Unique Girl Names: Uncommon, Unusual, Cool

A Biblical name with a modern feel, Azaria is a spelling variation of the Hebrew name, Azariah. Used as a masculine name in the Bible, this spelling is now more commonly used on girls.

Caprice is a word name with an appealing sound and a light-hearted meaning. Caprice is a rare name, used for only ten baby girls in the US in 2023.

Corvina sounds too much like a car model.

The name of a Guaraní princess killed by Spanish conquistadors in Tupi-Guarani legend. A Ceibo tree – the national flower of Argentina – is said to have bloomed in the spot where she died.

Defne is one of the most popular names for baby girls in Turkey, ranking at the top of the list along with Zeynep and Elif. This is one girls' name that makes an easy transition to English-speaking countries or that could work for a family with roots in both cultures.

The delicate and haunting Welsh Rhonwen is still a rarity in the U.S., where her English version Rowena is better known, but would be a lovely choice for any parent in search of a name that was both unusual and traditional, classically feminine yet strong.

An obscure yet on-trend name with two wonderful meanings associated with it. Neoma is one of the freshest celestial girl names with moon-related meanings, rarer than Luna or Phoebe but with the same fluid sound.

Pronounced with two syllables, as if spelled Ilsa, Ilse is popular in The Netherlands and may rise here with cousin Elsa.

The traditional Irish girl's name Bevin – an Anglicization of Bébhinn – is rarely heard outside the Emerald Isle, but could make an fresh and fashionable namesake for an Aunt Beverly.

Oceane (oh-see-EN) has been one of the chicest names in France for several years, ranking in the French Top 50. This is a sophisticated name that could easily cross the ocean, and is much more stylish than the English Ocean or Oceana.

Prettier than Joy and just beginning to be used here.

Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending sound.

One of those slender names, like Lena or Etta, that's used in several cultures and carries a range of meanings. But by being so many things, it doesn't feel decidedly like anything.

Eponine is attracting new notice via the movie of Les Miserables, based on the book by Victor Hugo. Eponine is the spoiled daughter of Cosette's foster parents whose name, according to the story, was lifted by her mother from a romance novel. As in a romance, Eponine redeems herself by becoming a martyr to love.

In Turkish folklore, cemre is the heaven-sent embers that sequentially warm the air, water, then earth at the end of the winter.

This name of a Buddhist goddess, a possible alternative to the trendy Maya, was chosen for their daughter by Laura Dern and Ben Harper. Jaya is simple yet unusual, a winning combination, and one of the out-of-the-box goddess names as well as one of the most easily translated Hindi names for girls.

In Norse mythology, Embla is the equivalent of the Bible's Eve. With a lovely nature meaning, and a soft but distinctive sound, Embla is one of the most popular girl names in Iceland.

Calista Flockhart opened the door to a whole flock of graceful and unusual Greek names like this. Some others are Calantha, Calla, Carissa, and Cassia.

Though long associated with the iconic male fashion designer -- who went by his middle name alone -- rising young actress Halston Sage has made Halston feel plausible as a girls' name too.

Dido was the heroine of Virgil's Aeneid and of the opera "Dido and Aeneas," and in Roman mythology the founder of Carthage. A strong ancient name in the Juno mode, but it could have some awkward associations down the line.