Classic Girl Names
1137 classic girl names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.
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There is a particular kind of relief in saying a name out loud and realizing it has already survived a hundred years of school rosters, wedding invitations and hospital bracelets. That is the quiet promise of Classic girl names: nothing here will date your daughter to a single decade. The plainspoken English core still does the heaviest lifting — Jane, unadorned and unbothered; Catherine with its long, dignified paper trail and its dozen affectionate nicknames; Frances, which spent years feeling like a grandmother and now feels like the coolest girl in the room; and Rachel, warm and familiar without ever tipping into trendy. These are names a toddler can grow out of and a surgeon can grow into, which is really the whole test.
Then there is the softer, more continental half of the category, where the vowels open up and the whole name seems to lean toward you. Camille and Elise carry that unhurried French polish; Celine is all smooth consonants and one clean landing. If you want something older and a little more mischievous, Mabel has come roaring back off the vintage shelf, while Evie and Lena give you brevity without giving up warmth. And classic has never meant only Anglo — Amina and Gabriela are centuries-deep staples in their own traditions, familiar on nearly every continent, and every bit as timeless.
Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.
Classic Girl Names — Page 6
Isobella#16184 in the U.S.A spelling of Isabella built on the Scottish Isobel, a form of Elizabeth, 'God is my oath.' Cla▶Isabellagrace#16185 in the U.S.A joined double name pairing Isabella ('God is my oath,' a form of Elizabeth) with Grace ('grac▶Madilene#16194 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Madeline, from Magdalene ('of Magdala,' often read 'high tower'). Soft a▶Clarah#16212 in the U.S.An h-spelling of Clara, from the Latin adjective clarus, 'bright, clear, renowned.' Clara has b▶Julieana#16227 in the U.S.Julieana is a respelling of Juliana, the feminine of Julian, itself from Julius — the Roman fam▶Jannet#16241 in the U.S.Jannet is a doubled-n spelling of Janet, historically a Scottish diminutive of Jane — the femin▶Jan#16248 in the U.S.As a girl's name, a short form of Janet/Janice/Jane (from John, 'God is gracious'); separately ▶Enriqueta#16250 in the U.S.Enriqueta is the Spanish feminine of Enrique, the Spanish form of Henry. Henry comes from the G▶Joselyne#16259 in the U.S.A -yne spelling in the Jocelyn/Joselyn family, a medieval name from the Germanic Gauts (a tribe▶Terisa#16277 in the U.S.Terisa is a variant spelling of Teresa, a name of debated Greek origin — often linked to theriz▶Felisia#16289 in the U.S.Felisia swaps the c of Felicia for an s. Felicia is the feminine of the Roman Felicius, from fe▶Joline#16307 in the U.S.Joline builds on Jo, the pet form of Josephine or Joseph, from Hebrew Yosef, 'Jehovah increases▶Julianys#16320 in the U.S.A Latin American form of Juliana with a soft -ys ending, from the Latin Julius, linked to 'yout▶Julieanne#16321 in the U.S.A compound joining Julie (from Julia, 'youthful,' Latin Julius) with Anne ('grace; favor'). A c▶Caitrin#16329 in the U.S.Caitrin is an Irish form of Catherine, ultimately from the Greek Aikaterine, long linked to kat▶Kathrynn#16349 in the U.S.Kathrynn is a doubled-n respelling of Kathryn, itself a streamlined form of Katherine, traditio▶Keela#16373 in the U.S.An anglicized form of the Irish Caoilfhionn ('slender; fair') or a phonetic spelling near Kiera▶Elysabeth#16389 in the U.S.Elysabeth is an elaborate respelling of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning my God is ▶Kathryne#16395 in the U.S.Kathryne is a variant of Katherine, spelled to echo the two-syllable Kathryn with a final silen▶Karolyne#16426 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Caroline, the French feminine of Charles, from a Germanic root for 'free ▶Kyilee#16427 in the U.S.Kyilee is an inventive spelling of Kylie and Kyleigh. Kylie rose to fame from Australia, where ▶Kathrin#16438 in the U.S.Kathrin is a variant of Katherine, a Greek name traditionally linked to 'katharos', 'pure' (tho▶Kimberleigh#16446 in the U.S.A -leigh respelling of Kimberly, an English place-and-surname name read as 'Cyneburga's meadow'▶Karolynn#16473 in the U.S.Karolynn is a K-spelled, doubled-n form of Carolyn, itself a contracted form of Caroline - the ▶Annalice#16483 in the U.S.A form of Annalise, a German compound of Anna ('grace; favor') and Lise/Elise (from Elizabeth, ▶Kimberlie#16486 in the U.S.A -lie respelling of Kimberly, an English place-and-surname name read as 'from the royal meadow▶Kelila#16514 in the U.S.From the Hebrew Kelila (Kelula), 'crown; laurel wreath' — a warm virtue-and-honor name from the▶Laretta#16557 in the U.S.A variant of Loretta, itself from Loreto, the Italian town and Marian shrine (the Holy House of▶Latifah#16564 in the U.S.From the Arabic Latifah, 'gentle; kind; subtle; pleasant.' The masculine Al-Latif ('the Subtle;▶Madelline#16588 in the U.S.Madelline is a doubled-l spelling of Madeline, which comes from Magdalene, meaning 'of Magdala,▶Leone#16596 in the U.S.From the Italian Leone, 'lion' (from Latin leo), and the Italian surname Leone. A bold, warm na▶Louis#16626 in the U.S.From the French Louis (Germanic Hludwig), 'famous warrior; renowned in battle' — borne by many ▶Laurence#16643 in the U.S.Laurence comes from the Latin Laurentius, 'from Laurentum' (a town linked to laurus, 'laurel').▶Leeona#16645 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Leona, the feminine of Leon, from the Latin leo, 'lion' — so 'lioness.' A▶Lorina#16649 in the U.S.A form of Lora/Laura ('the laurel; bay tree,' a sign of victory) extended with the Latinate dim▶Lovisa#16658 in the U.S.The Swedish feminine form of Louis/Ludwig, from the Germanic hlud ('famous; loud') and wig ('wa▶Madalynne#16662 in the U.S.A modern spelling of Madeline/Madelyn, from the French Madeleine and ultimately Magdalene — 'of▶Madelinne#16666 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Madeline, from Magdalene ('of Magdala,' a town by the Sea of Galilee, of▶Madellyn#16667 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Madelyn/Madeline, from Magdalene ('of Magdala,' often read 'high tower')▶Allycia#16671 in the U.S.Allycia is a decorative spelling of Alicia, itself a Latinate form of Alice, which descends thr▶Juliane#16673 in the U.S.A form of Juliana, feminine of Julius, 'youthful; downy-bearded; devoted to Jove.' A classic, e▶Alexsandria#16683 in the U.S.Alexsandria is a phonetic respelling of Alexandria, the feminine of Alexander, from Greek alexe▶Madalina#16697 in the U.S.A Romanian form of Magdalena, ultimately from Mary Magdalene, 'of Magdala' (a town on the Sea o▶Madilyne#16698 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Madelyn/Madeline, from Magdalene ('of Magdala,' often read 'high tower')▶Maranda#16744 in the U.S.Maranda is a variant spelling of Miranda, from Latin mirandus, 'worthy of admiration, wonderful▶Margarett#16750 in the U.S.A doubled-t spelling of Margaret, which comes through Latin and French from the Greek margarite▶Marija#16758 in the U.S.Marija is the standard spelling of Maria across many Slavic and Baltic languages, including Ser▶Marijane#16759 in the U.S.Marijane is the compound Mary Jane written as one name, joining Mary (Hebrew Miriam, 'beloved' ▶Hanne#16767 in the U.S.A Scandinavian and German form of Hannah/Johanna, from the Hebrew, 'grace; favor; God is gracio▶Maryclare#16769 in the U.S.A compound of Mary (from Miriam) and Clare (from Latin clarus, 'bright; clear; famous'). A clas▶Maryfrances#16772 in the U.S.A written-as-one compound of Mary (Hebrew Miriam, 'beloved; star of the sea') and Frances (Lati▶Maryum#16775 in the U.S.Maryum is an Urdu spelling of Maryam, the form of Mary honoured in both Christianity and Islam ▶Melanii#16783 in the U.S.Melanii is a doubled-i respelling of Melanie, from Greek melas ('dark, black'). The styling is ▶Annice#16800 in the U.S.Annice is a spelling of Annis/Anniece, an English medieval form of Agnes, from Greek 'hagne', '▶Marabeth#16812 in the U.S.Marabeth is a compound name joining Mary, or the related Mara, with Beth, a short form of Eliza▶Kaitlen#16816 in the U.S.Kaitlen respells Caitlin, the Irish form of Katherine, from Greek katharos, 'pure'; the meaning▶Clararose#16823 in the U.S.Clararose is a modern compound joining Clara (Latin 'clara,' 'bright, clear') with Rose (the fl▶Jeanee#16857 in the U.S.Jeanee is a variant of Jeannie or Jeanne, the French feminine forms of John, from the Hebrew Yo▶Katiemae#16866 in the U.S.A modern compound name joining Katie (a short form of Katherine, 'pure') with Mae (linked to th▶Natalea#16875 in the U.S.Natalea is a respelling of Natalia and Natalie, from the Latin natalis, 'birthday,' specificall▶Natalija#16912 in the U.S.A Slavic (Serbian/Croatian/Lithuanian) form of Natalia, from the Latin natalis, 'birthday' — sp▶Mieko#16926 in the U.S.A Japanese girl's name (Mieko), often written with the ending -ko ('child') and varied first ch▶Laure#16930 in the U.S.The French form of Laura, from the Latin laurus, 'laurel,' the victor's wreath. A crisp, one-sy▶Ninah#16930 in the U.S.Ninah reads as a spelling variant of Nina, a compact name found in Spanish, Slavic, and other t▶Nicholette#16942 in the U.S.A feminine form of Nicholas, from the Greek Nikolaos, 'victory of the people' (nike, 'victory,'▶Palma#16997 in the U.S.From Latin/Spanish palma, 'palm tree; palm of the hand' — long tied to Palm Sunday and the palm▶Normajean#17015 in the U.S.Normajean joins Norma, from Latin 'norma' (standard, rule) and popularized by the opera Norma, ▶Ottavia#17015 in the U.S.The Italian form of Octavia, from the Latin octavus, 'eighth' — a name of the Roman gens Octavi▶Christyna#17016 in the U.S.Christyna is a spelling variant of Christina, the Latinate feminine of Christian from the Greek▶Chelcey#17024 in the U.S.Chelcey is an inventive spelling of Chelsea, drawn from the London district whose Old English n▶Priscillia#17025 in the U.S.Priscillia is an extended spelling of Priscilla, itself a Latin diminutive of Prisca, from pris▶Madeliene#17055 in the U.S.Madeliene is a rearranged spelling of Madeline, from Magdalene meaning woman of Magdala, a vill▶Phillipa#17081 in the U.S.A spelling of Philippa, the feminine of Philip (Greek Philippos, 'lover of horses,' from philos▶Tazia#17099 in the U.S.Tazia is a short form of Anastazia (Anastasia), from the Greek anastasis, 'resurrection' or 'ri▶Romana#17112 in the U.S.From the Latin Romana, feminine of Romanus, 'Roman; of Rome.' A classic name borne by early sai▶Roxann#17150 in the U.S.A spelling of Roxanne/Roxana, from the Persian Roxana (Roshanak), 'dawn; bright; little star.' ▶Rubyjean#17152 in the U.S.A joined double name pairing Ruby (the red gem; from Latin rubeus, 'red') with Jean (a form of ▶Honoria#17211 in the U.S.From the Latin honor, 'honour; dignity; esteem' - a stately name borne by Roman and medieval no▶Sarra#17216 in the U.S.An Arabic and Greek spelling of Sarah, from the Hebrew Sarah, 'princess; noblewoman.' A classic▶Marieliz#17258 in the U.S.A compound of Marie (from Miriam) and Liz (from Elizabeth, 'my God is an oath; abundance'). A j▶Sophiarose#17287 in the U.S.A modern smoosh of Sophia (Greek, 'wisdom') and Rose (the flower), written as one name in the m▶Sofhia#17302 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Sophia, from the Greek sophia, 'wisdom.' The added -h simply restyles a ▶Florance#17342 in the U.S.A respelling of Florence, from the Latin Florentia, 'flourishing; blooming' (from flos, 'flower▶Vicktoria#17355 in the U.S.A respelling of Victoria, with a 'ck,' from the Latin victoria, 'victory.' Victoria was the Rom▶Giulliana#17383 in the U.S.Giulliana is a spelling of the Italian Giuliana, the feminine of Giuliano and ultimately of Jul▶Teressa#17394 in the U.S.A spelling of Theresa/Teresa, a classic name of debated origin, often linked to the Greek thero▶Uliana#17400 in the U.S.The Russian form of Juliana, from the Roman family name Julius (linked to 'youthful; downy-bear▶Thereza#17411 in the U.S.A Portuguese and Spanish spelling of Theresa/Teresa, a classic of debated origin often linked t▶Thomas#17412 in the U.S.From the Aramaic te'oma (via Greek Thomas), 'twin.' Borne by the apostle Thomas ('Doubting Thom▶Tiffani#17415 in the U.S.A spelling of Tiffany, from the Greek Theophania ('appearance of God; Epiphany'), a name once g▶Tonia#17423 in the U.S.A short form of Antonia, the feminine of the Roman family name Antonius (of uncertain ancient s▶Ulyana#17447 in the U.S.The Russian and Ukrainian form of Juliana, from the Roman Julius (linked to 'youthful; downy-be▶Helyn#17453 in the U.S.Helyn is a stylized spelling of Helen. Helen comes from Greek Helene, traditionally connected t▶Wiktoria#17453 in the U.S.The Polish spelling of Victoria, from the Latin victoria, 'victory.' A legitimate Polish form (▶Valera#17457 in the U.S.A Latin and Slavic form of Valeria, from the Latin valere, 'to be strong; healthy.' A classic n▶Vasilia#17463 in the U.S.A Greek feminine name from basileus/vasilias, 'king,' and basilissa, 'queen' — the feminine cou▶Genny#17466 in the U.S.Genny is a pet form given as a first name, usually short for Jennifer (Welsh Gwenhwyfar, 'white▶Warda#17490 in the U.S.Warda is the Arabic word for 'rose' (warda, singular of ward), used as a girls' given name acro▶Kaitlynne#17493 in the U.S.Kaitlynne is one of the many respellings of Kaitlyn, itself a modern form of the Irish Caitlín ▶Willemina#17494 in the U.S.A Dutch form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of Willem/William, from the Germanic elements wil ('wi▶Yazmina#17550 in the U.S.A z-spelling of Yasmina/Yasmin (Jasmine), from the Persian yasaman, the jasmine flower, carried▶Yovanna#17570 in the U.S.A form of Giovanna/Jovana, the feminine of Giovanni/John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is gra▶Zhanna#17571 in the U.S.The Russian Zhanna, a form of Jeanne/Joan (feminine of John), from the Hebrew for 'God is graci▶Vivyan#17592 in the U.S.A respelling of Vivian, from the Latin vivus, 'alive; lively.' The classic meaning in a fresh s▶Rejina#17605 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Regina, Latin for 'queen' — long tied to titles of honor and to the Virg▶Criselda#17619 in the U.S.Criselda is a Spanish and Latina form of Griselda, from the Germanic gris 'grey' and hild 'batt▶Zubaida#17652 in the U.S.From the Arabic Zubaida (Zubayda), 'the essence; the pick, the choicest or best part of anythin▶Lynetta#17722 in the U.S.Lynetta extends Lynette, an English form of Welsh Eluned (idol, image); the Lyn- element also e▶Shayma#17761 in the U.S.From the Arabic Shayma (Shaima), traditionally 'one bearing a beauty mark; distinctively lovely▶Patrisha#17813 in the U.S.Patrisha is a sound-it-out spelling of Patricia, the feminine of Latin patricius, 'nobly born' ▶Christene#17901 in the U.S.Christene is a spelling variant of Christine/Christina, from the Greek Christianos, 'a follower▶Clarrisa#17917 in the U.S.Clarrisa is a double-r respelling of Clarissa, an elaborated form of the Latin name Clara, mean▶Lilliangrace#18033 in the U.S.A modern compound joining Lillian (a Lily-family name, 'lily') with Grace ('grace; blessing,' f▶Yasmeena#18037 in the U.S.An expanded spelling of Yasmin (Jasmine), from the Persian yasaman, the fragrant jasmine flower▶Lenia#18076 in the U.S.A short, flowing form in the Lena/Yelena family, which traces to Helen ('bright; shining light'▶Sidonie#18090 in the U.S.A French name meaning 'of Sidon,' the ancient Phoenician port; a feminine form of Sidonius. The▶Juliete#18112 in the U.S.A spelling of Juliet, a French diminutive of Julia (from Julius, 'youthful; devoted to Jove'). ▶Quintina#18146 in the U.S.Quintina is the feminine of the Roman praenomen Quintus, from Latin 'quintus', meaning 'fifth' ▶Margarite#18169 in the U.S.Margarite is a variant of Marguerite, the French form of Margaret, from the Greek margarites, '▶Makayle#18260 in the U.S.Makayle is a shortened respelling of Makayla, the hugely popular feminine form of Michael. Mich▶Georgeanne#18467 in the U.S.Georgeanne is a mid-century compound name joining George, from Greek georgos, 'farmer' or 'eart▶Natelie#18479 in the U.S.Natelie is a spelling variant of Natalie, from the Latin natalis, 'birthday,' specifically Nata▶Margaretha#18547 in the U.S.Margaretha is the Latinized German, Dutch and Scandinavian form of Margaret, from Greek margari▶Kathern#18589 in the U.S.Kathern is a contracted, spell-it-like-it-sounds form of Katherine, from Greek Aikaterine, long▶Michaelia#18648 in the U.S.Michaelia is a Latinate feminine form of Michael, the Hebrew Mikha'el, a rhetorical question me▶Marylynne#19038 in the U.S.Marylynne is a compound name joining Mary, from the Hebrew Miriam (traditionally 'beloved,' 'bi▶Kirston#19156 in the U.S.Kirston reads as a spelling variant of Kirsten, a Scandinavian form of Christina or Christian, ▶Marketa#19161 in the U.S.Marketa (Czech Marketa) is the Czech form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, 'pearl'; it is a ▶Natassia#19191 in the U.S.Natassia is a respelling of Natasha, the Russian affectionate form of Natalia. Natalia comes fr▶Stephannie#19201 in the U.S.Stephannie doubles the -n of Stephanie, feminine of Stephen, from Greek 'stephanos', a crown or▶Margaretta#19446 in the U.S.Margaretta is an elaborated Latinate form of Margaret, from Greek margarites, 'pearl'. The -ett▶Paulene#19792 in the U.S.Paulene is a spelling variant of Pauline, the feminine of Paul, from the Latin 'paulus', 'small▶Sausha#20014 in the U.S.Sausha is an inventive spelling of Sasha, the Russian pet form of Aleksandr and Aleksandra. Tho▶Theone#20226 in the U.S.Theone is a Greek name from theos, god, meaning godly or of God; it appears in Greek tradition ▶MadleenA trimmed respelling of Madeline, from Magdalene ('of Magdala,' often read 'high tower'); also ▶MariamiA form of Mary/Maryam — the Georgian Mariami and the Swahili/Arabic Maryam tradition — from Mir▶OttlieA short form of Ottilie, from the Germanic ot ('wealth; fortune') plus a battle element — read ▶
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Frequently Asked
What are the most classic girl names?
The steadiest picks are the ones that have never really left the charts — Jane, Catherine and Rachel among them. A useful rule of thumb: if the name reads naturally on a great-grandmother and on a newborn, it qualifies.