This a-ending feminine form of Adrian, from the northern Italian city of Adria, is a soft and lovely Italian choice. It appears as a character in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.
 The name had quite a different image in The Sopranos, where it was pronounced with a hard initial 'a'.
 Adriana Lima is a Brazilian model and actress best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel.

Adriana

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

This is a name used as a pseudonym by Celia in Shakespeare's As You Like It to conceal her real identity. It was later seen as a character in the Ken Follett novel Pillars of the Earth. Can also be spelled Alienna, taking it further away from the alien connection.

Aliena

Andromache is a name found scattered throughout ancient literature. She was Hector's long-suffering wife in The Iliad and The Odyssey, featured in The Trojan Women and Andromache by Euripides, then later appeared in Shakepeare's Troilus and Cressida, and Jean Racine's 1667 play Andromaque. It is not likely to make many appearances in the modern world.

Andromache

The name of the sainted mother of the Virgin Mary was among the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ names</a> for centuries, in both the original English Ann spelling and the French Anne. Both left the Top 100 around 1970 but Anne is still among the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/322/classic-baby-names-for-girls">classic names for girls</a>, although others are more likely to choose the original Hannah, the Anna variation, or even Annabel or Annabella.
Anne was on a long slide from the early 1980s until about 2010, when its popularity in the US stabilized around the middle of the Top 1000.
 Anne was the name of six queens of England, two of them wives of Henry VIII, as well as the name of the present Queen Elizabeth's only daughter plus French and Russian royalty. More recently, Mindy Kaling chose Anne for her second daughter.
 Anne has too many distinguished namesakes to enumerate--but among them are Anne Hathaway, (both Shakespeare's wife and the contemporary actress), Anne of Green Gables, Anne Bronte, Anne Frank, and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Anne

Ariel is a male Biblical name, seen there as the messenger of Ezra, and also used as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem, while Shakespeare used it for a (male) sprite in The Tempest.
 For girls, Ariel enjoyed a considerable burst of popularity with the 1989 release of Disney's The Little Mermaid: in 1991 it peaked at #66. 
 Although its wave has crested, Ariel is still a name any little girl would love. It is also associated with the poetry of Sylvia Plath and with the Chilean-American writer Ariel Dorfman. The popular historian Ariel Durant was born Ida Ariel Ethel.
 In Israel, Ariel is used as much or more for boys, but in the US, more than three times as many baby girls as boys are named Ariel. Read more about Ariel and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Ariel

Audrey is one of the girls' names that have been rising due to their connection to Old Hollywood glamour—in this case the eternally chic and radiant Audrey Hepburn. Audrey has another very different appeal as one of the elite group of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/96/girl-names-that-mean-brave-or-powerful">girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful</a>.
 
Audrey is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Aethelthryth, the name that later evolved into Etheldred or Etheldreda. St. Audrey was a seventh century saint who was particularly revered in the Middle Ages. Her name led to the term tawdry, as cheap lace necklaces were sold at the St. Audrey fair. Shakespeare bestowed her name on a character in As You Like It. 
 
Celebrities who have chosen Audrey include Greg Kinnear, Steve Zahn, and Faith Hill & Tim McGraw.
 A current representative is the French actress Audrey Tautou—who made her mark in Amelie, The Da Vinci Code, and as Coco Chanel—and who shares some of the charm of Audrey Hepburn.

Audrey

Beatrice is back. Stored in the attic for almost a century, the lovely Beatrice with its long literary (Shakespeare, Dante) and royal history is being looked at with fresh eyes by parents seeking a classic name with character and lots of upbeat nicknames, like Bea and Bee. 
 
Beatrice has some competition with more flavorful Beatrix and Beatriz these days. Beatrice is far more popular in the UK., ranking in the Top 100, while in the US Beatrice sits in a sweet spot in the middle of the Top 1000.

Beatrice is derived from Beatrix, a Latin name meaning "she who brings happiness." In the earliest sources it is also recorded as Viatrix, meaning "voyager", so there is some weight in both meanings.
 
Beatrice was the name of Queen Victoria's youngest child. And in Dante's epic poem The Divine Comedy, Beatrice is his guide through Paradise and is idealized as the embodiment of the spirit of love. In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice is the witty, high-spirited heroine. Other variants of the name include the French Béatrice and the Spanish and Portuguese Beatriz.
 
Nickname Bea actually stood alone on the popularity lists for four years at the beginning of the twentieth century — and it could happen again. Bea is sleek and modern, while Trixie sounds vintage and sassy — though if you favor Trixie, you may want to consider the Beatrix version of the name, which is reminiscent of watercolorist and children's author Beatrix Potter and has that surprising -x ending. Beatrice, on the other hand, feels gentler and more classic.
 
The Duke and Duchess of York, aka Fergie and Prince Andrew, thrust Beatrice back into the public eye when they chose it for their older daughter in 1988. The name can be pronounced with two syllables, BEE- or BEH-tris; with three, as in BEE- or BAY-ah-tris; or, as the Italians say it, with a magisterial four, bay-ah-TREE-chay.
 
Other names that mean happiness: Felicity and Hilary, either of which would make a good twin or sister name for Beatrice. Beatrice is also among the relatively rare <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/b">girl names starting with B</a> that has a lot of current style value.

Beatrice

Bianca, the livelier Italian and Shakespearean version of Blanche, has been chosen by many American parents since the 1990s, just as Blanca is a favorite in the Spanish-speaking community. Its meaning of white relates to snow, making it one of the prime <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">names for winter babies</a>.
 Miss Bianca was an elegant mouse (voiced by Eva Gabor) in Disney's 1977 The Rescuers, and Bianca features as a character in two Shakespeare plays, Othello and The Taming of the Shrew, not to mention its musical offshoot, Kiss Me Kate.
 Bianca was brought to prominence here by the first Mrs. Mick Jagger. Her name entered the U.S. popularity ranks in 1973, reaching a high of Number 84 in 1990. Bianca was chosen for her daughter by actress Tia Carrere.

Bianca

Blanche, which originated as a nickname for a pale blonde and then became associated with the notion of purity, was in style a century ago, ranking in the double digits until 1920. She then had to fight the stereotype of faded Southern belle, a la Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and Blanche Devereaux in TV's Golden Girls. Now all three of the Golden Girls--Blanche, Rose and Dorothy--could be ready for revival, with Blanche sounding like a stronger, simpler alternative to Bianca.
 A saint's name, Blanche was a royal name in France by the twelfth century, then was brought to England by the French wife of Henry I. One possible powerful namesake is Blanche Scott, one of the original daredevil aviatrixes. You might also take its meaning to relate to snow, making it one of the perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">winter baby names</a>.

Blanche

Bawd

Bona

The name of the tragic mythological Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was condemned never to be believed, Cassandra has been used for striking characters in movies and soap operas. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. 
 
Cassandra was the name of Jane Austen's mother, sister, and two cousins. Cassandra Wilkins is a character in John Dos Passon's novel Manhattan Transfer, but in the 2007 Woody Allen thriller, Cassandra's Dream, Cassandra was not the name of a person, but a sailboat. Currently, Cassandra Wilson is a noted jazz singer; Charlie Sheen has a daughter Cassandra born in the eighties.
 
Nicknames include Cass, Cassa, Cassie, Sandra, Sandy.

Cassandra

Celia, splendidly sleek and feminine, is a name that was scattered throughout Shakespeare and other Elizabethan literature, but still manages to feel totally modern. 
 Shakespeare has been credited with introducing Celia in As You Like It, and it was to Celia that the poet Ben Jonson penned the immortal line, "Drink to me only with thine eyes." Other literary Celias have appeared in works ranging from George Eliot's Middlemarch to T. S. Eliot's The Cocktail Party to Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin.
 Celia Cruz was a superstar of Latin music.
 Celia is not a short form of Cecilia, which has a completely different meaning, and developed independently. But some contemporary parents are naming their babies Cecelia, especially with that spelling, and calling them Celia—which gives you two beautiful names in one.

Celia

Little known name of the goddess of the harvest — her name literally means nourishment, and is the origin of the word cereal. A possibility for the parent seeking something original, but with the aura of Roman myth.  Her Greek counterpart is Demeter. 


Ceres

This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK, even less frequently in the US.

Charmian

A royal name in ancient Egypt that's never quite made it to the modern world, though nickname Cleo is widely used.  Other now-extinct Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora and Cleola, achieved some popularity in the early 20th century when there was a crazy for all things Egypt-related as the ancient tombs were opened and artifacts displayed.  In the US, Cleopatra became a popular silent film in 1917 starring Theda Bara.

Cleopatra

Constance is one of the more subtle of the virtue <a href="https://nameberry.com">baby names</a>, but still has quite a prim and proper image. One impediment to its revival has been the decidedly dated nickname Connie, though modern parents might well opt for using the strong and dignified name in full.
 One of William the Conqueror's daughters was named Constance, and in Shakespeare's King John, Constance is the devoted mother of King Arthur. Constance was widely used in the seventeenth century by Puritans: Constance Hopkins was a young passenger on the Mayflower.
 The fictional Constance Billard School appears in TV's Gossip Girl, and Constance was the first name of the decidedly non-prim and proper Lady Chatterley.
 Oscar Wilde's wife was Constance, and Mozart's spouse was the German form Constanze, nicknamed Stanzi.
 Though Constance has been neglected here for a number of years, it's still ranks at Number 120 in France.
 Trivia tidbit: Constance was the birth name of 1940's peekaboo-hairdo star Veronica Lake and also, not surprisingly, Connie Britton.

Constance

Cordelia is exactly the kind of old-fashioned, grown-up name for girls that many parents are seeking for their daughters today. The name of King Lear's one sympathetic daughter, Cordelia has both style and substance along with its Shakespearean pedigree.
 <br/
Cordelia is a Nameberry favorite—Number 106 on the site—and it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2014 after a 60+ year absence. By 2016 it sank below that line again, must to the relief of many Cordelia fans who feared the name would get too popular.
 
If you're torn between Cordelia and the equally lovely Cora, you can always choose Cordelia for long and then call her Cora for short—or Delia, Lia, Del, or even the extremely different Cordie.
 Cordelia also appeared in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye, as detective Cordelia Gray in P.D. James's mystery novels, and was promoted by a character on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.
 And then there's that quote from the heroine of Anne of Green Gables: "I would love to be called Cordelia. It's such a perfectly elegant name."

Cordelia

Cressida is a pretty mythological and Shakespearean heroine name much better known in Britain than it is here &mdash; an imbalance the adventurous baby namer might want to correct. 
 
Although the Trojan heroine named Cressida in the tale told by Boccaccio, then Chaucer, then Shakespeare, didn't have the greatest reputation &mdash; she was faithless to Troilus and broke his heart &mdash; the name today sounds fresh, crisp and creative.
 In Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Cressida is a film director character; Cressida Cowell is the author of the popular novel series How to Train Your Dragon.

Cressida

Calphurnia

Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time, there might be some adventurous parents willing to overlook that.
 Jeffrey Eugenides used the name for a character in his novel Middlesex.
 And for those seeking some celestial cred, Desdemona belongs to the Shakespearean Portia Group of satellites, which also includes Bianca, Cressida, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita.

Desdemona

Diana, the tragic British princess, inspired many fashions, but strangely, not one for her name. For us, Diana is a gorgeous and still-underused choice.
 Diana is the Latin name for the Roman goddess associated with the moon, virginity, and hunting; she is the protector of wild animals, represented in myth as both beautiful and chaste.
 Two of her most prominent bearers today are singers Diana (born Diane) Ross and Krall. Fictional Dianas appear in All's Well That Ends Well, Jane Eyre, and Anne of Green Gables.
 Now that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, perhaps this name will finally attract more attention and greater use.

Diana

Classic name used by the Romans, the Puritans, and the Bard, but pretty much taboo today due to the objectionable connotations of both its front and back ends. 

Dorcas

In the 1930s, Dorothy left Kansas and landed in the Land of Oz; by the '80s she had become a Golden Girl, living in Miami with roommates Blanche and Rose, giving her a decidedly older image. But parents today seeking a quiet classic are bringing Dorothy back—she reentered the Top 1000 in 2011 after almost completely disappearing.
 Dorothy was once one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> in the US; she was in the Top 10 from 1904 to 1939, and held the Number 2 spot for eight years.
 Dorothy has been used in Britain since the sixteenth century and was so common there that nickname Dolly led to the word "doll." Many Brits are reviving the cute nickname Dot or Dottie.
 There are numerous worthy Dorothy namesakes, including essayist and wit Dorothy Parker; writer Dorothy L. Sayers; journalist Dorothy Thomson; social activist Dorothy Day; actresses Dorothy Gish, Dandridge, McGuire, and Lamour; and figure skater/haircut icon Dorothy Hamill. Actress Faye Dunaway was born Dorothy.
 Some parents now are favoring the more flowing, romantic variant Dorothea.

Dorothy

Dionyza

Doll

Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.
 
Big plus: Eleanor is a serious name, with two nicknames—Ellie and Nell/Nellie—that are seriously endearing. Nell is more distinctive, but Ellie is undeniably one of today's top <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/508/cute-baby-names-for-girls">cute girl names</a>.
 While some think Eleanor is a variation of Helen via Ellen, it actually derives from the Provencal name Aliénor, of highly-debated meaning. It may come from the Germanic name Adenorde, meaning "ancient north" or "noble north". Another theory is that it derives from the Latin phrase alia Aenor, meaning "other Aenor," used to distinguish some original Eleanor, who was named after her mother Aenor. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine brought it from France to England in the twelfth century. Other spellings include Elinor and Eleanore.
 
Diane Lane has an Eleanor, and Katie Couric has an Elinor, using the variant spelling. (Jane Austen used both versions—Eleanor in Northanger Abbey and Elinor in Sense and Sensibility.)
 
A notable namesake is First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Two other English queens bore the name: the wives of Henry III and Edward I. Eleanor Shellstrop was the protagonist of television show The Good Place.
 
Eleanora and Leonora are pretty, more feminine variations. Ellen and Lenore are shorter forms.

Eleanor

Elizabeth is one of the most popular girls' names of all time, the female equivalent of James or William. Yet Elizabeth has so much going for it—rich history, broad appeal, and timeless style—that no matter how many little girls are named Lizzie, Eliza, and Beth, you can still make Elizabeth your own. 
 
Elizabeth is derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, formed by the components ’el, meaning "God," and shava’, "oath." In the Bible, Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist, and two of England's most notable queens have been Elizabeth I and II. Another memorable bearer was Elizabeth Taylor—who hated to be called Liz.
 
Elizabeth nicknames on the table today include Libby, Bess, Tibby, and even the so-antiquated-it's-cool Betty. Also in play is the fashionable Eliza along with Lilibet, Queen Elizabeth's childhood nickname more recently used by Prince Harry and wife Meghan for their daughter, Lilibet Diana. 
 
Author and publishing magnate Zibby Owens introduced her zippy Elizabeth nickname to the ever-lengthening list of variations.
 
There has been only one year since 1880 that Elizabeth slipped one place below the Top 25, and that was in 1945—when Betty was Number 11. Today, it holds fast as one of the most classic and usable <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/e">girl names starting with E</a>.
 The Elisabeth spelling, found in several cultures, is represented by such notables as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth Shue, Elisabeth Moss, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. 
Elisabeth is nicknamed Bethsy in Buddenbrooks, Bep in The Diary of Anne Frank, and Betsy in Wolverine.

Elizabeth

Emilia is the feminine form of the Roman clan name Aemilius, which derived from the Latin aemulus, meaning "rival." In Shakespeare’s Othello, Emilia is the wife of Iago and confidante of Desdemona. Amelia, although homonymous, has a different root and meaning. 
 
Emilia is rising as an Emily/Amelia alternative. In modern pop culture, Emilia is the name of the main character in The Princess Diaries and the first name of Game of Thrones and Solo star Emilia Clarke.
 Emilia is currently enjoying high popularity across some diverse cultures—it's near the top of the charts in Germany, Finland, Austria, Poland and Chile, and is favored in both English- and Spanish-speaking countries.

Emilia

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T., revive the long shunned Gertrude?
 It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked Out Forever, except that its long and honorable pedigree--as a goddess in Norse mythology, as the gentle and mystical Saint Gertrude the Great, and another St. Gertrude who is the patron of cats, and its use by Shakespeare for Hamlet's (not exactly exemplary) mother--earns it a place on the permanent roster. It has also been borne by such varied figures as writer Gertrude Stein, swimming champ Gertrude Ederle, British stage star Gertrude Lawrence, and arts patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
 The pinnacle of fashion a century ago, Gertrude reached as high as Number 23 in 1900, but dropped off the list completely in 1966.

Gertrude

Goneril

Helen is a name that has connoted beauty since ancient times – Helen of Troy was the the mythological "face that launched a thousand ships," over whom the ten-year Trojan War was fought. 
 

The name Helen has moved in and out of favor over the centuries, often alternating with Ellen. It was a Top 5 name for several decades of the early twentieth century, falling out of the Top 100 in the 50s. Now, after being unfashionable for decades, we see signs of a comeback for Helen—it's the kind of serious, unadorned classic many parents are returning to.
But if Helen still feels too plain for you, you might consider one of its many lovely variants: Helena, Elena, Eleni, Ella, Nellie or Nell, to name just a few.

 In Greek myth, Helen is the daughter of Leda and Zeus, who came to her mother in the form of a swan. Helen also has legions of real-life namesakes, including author and activist Helen Keller, politician Helen Gahaghan Douglas, newspaper reporter Helen Thomas, Cosmo force Helen Gurley Brown, Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, artist Helen Frankenthaler, and actresses Hayes, Mirren, and Hunt. Beatrix Potter's birth name was Helen.

Helen

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

Though we've gotten used to Hermione via Harry Potter, and even Hermes with its godlike and fashion associations, most people would still have a problem with Hermia (too close to hernia?) and Herman.
 On the other hand Hermia does have Shakespearean cred, as a character in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Hermia

Hermione's costarring role in Harry Potter has made this previously ignored, once stodgy name suddenly viable. Hermione could really take off once today's children start having kids of their own. 
 In ancient Greek myth, Hermione is the daughter of Spartan King Menelaus and his wife Helen; in pre-Potter lit, the name appears in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale and in Walter Scott's novel The Fortunes of Nigel.

Hermione

Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their daughter's middle--and we wouldn't be surprised to see more girls with this heroic name.
 In Greek legend young Leander swam across dangerous waters every night to court his beloved Hero. In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Hero is the love interest of Claudio and cousin of Beatrice.

Hero

Hecate

Helenus

Hippolyta

Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.
 
Though never in the American Top 1000, Imogen may be more popular in your hip neighborhood than that statistic would suggest. A contemporary classic in England and Wales, Imogen has ranked in the Top 100 ever since detailed naming records began in 1996. It's also a Nameberry favorite, consistently among the Top 100 most viewed girl names on our site.
 
The story goes that Imogen originated as a Shakespearean printer's misspelling of the traditional Celtic name Innogen, used by him for a character in one of his last plays, Cymbeline. The Innogen of legend, who Shakespeare’s character was based on, was the wife of Brutus of Troy, the first king of Britain. Earlier versions of her name, including Ennoguent, Innoguend, and Innoguent, were found in Brittany from the 9th-11th centuries. They are probably derived from the Gaelic word inghean, meaning "daughter" or "maiden," and possibly have a connection to the Proto-Celtic word for "white," from which the suffixes -gwyn and -gwen evolved.
 
Even if Shakespeare did happen upon Imogen by accident, he wasn't the first person to use the name. The Latin name Imogenis, meaning "lowest-born," existed centuries before Shakespeare, and was first recorded in the 13th century.
 Imogen gained attention in recent times through its link to Grammy-winning musician Imogen Heap. Other pluses: Imogen has the wonderful namesake photographer Imogen Cunningham and also a meaning that can't be topped. Immy is the cute diminutive; in the book and movie Fried Green Tomatoes, the character Imogene's nickname was Idgie.

Imogen

Innogen is the Shakespearean name that never was. Most sources will tell you that Shakespeare intended to use Innogen for a character in Cymbeline, but his printer mistook the twos Ns for an M, thus inventing Imogen. This may or may not be true — Imogen seems to have existed before his time, and Shakespeare may have changed the spelling on purpose — but nevertheless, it makes for a great name story.
 
The evidence is mixed on whether or not Shakespeare deliberately altered Innogen for his play, but he undoubtedly took it from Holinshed's Chronicles, comprehensive volumes of British history. Innogen was the wife of the first king of Britain, Brutus of Troy, who ruled in the 12th century. Prior to that, the name existed in various forms in Brittany, including Ennoguent, Innoguend, and Innoguent.
 
Popular consensus is that Innogen was ultimately was derived from the Gaelic word for "daughter," inghean, but the -guen(t/d) ending implies a relation to windos, the Proto-Celtic root meaning "white," from which we get -gwyn and -gwen today.
 
In modern times, Imogen has totally eclipsed Innogen in use (blame it on Shakespeare). It has never been recorded as a name in the US, making it a one-of-a-kind option for a daughter.

Innogen

Iris has so much going for it. It's a fashionable flower name. It's a mythological name, from the Greek goddess of the rainbow. And it's a classic name, always ranking in the girls' Top 1000 but now at its highest point ever.
 
Iris is directly derived from the Greek word iris, meaning "rainbow." In Greek mythology, rainbow goddess Iris was a messenger for Zeus and Hera who rode the rainbow as a multicolored bridge from heaven to earth. 
 The botanical iris also carries evocative symbols. In ancient times, the Iris was considered a symbol of power and majesty, the three petal segments representing faith, wisdom and valor. This image led to the naming of the colored part of the eye.
In the contemporary world, Iris has amazing international versatility, ranking highly throughout the English-speaking world as well as in a diverse range of countries from Spain to Slovenia, France to Sweden.
 Part of Iris's rise is due to its celebrity power: Jude Law and Sadie Frost, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, and Renee O'Connor all chose Iris for their daughters.
 A notable modern bearer was the prolific British novelist Iris Murdoch. Frequently seen on screen, characters called Iris have been played by Jodie Foster, Jane Fonda and Kate Winslet, and Iris Chase is the narrator in the Margaret Atwood novel The Blind Assassin.

Iris

Isabel derived from Elizabeth in southwest Europe during the Middle Ages. It was originally written as Elisabel, but the first syllable was dropped as it spread across the continent. In Spain and Portugal, Isabel and Elizabeth are considered to be variations of the same name, but they are treated as separate names in other European countries and the US.
 
The charming Isabel is hugely fashionable again, a century after its first wave of success. And it's easy to see why: it's ladylike (a la Isabel Archer in Henry James's Portrait of a Lady) and melodic, traditional yet slightly offbeat. Isabel sounds smart as well as pretty. 
 Two noted cultural namesakes are Chilean author Isabel Allende and painter Isabel Bishop, as well as Cuban-American fashion designer Isabel Toledo.
 The only downside: with Isabella's recent popularity, there are so many other little Isabels, Isabelles, Isabellas, Belles, and Bellas, yours would be far from unique.
 The Office's Angela Kinsley named her baby girl Isabel, and Annette Bening and Warren Beatty have a teen-aged Isabel.
 Isabelle is the French version, Isabella the Italian one, and Isobel the Scottish spelling, which has a definite character of her own, the 'o' giving her an extra infusion of strength. 
 Nifty nicknames include Izzy, Ibby, Isa and Belle.

Isabel

Isabella has been a Top 10 name for girls in the US for two decades now. The Latinate form of Isabel, a variation of Elizabeth which originally derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba, Isabella reigned as Number 1 in 2009 and 2010.
Isabella, which feels both modern and traditional, has incredible cross-cultural appeal to parents from a range of religious and ethnic backgrounds. It's feminine but also substantial, with a long history as a royal and classic name comfortable on the international stage. 
 
Isabella is of course wildly popular in both the English and Spanish speaking worlds, but it also ranks among the Top 100 girls' names in a wide range of western countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.
 
Isabella's success is due at least in part to the 'Twilight' effect and lead character Isabella 'Bella' Swan. Some parents choose it to get to the short form Bella, while others prefer to use the irreverent Izzy or Issy, while still others insist on using it in its full four-syllable glory.
 
Variations Isabelle and Isabel are also popular, with the Scottish spelling Isobel another possibility. Newer alternatives include Sabella and Isabetta.
 Isabella is familiar through various European queens, including the Queen of Spain who funded Christopher Columbus, and was used by Shakespeare in Measure for Measure.

Isabella

Iras

Jacquenetta

When Jennifer was ready to give up her throne, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades; Jessica was the top name of both the 1980's and 90's, never sounding quite as trendy as its predecessor, maybe because of its classic Shakespearean pedigree. Jessica has declined a bit in popularity but is still a popular choice.
 Jessica seems to have been coined by Shakespeare for the character of Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice, possibly as a form of a biblical name. There are several attractive Jessicas on the scene today, including Jessica Lange, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jessica Simpson, and Jessica Chastain.

Jessica

Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men, being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the early 60s, it was the fifth most popular name in the country for three years running and ranks as one of the most <a href="/list/653/100-most-common-names-for-girls">common names for girls</a> in the 20th century. But alas, Joan hasn't even appeared in the Top 1000 for a dozen years, and these days it's primarily associated with Joans of the generation of Joan Crawford, Joan Collins and Joan Rivers--just a few of the noted Joans whose ranks also include the singers Joan Sutherland, Joan Baez, Joan Armatrading and Joan Jett. But it's possible that modern parents who are reviving Jane might move on to Joan, inspired by Joan Hollaway Harris.
 The first English bearer of the name was Henry II's daughter, Jhone, but the modern spelling was soon established, which is why Saint Jeanne d'Arc was translated as Joan, making her the most illustrious wearer of the name. By Shakespeare's time, Joan had become so overused that it was ripe for replacement by the newly coined Jane, the reverse of what happened in twentieth-century America.
 Some livelier foreign versions of Joan include Giovanna, Siobhan, Ione and Juana.

Joan

Julia was an ancient Roman imperial name given to females in the house of a Julius, as in Caesar. 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".
 
An enduring classic, Julia has a lot going for it: ancient roots but a modern, fashionable feel, simplicity and sophistication, and connections to both saints and celebs, including actress Julia Roberts and Saint Julia of Corsica. The elegant Julia's one of the least problematic choices a parent could make. 
 
Julia is also Shakespearean, Dickensian, Orwellian, and Harry Potter-related. The ground-breaking 1960s TV show Julia was the first to feature a non-stereotypical African American woman. Celebrity chef Julia Child is a notable namesake.
 
Julia has been in the US Top 150 since Social Security records have been kept and is currently the only <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/j">girls' name starting with J</a> in the US Top 100. She's even more popular internationally, and is highly popular in the Netherlands in Spain, and in Germany, Belgium, France, Norway, and Sweden.
 
If you think Julia is too simple, you might want to move to Juliet, Juliette, or Juliana, or even the Italian Giulia. Sixties short form Julie has segued from cute to middle-aged. Jules is much more current.

Julia

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

Juno is an ancient name that feels as fresh as if it had been minted &mdash; well, not yesterday, but in 2007. Since the release of the popular indie film Juno, this lively but strong o-ending Roman goddess name has become more and more prominent as a potential baby name &mdash; Coldplay's Will Champion chose Juno for one of his twins (whose brother is the kingly Rex).
 
Juno was the sister and wife (hmmm) of Jupiter, and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. The patron goddess of Rome and protector of women and marriage, Juno's name is heard in Virgil's Aeneid, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and Sean O'Casey's 1924 play Juno and the Paycock. The deity's name is of uncertain origin, but likely derives from the root -iuwen, meaning young. With Jupiter and Minerva, she made the Capitoline triad, whose worship was at the very center of Roman religion.

Juno

Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name. 
 
Kate has an image that's independent, smart, and energetic, recalling Kate Hepburn, the heroine of The Taming of the Shrew/Kiss Me Kate, and contemporary Kates Winslet, Hudson, Moss, Spade and Beckinsale. Cate Blanchett has helped popularize that spelling of the name.
 Kate is also the female equivalent of Jack as a favorite character name in the movies, TV, and books. It's down-to-earth yet classy, common yet cool.
 Kate has always been, and remains, mega popular in Ireland.

Kate

This is the spelling that old-time film star Katharine Hepburn used, and it's still favored by fans wanting to reference her classic strength and beauty.  But in general, it's losing ground to Katherine and even Ms. Hepburn's own favorite short form, Kate.

Katharine

Katherina

Katherine is one of the oldest, most diverse, and all-around best names: it's powerful, feminine, royal, saintly, classic, popular, and adaptable. Long one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/k">girls' names starting with K</a>, Katherine has now been unseated on the popularity list by upstarts Kennedy and Kinsley, but a dip in popularity only adds to its charm.
 Katherine also has a wealth of spellings, short forms, and admirable namesakes. The Katherine spelling has been the preferred one in recent years, though Catherine (now associated with the Duchess of Cambridge) has a gentle vintage appeal, while the Katharine spelling relates to actress Kate Hepburn. Sleeker, more modern-feeling Kathryn has in fact been used for centuries and is still popular if not exactly stylish, and the Irish have favored Kathleen.
 Katherine's origins are lost in the mists of time. The earliest version in Ancient Greece was Ekaterine, which may have come from the name of a folk dance. Later, the spelling was changed under the influence of the Greek word katharos, meaning "pure" — a desirable virtue.
 Katherine has been used for countless literary figures over the centuries, from the spirited heroine of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew to the BFF in Fifty Shades of Grey to characters on TV's Castle and The Vampire Diaries.
 Martin Short and Tim Allen have daughters named Katherine.
 A profusion of nicknames includes Kate, Katie, Kathy, Kath, Kat, Kitty, Kay, and Kick. Among international variations are Catriona, Catarina, and Katrina. Two literary namesakes are Katherine Anne Porter and Katherine Mansfield.

Katherine

Lavinia is a charmingly prim and proper Victorian-sounding name which actually dates back to classical mythology, where it was the name of the wife of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who was considered the mother of the Roman people.
 Later literary bearers include the protagonist's daughter in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (which has the line "She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov'd"), the heroine of G.B. Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, and characters in David Copperfield, Henry James' Washington Square, and the contemporary The Hunger Games and Downton Abbey--and Lavinia was also used by Thackeray, T. S. Eliot, and by Ursula Le Guin for an eponymous novel.
 Trivia tidbit: Lavinia was Ava Gardner's middle name.
With its vintage nickname Vinnie, Lavinia might well appeal to parents who favor lavender-tinged names like Amelia and Matilda and Maude.

Lavinia

Luce

Lushly elaborate name that makes Lucy more grownup and sensual.  Carnie Wilson chose it for her daughter.  Lucianus is an ancient Roman family name and Lucianus of Samosata was an early satirist.  Heard most often in the Italian and Spanish cultures, Luciana is usually pronounced loo-chee-anna.

Luciana

Lucretta

Lychordia

Margaret is derived from the French Marguerite, which in turn came from Margarita, the Latin form of the Greek Margarites. Margarites was based on the Old Persian word margārīta, meaning "pearl." 
 
Margaret has been one of the most Christian and royal of <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">female names</a>—attached to the patron saint of women in childbirth and to various queens and princesses in England, Scandinavia, Austria, and the Netherlands, and to the first female prime minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher.
 
Margaret is a rich, classic name used for queens and saints. Margaret was replaced for decades by less starchy forms like Maggie and Meg, but some stylish parents are reviving Margaret in full, attracted by its strong sound and classic status, as an alternative to Elizabeth or Katherine. 
 
Margaret is also an important family name for many people, having ranked near the top through the first half of the 1900s. An extremely well used name since medieval times, Margaret is still considered the Scottish national name.
 
If you're honoring an ancestral Margaret, there are many fresh and new alternatives, from the French Marguerite—very stylish in Paris—to the diminutive Margo (or Margot). In French, Marguerite is another word for daisy, making Daisy another appropriate Margaret short form or honorific, as is Maisie. Other offspring of Margaret include Madge, Marjorie/Margery, Megan, Molly, Polly, Peggy, Greta, and Rita.

Margaret

An old royal name in England and Scotland that's also spelled Marjorie. Popular in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, it was revived at the end of the 19th century, peaked in 1921 and dropped off the list in 1958, enough time to be reconsidered as a Margaret alternative. The name Margery Daw is familiar via the seesaw nursery rhyme and Margery Williams wrote the children's classic The Velveteen Rabbit..

Margery

Mariana is that unusual name that is more than the sum of its parts. While Mary or Maria and Ana or Anna are both perfectly nice classic names, Mariana achieves a lyrical elegance that transcends them.

 Unlike its near-soundalike Marianna, which is a combination of Maria and Anna, Mariana has its roots in Ancient Rome. It derives from the Roman name Marianus, from Marius, which ties to the war god Mars or to the Latin root mas, maris, meaning "male".

Mariana

This pretty sea-born name was used to dramatic effect by Shakespeare in his play Pericles for the virtuous princess who says she is "Call'd Marina, for I was born at sea." Marina was an epithet of Venus, and there was more than one saint of that name. It was used in Britain from as early as the fourteenth century.
 Although it reached as high as Number 219 in 1994, Marina never had the trendy feel of cousins Melissa and Marissa. It's now very popular in Spain.
 A prominent current bearer is Marina Abramovic, widely publicized New York-based Serbian performance artist. And actor Matt LeBlanc chose the name for his daughter, Marina Pearl.

Marina

Miranda, a shimmeringly lovely, poetic name that was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful and admirable young heroine of his play, The Tempest, is still a recommended choice even though its popularity peaked in the 1990's, partially as an antidote to Amanda. But while Amanda now sounds dated, Miranda retains a good measure of its charm.
 Miranda made a big impression in Sex and the City and The Devil Wore Prada and was also a Harry Potter character--Miranda Goshawk, author of a Book of Spells. She was a Bond Girl in Die Another Day.
 Attractive real life Mirandas currently on the scene include actress Cosgrove, singer Lambert and model Kerr.

Miranda

Maria

Mopsa

Nell, once a nickname for Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor, is a sweet old-fashioned charmer that is fashionably used today in its own right. While Nell is perfectly in tune with contemporary vintage name style, it hasn't taken off the way some of its sisters have and so maintains an air of distinction. Use Nell or Nellie as a short for any name from Eleanor to Penelope or just name her Nell.
 Nell was the pet name FDR called his wife Eleanor (along with Babs), the famous Little Nell in Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop was Elinor, and the infamous mistress of Charles II, Nell Gwynne, was born Eleanor as well.
 Nell was the belle of the ball in the Gay Nineties, but has been off the charts since 1956. It's currently popular in France though, ranking at Number 144.
 Jodie Foster played the title character of the 1994 movie Nell, and Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton named their daughter Nell, keeping the family tradition of names related to Helen.

Nell

An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice. Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named Nerissa.

Nerissa

Octavia began as the Latin, then Victorian name for an eighth child. While there aren't many eighth children anymore, this ancient Roman name has real possibilities as a substitute for the overused Olivia; recommended for its combination of classical and musical overtones. It was chosen for his daughter by Kevin Sorbo. 
 Octavia has a rich history and literary pedigree. Commonly used in the Roman Imperial family, one first century BC Octavia was the daughter of Claudius, sister of the Emperor Augustus and the second, pre-Cleopatra, wife of Mark Antony (she appears in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra), while another ancient Octavia was the teenage wife of Nero. The British civic reformer Octavia Hill actually was an eighth daughter.
 The name came into the spotlight recently via Octavia Spencer, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her strong performance in The Help. And Octavia is part of Cinna's prep team for Katniss Everdeen during the 74th and 75th Hunger Games.
 Octavia is also a First Daughter name as the child of President Zachary Taylor.

Octavia

Olivia, a lovely Shakespearean name with an admirable balance of strength and femininity, is the Number 1 name for baby girls in the US and one of the top girls' names around the world. 
 
Olivia ranks among the Top 10 girls' names in several English-speaking countries as well as in Spain, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Argentina. And it's a Top 100 name in most countries that keep baby-naming statistics, making it an internationally flexible choice. 
Records of the name Olivia exist from as far back as 13th century England, but the name was popularized after Shakespeare used it for the name of the countess in Twelfth Night. Olivia is based on the Latin word oliva, meaning "olive." In ancient Greece, the olive was a symbol of Athena as well as a token of peace and fertility, and olive wreaths were awarded to the winners at the Olympic games. 
 
Olivia has been a popular celebrity baby name for fifteen years, and has also been a well-used TV character name, such as in Olivia Benson on Law & Order SVU and the recent powerful lead Olivia Pope on Scandal.
 
Golden Age star Olivia de Havilland was influential in bringing the name to U.S. attention, followed by Olivia Newton-John, and now we have Olivias Wilde, Munn, Rodrigo, Colman and Williams.
 If you love <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a>, Olivia might be the perfect choice for you, but parents in search of a distinctive name will have to keep looking. Some related alternatives: Olive, Livia, Liv.

Olivia

Floral, elegant, and bold, Ophelia re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after more than 50 years off the charts. It has risen more than 700 spots since then and shows no signs of slowing down. Now in the US Top 300, could Ophelia one day become the next Olivia or Amelia?
 
It's certainly catching up in the UK, where, as of 2022, it's in the Top 100 and given to nearly 600 baby girls. Less likely to be heard as 'I feel ya', as it is pronounced with four syllables in the UK, Ophelia makes an arty but approachable choice. 
 Derived from the Ancient Greek word "opheleia", which means "help", Ophelia was used first by the poet Sannazaro in his 15th century poem "Arcadia". It was then popularized by Shakespeare's Hamlet in the 1600s and again in the 19th century by John Millais' painting. 
 
Other namesakes include the gutsy Ophelia in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 Uncle Tom's Cabin, which seems to have had some influence on baby namers at the time, and more recently, the song "Ophelia" by The Lumineers.
 Among the actresses who have played modern non-Shakespearean Ophelias are Jamie Lee Curtis in "Trading Places" and Blake Lively in "Savages". The heroine of the film Pan's Labyrinth uses the Spanish spelling, Ofelia, while a popular YA novel, Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie sticks with the Shakespearean one.
 Actress Patricia Neal and author Roald Dahl named one of their now grown daughters Ophelia, and more recently musician Dave Grohl named his baby girl Ophelia Saint.
 
A hugely popular name on Nameberry and now out in the 'real world' too, you may hear this Shakespearean gem more often in the coming years. So, if you love Ophelia but want to beat the trends, you could try Cressida, Olympia, Cordelia, or Cerelia.

Ophelia

Patience is a passive virtue turned engaging name, fresher than Hope, Faith, or even Charity. Its resemblance to the trendy Payton may be one reason for its recent spike in popularity.
 Common in the seventeenth century, Patience is the eponymous heroine of a Gilbert & Sullivan comic operetta. In literature, Patience appears in Shakespeare's Henry VIII and in an Anthony Trollope novel.
In the 2004 film Catwoman, the non-superhero name of the protagonist, played by Halle Berry, is Patience Phillips--which may have caused the name's bump in popularity two years later.

Patience

More stylish than either Paula or Pauline, it was given a glamour gloss by model Paulina Porizkova in the nineties.

Paulina

A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale, Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with the appealing canine character in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmations.

Perdita

Though often Anglicized as Phoebe, Phebe has separate roots. It originated as a variation of Afua, an Akan day name, and commonly used among enslaved people in America.

Phebe

Philippa is a prime example of a boy's name adapted for girls that was common as crumpets in Cornwall, but rarely heard stateside. That was before the advent of royal sister-in-law Philippa Middleton, who goes by the lively nickname Pippa.
 Philippa has still never appeared in the Top 1000 in the US, quite an accomplishment for a classic name that's been around for centuries. It does, however, rank on England's as well as Nameberry's own internal lists.
 
Pippa doesn't rank in the US either, but is far more popular than Philippa in the rest of the English-speaking world. It ranks in the Top 100 in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and in the Top 200 in England and Scotland.
 
Philippa has been fashionable in England since the fourteenth century when King Edward married Philippa of Hainault. There have been several early Saint Philippas, and it was the name of the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer.
 Novelist Philippa Gregory authored the bestselling historical novel The Other Boelyn Girl.

Philippa

Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice, and is now also a Hunger Games name . 
 Another Shakespearean Portia was the wife of Brutus in Julius Caesar, based on a historical character. In the 1940s, when the name was most used, there was a popular radio soap called Portia Faces Life, the heroine being – what else? – a brilliant and spirited lawyer.
 Portia is a recommended choice, even though some people might think you named your child for the car. Just don't spell it Porsche, which may sound the same but has a totally different and – despite the aspirational brand – less refined image.
 Namesake Portia de Rossi actually started life as Amanda/Mandy.

Portia

Philoten

Phrynia

Like somewhat more popular twin sister Reagan, this vibrant last-name-first Irish choice makes a strong, straightforward option. 
 She does have a couple of downsides though. Regan entered the girls' list in 1974 – one year after the horror flick The Exorcist featured the demonically possessed Regan MacNeill. And before that, Regan was one of the faithless daughters in Shakespeare's King Lear.
 But putting all that aside – and you can – Regan makes a worthy successor to the overused Welsh Megan.

Regan

Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It. Along with a bouquet of other Rose names, Rosalind might be ready for a comeback.

 Despite appearances, Rosalind is not technically a true Rose name. It originally derives from the Germanic elements hros "horse" and lind "soft, flexible, tender", but the spelling was later influenced by the appealing Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose".

 Rosalind was at its height in the 1940's, coinciding with the popularity of the acerbic movie star Rosalind Russell: it was Number 293 in 1943, but fell off the list in 1978.

 Uma Thurman gave her young daughter five names, the first of which is Rosalind – though she is called by her nickname Luna.

Rosalind

Rosaline, which can be pronounced to rhyme with mine or mean in its final syllable, has a deeper, richer pedigree than it might seem.  Rosaline was used twice by Shakespeare and was also used in the poetry of Edmund Spenser. While we prefer the stronger-sounding Rosalind or Rosamund, Rosaline deserves another contemporary look.

Rosaline

This original form of the name -- the more familiar Sylvia spelling came later -- seems more modern now. 

Silvia

Attractive name associated both with a queenly character who meets a very grisly end in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and popular teen fantasy novelist Tamora Pierce. Shakespearean puns in the name include amor for love and moor as the character was in love with a Moor, though any parent interested in the name should be aware of its tragic association.

Tamora

Thisbe, the name of a beautiful but tragic lover in mythology, is lively and cute -- in a slightly thistly, prickly way. Ovid retold the story of Thisbe and Pyramus, young lovers in ancient Babylon kept apart by family rivalry, which was the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. A modern bearer of the name is writer Thisbe Nissen.
In Sarah Dessen's novel Along for the Ride, the baby daughter is named Thisby, nn Isby.

Thisbe

This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.

Titania

Thaisa

Timandra

A saint's name with a noteworthy literary background, including uses by Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing, by Ben Johnson, Walter Scott, Longfellow, D. H. Lawrence and Neil Gaiman. In real life, her two most well known representatives are writer Ursula Le Guin and actress Ursula Andress. In literature, there is also Ursula Iguaran, a key, long-lived character in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's major work, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
 Caveat: Today's kids might associate this name with the campy, corpulent octopus in Disney's The Little Mermaid.
 Ursula ranked in the Top 1000 through 1983. Time for a comeback?

Ursula

Valeria -- the original form of the name, used by early Christians --has been experiencing significant popularity in recent years. While Valeria was nearly always on the charts, the name peaked in 2009 at #72, surpassing the longtime Franco-American version Valerie. Today Valeria and Valerie are at about equal rankings, sitting in the 150s. 

Valeria

Viola has several positive elements going for it: the rhythm of the musical instrument, the association with the flower, the trending 'Vi' beginning and its leading role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. 
 In the Bard's gender-bending comedy of identity and disguise, Viola is the appealing, passionate heroine. Later takes on this tale include Shakespeare in Love, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps and She's the Man starring Amanda Bynes.
 The most distinguished current bearer is Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis.
 Viola was a Top 50 name from 1899 to 1911, falling off the list in 1972, but is still popular in other countries such as Italy, where it is Number 15. And with Violet not sounding quite as fresh as it did, the strong Viola could find herself back in the running.

Viola

This Shakespearean name is even more out of step than its male counterpart, but it may possibly be so far out it could make its way back in. 

Virgilia

Violenta

Volumina

knitwit's list "Shakespeare's Ladies" of 96 great name ideas: Adriana - Volumina!

Shakespeare's Ladies

One thing's for sure, the play's the thing-- and Shakespeare certainly had a way with words! His writing helped to shape the English language as we know it, and names are no exception!

For those who love the Bard, here's a list of his female characters' names. 

This list takes into account historical characters that he used, as well as his comedies/tragedies/"troubles". It is meant to be comprehensive, so if there are any names missing from this list please let me know so I can add them in!