When you were growing up, were there always two or three other kids in your class with the same name as you? You might want to give your child a different experience. Or maybe you had a unique name, and you want your new baby girl to have a name that’s all her own, too. Luckily, there’s no shortage of unique baby girl names out there to consider.
“There is a theory that unusual names can benefit the person,” says Dalton Conley, a sociologist at New York University and author of “Parentology.” “Children who grow up with unusual names learn to control their emotions as they deal with peoples’ reactions to their strange name,” he says. “Unusual names can make your child feel one of a kind,” agrees Laura Emerson, the creator of the blog Nameisms and author of “Baby Names.” “But they can make it hard if your child just wants to fit in.”
Whatever you choose to name your unique little girl, you will never be able to please everyone. “For every single name, there will be at least one negative comment,” notes Alexia Mae of The Name Sisters. “If you and your partner love it, then use it. If there’s one thing a parent shouldn’t regret, it’s the name you call your blessing every single day.”
If you want your little girl’s name to be as special as she is, here are 21 unique baby girl names to add to your list:
- Palila (pa-LEE-lah)
Flying in from Hawaii, this name means “bird.”
- Armelle (ARM-ell)
Love royalty? Honor your little one with the French word for “princess.”
- Rhea (RAY-ah)
This name has two meanings. In Greek, the name Rhea means “flowing river.” But in Latin, Rhea is the word for “poppy flower.”
- Danica (DAN-ih-kah)
Whether your daughter is a TV star or a racing star, you can set her on a stellar path with this Hebrew and Slavic name that means “morning star.”
- Elodie (EL-oh-dee)
This name is a French variation of the Greek Alodia, which means “foreign riches.”
- Hadlee (HAD-lee)
A variation of the Old English word hadley, this name means “a field of heather.”
- Trinity (TRIN-it-tee)
This name is derived from the Latin word for a set of three. It saw increased popularity in the late 1990s after the release of “The Matrix.”
- Yelena (yah-LEE-nah)
You can give a traditional name a unique twist by using this Portuguese version of Helen.
- Larkin (LARK-in)
This name used to be given to just boys, but it has been gaining popularity as a girls’ name. It comes from a Gaelic word meaning “rough” or “fierce.”
- Nimah (NEE-mah)
Honor your little blessing with this name — it means “blessed” in Arabic.
- Oda (OH-dah)
Set your daughter on the road to financial freedom with this name of Germanic origin meaning “wealth.”
- Aelfwine (ELF-win)
Once used mainly as a boys’ name, this Old English name meaning “friend of the elves” now makes a perfect name for your little girl.
- Ulani (oo-LON-ee)
The perfect name for a smiley baby, this name comes from Hawaii and means “cheerful.”
- Siobhan (SHIV-awn)
This Irish name meaning “God is gracious” rose in popularity after its appearance in the “Twilight” saga.
- Meena (MEE-nah)
In Sanskrit, Meena means “precious stone.”
- Zariah(zuh-RY-ah)
In Nigeria, this name means “princess” or “blossoming flower.”
- Calla (CAL-ah)
This is a Greek name meaning “beauty” or “lily.”
- Adsila (add-SEE-lah)
Among the Algonquin Native Americans, this name means “blossom.”
- Eliora (el-lee-OR-ah)
In Hebrew this name means “God is light.”
- Bai (BYE)
This Chinese name means “pure.”
- Freyja (FRAY-ah)
You can name your little girl after this Norse goddess of love and beauty.
Want more unique ideas? Try these 10 Royal Baby Names.
Shellie Braeuner, is an award winning children’s author. She earned an M.Ed. from Vanderbilt in human developmental counseling and has worked as a nanny for more than 25 years.
