English names for girls
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Most popular English names in official statistics
United States, 2025
Source: Social Security Administration.
Australia (New South Wales), 2025
Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Australia (Victoria), 2025
Source: Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
Canada (Ontario), 2024
Source: Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General, ServiceOntario).
England and Wales, 2025
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).
New Zealand, 2025
Source: Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Northern Ireland, 2025
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
Featured in baby name books
Abigail
Abigail is a biblical Hebrew name meaning “father’s joy,” with nicknames such as Abby, Abbie, and Gail. In the Old Testament, Abigail was the clever, beautiful wife of Nabal who calmed David’s anger with a generous gift and later became his wife.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Alice
Alice is a Germanic name meaning “noble” or “nobility,” originally a form of Adelaide, with variants such as Alys and Alyce. Alice is also linked to a Greek word for “truthful.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Amy
Amy comes from Latin and means “beloved” or “dearly loved,” with spellings like Aimee and Amie. Amy was a defining name of the 1970s, popularized earlier by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and some feel it is now dated.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Angela
Angela comes from Greek and means “messenger of God” or “angel,” with forms such as Angelina, Angelique, and the Irish Aingeal, and Angie as a nickname. Famous bearers include actresses Angela Lansbury and Angela Bassett and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Ariel
Ariel is a Hebrew name meaning “lion of God” or “lioness of God,” used for boys and girls, with Arielle and Ariella as feminine spellings. In the Bible Ariel is a symbolic name for Jerusalem in Isaiah and the name of a leader sent by Ezra to find Levites.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With
Beatrice
Beatrice is a Latin name meaning “she brings joy,” or “blessed,” with Beatrix and Beatriz as sister forms. Beatrice was adored by Dante and appears in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, while Beatrix Potter of Peter Rabbit fame is a well-loved bearer.
Sources: Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Baby Names Book
Cameron
Cameron is a Scottish clan name meaning “crooked nose.” Cameron is also read as “crooked river.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With
Carmen
Carmen is Latin and Spanish for “song.” Carmen is also traced to Hebrew, meaning “garden” or “orchard,” as a Spanish form of Carmela.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson)
Carson
Carson is a Scottish name for the son of a marsh dweller, or one who lives in a swamp. Carson has a rugged frontier feel from Kit Carson and Carson City, and a lighter side from Johnny Carson and Carson Daly.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Chelsea
Chelsea is an Old English place name meaning “chalk landing place” or “chalk wharf.” Chelsea is also read as “ship port” or “landing place.”
Sources: 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Unusual Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 10,000 Baby Names
Claudia
Claudia is the feminine of Claudius and comes from Latin for “lame.” The name stayed popular despite its meaning, thanks largely to the Roman Emperor Claudius.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Corey
Corey is an Irish Gaelic name meaning “the hollow” or “hollow in a hill.” Corey was hugely popular from the 1960s to the 1990s, and is tied to '80s stars Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Corey Hart.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Unusual Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Dakota
Dakota means “friend” or “ally” in the Sioux language and is the name of the people for whom the two Dakota states are named. Dakota began as a boys' name but was quickly taken up for girls, and it carries a wild, Western sense of adventure.
Sources: 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, 10,000 Baby Names
Edith
Edith is an Old English name meaning “prosperity in war” or “struggle for wealth.” Edith is also read as “spoils of war,” and the first Edith was a daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Baby Names Book, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, The Best Baby Names for Girls
Elizabeth
Elizabeth is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my oath,” “pledged to God,” or “God’s promise.” Elizabeth has more spin-offs than almost any name, from Beth, Betsy and Liz to Elsa and Isabel, and it has stayed near the top of U.S. charts for well over a century.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy
Ellen
Ellen began as a form of Helen, meaning “light” or “shining,” and has long been a name in its own right. Some find Ellen too plain, but it has the quiet appeal of a simple staple that subtle-minded parents appreciate.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Evan
Evan is the Welsh form of John, meaning “God is good” or “God is gracious.” Evan is also given a Gaelic meaning, “wellborn young warrior.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Faith
Faith is a virtue name meaning “trust,” “strong belief,” or “belief in God.” A favorite of the Puritans, Faith is one of the few virtue names still widely used, and Fay or Faye make lighter alternatives.
Sources: 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, Baby Names Book, Baby Names Made Easy, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, 10,000 Baby Names
Grace
Grace comes from the Latin gratia and means “grace,” “favor,” or “pleasing,” with Gracie as a beloved pet form. A virtue name loved by the Puritans and frequent in the Bible, Grace was seen as dowdy in the 1970s but is now as popular as in the late 1800s; it also recalls the mythological Graces.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Unusual Baby Names
Iris
Iris is Greek for “rainbow,” and is also a flower name. In Greek myth Iris was the rainbow goddess who carried messages between heaven and earth; the stylized iris is the fleur-de-lis of France.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Jane
Jane is the feminine form of John and means “God is gracious” or “God’s grace.” Jane was the dependable everygirl from the 1920s to the ’50s, faded in the sixties, and now sits mid-pack, suited to literature lovers (Jane Eyre, Jane Austen) and Anglophiles alike.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Jordan
Jordan is a Hebrew name meaning “to descend” or “flowing down,” after the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized. Jordan caught on during the Crusades, when soldiers brought Jordan River water home to baptize their children.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names
Joyce
Joyce is usually read as “joyous,” from Latin or French. Joyce originally meant “lord,” from a Breton name that became an Anglo-Norman surname borne by one of the Galway “tribes.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Girls, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Irish Names for Children
Mary
Mary is linked to the sea, read as “drop of the sea” and later “star of the sea,” from Latin stella maris. Mary also traces to the Hebrew Miriam, meaning “bitter” or “sea of bitterness.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Classic Biblical Baby Names
Nancy
Nancy grew out of Ann and Anna and shares their Hebrew meaning, “grace.” Nancy was a top-ten name in the U.S. around 1935 to 1955, has been fading since, and has a cheerful girl-next-door feel.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Girls, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Rose
Rose comes from the Latin name of the flower, with many forms such as Rosa, Rosie, Rosalie, and Rosetta. Rose was the earliest flower name, probably because of its connection with the Virgin Mary, and it stands for love and purity, while the Bible refers to the “rose of Sharon.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Ruby
Ruby is a gem name from the Latin for “red,” referring to the precious red stone. One of the first jewel names after the Civil War, Ruby was hot in the 1910s, faded, and is now back, ranking second in the U.K. in 2008.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Sarah
Sarah is a Hebrew name meaning “princess,” with nicknames such as Sally and Sadie. In Genesis, the beautiful Sarai was renamed Sarah and, late in life, bore Isaac to Abraham, earning the title “mother of nations.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Taylor
Taylor is an English occupational surname, from the Old French for “tailor,” for someone who cuts and alters clothing. Long a boy’s name, Taylor became a girl’s name around 1979 and rocketed into the top ten by the mid-1990s, and some books expect it to end up mostly feminine.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Veronica
Veronica is a Latin name meaning “true image,” with Veronique and Veronika as foreign forms and Ronnie and Vera as nicknames. By legend, Saint Veronica wiped Jesus’s face with her veil as he carried the cross, and the cloth kept the image of his face, though she never appears in the Bible itself.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book
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These lists are only intended to give you name ideas. Make sure to further research each name, as some may have negative connotations.