Emily gets a Bohemian spin and a French accent when it becomes Amelie. This favorite among <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/497/french-names-for-girls">French girl names</a> has been gaining notice here thanks to the charming 2001 French film Amelie; it entered the American popularity list in 2002 and is now solidly established in the Top 1000. 
 
There's definitely a lot of confusion over the roots of, and differences among, all these related names, but Emily, Emma, and Amelia all derive from different roots and have different meanings, and Amelie is a descendant of the Amelia branch. 
 Amelie is currently enjoying great popularity in abroad, especially in England and Wales, Australia, and Germany.
 Probably inspired by the name of French King Louis Philippe's consort Marie-Amelie, Balzac used the name for two of his prominent characters.

Amelie

Anouk, made famous by French actress Anouk Aimée, is a singular name with a lovely sound and a Bohemian feel. Anouk Aimée was born as Francoise, but adopted the first name of the character she played in her debut film.
 Anouk, which is quite popular in The Netherlands, was the name of the young daughter in the French film Chocolat. (some other interesting character names in that movie are Vianne, Roux and Dedou.) The Belgian supermodel spells her name Anouck Lepére.
 Anouk is one of the most appealing of the An-starting names.

Anouk

Blythe originated as a nickname for an upbeat person, coming from the Old English word bliðe, meaning "merry" or "cheerful." Today the homophone blithe shares the same meaning. Blythe was eventually adapted to a surname before it became a feminine given name.
 
Blythe embodies a cheerful, carefree spirit and could be the next Blair/Blaine/Blake/Brett/Britt, with the advantage that it's clearly pink. It joins other other light-hearted names for girls: Felicity, Hilary.
 Blythe is the middle name of Drew Barrymore—in her case a surname from her rich theatrical history.
 The title of the memorable Noel Coward play Blithe Spirit is taken from Shelley's poetic line, "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit"—a nice tribute to a baby Blythe.

Blythe

Corinne is one of the names that, it might surprise you to learn, has never been off the US popularity charts. Its most popular year was 1926, when it ranked Number 249. Corinna is another pretty ancient form of the name, technically a diminutive.

Corinne

This unique one-syllable name was added to the mix by Mariel Hemingway for her now grown model/actress daughter; it could make a distinctive middle name or Bree substitute.


Dree

Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse. Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love.
 In the Greek myth, Echo was a nymph whose unrequited love for Narcissus caused her to fade away until all that was left was the sound of her voice. Obviously, a name with a lot of reverberations.

Echo

This old Scottish form of Helen has had quite a history, going from appearing as one of the shining heroines of the Arthurian legends, the princess who fell in love with Sir Lancelot and became the mother of Sir Galahad, referred to as 'Elaine the fair' and 'Elaine the lovable', to being the name of the most famous of New York's celebrity restaurants, to being the archetypal New York neurotic on Seinfeld.
 Elaine is a homophone for French Helene, just one of many names that a was imported to Scotland during the centuries that Scotland and France had a mutual enemy in England.
 Elaine entered the Top 100 in the early 1920s, and remained there for close to forty years, peaking at Number 42. Now, after a long slump, we see signs of a possible rise along with all the other El-names. For parents looking for a more unusual name, try Yvaine.

Elaine

Fable, like Story, is a word name with real potential, combining enchanted tale-telling with a moral edge. And soundwise, it would fit right in with the likes of Abel and Mabel.

Fable

Does Fay really need that e at the end? We vote no, but modern parents disagree: The Faye spelling was used for nearly 300 girls in 2014, vaulting the name back onto the Top 1000 after a 35-year absence, nearly ten times as many babies as received the Fay spelling.
Some people may feel spelling it Faye makes the name more balanced and complete, as Anne of Green Gables famously said about her name. The original Fay, Morgan le Fay, was a sorceress of the Arthurian Legends. Faye may also be used as a short form of Faith.

Faye

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

Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example.  Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter, was in classic myth raped by Zeus and escaped from him by changing herself into a cow. 

As a precious stone, Jade is known for its cool green hues, its importance in Chinese art, and its ability to transmit wisdom, confidence, and clarity. As a name however, Jade is a 90’s throwback in the UK, a Number 1 choice in France, and a returning gem in the US right now. 
Deriving from the Spanish phrase Piedra de la ijada, the name Jade means “stone of the side” or “stone of the flank” as it was once believed that jade could cure renal colic. While this might not be the most glamorous of meanings, it does give the name some extra history. 
Jade has been used to make carvings since Neolithic times, but as a given name, it only took off in the 1970’s, when Mick and Bianca Jagger chose it for their daughter. 
Originally used as a unisex name, the number of girls called Jade soon outweighed the number of boys, and with the rise of Jaden, it hasn’t been (statistically) unisex since the early 2000’s. 
Trendier than vintage Pearl, but more grounded than Sapphire or Topaz, Jade fits in well with other popular choices. Both a word-name like Scarlett and a one syllable option like Maeve, Jade feels just as right next to an Audrey or a Claire as it does to a Reese or a Kinsley. 
A big favorite in France where it has ranked in the Top 10 since the mid-2000’s, Jade is also well-loved in Belgium, Quebec, the Netherlands, and Monaco. Ihe US, it has had a shakier history, rising and falling on the charts. Now though, it’s at its peak in the Top 100, and given to nearly 3000 babies every year. 
Notable Jades include singer Jade Thirlwall, originally from the group Little Mix; Jade Ewen of the Sugarbabes; Jade, one of the original Bratz Dolls.; and Jane Goody, a TV personality, often remembered for openly sharing her cervical cancer diagnosis, which led to more people being tested and treated sooner. 
If you love Jade, but want some more inspiration, you could consider the Italian variant, Giada. You might also like another <a href= “https://nameberry.com/list/414/jewel-baby-names”>gemstone name</a>, like Opal or Garnet, a <a href=“https://nameberry.com/blog/tiago-and-thibault-the-latest-french-name-trends”> French favorite</a>, like Romy, Ambre, Roxane or Zelie, or a throwback British choice, like Chelsea, Jodie, Demi, or Tia.

Jade

Probably due to its nursery rhyme association, Jill has the perpetual air of a rosy-cheeked tot -- even though it is one of the oldest names on the roster, a medieval variation on the Roman Julia. The pairing of Jack and Jill to connote a generic boy and girl goes back at least to the fifteenth century. But can knowing Jill's history keep it from sounding like a cute mid-twentieth century invention? There may be some possibility of Jill making it back up the hill. 
 Jill entered the Top 100 in 1957 and held that position until 1983, dropping off the list completely in the year 2000. A notable present bearer is Jill Biden.

Jill

Joy is from an older generation of word names, which also included Merry, Bliss, and Glory -- all of which exert a certain amount of personality pressure on a child. One interesting name that means the same thing: Chara.
 Joy began to be used as a name by the seventeenth century Puritans, with the idea of "being joyful in the Lord." It came into more general use in the late nineteenth central, part of the revival of virtue names. Her high point was in 1974, when she reached Number 109 on the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> charts. Joy has also been often used as a middle name. Two recent bearers: comedian/TV personality Joy Behar and Joy Mangano, the inventor whose life was the basis of Oscar-nominated biopic Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence.

June, a sweetly old-fashioned month name derived from the goddess Juno, was long locked in a time capsule with June Allyson (born Ella) and June Cleaver, but is rising again especially as a middle name. 
 June was a Top 100 name from 1915 to 1941, peaking in 1925 at Number 39. It fell off the U.S. Top 1000 in 1987 and returned in 2008 after a two-decade hiatus. Now, we'd call it one of the vintage girls' names starting with J due for a comeback. Balthazar Getty has a daughter named June and Amanda Peet used it as her daughter Molly's middle name.
 Juni is the Scandinavian version; other related choices are Junia, Juno, Juna and Djuna.

June

Justine is a French name that's never reached the popularity we think it deserves. Like its far-more-common brother Justin, Justine is sleek, and sophisticated, but still user-friendly. 
 Justine has had a very erratic popularity path in this country. It first was noticed in the late 1950's via the eponymous novel that was part of Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quarter, but reached its highest peak--at Number 175-- in the eighties, during the TV run of Family Ties, featuring Justine Bateman. Justine is still a Top 60 name in its native France.

Justine

Lane is  a unisex name equally accessible to boys and girls. As a common surname, Lane is attached to such celebrities as Diane and Nathan.


Lane

Lore

Lou is usually a short form of Louise, Louisa, or Lucy in English-speaking countries, when Lou is used for girls at all. But in France and Germany, it's a fashionable choice all on its own, sure to gain even more widespread style credibility since Heidi Klum and Seal chose it for their daughter. At one time Lou was pervasive as a girl's middle name (Mary Lou, Betty Lou), and seems to be making something of a comeback--Louis C.K. has a Mary Lou and Keri Russell named her daughter Willa Lou.

This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides, originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in the League of Legends games. Luz is the Spanish version.

This feminine form of Mael has the distinctive "aelle" ending found in Brittany. In the French spelling Maëlle, it is a Top 100 girls' name in France.

Maelle

March has never been popular as a month name, possibly because of its slightly abrupt sound. But with all kinds of month (and season, day, and holiday) names, from January to December, Sunday to Easter, Winter to Midnight, coming to the fore, March is beginning to seem eminently baby-ready.

 An added bonus of lovers of classic literature: March is the surname of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.

March

May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the prettiest middle name options. May was as high on the list as Number 57 in the 1880s; it's now 228 on Nameberry.
 May started as one of the innumerable pet forms of Mary and Margaret, as well as a springtime month name along with April and June. She's represented in literature by May Bartram in Henry James's The Beast in the Jungle and May Welland in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. 
 Actresses Emily Morton and Madeline Stowe named their daughters May, and Eric Clapton and Jodie Sweetin used it in middle place for theirs.

Noelle is the feminine variation of Noël, a masculine given name derived from the French word for "Christmas." As a word, Noël originated as a variant of nael, which evolved from the Latin natalis, meaning "birth." Noelle and Noel have traditionally been given to children born around Christmastime, particularly in the Middle ages.
 
Feminissima, with a French gloss. Noelle and her usually-male counterpart Noel can make perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/577/names-for-december-babies">names for December babies</a> and of course are also traditional <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">names for Christmas babies</a>. For extra French flair, add the diaeresis over the first E to get Noëlle.

Noelle

Peach is one of those names that, a generation ago, would have been placed in the wacky celebrity baby name category. But now with the proliferation of word, nature, and yes, food names, Peach sounds adorably baby-ready.

Peach

Phoebe is the Latin variation of the Greek name Phoibe, which derived from phoibos, meaning "bright." In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting. The masculine version of Phoebe is Phoebus.
 
A mythological, biblical, Shakepearean, and Salinger name, the warm and captivating Phoebe was given a boost in popularity by one of the Friends.
 
In the New Testament, Phoebe is a church deaconess. Shakespeare used the name (spelled Phebe) for a rustic denizen of the forest in As You Like It, Phoebe Pynchon was a cheerful young girl in Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, while Phoebe is Holden Caulfield's sympathetic, precocious ten-year-old sister in Catcher in the Rye.
 Bill and Melinda Gates used Phoebe for their daughter.

Phoebe

The fact that this Spanish classic, which honors the Virgin Mary, does not end in the conventional letter 'a' gives it a special sense of strength, elegance, and style, making it a worthy choice.
 The name originated in the legend of the miracle of the Virgin Mary's appearance over a marble pillar. It also is an allusion to her as a pillar of the church.
 Pilar is remembered as the valiant heroine of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Pilar

British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The French equivalent, Prune, is very fashionable there but would not fly with English speakers.
 Plum Sykes was born Victoria, and her nickname derived from the variety of fruit called the Victoria Plum.
 Plum makes an appealing middle name choice--Moon Unit Zappa used it as such for her daughter Matilda. The color of the fruit makes it one of the appropriately amethyst-hued <a href="https://nameberry.com//list/614/names-for-aquarius-babies">names for Aquarius babies</a>.

Plum

Rue has gone from Golden Girls actress to Hunger Games heroine. This botanical name is also a coincidental double word name, meaning "regret" in English and "street in" French. Despite these unfortunate secondary meanings, Rue has real potential to be one of the most popular new <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/479/middle-names-for-girls">middle names for girls</a>. 
 Actress Rue McClanahan, who played Blanche in The Golden Girls, was born Eddi-Rue, named for her parents' middle names Edwin and Rheua-Nell.
 Actress Sara Rue made her surname the middle name of daughter Talulah Rue.
 The herbal plant Rue was introduced by the Romans and has been prized for its medicinal properties – the ancients believed it guarded against epilepsy and vertigo and improved the sharpness of vision.

The Sioux are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America, the two major modern divisions of which are the Dakota and Lakota. Not recommended as a baby name.

Sioux

There's definitely a cold front of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">names for winter babies</a> moving in, with Summer, Spring and Autumn giving way to Winter--plus North, January, Frost--and Snow. This name feels brisk, fresh, pure, evocative -- and magical. A haunting middle name choice. 
 Rare as a first name, there have been several notable surnamed Snows--including singers Hank and Phoebe, and scientist/novelist C.P. And then there's the dreamy Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.

Snow

An imaginative choice with an uptempo Cory/Rory/Tori sound, perfect for the child of a writer &mdash; or anyone with a good story to tell. Story has been finding some appreciation among celebs like Minnie Driver and others as a middle name. This is just one of the literary word names that have recently entered the realm of possibility, such as Fable, Sonnet and Poem.


Story

Much-used midcentury diminutive, now fallen far from favor even as a middle name. 

Inspirational, aspirational word name that would work especially well as a middle name; it was used by Forest Whitaker for his daughter, and more recently by Khloe Kardashian.

True

A happy combination of several desirable genres: it's a word name, it has a foreign accent, and it has a highly virtuous meaning. And few other parents will be bold enough to choose it. 

Vrai

Wren, a lilting songbird name, could be the next Robin. Wren entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2012 and is among the new wave of popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/501/english-names-for-girls">English names for girls</a>.
 Wren makes a particularly pleasing middle name choice, as does her newly discovered cousin Lark. But it's more popular as a middle name than you might think, the quirkier cousin of Rose.
 This petite bird was regarded in Ireland as the "magician of the birds" and the Druids considered it a bird of prophecy. Thanks to an early fable, it has also been known as King of the Birds.
 For architects there's the link to the great Sir Christopher Wren, the celebrated eighteenth century designer of London's St. Paul's Cathedral.

Wren

A mix of Yvonne and Elaine, Yvaine was first noticed in the Neil Gaiman fantasy novel and then movie Stardust, in which Claire Danes played the 'fallen star' Yvaine. This In all its forms, one of the most classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/472/scottish-names-for-girls">Scottish names for girls</a> is now attracting namer attention--just as that other Gaiman-inspired name, Coraline, did. Yvaine has a definite romantic, medieval charm. A small segment of namers are definitely taking notice.
 The name probably derives from the Arthurian male name Yvain, one of the Knights of the Round Table

Yvaine

MissusAytch's list "Nouveau Middle Names for Girls" of 39 great name ideas: Amelie - Yvaine!

Nouveau Middle Names for Girls

If Rose, Lee, Lynn, Anne, Renee, and Marie don't blow your hair back, try these alternatives.