing to a broad range of parents: Intellectuals who like it for its meaning and those attracted to its femininity, parents who want a classic name and those looking for a name with Latin roots—the Sofia spelling is also popular. Sophie is the French version of the name, more popular than Sophia in some parts of the world. Legend Sophia Loren was originally Sofia.
 
Sophia has been an author favorite from the days of early novelists like Henry Fielding (Tom Jones) and Jane Austen (Persuasion) to the TV scriptwriters of today (The Walking Dead, Orange is the New Black).
 
Sophia's only downside is its huge popularity; it's actually even more popular than it appears, because alternate spelling Sofia falls in the Top 20 on the US popularity chart. Alternative baby names you might want to consider: Sophie, Seraphina, Susannah, Zofia.

Favorite girls' names