Animal Names for Girls

Aoibhinn and its twin name Aoibheann may be popular in Ireland but most English-speakers would find the spelling baffling and the pronunciation impossible to divine. It's ee-van, or se-vin, fitting with the Irish popularity of many names -- Aoife, Eabha, Ava -- with this similar sound.

Aiden/Aidan is just beginning to wander into the girls' side of the name popularity list, but it's so huge for boys in all its spellings that it will be a long time before it can be called a unisex name.

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

The name of the character in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" whom the poet intended as a representation of Queen Elizabeth I. While it will no doubt thrill your daughter's English professor, the addition of the "Bel" to already great Phoebe is on the fussy side.

This Latin name, also spelled Alida, has come into focus via the interesting character of Aleida Diaz on Orange is the New Black, the mother of Dayanara. In real life, Che Gueverra named a daughter Aleida.

Since this is strictly a male name in Slavic cultures, better to stick with the "Bella" spelling here.

A Polish form of the Lithuanian Danutė, the name Danuta is possibly a feminine form of the Hebrew Daniel, meaning "God is my judge", or an elaboration of Dana, a multicultural name meaning "gift" from the Slavic root danŭ, "wise" in Persian and Arabic, and "to judge" from Hebrew.

The Hebrew, Biblical form of Eve. While English speakers will likely find the forms Ava or Eve easier in everyday life, Chava is a lovely variation for a family that speaks Hebrew or Yiddish - plus, English speakers could always learn.

Intriguing combo of elements.

A popular Japanese name used for the young heroine of the animated film, "Spirited Away."

Eire was a mythological goddess who named Ireland after herself. Rarely used today, even in Eire.

Asya has dual origins: it is both the Turkish word for Asia (the continent), and a short form of Anastasia in Russian and Bulgarian. Beyond that, it is a beautiful example of a "travelling light" name, in the style of Aria: short, elegant, and usable across different cultures.

Aušrinė is the Lithuanian goddess of the morning star. Each day she prepares the way for Saulė (the sun). Her counterpart is Vakarinė of the evening star.

This is one surname-name that may swing decidedly to the male side, thanks to highly-visible young actor Alden Ehrenreich.

This form of Alannah was derived directly from the Gaelic term a leanbh, meaning "child." Though not as popular as the more traditional Alana spelling, it has consistently charted in the US since 2007. Alannah Myles is popularizing this spelling of Alana.

Alabama is a hot southern place-name, picking up from Georgia and Savannah. This is not a geographical name come lately, though--there have been girls named Alabama dating back well over a century.

This name of the goddess of peace creates a lovely ideal.

Another masculine surname that's gaining followers in the female camp. About 6 percent of the babies named Anderson today are girls. The son ending confers a meaning that's literally masculine, but that didn't stop Allison, Addison, and Madison from feeling right for girls.

This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids -- an association your child may or may not like.