Animal Names for Girls

Similar to Brielle and Riley, this name lags quite far behind these more common variations. It peaked at Number 622 in 2009 in the US, but it is now descending the ranks.

Ellington's popularity may be inspired by jazz great Duke, but the name is used slightly more often for girls today, perhaps because of its trendy El- beginning. Like a host of other El- names, from the familiar Ella to Eleanor to the more niche Elodie and Elula, Ellington carries the popular Ellie nickname.

Variant of Corinne

A fresh and summery — if rather long — color that sounds namelike, but is extremely rarely used.

Connelly is a rollicking and rare example of the popular surname genre that may work even better for girls. A huge update on Colleen.

We can't account for the popularity of this name, for either a boy or a girl, given the first syllable, the tacky connotations with a luxury car, and the range of other options which are more harmonious to the ear. Nonetheless, nearly 200 girls were names Bentley in the US in 2015.

This feminine version of the Basque name Edur is quite well used in Spain, where it has often been in the Top 100. Plus it offers some great nickname options such as Eddie or Deedee. One of the names for winter babies that's off the snowy track.

The Ancient Roman Balbina is the feminine form of Balbus or Balbinus. While certainly unique, it's hard to imagine this name will go far in the modern English-speaking world.

This name found in the fantasy series Endymion/Rise of Endymion has a slightly physiological feel to it.

Clayton is a surprisingly traditional name on the boys' side, ranking among the US Top 1000 for boys for its entire history. Girls named Clayton have been fewer and further between, but there's no reason this this place name can't work for baby girls too, ala Payton.

Capella, the eleventh brightest star in the sky, carries much mythological and astrological significance. In Roman mythology, Capella represented the goat that suckled Jupiter, whose horn became the Cornucopia or horn of plenty. In Hindu mythology, Capella is called the heart of Brahma, while English legend calls it the shepherd's star.

One of the cool new surname-names for girls, likely influenced by the stardom of Patrick Dempsey (aka McDreamy).

Offbeat and romantic place-name.

The addition of the letter "y" gives this a nice, rhythmic Russian feel.

Basque names, indeed the entire Basque language, are unrelated to any other. Arantxa is a diminutive of Arantzazu. This obscure choice was made known by tennis player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

A rising surname name for girls — it's overwhelmingly feminine, despite the association with Kenny Chesney.

If you're over Allie, consider Alfie. This nickname name has already made a splash as a top 20 pick for boys across the pond. But with the growing trend of scrappy tomboy names, Alfie makes a promising choice for girls too.