Terrific T names [girls]

Made famous in fifties movies as a wholesome backwoods gal, Tammy was a Top 10 choice from the mid-60s to early-70s, but is now given to fewer than 100 babies per year in the US.

Tamsin is an offbeat name occasionally heard in Britain and just waiting to be discovered here. U.K. actress Tamsin Greig is a star of the show Episodes, Tamsin Olivier is the daughter of Joan Plowright and Sir Laurence Olivier..

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

Fresher sounding than Mandy or Brandy, but Thandie might be a more original way to go.

Is it related to Angela? Or Tangelo? One invention that doesn't improve on any original.

We've had Apples, Plums, Peaches, Cherries, and Berries added to the fruit basket: you could be the first to pick a Tangerine.

This obscure name found in Sinclair Lewis's 1923 novel Babbitt is a bit hipper than most other is-ending names like Janis and Doris. Some sources consider it a variation of Tanith, who is a Phoenician moon goddess and fertility figure, while others say it is a North American indigenous name from the Cree culture, meaning daughter. It may in fact have two separate derivations and meanings, but in any case is a lovely and unusual name.

Tansy is a flower name rarer than Rose, livelier than Lily and a lot less teasable than Pansy.

Tanwen is a far more singular and colorful alternative to Bronwen.

A unique New Age possibility with a pleasing sound.

Aromatic but also problematic.

See NATASHA.

Probably better to stick with Jasmine -- this one's a little too Tasmanian devil. Or Tasmine might be better scrambled to the lovely Cornish Tamsin.

Taura is a possibility for a girl born between mid-April and mid-May, but, if a name is destiny, its meaning does suggest stubbornness. Consider Laura, Flora, or Honora instead.

Tavora is an attractive option, based on the name of a mountain in northern Israel. But the meaning of Tavora and brother name Tavor is less than optimal.

Y-ending color adjectives like Tawny and Rusty are nowhere near as stylish as the more sophisticated Lilacs and Violets.

Not too long ago, Temperance was found only on lists of Puritan baby names.

Young rocker Tennessee Thomas has brought this former one-person name over to the girls' side -- though the census roles of North Carolina in 1850 included a female named Tennessee and called Tincy.