Badass Girl Names

This name gained widespread attention via the actress Taraji P. Henson, who was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A variant is Taraja.

Regal Kingsley seems like an all-boy name, but a growing number of parents have bestowed this name on a girl. Credit the ever-trendier -ley suffix.

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.

Jenica might work if you can't decide between Jennifer and Jessica. It's certainly a more distinctive option.

Lupine (spelled Lupin outside of North America) is a flower related to sweetpeas. It was given its wolfish meaning because the plant was said to deplete the soil. Comedian Jenny Slate used it as a middle name for her daughter Ida in 2020.

Ever since Little Egypt practically invented the belly dance in the 1890s, this name has had a suggestive aura. Astonishingly, Egypt is now among the Top 1000 names for girls in the US. Cairo is a related option.

Cool and bluesy southern city name chosen by musician-activist Bono for his daughter.

Lozen is the name of a female Apache warrior and medicine woman who fought with Geronimo in the 19th century. The sister of the warrior called Victorio, Lozen was the name chosen by soccer star Hope Solo and football player Jerramy Stevens for their daughter, Lozen Orianna Judith, twin of Vittorio Genghis.

Heard in Spain more as a last name, but would work here as an alluring first.

A celestial choice that's used both in Mexico and by Latinx Americans.

Aviator is equally appropriate for a girl, of course, but lovers of Beatrix and Bellatrix might appreciate the spiky sound of this unique occupational name.

Technically a boy's name, but certainly one that would work in the Western culture for a girl, especially after the release of Black Panther, in which it was the name of Lupita Nyong'o's fiery character. Nakia lies outside the Top 1000 but is among the fastest-rising names for both girls and boys.

Spelling variation of Tziporah.

Libertad is the forceful name recently given to his daughter by Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal. English equivalent Liberty has been in use for girls for some time. Libertad might be considered a Spanish virtue name or word name. See our list of other Spanish word names.

Menace fits into the growing group of badass baby names that work for boys or girls. Menace is exceedingly rare but has future possibilities.