Favorite Names

All my favorite names, along with nicknames and pronunciation guide, too!
  1. Aimee
    • Origin:

      Variation of Amy
    • Description:

      Amy was a 1970s favorite, and French spelling Aimee peaked in the same decade.
  2. Asia
    • Origin:

      Place-name
    • Description:

      This still attractive place name was one of the first to gain popularity, though it now probably owes some of its favor to the similar Aisha. Asia ranked as high as Number 195 on the US baby names popularity list in 1997.
  3. Aubrey
    • Origin:

      English from French version of German Alberic
    • Meaning:

      "elf ruler"
    • Description:

      Almost like a fusion between vintage Audrey, bubbly Ruby, and unisex Avery, Aubrey has been a popular choice for girls since the mid 2000’s.
  4. Audrey
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "noble strength"
    • Description:

      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 girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful.
  5. Avery
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "ruler of the elves"
    • Description:

      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.
  6. Athen
    • Beckett
      • Origin:

        English and Irish
      • Meaning:

        "bee hive, little brook or bee cottage"
      • Description:

        Beckett is one of the big baby name hits of the decade.
    • Cora
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "maiden"
      • Description:

        Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the coronavirus pandemic somewhat weakened its appeal.
    • Emerson
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Emery"
      • Description:

        The combination of Emily and Emma's popularity -- and the fact that Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher's daughter is named Emerson -- have put this formerly strictly boys’ name, embodying the gravitas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the limelight for girls.
    • Emery
      • Origin:

        English from German
      • Meaning:

        "industrious"
      • Description:

        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.
    • Ezra
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "help"
      • Description:

        Ezra has a lot going for it: the strength of its heroic Biblical legacy, its quirky sound, and its fresh but familiar feel. Ezra is now at its highest point ever, but its intuitive streamlined spelling and deep roots could make it a worth successor to Elijah in the Top 10 -- or even to Liam or Noah at Number 1.
    • Gwyneth
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "blessed, happy"
      • Description:

        Because of Gwyneth Paltrow, this has almost become a one-person name, but not in the prohibitive there's-only-one-Oprah sense. Also seen as Gwenyth and Gweneth, this mellifluous appellation is definitely becoming more and more appreciated by American parents-- enough to land it on this year's Top 1000.
    • Harleigh
      • Origin:

        Variation of Harley
      • Description:

        Harley in a dress.
    • Henry
      • Origin:

        German
      • Meaning:

        "estate ruler"
      • Description:

        Henry is back. The classic Henry climbed back onto the Top 10 in the US in 2021 for the first time in over a century, and now stands at Number 8.
    • Hudson
      • Origin:

        English place-name and surname
      • Meaning:

        "Hugh's son"
      • Description:

        Hudson has risen quickly up the charts over the past 30 years, getting a lot of its style value from New York's Hudson River. That makes it a nature name and a place name that's also got the fashion gloss of New York City.
    • Inessa
      • Origin:

        Russian variation of Ines; Spanish from Greek
      • Meaning:

        "pure, chaste"
      • Description:

        Inessa is a truly multi-cultural name, heard in Spain, Germany and Russia, and is related to the names Agnes and Ines/Inez.
    • Leigh
      • Origin:

        English variation of Lee
      • Meaning:

        "pasture, meadow"
      • Description:

        This spelling adds a little more femininity to the neutral Lee. Leigh and sister Lee were quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s among the first cool wave of unisex names for girls, but now have vanished from the Top 1000. The Biblical Leah is preferred.
    • Leigha
      • Lilianna
        • Origin:

          Spelling variation of Liliana
        • Description:

          Deriving from "Lilian", as an elaborate form of the flower name, "Lily", Lilianna is a clean and polished spelling for those wanting the pronunciation Lily-Ann-uh.
      • Lissa
        • Origin:

          African, Arabic mythological name; diminutive of Melissa, Greek
        • Meaning:

          "honeybee"
        • Description:

          Lissa might be an abbreviation of Melissa, but it's more substantial in its own right: Lissa is the name of a supreme mother goddess in African mythology and an Arabic symbol of rebirth.