Aisha was Muhammad's favorite wife, making this lovely name and its myriad variations hugely popular among Muslims and also African-Americans. It's been energized by TV personality Aisha Tyler. Pronunciation is usually eye-EE-sha but some say ay-sha.

Aisha

This softened version is even prettier than the original.


Alessandra

Alexandra fell out of the Top 100 for the first time since 1983 in 2015 but is still a popular choice. Strong, tasteful, and elegant, Alexandra remains a chic modern classic with a solid historic pedigree.
 
Alexandra is the feminine form of Alexander, which ultimately derived from the Greek components alexein, meaning "to defend," and anēr, "man." In Greek mythology, Alexandra was an epithet of the goddess Hera.
 
Alexandra was made fashionable in the English-speaking world by the Danish princess who married England's King Edward VII in 1863, and there have been other royal bearers in both Britain and Russia. Alexandra is the present queen's first middle name. Widely used in Russia, Alexandras can be found in the works of Dostoevsky and Chekhov.
 
International variations include Alessandra and Alejandra. Alexandra offers an array of softer nicknames, from the gender-neutral Alex to the bouncy Lexi to the more dramatic Xandra.

Alexandra

Alina has been drifting up the US popularity charts since the early 1980s, and now sits in in the Top 200. But Alina's real strength is in its international flexibility: The name ranks highly in a wide range of European, English speaking, and Latin American countries. 

This is largely due to the fact that Alina has multiple different origins. It can be a global variation of classic Helen, a feminine form of the Scottish Alistair, an Arabic name with a soft meaning, a Germanic diminutive of Adelina, or a bright feeling name in Russia, Romania, and Poland.
 
Popular in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, and Bosnia to name a few, Alina manages to be one of those names that, in the US at least, you seem to hear everywhere and at the same time never hear at all.
 
The name could work as a long form for a daughter you want to call Lina, or Allie, and as an honor name for an Alexander, an Alice, or a Helena.

Alina

The entire congregation of Alissa-related names—from the classic Alice and Elise to newer forms like Alicia, Alyssa, and Elissa—have faded somewhat from their heyday in the late 20th century but maintain some appeal as a member of the popular class of <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girl names starting with A</a>. Their major disadvantage is their similarity to each other and the resulting confusion.
 These names are said to stem from different roots, with Alissa branching from Alicia which is related to the German Alice, while Elissa relates to Elisa and Elise which are short forms of the Hebrew Elizabeth. But today, instead of any of the myriad variations, the most fashionable forms go back to basics Alice, Eliza, and Elise.

Alissa

Simpler and less tied to the singer in this form, Aliya is a feminine form of the Arabic name Ali, meaning "lofty, sublime, high" or "exalted." Boosted to fame by the ill-fated singer, Aaliyah, and used across the Middle East, the US and the UK, Aliya is a powerful and pretty choice with a concise spelling. 
It could also be linked to the Hebrew word "alah" meaning "to rise" or "to ascend" and refers to the migration of Jews to Israel. 
Do you prefer this sleeker spelling to the higher ranking Aaliyah? You might also enjoy Alia or Alya.

Aliya

Aliza might seem like yet another variation of the eternal Alyssa/Alicia/Eliza loop, but it's a distinct name all its own. The z adds zip. 

Aliza

Words are not always easy to translate into <a href="https://nameberry.com/">baby names</a>, but the implications of being straight and swift lend this one great potential as a name. It also has the popular o-sound ending, which brings it further into the realm of possibility. Rising rock star Aja Volkman pulled a gender switch when she named her daughter Arrow Eve.

Arrow

Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s, all baby names Ash-related have been used in the U.S. for both girls and boys, from Ashlyn to Ashby, Ashton to Asher. Despite its separate roots, Asha is part of this group.
 
Asha is finding new life through its Game of Thrones connections. Disney has announced an upcoming film titled Wish, which will feature a heroine named Asha who may likely be the next Disney Princess.
 
Read more about Asha and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Asha

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery. 

Avery is actually an extremely popular name, ranking in the Top 100 for 20 years now, with a long way to go before it falls off. A good comparison from the past might be Amy, which ranked on the Top 100 for four decades.

Choosing a more unusual spelling of a popular name might not make the name as unique as you hope.

Averie

Avery is a hugely popular name in the US, especially for girls. But while nearly four times as many girls as boys are named Avery today Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls while it continues to strengthen for boys.

Unlike many gender-neutral surname-y names popular today, Avery began life as a first name and later became a patronymic last name. It originated in the Middle Ages as a Norman-French pronunciation variation of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and the Ancient Germanic name Alberich. The elements aelf, meaning "elf" and ric, meaning "ruler" give Avery its meaning. 
 
Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn may have started it all when they chose it for their daughter in 2005, just as they did with daughters Finley and Emery. Amy Locane used the name in 2009 and now Dr. Phil has a granddaughter named Avery.
 
On 30 Rock, Elizabeth Banks had an extended cameo playing Alec Baldwin's glamorous fiancée, Avery Jessup.

Avery

Cai, as distinguished from the boys' name Kai, is international, simple, unusual.

The Spanish Camila, pronounced ka-MEE-la, is the fastest rising version of this ancient Roman name, but recent royal Camilla may have helped promote the British brand. 

Camila is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names/us/state/california">top baby names in California</a> for girls. Along with the US, Camila ranks highly in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America.

In Roman myth, Camilla was a swift-footed huntress so fast she could run over a field without bending a blade of grass. Pop star Camila Cabello used her first name for her debut album.

Camila

This name of a touristed island in sight of Los Angeles makes an attractive and newly stylish variation on the classic Catherine or overused Caitlin. 
 Santa Catalina of Siena was, along with Saint Francis, one of the two patron saints of Italy and was a respected spiritual writer of the Church. Catalina de Aragón y Castilla is the original Spanish name of the first wife of Henry VIII, known to history as Catherine of Aragon. In a completely different vein, Catalina Aruca was a character on the sitcom My Name is Earl.

Catalina

Charlie is one of the friendly, tomboyish male nickname names--another is Sam-- now used almost as frequently for girls: in 2015, it ranked higher on the girls list than on the boys list for the first time. That makes Charlie one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">popular unisex names</a> around today. The name Charlie, for females, has been jumping up the charts since it reappeared, after a 50-year hibernation, in 2005. Charlie has been a favorite for starbaby girls, including the twin daughter of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell and the daughter of Julie Chen and Les Moonves. Jeremy Sisto has a hyphenated Charlie-Ballerina. And as Charlotte gets more popular, there will only be more little girl Charlies.

Charlie

Updates Ellis -- but also has a lot of feminine potential thanks to Allison/Ellie similarity. 

Ellison

The lyrical and melodious Elodie, a Nameberry favorite, is starting to rise through the US popularity charts for the first time since the 1880s. It's a uncommon member of the trending El- family of names, which includes Ella, Eloise, and Eleanor. 
 
Elodie derives from Elodia, the Spanish variation of Alodia, a gothic German name associated with Saint Alodia. Saint Alodia was a child martyr in 9th century Spain, along with her sister Nunilo. In France, Elodie is spelled Élodie, with an accent over the E.
 
Élodie is a mono-named Italian singer and model as well as a major character in the Emile Zola novel The Earth. Princess Elodie is the protagonist of the video game Long Live The Queen and there was a character on The Hills named Elodie.
 Popular in the UK and French-speaking countries, Elodie could make an original honor name for Aunt Melody.

Elodie

The superpopularity of Emily and Emma has recently boosted the unisex Emery, especially since it became a celebrity baby name when it was chosen by Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn. 

Emery now ranks among the girls' Top 100 names in the US, though Emma, Emily, and even Emilia are more popular. Emerson and Emmeline are two other popular girl names in the same vein.

Nickname Emmy or Emmie makes it cute and girlish but even more popular given the legion of little Emmys.

Emery

Eva is a simple, classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/489/hebrew-names-for-girls">Hebrew name for girls</a> that recently slipped out of the US Top 100 for the first time in more than a decade. Pronounced either like her more popular sister Ava or less popular sister Eve, Eva is one of the elite group of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/607/girl-names-that-mean-life">girl names that mean life</a>.
 
Eva is found in many different languages as a variation of Eve—the Old Testament name recognizable as the first woman in Abrahamic religions. Short forms of the name include Evie and Evita. The diminutive Evita is still strongly associated with Evita Peron, wife of the Argentine President Juan Peron.
 The 1852 publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the bestselling novel of the nineteenth century, whose tragic figure Little Eva (short for Evangeline) made an enormous impression on the Victorian reading public, propelled the name to popularity.
 Some well known Evas include actresses Evas Marie Saint, Gabor, Green, Longoria and Mendes, sculptor Eva Hesse, singer Little Eva, and model Eva Herzigova
 Eva is a highly popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> throughout the Western World, ranking in the Top 100 of most English-speaking countries along with a wide range of European nations, from Spain and Italy to France and Germany to Scandinavia. This makes Eva one of the most internationally versatile names today.

Evan is a boys' favorite that has been given the feminine touch by talented actress Evan Rachel Wood.  If you want to move beyond Eva and Evelyn and like unisex names, this may be a good bet for you (though like Evan Rachel Wood, you may want a feminine name in the middle name position to clarify matters). Evanna is also another alternative.

Evan

Now that the midcentury sound-alike name Gail for girls is sailing out to sea, Gael is becoming an increasingly popular name for boys -- and could make the gender switch in the opposite direction again.

Gael

Like the masculine form Galileo, Galilea is a variant of Galilee, a region in Northern Israel of great Biblical significance. Given the current popularity of soft Italian <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a>, this name’s long historical roots, its beautiful sound and the potential for cute nicknames (Leia, Lil, Ally, etc) it’s no surprise that this name has been on the rise in recent years.

Galilea

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen undoubtedly gave this name a boost. The French pronunciation (jiz-ELLE) gives it a more graceful, balletic, gazellelike feel. 
 In the 2007 film Enchanted, Giselle is the name of the ingenuous princess, portrayed by Amy Adams, living in the fantasy animated kingdom of Andalasia. Read more about Giselle and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Giselle

Hannah is one of the nation's top biblical girls' names—it surpassed Sarah in 1998, and ranks in the Top 50 along with Elizabeth, Abigail, Chloe, and Naomi. Hannah is a name with many sources of appeal: Old Testament roots, soft and gentle sound, and a homey yet aristocratic image.
 Hannah originated as a variation of the Hebrew name Channah, derived from the word channan, meaning "grace." In the Old Testament, Hannah is the mother of Samuel. 
 
Names including Anne, Anna, Nancy, Anya, Annika, and Annabel are all related to Hannah. Alternate spellings such as Hana, Hanna, and Chana are also used.
 The TV show Hannah Montana was a huge TV teen sensation from 2006 to 2011, and more recently was the name Lena Dunham chose for her own character in her hit series Girls. Hannah Baker is a central character on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why.
 Hannah is also a name that in its varied versions, which include Hana and Hanna, has roots in many cultures, from Hebrew to Arabic, European to Asian. All in all, Hannah is still a wonderful if widely used name.

Hannah

Hazel has a pleasantly hazy, brownish-green-eyed, old-fashioned image that more and more parents are choosing to share. Former Old Lady name Hazel reentered the popularity lists in 1998 and now is near the top of the charts.
 
Hazel is a name that comes from the English word hazel, referring to the hazelnut tree. The word was derived from the Old English hæsel of the same meaning. Historically, a wand of hazel symbolized protection and authority.
 
When Julia Roberts named one of her twins Hazel in 2004, there was a great public outcry against "another one of those nutty celebrity names", though we saw it as the deserved revival of a lovely vintage name with roots in nature. Hazel was one of the botanicals that were all the rage at the turn of the twentieth century, when it was in the Top 25, then fell out of favor, off the list completely from 1976 to 1998.
 
Other celebrities with daughters named Hazel include Emily Blunt & John Krasinski, and Taylor Neisen & Liev Schreiber.
 
Hazel Motes is the protagonist of Flannery O'Connor's 1952 novel Wise Blood, and In The Hunger Games, one of the characters is the variant Hazelle. But the most influential Hazel of recent years is the heartrending heroine of Fault in Our Stars.

Hazel

Jasmine was derived from the Persian word yasmin, referring to the jasmine flower. Scented oil was made from the plant, and it was used as a perfume throughout the Persian Empire. Variants include Jazmin, Yasmin, Yasmine, and Jessamine. 
 
Jasmine, a delicate and aromatic flower name, burst into popularity after the 1992 release of Disney's Aladdin, featuring Princess Jasmine—highly unusual then for an animated character. Propagating a garden of spelling variations, Jasmine remained solidly in the Top 50 until 2009, when it started to wilt.
 
Jasmine was first used as a flower name in the West around 1900, during the blossoming of floral-name fashion.
 
Michael Jordan, Martin Lawrence and Nigel Barker all have daughters named Jasmine. Jasmine has many alternate spellings. Among them: Jasmin, Jasmyn, Jasmyne, Jazmin, Jazmine, Jazmyn, and Jazmynn. Read more about Jasmine and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Jasmine

Widespread popularity in the Latino community has propelled this name up the charts in the US. Ximena is the more popular version, given to about three times as many baby girls as Jimena, maybe because of that edgy initial X.

Jimena

This nouveau spelling peaked at Number 583 in 2004. In spite of its trend-making K and "ee" ending, Karlee is much less popular than the original Carly.

Karlee

Lillian has ranked among the US Top 50 for the past 20 years, making it Lily's less popular but more grownup cousin. 
 A Top 10 name at the turn of the last century, the heyday of Lillian Gish and Lillian Russell, Lillian is more recently a member of the trending double-L group of girls' names that includes choices like Leila and Lorelei.
 Along with Lily itself, of course, In fact, many parents choose Lillian as a formal name that leads to the nickname Lily or Lilly.
 TV actress Mary McCormack and director Baz Luhrmann both have daughters named Lillian.
 Lillian may have originated as as a pet form of Elizabeth, completely independent of Lily. Lilian is another spelling.

Lillian

Another feminine form of the old saint's name Mael. Spelled Maëlys, it is a very popular name in France today.

Maelys

Short but energetic and substantial, Nia has special meaning for African-American parents, as it's one of the days of Kwanza. Nia also benefits by its similarity to (yet differentness from) the megapopular Mia.
 Current bearers include actresses Long and Vardalos (born Antonia), and popular television show Dance Moms star Nia Frazier.

Oceane (oh-see-EN) has been one of the chicest names in France for several years, ranking in the French Top 50. This is a sophisticated name that could easily cross the ocean, and is much more stylish than the English Ocean or Oceana.
 This group of names all relate to the ancient Greek Oceanus, god of the open sea and the oldest Titan, son of Uranos and Gaia. If you're looking for uncommon <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/641/names-that-mean-ocean">names that mean ocean</a>, this is one to consider.

Oceane

Pearl, like Ruby, has begun to be polished up for a new generation of fashionable children after a century of jewelry box storage. The birthstone for the month of June, Pearl could also make a fresher middle name alternative to the overused Rose. Cool couple Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson named their daughter Pearl Minnie, followed by Jack Osbourne, and several celebs have put it in the middle spot, as in Busy Philipps's Cricket Pearl, Jake Owen's Olive Pearl and Caleb Followill's Dixie Pearl .
After being a Top 25 name in the late nineteenth century, Pearl went into a long slide, but is showing signs of a strong comeback -- it reentered the Top 1000 in 2010.
 In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne, who gives her the name because she is 'her mother's only treasure.'
 Pearl was also the alter ego name of Janis Joplin, tied to singer Pearl Bailey, and---hmm--the birth name of western writer Zane Gray.
 Variations are PERLE and PERLA.

Pearl

Quetzali

Seren is a top girls' name in Wales – and a lovely choice almost unknown elsewhere. Seren, in the Sirona form, was an ancient goddess of the hot springs.
 Seren only recently fell out of the girls' Top 10 in Wales, and ranks just below the Top 100 in England and Wales combined.
Seren is also a Turkish surname and girls' name.

Seren

Sienna has been a Top 100 choice in England & Wales since 2005, the year after Sienna Miller's acting breakthrough in the hit movies Alfie and Layer Cake. In the US, it also got a big boost in the early noughties, before dropping slightly then rebounding to reach an all-time high in 2022.

 Now the name Sienna has gotten maybe its biggest boost of all when it was announced as the name of the daughter of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The royal baby, born in 2021, is named Sienna Elizabeth. Cable newsperson Campbell Brown also chose Sienna for her daughter, as did Kevin James. 
 
The historic Tuscan city is spelled Siena, but the Sienna spelling is the one used recently by Princess Beatrice for her daughter. Sienna, also the spelling used by American-born English actress Miller, is more popular than Siena in the English-speaking world. 


 The city of Siena is said to have been founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus. The name of the city may derive from Senius, although other possibilities include Roman or Etruscan family names, a Gaulish tribe name, or a Latin root meaning "old". 

 The English color word "sienna" ultimately comes from the name of the iron-rich clay in the Italian city, brownish yellow when raw and reddish brown when burnt, making this a vibrant color name as well as a romantic place name.

Sienna

Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his daughter, born in 2010. 

Vivian, once an elderly lady name, is on the rise, along with all form of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/607/girl-names-that-mean-life">girl names that mean life</a> -- from Zoe to Eva to those who share the vivid Viv syllable. It was one of the fastest-rising names of 2023, vaulting into the Top 100.
 The name is famous in legend and literature from Vivian, the enchantress of Merlin in the Arthurian romances, spelled Vivien in Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Originally Vivian was the male form, Vivien the female: Vivien Leigh, for some reason, changed her name from Vivian. Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have a daughter named Vivian, as do Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady. A memorable movie Vivian was played by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
 Vivienne, the elaborated Gallic version, chosen first by Rosie O'Donnell for her daughter and then catapulted to superstardom when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used it for their twin daughter. This celebrity stamp of approval has given Vivienne a recent boost in popularity. An adult namesake is the British designer Vivienne Westwood.

Vivian

Ximena, sometimes spelled Jimena, is a variation of <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a> Ximeno. Spanish origins and popularity in the Latino community have boosted this name's popularity. Ximena Diaz was the wife of the Spanish national hero known as El Cid. Several well known Latin American actresses bear this name.

Ximena

While this is an ancient male name, it's too similar to modern girls' choices like Mia and Pia to work for a boy today. 

This spelling variation of the alluring Zuleika was used by model Iman for her daughter in the '70s. Zuleika is considered to be the name of the Biblical Potiphar's wife, about whom several famous poems have been written throughout history.

Zulekha

Zuly is the spunky short form of Zulma, and is commonly used on its own, often in the Latino community.

Zuly

codytapia's list "Girl names" of 42 great name ideas: Aisha - Zuly!