Girls Names

Willa has become increasingly fashionable, with its combination of Willa (born Wilella) Cather-like pioneer strength and the graceful beauty of the willow tree.

Willie is one of the adorable boyish nicknames newly fashionable for girls, rarer than Billie. It definitely makes the somewhat-fearsome Wilhelmina more fun and approachable.

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye."

This is the Armenian version of the familia Julia, which has a rich and evocative sound. Other variations are Iuliya, and the diminitive Yulya.

This French name has the elegance of other '-ette' names such as Colette and is a botanical name without being too obvious about it.

Classified as an early beauty, Zelda has long and often been used as such for characters in books and films. Since 1986, Zelda has been a prime Nintendo name, as in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Putting an accent on it, as Willa Cather did in her famous novel, would endlessly confuse the waters for a young girl. The name is every bit as lovely and distinctive as simply Antonia.