Animal Names for Girls

A rare girls' name with cross-cultural appeal to burn, Avira might be a good option for parents interested in Ava but put off by its huge popularity.

In Greek mythology the mother of Aphrodite by Zeus, and also one of Saturn's moons; this is an astral name quite distinct from the better known Dionne.

A modern Welsh name that will be misunderstood as Irene.

Attractive translation of Beatrice, popular with Hispanic parents. Beatriz is currently a Top 10 girl name in Portugal.

Unlike most creative spellings, this one isn't overly trendy or overdone—in fact, it's quite delicate and pretty. However, it is clearly suffering from the plethora of similar names that are flowing around right now (Emelie, Emilia, Emily, Emilee, Amelie, Amelia) and has fallen more than 300 spots since 2013. It might be time for Emilie and her sisters to be left alone for a while.

Akosua means "born on a Sunday," which relates the name to the sun and thus to fire.

Edwina may still be taking tea in the parlor, but we can see her joining friends like Matilda and Josephine for a comeback, especially if pronounced like Edwin rather than Edween.

Azari is a rising unisex name (although currently more popular among girls) invented as a variation of Azariah. With its I-ending and prominent Z, we see Azari going places — this is one to watch, especially with Azariah, Azaire, and Azair rising on the boys' side.

A lively, affectionate Russian pet name that is never given as a full name in its homeland, but has found some popularity in upper-crusty British society. It's also a surprising cultural crossover name due to its resemblance to the Indian name Anushka. British-Indian musician and composer Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi, is a famous bearer.

Despina is best known as the clever and wily maidservant character in Mozart's opera Così fan tutte. It is a name of Greek origin, derived from Despoina, who in Greek mythology was the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon.

Less known than other Cornish beauties like Demelza, Elowen and Kerensa, Elestren is a pretty Cornish botanical name ripe for wider usage.

A sweet, uplifting and still fairly uncommon modern virtue name. Its single syllable makes it especially good as a middle name, but it would also make a big impact in the first spot.

If Destiny is your daughter's destiny, she probably won't be the only one in her school: until 2009, Destiny was in the Top 50, with three of its alternate spellings in hot pursuit. It has since dipped a bit in popularity but is still widely used. Destiny Hope was the birth name of Miley Cyrus and Destiny Jones is the daughter or rapper Nas.

A spunky nickname name for parents with showbiz aspirations for their daughter.

Updates Allison—which everyone will misunderstand it as. But it's definitely a fresh spin on the Ellie names, and a rising surname name choice for girls. It made its first appearance on the US Top 1000 in 2013.

This ethereal Welsh word name has a sound as pretty and delicate as its floral namesake.

Charlene is a Charlotte variation that, along with similar names like Arlene and Marlene, spiked in popularity in the 1940s and fifties, reaching a high of Number 100 in 1949. Most parents today would prefer one of the note classic versions -- or even nickname Charlie.

Angel is one of those names that has a very different trajectory for girls and boys. As a female name, it was most popular in the US from the 1970s until the turn of this century, almost breaking into the Top 100 at its peak in 2001 but then beginning a long slide down the list.

An unusual and appealing name that is the origin of Evelyn, via the Norman French name Aveline. It derives from an obscure Germanic root, the meaning of which is not clear. Theories include "desired, wished for" and "water, island".

A chic and sassy French choice, popular in France but likely to be confused with the more prosaic Alex in English-speaking countries. Although sometimes used in the US as a variant spelling of Alex, the French name Alix actually derives from a medieval French form of the name Alice or Adelaide.