Gutsy Gals

  1. Della
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Adela, Adele or Adelaide
    • Meaning:

      "noble"
    • Description:

      Fresh, bright, and sunny, Della could be an alternative to Ella, Delilah, or Adeline. Familiar but not yet overused, it combines the elements of contemporary favorites with vintage charm.
  2. Delly
    • Delphie
      • Delphina
        • Origin:

          French from Greek
        • Meaning:

          "of Delphi; womb"
        • Description:

          Delphina is another form of the sleek French Delphine, rising in popularity. The Blessed Delphina was a Provencal nun.
      • Delta
        • Origin:

          Greek
        • Meaning:

          "letter or island"
        • Description:

          Delta is an unusual vintage option with a lazy-day-down-by-the-river feel. Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet and also the geographical name given to an island formed at the mouth of a river.
      • Dilly
        • Origin:

          Diminutive of Dilys, Dilwen, and Daffodil
        • Description:

          Somewhat light and silly on its own.
      • Dimity
        • Origin:

          Type of cotton cloth
        • Description:

          Dimity is fairly common in Australia, but unheard of outside of it, which is surprising given its similarity to names like Amity, Verity, and Cassidy.
      • Dinah
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "God will judge"
        • Description:

          As the song says, "Dinah, is there anyone finer?" Dinah is a charming, underused Old Testament name with a rich literary and musical resume.
      • Dixie
        • Origin:

          Latin, French
        • Meaning:

          "I have spoken; tenth"
        • Description:

          A sassy, spunky, punchy kind of name, Dixie can also be considered a place name, one that has become problematic because of its association with the antebellum South. The Dixie Chicks recently dropped Dixie from their band name because of its association with slavery and white privilege.
      • Dorrit
        • Origin:

          Variation of Dorothea
        • Description:

          The "Little Dorrit" title character of Charles Dickens' novel was actually named Amy; Dorrit was her last name. The Dorit spelling is a short form of Dorotea in Danish and Dorrit has been used as a first name, but its origins are as a surname derived from Dorothea or Durward.
      • Dulcie
        • Origin:

          Latin, diminutive of Dulcibella
        • Meaning:

          "sweet"
        • Description:

          A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia.
      • Dwyn
        • Origin:

          Diminutive of Dwynwen
        • Meaning:

          "wave"
        • Description:

          Short, but still kind of a mouthful.
      • Elettra
        • Origin:

          Italian variation of Latin Electra
        • Meaning:

          "shining, bright"
        • Description:

          Less electric and melodramatic, more serene, than Electra. Isabella Rossellini's daughter (and Ingrid Bernman's granddaughter) is named Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann.
      • Exie
        • Fannie
          • Origin:

            Spelling variation of Fanny, diminutive of Frances
          • Meaning:

            "from France; free man"
          • Description:

            It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.
        • Fenna
          • Origin:

            Dutch and Frisian
          • Meaning:

            "peace"
          • Description:

            The vintage Fenna, an old lady name making a comeback in the Netherlands, originates in Friesland in the northern part of the country, where the Fries language is spoken. Rhyming with Jenna, it's both rare and familiar and could conceivably enjoy wider usage in the English-speaking world as well. Fenna is a Top 50 girls' name in the Netherlands.
        • Floretta
          • Galia
            • Garnet
              • Origin:

                Jewel name, from the French
              • Meaning:

                "pomegranate"
              • Description:

                One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl.
            • Gladys
              • Origin:

                Possibly a form or Claudia or Welsh
              • Meaning:

                "land, nation"
              • Description:

                Hard as it might be to believe, Gladys was the Harper of 1900, emerging almost out of nowhere to take the naming world by storm. It became a favorite among parents — and writers of romantic Edwardian novels, seen as alluring and unusual. One impetus was the 1870 Ouida novel Puck, whose heroine was the idealized beauty, Gladys Gerant.