Animal Names for Girls

Dynamo is a newly-invented word name that's on trend in several different ways. It's got an o ending, an uplifting meaning, and it's gender-neutral. And what kid wouldn't want Dynamo as a middle name?

A pretty combination of Ana with Lena (or Helena, Magdalena, or any other name with this ending). However, the first four letters may put some parents off.

Berangere has never seen much usage in the US, but it has an interesting meaning of "bear spear." The name it stems from—Berengaria—was used as a common royal name during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Atari debuted for girls in 1980, a year after it appeared on the charts for boys. It's not a Japanese given name, instead, the name was influenced by the video game company. Atari named themselves after a Japanese phrase, atari, used in the ancient Chinese game Go. It means, roughly, "I am about to win," and is said in a similar context to which one would say "checkmate" in chess.

Blær is a rare Icelandic name meaning "light gust or breeze" that made headlines due to one family's battle to be allowed to use it for their daughter. Iceland has strict name laws and it is not permitted to use a traditionally male name for a girl. The name was only finally allowed when she was 15 years old. Blær is also a (female) character in a novel by the famous Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness.

Avianna is the most popular "avian" name, sitting in the US Top 500 names. But the French-esque version Avianne is significantly less so: it was given to 7 girls in 2021, and fewer than 5 in 2022, meaning it didn't even make it onto the extended charts. Although it's equally pretty and elegant, parents at the moment tend to prefer names ending in "ana" or "anna" to "anne": see also Julianna versus Julianne, Diana versus Diane, and many more.

This unusual name offers some cute nickname options such as Grusha, Feefee and Raffy.

Debbie is decidedly out, the original Deborah lovely, and other short forms -- Deb, Debs -- for occasional use only.

Young French actress and singer Cylia Malki put this international short form of Priscilla into the mix.