Favorite Girl Names

Vivienne is an elaborated Gallic version of the name Vivian, 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. An adult namesake is the British designer Vivienne Westwood. Rosie O'Donnell also has a daughter named Vivienne, known as Vivi.

Famous as the long-suffering wife of the philosopher Socrates.

Derived from Persian zarin "golden", Zarina is a strong and sparkling name used in multiple languages, including Kazakh, Urdu and Malay. It was the name of an ancient Scythian queen, and also sounds very close to the Russian tsarina or czarina – the pre-revolutionary term for an empress of Russia.

An unusual possibility; Zea would fit right in with schoolmates named Tea and Leya.

A city in Benjamin's territory that makes a perfect first name.

See SELENA.

An appealing name almost unknown in our culture but with roots in several others; worldlier than cousins Celia and Delia.

This unusual name belonged to a character played by Kirsten Dunst in an early film.

When the Eddie Murphys named their fourth daughter Zola, it affirmed the up-and-coming status of the name, which has African roots, but also literary links to Emile Zola. Zola may also be recognizable to some as the adopted daughter of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd on the hit, long-running show Grey's Anatomy.

This name of a beautiful Moorish woman character in Don Quixote is rarely heard.