Girl Names
- Cressida
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"gold"Description:
Cressida is a pretty mythological and Shakespearean heroine name much better known in Britain than it is here — an imbalance the adventurous baby namer might want to correct.
- Daphne
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"laurel tree, bay tree"Description:
In Greek mythology, Daphne was the nymph daughter of Peneus, a river god. Peneus saved Daphne from Apollo’s romantic obsessions by transforming her into a laurel tree. It is from this myth that the plant genus daphne, which contains the laurel species, gets its name.
- Diana
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"divine"Description:
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.
- Eartha
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"earth"Description:
Used by the Puritans but off the US charts completely since the mid-1990s, Eartha is best known today as the name of American singer Eartha Kitt, as well as of the philanthropist and humanitarian Eartha M. M. White.
- Edith
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"prosperous in war"Description:
Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image.
- Elora
Origin:
Variation of ElioraDescription:
While the etymology of the name is unclear, it's most likely a contraction of Eliora or Elnora. Despite the uncertain heritage, it's a winning construction, based on its El- prefix, the feminine three-syllable flow, and the a ending. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.
- Elva
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"leader of the elves"Description:
Elva is the anglicized version of Ailbhe, growing more popular in Ireland.
- Eugenia
Origin:
Feminine variation of Eugene, GreekMeaning:
"wellborn, noble"Description:
Eugenia, a name scarcely used at all since the 1980's, is another that flourished a century ago and could be due for a revival.
- Eulalia
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"sweetly speaking"Description:
Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double Ls.
- Eva
Origin:
Latin form of Eve, HebrewMeaning:
"life"Description:
Eva is a simple, classic Hebrew name for girls 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 girl names that mean life.
- Gaia
Origin:
Greek and LatinMeaning:
"earth mother; rejoicing"Description:
The name of the Greek mythological earth goddess and universal mother; actress Emma Thompson stated that she was attracted by its ecological element, so other "green" parents may want to follow her lead.
- Georgia
Origin:
English, feminine variation of GeorgeMeaning:
"farmer"Description:
Georgia is so rich, lush and luscious, it's almost irresistible. Georgia's now a rising star among the feminizations of George, helped by associations with the southern state (named for British King George II) and painter Georgia O'Keeffe, with the Ray Charles song "Georgia On My Mind" or maybe "Sweet Georgia Brown" playing in the background.
- Hana
Origin:
Hebrew, Hawaiian, Maori, JapaneseMeaning:
"grace, work, glow, flower"Description:
Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.
- Hazel
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"the hazelnut tree"Description:
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.
- Helena
Origin:
Latinate form of Helen, GreekMeaning:
"torch; shining light"Description:
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.
- Hera
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"protectress"Description:
She was queen of the Greek gods, both sister and wife to Zeus, but the name of her Roman counterpart Juno has become much more fashionable these days. That said, we think Hera has possibilities today too, as so many ancient goddess names rise to prominence.
- Kama
Origin:
Hindi-SanskritMeaning:
"love, desire"Description:
This simple but alluring name — some might associate it with the Kama Sutra — was chosen by heavy metal rocker Sammy Hagar for his daughter.
- Lavinia
Origin:
Latin, from ancient place name LaviniumDescription:
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.
- Lenore
Origin:
German variation of Leonora, Italian derivative of Eleonora, meaning unknownDescription:
A "modernization" of Leonora that has suddenly come back on the radar along with the many other Leo names--both male and female. With literary cred via a famous eponymous poem by Edgar Allan Poe (and also in his even more famous The Raven,) Lenore was steadily in the top half of the popularity list until the mid-fifties, falling off in 1973. Cameron Diaz played a Lenore in The Green Hornet.
- Lorelei
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"alluring, temptress"Description:
The lovely Lorelei, a name from old German legend, was a beautiful Rhine River seductress whose haunting voice led sailors to hazardous rocks that would cause them to be shipwrecked. And this siren image clung to the name for ages.