Old but Fresh, Reminiscent of the South

  1. Memphis
    • Origin:

      Greek and Coptic place-name
    • Meaning:

      "Enduring and beautiful"
    • Description:

      Cool and bluesy southern city name chosen by musician-activist Bono for his daughter.
  2. Pearl
    • Origin:

      Latin gem name
    • Meaning:

      "pearl"
    • Description:

      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 .
  3. Perla
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Pearl
    • Description:

      Consistently popular Latina gem name; good choice for those who can't shake Pearl's grandmotherly vibe.
  4. Rosella
    • Description:

      Rosella can be seen as a nature name (a rosella is the name of a variety of beautiful Australian cockatoos and an Australian flower) or a diminutive version of Rose.
  5. Scarlett
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "scarlet, red"
    • Description:

      Scarlett Johansson is doing more for this sparky southern name than Scarlett O'Hara ever did. Since the turn of the 21st century, Scarlett has gone from an obscure literary name to one of the most popular girls' names starting with S, right after longtime favorites Sophia and Sofia.
  6. Tupelo
    • Origin:

      Native American place-name and tree name
    • Meaning:

      "swamp tree"
    • Description:

      Tupelo, the name of a Mississippi city as well as a tree with soft, light wood that grows in the swamps of the south, attracted some attention as a first name via author Tupelo Hassman. The song Tupelo Honey also brought it some notoriety.
  7. Vera
    • Origin:

      Russian
    • Meaning:

      "faith"
    • Description:

      Vera was the height of fashion in 1910, then was for a long time difficult to picture embroidered on a baby blanket. Now, though, it has come back into style along with other old-fashioned simple names such as Ada and Iris.
  8. Violetta
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "purple"
    • Description:

      Violetta is a more vibrantly colored, feminissima form of Violet. It is the name of the heroine of the Verdi opera La Traviata--in fact Violetta was the original title of the work.
  9. Waverly
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "meadow of quivering aspens"
    • Description:

      Waverly, with its literary resonance and lilting three-syllable sound, could well become the next generation's successor to Kimberly. Its upper-crusty surname feel places it among the new stylish English names for girls, successors to Ashley and Whitney.