Adelaide is now heading straight uphill on the coattails of such newly popular sisters as Ava, Ada, and Audrey, and in the company of Adeline and Amelia. It was chosen by actress Katherine Heigl for the name of her second daughter.
 Adelaide gained fame as the noble German princess who married the British King William IV in 1830 and became known as "Good Queen Adelaide," inspiring the name of the Australian city and a craze for her name. Earlier, St. Adelaide was married to Otto the Great and became Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, described as "a marvel of beauty and goodness."
 When Aussie actress Rachel Griffiths (also mother of son Banjo) chose Adelaide for her daughter, she said she'd been inspired by the city, Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, and the Disney character in The Aristocats. Adelaide can also be found in works by Thomas Hardy and Agatha Christie.

Adelaide

Alain gives the midcentury Alan a bit of gallic dash.

Alain

Alina has been drifting up the US popularity charts since the early 1980s, now nearing the Top 100. But Alina's real strength is in its international flexibility: The name ranks highly in a wide range of European, English speaking, and Latin American countries. 
One of the scores of global variations on the classic Helen, Alina manages to be one of those names you seem to hear everywhere and at the same time have never heard before. Alina might be a long form for a daughter you want to call Lena or Lina.

Alina

One of the romantic names favored by British pastoral poets, more appealing in its longer form, Araminta. 

Aminta

The goddess name Aurora has consistently been on the US popularity list since the nineteenth century, but has really taken off in the past 30 years. Aurora also enjoys remarkable international popularity, ranking in the Top 100 throughout the English-speaking world as well as in Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, and several other European and Latin American countries.
 
Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of sunrise, whose tears turned into the morning dew. She was said to renew herself by traveling from East to West across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun each dawn. Aurora is also associated with the scientific term for the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.
 The radiant Aurora, also the name of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, would be sure to make any little girl feel like a princess. Aurora Leigh is the name of an epic poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Aurora Greenway was the moving Shirley MacLaine character in Terms of Endearment.
 An Aurora nickname possibility with a totally different feel: Rory. Read more about Aurora and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Aurora

Aloise

Antoinetta

Benno is a cool name in its own right -- there was a tenth century Saint Benno -- though it is also used as a lively nickname for Benjamin. Saint Benno of Meissen is the patron saint of anglers and weavers and, strangely enough, alliteration.
 Benno came to attention in the U.S. via the father and son duo of Benno Schmidt Sr. and Jr. Senior was the venture capitalist who invented the term venture capitalist and Junior was the president of Yale University. Benno is also the appellation of a student character in Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

Benno

Brianza

Brienne

Carlotta has a large measure of finger-snapping charm and substance — despite being a not too pleasant character in The Little Mermaid. Carlotta is also the diva/prima donna in The Phantom of the Opera, and there was an Empress Carlotta of Mexico.
 Carlotta (spelled with one 'T' in Spanish), has not been heard much since the 1960s — which might add to its appeal to someone looking for a more international spin on Charlotte.

Carlotta

Clara is a strong, lovely girls' name that's always ranked among the US Top 1000 girl names but has been climbing since the turn of this century. It now ranks right around Number 100, making it a modern classic that's neither too popular nor unfamiliar.
 
Long relegated to an Olde World backwater, the European-flavored Clara was long less fashionable than sleeker sister Claire. Now, though the vintage chic Clara is still less popular, it's arguably the more stylish of the two names. 
 Clara was a Top 10 name in the 1880's, at one time associated with the silent screen 'It Girl,' Clara Bow, and before that with German musician and composer Clara Schumann and Red Cross founder Clara Barton, who was born Clarissa.
 Clara is beloved for her leading role in The Nutcracker ballet and as Heidi's invalid friend. Actor Ewan McGregor was an early celebrity adopter of the name for one of his daughters.
 Other Clara variations you might want to consider include Clarissa and Clarina, though Clarabelle seems still fit mainly for cows.

Clara

Claudina — a traditional Spanish diminutive of Claudia — was a Top 500 name in Spain for the first half of the 20th century. It never caught on as a given name in the US. At its peak, Claudina was given to 17 American baby girls in 1969.

Claudina

Corella

Cavalier

Clytia

Colas

Coppelia

Corolina

The modern name Dena can be considered to come from either of two Old Testament names. Adina, which means delicate, was the name of a male soldier in the Bible. Dinah, meaning judged, Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Dena is a common name in Amish communities.

Dena

Romantic and artistic Domenico is ripe for the picking as a relatively rare name that fits in with current favorites such as Leonardo and Emiliano.
 
Domenico is the name of many great creatives throughout history, including many painters, composers, and sculptors. In modern times, Domenico has been associated with designer Domenico Dolce, cofounder of fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.

Domenico

Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional world of the book, though, Dulcinea is not the woman's real name; Aldonza is. And because she never appears in person in the text, it's unclear whether she is as beautiful and saintly as the protagonist believes her to be. Probably not, given Don Quixote's track record.

Dulcinea

Danilova

This international variation was publicized by Olympic skater Ekaterina Gordeeva.

Ekaterina

Eudokia

Felia

Commonly used in Russia, has an Old World Slavic feel.   The original Galen can be used for girls as well as boys.

Galina

Gisella

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen undoubtedly gave this name a boost. The French pronunciation (jiz-ELLE) gives it a more graceful, balletic, gazellelike feel. 
 In the 2007 film Enchanted, Giselle is the name of the ingenuous princess, portrayed by Amy Adams, living in the fantasy animated kingdom of Andalasia. Read more about Giselle and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Giselle

Actor Joaquin Phoenix (brother of River, Rain, Liberty and Summer) highlighted this one, then Kelly Ripa began talking about younger son Joaquin on her daily TV show, and presto—it's now one of the hottest and most appealing multicultural <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">baby boy names</a>.
 Joaquin is currently enjoying high popularity in South America, especially in Argentina and Chile.
 Colorful poet Joaquin (born Cincinnatus) Miller was known as the "Byron of the Rockies." There is a teenage character in Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls named Joaquin, and San Joaquín is the Spanish version of Saint Joachim, the traditional name for the father of Mary, mother of Jesus.

Joaquin

Though Jules hasn't been on the US popularity list in fifty years, it is a current hit in its native France—where it's currently in the Top 10—and we can definitely see it making a comeback here, being far more romantic than, say, Jim. 
 The glittering Jules has a solid history, attached to such cultural notables as author Verne, opera composer Massenet, painter Olitski, and cartoonist Feiffer, as well as appearing as a character in such iconic films as Pulp Fiction and St. Elmo's Fire and in Balzac's novel The Human Comedy and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
 These days, Jules is also apt to be heard as a nickname for the feminine Julia or Julie, as in TV personality Jules Asner, the Keira Knightley character in Bend it Like Beckham, and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's wife—spelled Jools.

Jules

Karena modernizes middle-aged Karen but also creates pronunciation confusion. Is it ka-REN-a, ka-REEN-a, or just plain Karen with an a at the end?  Spelled Karenna as in Gore goes partway toward clarifying things. 

Karena

Kitri

Klavdia

Leda is that rare name that has not yet been discovered in the current craze for ancient names from mythology.  In classical Greek myth, Leda was a great beauty who mothered another great beauty, Helen of Troy. 

Leda is at once simple, deeply-rooted, and unique: Only 23 baby girls were named Leda in the US last year. A name used in several European countries, pronunciation is usually the straightforward lee-dah but the Italians say lay-dah.

Leda

This concise one-syllable name, has two possible derivations and two positive meanings associated with it. In Hebrew, it means "heart", while in Russian it means "lion". So strong and simple Lev has both a soft and a fierce side.

 Lev is very uncommon in the US, ranking below the Top 1000, but feels eminently wearable thanks to similar names like Levi and Zev. It's a popular choice in Russia and the Netherlands, ranking in or around the Top 100 in both nations.

 The leonine Lev is the Russian birth name of the great novelist Tolstoy, and the mother of Liev Schreiber has stated that she named him in honor of the writer. In the Chaim Potok novel My Name is Asher Lev, about a Hasidic Jewish boy in New York, Lev is the character's surname.

 Actress Candace Cameron has a son she named Lev.

Lidiya

Lise is most often found in the U.S. as the second half of the hybrid name Annalise. Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet bears a pretty alternative spelling, pronounced LEESE.

Lise

Sophisticated Gallic version of Lucian, Lucien may appeal to parents attracted to this meaning over that of Lucas and Luke, which have a different root, and also looking for a more unusual choice. Lucien joined the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2023, given to over 200 baby boys.

Lucien

Highly popular in Germany, Norway, Lithuania, and Austria, Lukas is a spelling variation of the also extremely popular Lucas. The "K" spelling gives it extra kick and a more international, globe-trotter feel.
 
Derived from the Greek name "Loukas", meaning "from Lucanus", Lukas is associated with the Biblical Luke, a doctor and author in the New Testament. Possibly helped along by the 1977 release of Star Wars, Lukas now feels like a solid, safe option for boys.
 
Actor Lukas Haas helped popularize this spelling, while other notable namesakes include actor Lukas Gage, footballer Lukas Podolski, and choreographer Lukas Mcfarlane. 
Used occasionally in the US before the 90s, Lukas moved up the charts during the 2010s and is now given to around 1500 boys each year. While this means it is significantly less popular than Lucas, in terms of <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/2023-playground-analysis">playground analysis</a>, it becomes the 6th most popular name across the US. Taking into account all the babies called Luka and Luca too, and Lukas and co. feel more popular than Oliver. 
 
Such popularity shouldn't put you off if you love the name - it's a tried-and-tested, safe but substantial option after all - however, if you did want something that stands out in the US at least, Magnus, Erik, Aksel, or Henrik might appeal.

Lukas

Leonide

Marcia is an ancient Roman name which derives from Mars, the god of war. It was used by Dante in the Inferno and later by Thomas Hardy and others.
 Marcia enjoyed a brief run of popularity in the mid-twentieth century--it was a Top 100 name from 1943 to 1955-- then was replaced by Marcy and Marci. Now all three are in limbo, replaced by the newer Marley or the more vintage Marcella. An alternate spelling of Marcia is Marsha. A strong association is with Marcia, Marcia, Marcia of The Brady Bunch.

Marcia

While Marianna looks like a spelling variation of Mariana, the two names have different etymologies. While the one-N spelling derives from the Roman name Marianus, Marianna is a combination of two classics, Maria and Anna, used in many European languages.

 Marianna was on and off the US Top 1000 list throughout the twentieth century, and it has now ranked consistently since 1995. While it has never appeared in the upper half of the US popularity charts, it's a very popular choice in Italy and Poland.

 The meaning of Maria is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Marianna

Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius might start attracting more attention.
Mario, the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese version of Marius, is much more widely used.

Marius

Martine

Medora is a Greek name much less common here than, say, Melanie or Melissa.  It has some literary references, including as the beautiful and passionate heroine of Lord Byron's poem The Corsair, and in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, there is a character named Marchioness Melora Manson.

Medora

One of the most familiar Russian names in the West, thanks to ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov and state head Mikhail Gorbachev.

Mikhail

Nadezhda is more familiar in the English-speaking world by its short forms, Nadia or Nadya. Well-used through the Slavic countries and Russia, Nadezhda was the name of Lenin's wife. Viewers of The Americans</a> learned that this was the original Russian name of the spy known as Elizabeth Jennings, played by Keri Russell.

Nadezhda

Natalia was derived from the Latin word natalis, meaning "birthday." It refers to the birthday of Jesus Christ, and thus originated as a name for girls born on Christmas Day. Related forms include the French Natalie, Portuguese Natalina, and Russian diminutive Natasha.
 
More romantic that Natalie, more unusual than Natasha and heard frequently in Spain, Portugal, and the Slavic countries, this is a distinctive, strong but feminine member of the Natalie/Natasha family, with the appealing short form Talia. 
 
Like her cousins, Natalia is a name often given to girls born around Christmas.
 
Natalie Wood was born Natalia. Other namesakes include renowned Russian-born prima ballerina Natalia Makarova and supermodel Natalia Vodianova.

Natalia

Nikiya

Nirilya

Nisia

Odette is the good swan in Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, a role for which Natalie Portman won an Oscar ---and it would make a particularly soigne, sophisticated yet upbeat choice, unlike some of the more dated other 'ette'-ending names. 
 Odette de Crecy, is the flamboyant wife of Charles Swann in Proust's A la Recherche du Temps Perdu. 
 The name became publicized during World War II via the courageous French Resistance heroine Odette Brailly, who risked her life to supply information to the Allies, was captured by the Germans, and wrote her story which was retold in an eponymous film.
 Actor Mark Ruffalo chose Odette for his daughter. 
 Variant Odetta is associated with the folksinger who was one of the first to go by a single name.
 Odile, who is Odette's evil Swan Lake twin, gives her name a sinuous, sensuous appeal.

Odette

Odette's evil Swan Lake twin -- gives the name a sinuous, sensuous appeal.

Odile

Paloma is vibrant and ruby-lipped a la jewelry designer Paloma Picasso, but it also suggests peace, as symbolized by the dove. Paloma is a highly recommended striking but soft name, one of the best of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/411/baby-names-that-mean-peace">names that mean peace</a> and <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/p">girls' names starting with P</a>.
 Salma Hayak used Paloma as the middle name of her daughter Valentina, and it was the first name pick of David Caruso and Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz.

Paloma

Pierina

Raymonda

Riccardo

Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original. 

Tamara

This intriguing name of an ancient Etruscan queen renowned for her prophetic powers was long associated with the prima ballerina Tanaquil LeClerq. 

Tanaquil

An interesting and appealingly international spin on Barbara, with a lot of charm and energy. 

Varvara

Was there ever a name that rolled more appealingly off the tongue?  Vittorio calls to mind the glory days of Italian cinema, featuring names like Vittorio de Sica and Vittorio Gassman.


Vittorio

Vasilieva

Villella

Willam

An overly elaborate version for use in this country. 

Yekaterina

One of many international versions of this classic. 

Yelena

Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Julia.

Yuliya

jacksparrow1700's list "Ballet Names" of 68 great name ideas: Adelaide - Yuliya!