the ultimate list of girl names

  1. Sophie
    • Origin:

      French variation of Sophia
    • Meaning:

      "wisdom"
    • Description:

      Sophie is the French form of the Greek Sophia, for which it is also commonly used as a nickname. Given Sophia's long standing among the Top 10 girl names in the US, Sophie may feel more popular than it actually is.
  2. Stella
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "star"
    • Description:

      Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina.
  3. Sugar
    • Origin:

      Literary and word name
    • Description:

      You can call your daughter Sugar, but only as a term of endearment. Her real name has to be something, almost anything, else.
  4. Sumi
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "elegant, refined"
    • Description:

      Simple and, yes, elegant -- until you think of the wrestlers.
  5. Sun
    • Origin:

      Korean
    • Meaning:

      "good, kind, virtuous"
    • Description:

      A simple and appealing unisex Korean name with many possible meanings, depending on the hanja characters used. Coincides with the English word "sun", which is a nice bonus.
  6. Sunniva
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "sun gift"
    • Description:

      Sunniva was an Irish-born saint who fled to Norway, where she hid in an island cave with her followers and eventually died. After miracles were reported on the island, the cave was excavated and Sunniva's intact body was found. Sunniva is the patron saint of Western Norway. Her name would make a fascinating and unusual choice for a modern baby girl, and if her story is a bit grim, you can take refuge in the upbeat nickname Sunny or Sunni.
  7. Suzu
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "little bell"
    • Description:

      Well-used in Japan, this name refers to the suzu, a tiny metal bell often placed in a silk charm bag and attached to a girl's undergarment so that a lovely tinkling sound is heard as she moves, and originally thought to frighten demons.
  8. Svetlana
    • Origin:

      Russian
    • Meaning:

      "star"
    • Description:

      Popular Russian name, familiar here via author Svetlana Stalin, the dictator's daughter.
  9. Sóley
    • Origin:

      Icelandic, Faroese
    • Meaning:

      "buttercup"
    • Description:

      A sweet nature name, derived from sól "sun" and ey "island", which is the Icelandic word for the buttercup flower. In the Faroe islands it is also found as a short form of Sólja "buttercup".
  10. Taffy
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "beloved friend"
    • Description:

      A diminutive of the (male) name Dafydd, the Welsh form of David. In the US, it's strongly associated with the candy.
  11. Tai
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great extreme"
    • Description:

      Skater Tai Babilonia brought this sleek modern name to the world's attention. Pronounced "tie."
  12. Tamar
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "date palm tree"
    • Description:

      Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars, including a daughter of King David and also Absalom's daughter, who is praised for her 'fair countenance'.
  13. Tamsin
    • Origin:

      English, contracted form of Thomasina
    • Meaning:

      "twin"
    • Description:

      Tamsin is an offbeat name occasionally heard in Britain and just waiting to be discovered here. U.K. actress Tamsin Greig is a star of the show Episodes, Tamsin Olivier is the daughter of Joan Plowright and Sir Laurence Olivier..
  14. Tatiana
    • Origin:

      Russian from Latin family name
    • Description:

      Tatiana was derived from Tatius, a Sabine-Latin family name of unknown origin. Titus Tatius was the name of an ancient king who ruled over the Sabines, an ancient Italic tribe who lived near Rome. The Romans used the name Tatius even after the Sabines died out and created the derivative forms Tatianus and Tatiana. The names were eventually disseminated throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including Russia.
  15. Tatjana
    • Origin:

      German, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
    • Meaning:

      "from Latin family name"
    • Description:

      Tatjana is an interesting twist on an already uncommon name, borne by German-born supermodel Tatjana Patitz. Note that as j is pronounced as y in German, the name is spoken just like sisters Tatiana and Tatyana.
  16. Tess
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Theresa
    • Meaning:

      "to harvest"
    • Description:

      With its solid Thomas Hardy background, Tess has a lot more substance, strength, and style than most single-syllable names, with an efficient yet relaxed image.
  17. Trinidad
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "holy trinity"
    • Description:

      Rhythmic name with both religious and geographical ties, commonly heard in Latin countries.
  18. True
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "true"
    • Description:

      An inspirational and aspirational word name that evokes ideas of loyalty, faith, honesty, and accuracy, True is a unisex name, which is just slightly more popular for boys. Like an updated form of Trudy and Prue and with the virtuous feel of Grace, Faith, and Hope, True was given to around 200 girls in 2023.
  19. Tulip
    • Origin:

      Flower name, from Persian
    • Meaning:

      "turban"
    • Description:

      One of the most unusual flower names, Tulip is cute but tough to pull off as a first. It has some celebrity cred via Charlie Tamara Tulip, twin daughter of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell. It derives from Persian dulband "turban", due to the distinctive shape of the flowers.
  20. Tundra
    • Origin:

      Geographical name
    • Description:

      With geographical features like Savannah and Sierra and increasingly getting the baby-name treatment, could icy Tundra also see some use? It's only appeared six times on the Social Security rankings, all in the 1960s and 70s.