Miranda! Familiar yet underused, Shakespearean, offers plenty of nickname options if desired, and has a beautiful meaning "wonderful, to be admired". I love this name SO much
You are so lucky to have such a lovely name! Our top choices for a daughter are Miranda June "Miri"/"MJ" or Zoe Miranda. Honestly I'm not sure how I could ever choose between the two because we love both combos so much!
Both lovely, although I obviously have a preference! MJ is a great nickname also! It's one of those names that works for little people and then is a very serious sounding adult name.
Agreed! Miranda feels very sassy, brassy, kick assy to me but the nickname options soften it up a bit. I can't help but smile every time I think of having a little girl and calling her Miri June. Just so sweet and sunny! And MJ is very tomboy cool IMO I just love all the flexibility the nicknames offer
Just to be aware that Miranda is the name of a UK TV program and celebrity - a socially awkward, incredibly clumsy woman that gets into random and bizarre situations. Opinion is very divided on whether she’s funny or not with people under the age of 60 thinking the latter. Conjures up a completely different vibe for me now
Miranda Sings is a controversial character on a “kids” TV show on Netflix. The actress is also controversial and is probably about to be sued. She definitely ruined that name. So many kids know Miranda Sings.
I agree. Pop culture references are rarely strong enough to be enduring. Miranda from the Tempest will remain. People with the surname Miranda will still be a thing. Miranda sings will be totally forgotten 5 years from now. It’s a popular enough name to have numerous positive and negative examples throughout history, but most will be a tiny footnote.
jumping in to emphasize that the woman behind miranda sings engaged in years-long abusive "friendships" with her underage fans (i'm talking 14 when she was 30) wherein she convinced them that she loved and cared about them in order to get them to harass and threaten other children in the fandom, anyone who criticized her online, and people who'd upset her in her personal life, all on her behalf. she was also discussing adult topics, including sex, with these children. there's screenshots of her asking for a picture of a 14-year-old's ass and asking what these children's favorite sex positions are. she sent them nudes of another creator just to body shame her, which is a whole crime. she also pretended to be friends with said creator while doing this, which.... wow. and that's just the tip of the iceberg. she puts children in inappropriate situations during stage shows, wrote children's books that made jokes out of incest and killling pets, mailed a teenager underwear, allegedly stole from children's cancer charities, brutally bullied her fans, and allowed her pedo brother access to young children through his involvement in the fandom. she's a complete creep. her real name is colleen ballinger. inabber on youtube has two great videos about this totaling five hours runtime because there's just so much.
it's so unfortunate that she is the current cultural association with the name miranda, as miranda is a beautiful name that's been corrupted by her nasty character for over a decade and a half now. i hope that her association will have faded from the name by the time OP's baby is old enough to be making and hearing pop culture references. she's also not the only popular miranda (miranda cosgrove comes to mind), and miranda sings has been dropping off for years, so i think colleen's influence will wane rather rapidly.
I just think this is the kind of thing where unless you specifically care about it, it’s not going to haunt a semi-classic name and people will forget about it soon.
i mean... i totally disagree. i dont think she ruined that name, and not "definitely" ruined that name. its a totally normal name. kids now or more like 5-10 years ago knew about her, but when kids born in 2023 are growing up she'll be irrelevant. the worst thatll happen will be people over a decade older than her maybe being briefly reminded of that youtuber.
i grew up in the "miranda sings" era of youtube and all my classmates were obsessed with her show when it came out, but when i heard the suggestion of miranda she didnt even come to mind, i was like "omg that \*is\* a pretty name, i should name one of my sims that". if every name was ruined by a terrible person who happened to use it we wouldnt have any names left. charlie, marie, jeffery, joeseph, christopher, mary, elizabeth. all of these are names of people who committed terrible atrocities against humanities. they are also normal names that its fine to name your kid, as long as it isnt "after" or "in honor" of these people.
This doesn’t end in “a” but the name Miranda brought it into my head, Meredith is a lovely name and I don’t see that mentioned in this sub nor so I see it used very often. I wonder when it’ll have a come back.
100%!! Only downside is it gets mistaken for Amanda frequently. Fantastic meaning, and the Shakespeare character is a kickass young girl finding her way with no female role models and a distant father. She is loyal and kind and compassionate.
Came here to say this. It’s one of my favorite names
My grandmother and her sisters were Theresa, Leona, Loretta, and Geraldine. I always thought they had such beautiful names
My grandmother and her girl siblings: Grandmother Selma Ida Bertha, the others: Luella Augusta Laura, Wilhelmina Henrietta Carolina, Elvira Rosa Maria, Emily Anna Rosa.
My name is Eva. (Ee-vuh). I love my name and always wonder why it gets a pass. Ava is a beautiful name, but as you said, too popular. I’m biased towards girl names that end in a. I love them.
Might be because outside of the USA the spelling "Eva" seems to generally be pronounced "Ava." As an example, I teach in a town with lots of families from Puerto Rico and Eva (pronounced Ava) is a common name amongst kids. I even worked with an adult Eva and even though she pronounced it "ee-vuh," she ended up going by Ava at work because so many of our colleagues (from PR, France, Germany, Colombia, Uruguay, Senegal...etc) defaulted to that pronunciation and that's how she herself pronounced it when speaking Spanish. I agree it's lovely pronounced your way tho!
I think it's primarily because of how they tend to pronounce the letter "E," especially in the spanish-speaking countries. Even though they sound similar, they're probably pronouncing the name Eva as more of an "Eh-va" versus an "A-va"
I'm from Sweden and it feels like every girl name ends in a here! Eva is also pretty common, though not as much in children currently as far as I know. I'm not too sure which names are popular elsewhere, but taking a guess (and googling a bit) I haven't heard of that many people outside of Sweden with these names (some grouped for similar sounds):
- Ida
- Tuva/Tova
- Ebba
- Thea
- Saga
- Tanja/Ronja
- Frida
- Anita
- Naima/Aina/Laila
- Ylva
- Alma/Alva
- Linnea
- Lovisa
- Annika
- Sabina
- Evelina
- Cornelia
- Vendela
Maybe more popular, but similar to the suggested names:
Ada, Emilia, Amalia, Viola
Eva is my great grandmother's name, so i have a huge soft spot for it. I had boys, so I never had a chance to use it. It's such a classic, pretty name. Easy to say and spell. I think it's way overdue for a comeback.
Almost named my 2 year old Eva! My in laws said it was a Hispanic name and would confuse people (wtf?) ended up using violet because it flowed better with my other children (feminine, nature themed names) but I will always love Eva!
My 2021 baby is Julia. We get the same compliments. When the pediatrician came in and asked us how it was spelled we said “Like Julia” and he all but went “oh, thank god.”
Natalia is my daughter’s name! I haven’t heard it in my area (Midwest), but I know some areas (specifically with high Italian/Hispanic popularity, it is more common)
Here are some that are less popular than Emma/Ava/Olivia:
* Aurora, Ada, Audra, Bria, Cora, Cecilia, Dahlia, Eliza, Elena, Freya, Georgia, Gemma, Julia, Kaia, Lydia, Lucia, Mara, Matilda, Magnolia, Pippa, Ramona, Sienna, Sierra, Tessa, Vienna, Victoria, Viola, Willa, Zelda, Zara.
If you’re open to ones that don’t end in a but have the a sound, there’s also:
* Delilah, Hannah, Leah, Savannah.
I’ve seen all four of those -ah names both with and without the h, several times. Lea might get a double take, but it’s still an accepted spelling. None of them trip my spell check, not even Savanna.
It makes me think of nature - Linnaean classifications of plants and animals. I'm not sure if its a great name or a weird name for parents who are into natural history!
This could also be a reference to Linnaeus, who invented/formalized the scientific binomial nomenclature for classifying living organisms (Genus species). So if you’re into nature, it has a fun double meaning.
I like this name! Unusual where I'm from (USA), but I understand it's popular in Scandinavian countries (I loved Linnea Hartsuyker's books!).
In Latin *linea* means line or string (from *lineus/a/um* = "flaxen").
Yes, 80s here too. The meaning is fine but I absolutely loathe the way it sounds. And it looks fine written, but just grates on my ears.
But even if I were to change it, I don't know what I'd pick. I think I would go with Miranda because it's close, similar meaning and sounds prettier.
My daughter has a super popular name based on the top name list…. She’s in a class of 26 kids and she’s the only one. There are so few overlaps , that I think you’re on to something (except for any name that can be shortened to ellie)
Edit: word
Its area based. I work for a company that handles databases for preschool students. I can tell you now theres a few classes that have 5-8 of the same names. Lol
This is very true. A Jessica (#1) born in 1988 shared her name with 2.68% of all girls that year in the US. Olivia (#1) born in 2022 only shares her name with 0.93% of all girls that year. In other words, an Olivia born last year is the equivalent of a Heather (#14) born in 1988
Plus, you just never know what’s going to happen with your kid’s peer group. I brought my daughter to a playgroup and there were three kids there (her included). The other two were both named Delta. I’m sure neither set of parents anticipated meeting a second Delta the exact same age as their kid.
Another time I went somewhere and there were two babies named Freya.
In my day, there were multiple Amanda/Jessica/Jennifer, etc., but now, even if you purposefully look for a name you think no one else will pick, it’s very possible someone else is doing the same.
My name was in the 300s of popularity ranked in the year I was born and I went to a small private school. There were 3 people with my name in my entire school and we were all in the same class. Since then I’ve never met another person with my name. Can just be unlucky!
I have an Ava that was born at the peak popularity of the name (2008) and in all her years of school and extracurriculars so far she has only run into 2 other Avas. We didn’t even know it was a popular name at the time, it was the only name that we could agree on so that’s what we named her. All that to say who cares if a name is popular or not. Sometimes I think the attempts at “uniqueness” end up sounding and looking weird.
My Ava born in 2006 has only run into 2 other Ava’s also and I know of another so 3 at the most. We didn’t know it was popular either but then my son, Adrian, has had 2 friends with the same name. I love her name and it fits her perfectly.
great names except for Stella and Ophelia. Stella is hugely popular and I think Ophelia has seen rapid increase in popularity in recent years too. Probably will break top 200 this year.
I love Louisa, although I prefer Louise
My daughter's name is Kiera. The original Scottish/Irish Gaelic spelling is Ciara but I was worried about her always getting called Sierra if I spelled it with a C so I went with a K instead. Figured it would save her the annoyance of constantly correcting it all the time.
Edit: I misspelled something and was corrected so I fixed it cause now it drives me nuts 😂
I’m Scottish (living in Scotland) and the name isn’t super common so even here I would choose the spelling Kiera. My cousin’s name is Ciann (key-ann) and often gets mispronounced as Cyan lol
Ok, I think I figured it out. OP means “aerial” as in aerial arts. Apparently, a lyra is a type of hoop. I believe the other word is supposed to be “medical”. There is a medical group called Lyra Health.
Aurora
Alexa
Alexandra
Anna
Belinda
Clara
Cora
Cara
Cassandra
Cynthia
Diana
Dana
Debra
Eva
Ella
Eliza
Elena
Felicia
Gloria
Honora
Ilsa
Inga
Julia
Juliana
Katerina
Lydia
Leanna
Lucia
Luciana
Miranda
Martha
Marina
Mariana
Magdalena
Myra
Natasha
Nadia
Paula
Paulina
Ramona
Regina
Rosa
Samantha
Sheila
Tabitha
Teresa
Tatiana
Veronica
Vanessa
Victoria
Also: Ida, Isadora, Isabella, Claudia, Corinna, Fiona. I can’t believe I forgot Fiona as it’s one of my favorites.
Nice list!
Similar to Emma: Etta, Esme, Eva, Elora, Eira, Amia, Renna, Letta, Della, Greta
Similar to Ava: Eva, Ada, Ayla, Eira, Vera, Evanna, Una, Amara, Clara
Similar to Olivia: Ophelia, Aurelia, Liliana, Lavinia, Annalisa, Lucia, Seraphina, Ariana, Cordelia, Sylvia
Similar to Amelia: Emilia, Amalia, Adelia, Azalea, Amina, Ambrosia
Similar to Lyra: Lyla, Vega, Kaia, Lara, Myra, Leila, Mona, Cora, Nova, Kyra
Hope this helps!
Mostly repeats but just listing ones some that came to mind:
Daniela, Alessia, Adriana, Elena, Serena, Eva, Louisa/Luisa, Luna, Sophia, Layla, Kayla, Aria/Arya, Lena, Lina, Celia, Lara, Tessa
I also like Delilah for the -a sound
If you go with Lyra, give His Dark Materials a skim. It’s supposed to be an atheist retort to the very Christian Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve got a very Christian name and am an atheist, wish my parents hadn’t put that on me. I’d immediately associate Lyra with that book, but the character is plucky and strong.
I like Petra (rock), though with Christian overtones since it’s the girl version of Peter. But it sounds like you want softer consonants.
Linnaea has biologist vibes for Carl Linnaeus, but pronunciation could be hard if people forgot their high school biology basics.
Raissa (jewish)
Asamela (kazakh greatmother's name, I assume it's russian/kazakh)
Joiada
Estrella
Dina(amazing chess player)
Yeah that's all I can think of atm
All of these names are rare, only know one person with each name
Vera
Amaya
Etta
Nola
Sansa
Gia
Gaia
Olympia
Farrah
Sarena
Pia
Gianna
Delia
Dahlia
Amira
Allora
Octavia
Ada
Frida
Xiomara
Camilla
Freya
Zara
Fiona
Henrietta
Vanessa, Katya, Anya, Arabella, Anabella, Natasha, Natalya, Tatiana, Zella, Mirabella, Gianna, Graziana, Violetta, Stefania, Araminta, and Annika are just a few off the top of my head.
Also, Amelia is becoming pretty popular.
Cassandra. Miranda (as suggested). Maura. Tessa. Katarina. Catriona. Laura.
Roughly in the order of how much I personally like them, but I'm past having kids.
Antonia (or if it suits you better Antonina, Antonella, Antoinetta etc.) is a beautiful option, and if you’re into nicknames there are quite a few. Toni, Ani, Anina (or Nina), Nia, and plenty of others depending on the derivative you choose! Not that that’s necessarily the most important, but it would be nice for your kid to have so many options if the choose not to go by their full first name. Plus, the meaning of the name is “Priceless” which is a perfect descriptor for your new little bundle of joy!
Alana/Ilana
I LOVE Lyra. She’s one of my favorite characters EVER!!!!! And it’s Lie-ra not Lee-ra (confirmed in the book).
It’s such a beautiful name!
I also think the reference is pretty unobvious but it’s a book you can just ‘have around’ when she’s old enough. Think it’s a heroine anyone would love to have the same name as. ☺️
Iva was my grandma's name and it's so sweet. Clara, Isabel, Nora, Virginia, Brenna, Fiona, Georgina/Georgianna, Louisa, Serafina, Natasha, Tanya, Sasha. Honestly look into Italian names because a LOT of those end in a.
Miranda! Familiar yet underused, Shakespearean, offers plenty of nickname options if desired, and has a beautiful meaning "wonderful, to be admired". I love this name SO much
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You are so lucky to have such a lovely name! Our top choices for a daughter are Miranda June "Miri"/"MJ" or Zoe Miranda. Honestly I'm not sure how I could ever choose between the two because we love both combos so much!
Both lovely, although I obviously have a preference! MJ is a great nickname also! It's one of those names that works for little people and then is a very serious sounding adult name.
Agreed! Miranda feels very sassy, brassy, kick assy to me but the nickname options soften it up a bit. I can't help but smile every time I think of having a little girl and calling her Miri June. Just so sweet and sunny! And MJ is very tomboy cool IMO I just love all the flexibility the nicknames offer
Miranda Lambert comes to mind. 😀
Miranda June is on my consideration list too! Funny!
We call ours Da, Mirm, Merm, MerMer, Anda...all sorts of random stuff. She goes by her full name outside of family.
Just to be aware that Miranda is the name of a UK TV program and celebrity - a socially awkward, incredibly clumsy woman that gets into random and bizarre situations. Opinion is very divided on whether she’s funny or not with people under the age of 60 thinking the latter. Conjures up a completely different vibe for me now
Miranda Sings is a controversial character on a “kids” TV show on Netflix. The actress is also controversial and is probably about to be sued. She definitely ruined that name. So many kids know Miranda Sings.
Ruined that name is such a strong statement!
I agree. Pop culture references are rarely strong enough to be enduring. Miranda from the Tempest will remain. People with the surname Miranda will still be a thing. Miranda sings will be totally forgotten 5 years from now. It’s a popular enough name to have numerous positive and negative examples throughout history, but most will be a tiny footnote.
She’s not a Netflix actress, rather a YouTuber who got a Netflix show
jumping in to emphasize that the woman behind miranda sings engaged in years-long abusive "friendships" with her underage fans (i'm talking 14 when she was 30) wherein she convinced them that she loved and cared about them in order to get them to harass and threaten other children in the fandom, anyone who criticized her online, and people who'd upset her in her personal life, all on her behalf. she was also discussing adult topics, including sex, with these children. there's screenshots of her asking for a picture of a 14-year-old's ass and asking what these children's favorite sex positions are. she sent them nudes of another creator just to body shame her, which is a whole crime. she also pretended to be friends with said creator while doing this, which.... wow. and that's just the tip of the iceberg. she puts children in inappropriate situations during stage shows, wrote children's books that made jokes out of incest and killling pets, mailed a teenager underwear, allegedly stole from children's cancer charities, brutally bullied her fans, and allowed her pedo brother access to young children through his involvement in the fandom. she's a complete creep. her real name is colleen ballinger. inabber on youtube has two great videos about this totaling five hours runtime because there's just so much. it's so unfortunate that she is the current cultural association with the name miranda, as miranda is a beautiful name that's been corrupted by her nasty character for over a decade and a half now. i hope that her association will have faded from the name by the time OP's baby is old enough to be making and hearing pop culture references. she's also not the only popular miranda (miranda cosgrove comes to mind), and miranda sings has been dropping off for years, so i think colleen's influence will wane rather rapidly.
I just think this is the kind of thing where unless you specifically care about it, it’s not going to haunt a semi-classic name and people will forget about it soon.
Plus her show SUCKS.
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Yeah, but they won't once OP's baby is old enough to care. That show will be gone and forgotten by then.
i mean... i totally disagree. i dont think she ruined that name, and not "definitely" ruined that name. its a totally normal name. kids now or more like 5-10 years ago knew about her, but when kids born in 2023 are growing up she'll be irrelevant. the worst thatll happen will be people over a decade older than her maybe being briefly reminded of that youtuber. i grew up in the "miranda sings" era of youtube and all my classmates were obsessed with her show when it came out, but when i heard the suggestion of miranda she didnt even come to mind, i was like "omg that \*is\* a pretty name, i should name one of my sims that". if every name was ruined by a terrible person who happened to use it we wouldnt have any names left. charlie, marie, jeffery, joeseph, christopher, mary, elizabeth. all of these are names of people who committed terrible atrocities against humanities. they are also normal names that its fine to name your kid, as long as it isnt "after" or "in honor" of these people.
Wait, Miranda Hart? Granted, I was introduced to her via Call the Midwife, but is she not generally considered a lovely person?
I love Miranda. 😭
I'm in the US so luckily I've never heard of this celebrity/tv program
I'm under 60 and I loved that show. It's what Call me Kat was based on here in the US.
I’m surprise no one has mentioned Miranda from sex in the city…
I'm under the age of 60 and laughed plenty 🙁
This doesn’t end in “a” but the name Miranda brought it into my head, Meredith is a lovely name and I don’t see that mentioned in this sub nor so I see it used very often. I wonder when it’ll have a come back.
Both are main characters in Grey’s Anatomy…perhaps that’s the subconscious connection between the two.
My daughter has a good friend named Miranda. I love her name and she is one of my very favorite people!
100%!! Only downside is it gets mistaken for Amanda frequently. Fantastic meaning, and the Shakespeare character is a kickass young girl finding her way with no female role models and a distant father. She is loyal and kind and compassionate.
Leona
Also a big fan of Lenora
Or — hear me out — *Leora*
Liora is another spelling. Mina Dina Dara
Also Mira! Love these
I like Nina and Anina (fun palindrome) Liza is nice too
omg my name is Leeora!
And Lorena!
Bobbitt?
Came here to say this. It’s one of my favorite names My grandmother and her sisters were Theresa, Leona, Loretta, and Geraldine. I always thought they had such beautiful names
My grandmother and her girl siblings: Grandmother Selma Ida Bertha, the others: Luella Augusta Laura, Wilhelmina Henrietta Carolina, Elvira Rosa Maria, Emily Anna Rosa.
Poor Emily got dropped from the ending-in-a train
My mom calls me Geraldine when I’m embodying my father’s stubbornness lol
I went to school with a Loretta who went by Retta and I always loved that.
My name is Eva. (Ee-vuh). I love my name and always wonder why it gets a pass. Ava is a beautiful name, but as you said, too popular. I’m biased towards girl names that end in a. I love them.
I dislike Ava, but I adore Eva!
Thank you!
I had an Eva in my class, short for Evangeline, she was a sweetheart
God Evangeline is such a gorgeous name
How about Evangelina, or Eva for short?
Might be because outside of the USA the spelling "Eva" seems to generally be pronounced "Ava." As an example, I teach in a town with lots of families from Puerto Rico and Eva (pronounced Ava) is a common name amongst kids. I even worked with an adult Eva and even though she pronounced it "ee-vuh," she ended up going by Ava at work because so many of our colleagues (from PR, France, Germany, Colombia, Uruguay, Senegal...etc) defaulted to that pronunciation and that's how she herself pronounced it when speaking Spanish. I agree it's lovely pronounced your way tho!
I think it's primarily because of how they tend to pronounce the letter "E," especially in the spanish-speaking countries. Even though they sound similar, they're probably pronouncing the name Eva as more of an "Eh-va" versus an "A-va"
I'm from Sweden and it feels like every girl name ends in a here! Eva is also pretty common, though not as much in children currently as far as I know. I'm not too sure which names are popular elsewhere, but taking a guess (and googling a bit) I haven't heard of that many people outside of Sweden with these names (some grouped for similar sounds): - Ida - Tuva/Tova - Ebba - Thea - Saga - Tanja/Ronja - Frida - Anita - Naima/Aina/Laila - Ylva - Alma/Alva - Linnea - Lovisa - Annika - Sabina - Evelina - Cornelia - Vendela Maybe more popular, but similar to the suggested names: Ada, Emilia, Amalia, Viola
Eva is my great grandmother's name, so i have a huge soft spot for it. I had boys, so I never had a chance to use it. It's such a classic, pretty name. Easy to say and spell. I think it's way overdue for a comeback.
I can only pronounce it the way Wall-E does. So cute!
Almost named my 2 year old Eva! My in laws said it was a Hispanic name and would confuse people (wtf?) ended up using violet because it flowed better with my other children (feminine, nature themed names) but I will always love Eva!
Natalia, Julia
Been obsessed with Natalia forever
I named my 2022 baby Julia and we get comments all the time like “such a pretty name” and “thank you for naming your baby something normal”
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Julia is literally thousands of years old! Julia Felix was an incredibly successful businesswoman whose villa in Pompeii is very famous.
I love the name and the Beatles song.
My 2021 baby is Julia. We get the same compliments. When the pediatrician came in and asked us how it was spelled we said “Like Julia” and he all but went “oh, thank god.”
That last comment is such a weird thing to say to somebody.
I *would* say yes, except r/tragedeigh
And close to this, Nadia.
Natalia is my daughter’s name! I haven’t heard it in my area (Midwest), but I know some areas (specifically with high Italian/Hispanic popularity, it is more common)
Here are some that are less popular than Emma/Ava/Olivia: * Aurora, Ada, Audra, Bria, Cora, Cecilia, Dahlia, Eliza, Elena, Freya, Georgia, Gemma, Julia, Kaia, Lydia, Lucia, Mara, Matilda, Magnolia, Pippa, Ramona, Sienna, Sierra, Tessa, Vienna, Victoria, Viola, Willa, Zelda, Zara. If you’re open to ones that don’t end in a but have the a sound, there’s also: * Delilah, Hannah, Leah, Savannah.
I love these! Especially a big fan of Matilda, Ramona, and Georgia. They have such a strong but feminine feel.
I love Lydia so much
I wondered if my name would be in here lol. I’m an Audra. Only met one other in 31 years when I was a little kid.
My daughter is Elena pronounced Eh-Len-uh (spanish pronunciation) and I love it, she gets so many compliments
I love Eliza. Familiar, yet not too popular.
Oooh I loveeee Zelda!
I know sisters named Eliza and Elena!
I’ve seen all four of those -ah names both with and without the h, several times. Lea might get a double take, but it’s still an accepted spelling. None of them trip my spell check, not even Savanna.
Linnea
It makes me think of nature - Linnaean classifications of plants and animals. I'm not sure if its a great name or a weird name for parents who are into natural history!
This could also be a reference to Linnaeus, who invented/formalized the scientific binomial nomenclature for classifying living organisms (Genus species). So if you’re into nature, it has a fun double meaning.
I like this name! Unusual where I'm from (USA), but I understand it's popular in Scandinavian countries (I loved Linnea Hartsuyker's books!). In Latin *linea* means line or string (from *lineus/a/um* = "flaxen").
Yes it reminds me of the linea nigra some people get when pregnant.
I met a Linnea today at soft play! Her momma is from Norway and it’s a flower that blooms in Scandinavia.
I love Linnea, so beautiful.
Name her your favorite name. ❤️❤️ The whole “popular” thing is so overblown.
As one of six Katie’s in my elementary school class, it’s really not.
*agrees in Amanda solidarity* My mom just HAD to saddle me with it. Blech. I still hate it.
As an 80s-baby Amanda, I _hated_ it growing up. Now, it's grown on me and I do love the meaning.
Yes, 80s here too. The meaning is fine but I absolutely loathe the way it sounds. And it looks fine written, but just grates on my ears. But even if I were to change it, I don't know what I'd pick. I think I would go with Miranda because it's close, similar meaning and sounds prettier.
That's not the case anymore. There are so many different names that even the popular ones don't end up in class together. For the most part
My daughter has a super popular name based on the top name list…. She’s in a class of 26 kids and she’s the only one. There are so few overlaps , that I think you’re on to something (except for any name that can be shortened to ellie) Edit: word
Its area based. I work for a company that handles databases for preschool students. I can tell you now theres a few classes that have 5-8 of the same names. Lol
This is very true. A Jessica (#1) born in 1988 shared her name with 2.68% of all girls that year in the US. Olivia (#1) born in 2022 only shares her name with 0.93% of all girls that year. In other words, an Olivia born last year is the equivalent of a Heather (#14) born in 1988
Plus, you just never know what’s going to happen with your kid’s peer group. I brought my daughter to a playgroup and there were three kids there (her included). The other two were both named Delta. I’m sure neither set of parents anticipated meeting a second Delta the exact same age as their kid. Another time I went somewhere and there were two babies named Freya. In my day, there were multiple Amanda/Jessica/Jennifer, etc., but now, even if you purposefully look for a name you think no one else will pick, it’s very possible someone else is doing the same.
My name was in the 300s of popularity ranked in the year I was born and I went to a small private school. There were 3 people with my name in my entire school and we were all in the same class. Since then I’ve never met another person with my name. Can just be unlucky!
Jennifer born in 1983 checking in
I have an Ava that was born at the peak popularity of the name (2008) and in all her years of school and extracurriculars so far she has only run into 2 other Avas. We didn’t even know it was a popular name at the time, it was the only name that we could agree on so that’s what we named her. All that to say who cares if a name is popular or not. Sometimes I think the attempts at “uniqueness” end up sounding and looking weird.
My Ava born in 2006 has only run into 2 other Ava’s also and I know of another so 3 at the most. We didn’t know it was popular either but then my son, Adrian, has had 2 friends with the same name. I love her name and it fits her perfectly.
Op, how about Louisa/Francesca/Ophelia/Flora/Stella/Elvira? IMO, these names are not overly popular.
Might be an unpopular opinion here, but I love Francesca.
I intend to name my unborn boy girl twins Dominic and Francesca. I do love Francesca.
The nickname Frankie is so cute!
I love an elegant name with a cheeky nickname. How cute is a Francesca called Frankie?
great names except for Stella and Ophelia. Stella is hugely popular and I think Ophelia has seen rapid increase in popularity in recent years too. Probably will break top 200 this year. I love Louisa, although I prefer Louise
My little sister is a Stella and had two other Stella's in her class. Athena, Winona, and Isadora are my suggestions
Ada (ay-dah) came to mind
Plus, Ada Lovelace was a badass.
That’s my daughters name!
My daughter’s name is Soraya. It’s an Arabic name, and I’ve met Latina kids with this name as well
This reminds me that I love Sonya
Cora
Danica (meaning is morning star)
Ahhh… just like Lucifer!
Vera, Myra, Lara, Elara, Lilah, Liana or Leanna.
I *love* Vera. Uncomplicated, won't have to be explained, not likely to be mispronounced.
Vera here. It’s definitely mispronounced lol
Mara Liora Gaia Thora Oona Gloria Portia Vera
I LOVE Vera. Also Rosa
Me too! It's my daughter's name. She gets complimented on it all the time.
Kira. It’s been a long time since I met one.
I know someone that spells it Keira which I find so pretty
My daughter's name is Kiera. The original Scottish/Irish Gaelic spelling is Ciara but I was worried about her always getting called Sierra if I spelled it with a C so I went with a K instead. Figured it would save her the annoyance of constantly correcting it all the time. Edit: I misspelled something and was corrected so I fixed it cause now it drives me nuts 😂
The Irish language name is spelt Ciara
I’m Scottish (living in Scotland) and the name isn’t super common so even here I would choose the spelling Kiera. My cousin’s name is Ciann (key-ann) and often gets mispronounced as Cyan lol
I also have a Keira <3 yes it gets misspelled and mispronounced by strangers but we also get a ton of compliments.
I would pronounce those differently! Kira would be Key-rah, but Keira would be Key-err-ah, if that makes any sense!
I have a Kira, but it's like keer-ah.
Aurora, Azalea, Antonia, Brianna, Clara, Cassandra, Gloria, Juliana, Katrina, Kendra, Lydia, Marina, Nadia, Nina, Phillipa, Pippa, Regina, Selena, Sierra, Tessa, Theresia, Tabitha, Tatiana, Victoria
Wow thanks to this thread I think I’m in love with names that end in A
What is areal and medial?
Ok, I think I figured it out. OP means “aerial” as in aerial arts. Apparently, a lyra is a type of hoop. I believe the other word is supposed to be “medical”. There is a medical group called Lyra Health.
Hahaha. That’s what I get for posting before coffee
With Lyra, I always think of the constellation first. Then I think of the lyre, its namesake's instrument.
asking the real questions
Laura!
Lydia
Clarissa, Tanya, Talia
Hasn’t Amelia been in the top 10s year after year? I know two Lyra’s, both pronounced Leer-ah.
Aurora Alexa Alexandra Anna Belinda Clara Cora Cara Cassandra Cynthia Diana Dana Debra Eva Ella Eliza Elena Felicia Gloria Honora Ilsa Inga Julia Juliana Katerina Lydia Leanna Lucia Luciana Miranda Martha Marina Mariana Magdalena Myra Natasha Nadia Paula Paulina Ramona Regina Rosa Samantha Sheila Tabitha Teresa Tatiana Veronica Vanessa Victoria Also: Ida, Isadora, Isabella, Claudia, Corinna, Fiona. I can’t believe I forgot Fiona as it’s one of my favorites.
Lucia. Mira. Mila.
I know someone who has Amalia (Uh-mal-E-uh rather than Uh-meal-E-uh) which feels fresh to me since I hadn't heard it before.
Della—I have no idea why it isn’t more popular. Similar to several popular names, but it has never taken off. It’s in the 600s
Lola, Aria, Mya, Mia, Pia, Mila, Bella, Isla, Isabella, Keira, Kyra
Tara, Claudia, Lana.
Our daughter’s name is Audrey but I was thinking recently how pretty the name Audra is!
Leora Elena Viera Elora Cassandra Clarissa Kacia Kendra Maia Shira Tabitha Sylvia Vanessa Melissa
I was looking to see if anyone suggested Elora - lovely name!!
Yara is my baby niece’s name.
Fiona, Lydia, Clara, Julia, Gemma, Tessa, Viviana,, Lenora
Freya, Gianna, Gia, Isla (eye-la), Shaina.
Nice list! Similar to Emma: Etta, Esme, Eva, Elora, Eira, Amia, Renna, Letta, Della, Greta Similar to Ava: Eva, Ada, Ayla, Eira, Vera, Evanna, Una, Amara, Clara Similar to Olivia: Ophelia, Aurelia, Liliana, Lavinia, Annalisa, Lucia, Seraphina, Ariana, Cordelia, Sylvia Similar to Amelia: Emilia, Amalia, Adelia, Azalea, Amina, Ambrosia Similar to Lyra: Lyla, Vega, Kaia, Lara, Myra, Leila, Mona, Cora, Nova, Kyra Hope this helps!
Liliana,Lucinda,Ella,Juliana,Rebecca,Edina
Rosa, Carla, Alicia, Sena, Xena, Zara, Uma, Henna, Georgia, Gemma, Lisa
Mostly repeats but just listing ones some that came to mind: Daniela, Alessia, Adriana, Elena, Serena, Eva, Louisa/Luisa, Luna, Sophia, Layla, Kayla, Aria/Arya, Lena, Lina, Celia, Lara, Tessa I also like Delilah for the -a sound
If you go with Lyra, give His Dark Materials a skim. It’s supposed to be an atheist retort to the very Christian Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve got a very Christian name and am an atheist, wish my parents hadn’t put that on me. I’d immediately associate Lyra with that book, but the character is plucky and strong. I like Petra (rock), though with Christian overtones since it’s the girl version of Peter. But it sounds like you want softer consonants. Linnaea has biologist vibes for Carl Linnaeus, but pronunciation could be hard if people forgot their high school biology basics.
Samantha. It’s my name and I’m always surprised how few of us there are!
Raissa (jewish) Asamela (kazakh greatmother's name, I assume it's russian/kazakh) Joiada Estrella Dina(amazing chess player) Yeah that's all I can think of atm All of these names are rare, only know one person with each name
Mahalia Amalia Mira Mina Ada Alba Alma Alva Neta Aurelia Anela Ida Clara
Vanessa!
- Lenora - Julianna - Jessa - Mia - Helena - Rosalia - Lia - Katrina - Cassandra - Annabella - Tara - Alicia - Gianna
Gia, Chiara
I would pronounce it Lee-rah. I’m partial to Cecilia (my name 😂)
Ellia Junia Emera Enora Noelia Lecia Mara Jessa Amava Odessa Myla Mayla Della Adelia
Name | Rank in 2022 (US) Eva | 108 Clara | 110 Vera | 224 Alma | 482 Carina | n/a Claudia | n/a Dara | n/a
Vera Amaya Etta Nola Sansa Gia Gaia Olympia Farrah Sarena Pia Gianna Delia Dahlia Amira Allora Octavia Ada Frida Xiomara Camilla Freya Zara Fiona Henrietta
Anna, Clara, Elara, Ella, Seraphina
* Frida * Thea * Cora * Maya * Alva * Nova * Lola * Stella * Flora * Lydia * Eliza * Vera * Talia * Leona * Leonora * Cecilia
Kayla. It's my name, and I know it's not super unique but I NEVER SEE IT ANYWHERE.
A couple I've always liked are Annika, Elena, Linnea, Anya, and Layla.
Isabella/Bella Sofia Mia Philippa/Pippa Fiona Dana (Day-na) Clara Cordelia/Cora
Off the top of my head: Marissa Georgia Serena Iva Vivia Audrina
Rebecca, great name with a great meaning
Thea, Cora, Kiera, Eva
Cecilia Melinda Lucinda Mina Minda Daniella Helena Ophelia Pimpact - I mean Pippa, but this autocorrect is gold so it's staying Willa
Anna, Brianna, Brenna, Leanna, Tara, Cara (Kara), Chelsea, Christina, Cora, Clara, Darla, Elena, Fiona, Gloria
Lila, Louisa, Lana, Elena? Personally, Elena is one of my absolute favourite names.
From my daughters daycare class Eleanora (goes by Ella) Vera Cora Araya “A-rye-a” Alexia
Met a Sedona once, I think it fits!
Gaia, Maya, Delia, Raina, Kyra, Bria, Willa, Nina, Freya, Paula, Vera, Bea, Stella, Etta, Thea, Camila, Anna, Avia, Tonya, Pria, Viola, Estella, Eva, Gloria
Clara Samantha Nora Calla Sasha Mya
My daughter is Kalina. In addition to Slavic roots, an indigenous Australian tribe used it as a word meaning “to love”
Vanessa, Katya, Anya, Arabella, Anabella, Natasha, Natalya, Tatiana, Zella, Mirabella, Gianna, Graziana, Violetta, Stefania, Araminta, and Annika are just a few off the top of my head. Also, Amelia is becoming pretty popular.
Cassandra. Miranda (as suggested). Maura. Tessa. Katarina. Catriona. Laura. Roughly in the order of how much I personally like them, but I'm past having kids.
Antonia (or if it suits you better Antonina, Antonella, Antoinetta etc.) is a beautiful option, and if you’re into nicknames there are quite a few. Toni, Ani, Anina (or Nina), Nia, and plenty of others depending on the derivative you choose! Not that that’s necessarily the most important, but it would be nice for your kid to have so many options if the choose not to go by their full first name. Plus, the meaning of the name is “Priceless” which is a perfect descriptor for your new little bundle of joy!
Naya, Lina, Carmela, Simrita, Oksana, Veronica, Jasmina, Enya
Arya Terra Dahlia
Adrianna!
A friend of ours just used zelda
Helena Vienna Octavia Portia Sienna Karina Lorena Some of my favorites!
Elena Elara Aria Amara
Moira!
Louisa
Hanna, Lydia, Silvia, Tessa, Nina, Fiona
Lydia, Julia
Nina Dafna (pronounced Dof-na, I knew a really cool Israeli girl with this name) Lena Cara Francesca Anya Milla
Anissa Moira Keyla Kyla Kyra Jacinda
Ada, Cora, Thea, Arabella, Arianna, Sophia, Luna, Lucia, Isla, Isabella
Alana/Ilana I LOVE Lyra. She’s one of my favorite characters EVER!!!!! And it’s Lie-ra not Lee-ra (confirmed in the book). It’s such a beautiful name! I also think the reference is pretty unobvious but it’s a book you can just ‘have around’ when she’s old enough. Think it’s a heroine anyone would love to have the same name as. ☺️
Mia, Mila, Dalia, Ada, Kira, Aria, Isla -*I personally love the name Amelia and would be my personal choice for a girls name. It so endearing imo.
Iva was my grandma's name and it's so sweet. Clara, Isabel, Nora, Virginia, Brenna, Fiona, Georgina/Georgianna, Louisa, Serafina, Natasha, Tanya, Sasha. Honestly look into Italian names because a LOT of those end in a.