If I Could Name 100 Girls: Volume Three

Rae Shoemaker via Dribbble

About one year ago, I posted my second round of "If I Could Name 100 Girls." It quickly became a popular post, so I thought we'd make it a yearly tradition. So, one year later, here are the names I would choose for 100 daughters. The names that are new to the list are italicized, and the ones that got bumped off are noted at the bottom. Tell me, what would you name 100 girls? (it's harder than it looks!)

Agatha
Aldine
Alouette
Amelie
Anais
Annika
Anouk
Avis
Bee
Birdie
Bonnie
Cameo
Celestine
Celia
Circe
Clea
Clementine
Clove
Coco
Darcy
Delphine
Dorothy
Dulcie
Edie
Eliza
Elsie
Esme
Fatima
Faye
Flannery
Frances
Freya
Frieda
Gemma
Georgia
Greta
Hero
Holiday
Ida
Irene
Isabeau
Ivy
Jane
Kalea
Lark
Leonie
Liddy
Lilou
Liv
Lotte
Lucinda
Margot
Martha
Millie
Minna
Moon
Nancy
Nell
Nettie
Noemi
Nona
Noor
Olive
Oona
Orla
Ottilie
Paloma
Penny
Peridot
Phoebe
Pia
Pimm
Pippa
Plum
Poet
Pomeline
Poppy
Posy
Prairie
Prune
Quebec
Quilla
Romy
Rosie
Ruthie
Season
Solange
Soleil
Sosie
Susanna
Tallulah
Tilda
Umbria
Umeko
Viola
Winnie
Xanthe
Zadie
Zanna
Zinnia


Who's New: Agatha, Bee, Cameo, Celia, Clove, Delphine, Dorothy, Dulcie, Eliza, Elsie, Fatima, Faye, Flannery, Freya, Irene, Kalea, Liv, Millie, Moon, Nettie, Noemi, Noor, Oona, Penny, Pia, Prairie, Prune, Rosie, Ruthie, Tallulah, Umbria, Umeko, Winnie, Zinnia

Who Left: Aine, Audrey, Bay, Citron, Dot, Elke, Elsa, Emmeline, Evie, Flora, Greer, Helena, Imogen, Ireland, Kit, Lillias, Lilo, Louisa, Marais, North, Oceane, Reverie, Romilly, Ruth, Scout, Silvie, Simone, Sloane, Suki, Tate, Tess, Vienna, Willa

10 Hindi Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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I love learning about names from other cultures--it helps me find names I never even would have heard of. I've listed ten of my favorite Indian names for girls today. Let me know what you think! Also, please tell me--what other cultures do you want to see featured in this series? I want to research ones you guys will be most excited about.

Beeja- Starting out with my favorite--Beeja is so beautiful. She's easy to say and spell, plus she comes with the adorable nickname Bee! Beeja means "happy," which is always lovely.

Chandra- Chandra peaked in the 1970s around #300, so to some she might feel kind of dated. I, however, think she works as a familiar update to mom-name Sandra. Her Ch- beginning (a la Charlie) makes her even more accessible. Chandra has a stunning meaning, "moon goddess."

Hanita- Another update to a dated classic, Hanita is a fresh spin on the mom/grandma name Anita. She's much more contemporary, and (another great meaning alert!) means "divine grace."

Leya- Leya is a Spanish, Yiddish and Hindi name, pronounced the same as Leia. Hopefully with her different spelling, she won't get all the Star Wars princess associations. Leya works as an alternative to the ever-popular Leah, which is at #35.

Megha- Here's another alternative/honor name, this time for 90s hit Megan. Megha (pronounced either like "mega" or MAY-guh) is a splendid choice for a baby girl of any background. Meg works for a charming, somewhat old-school nickname.

Neeja- Neeja is a flower name, but not of your typical Violet/Rose/Daisy variety. She means "lily," which is prime for an Easter or springtime baby. For those of you looking for nickname-proof names, Neeja is a good option. I don't think "Nee" would stick.

Neela- Neela is the Hindi variation of the African Nila, both meaning "sapphire blue." She's not technically considered a feminization of Neil, but she definitely works to honor one. Other spellings include Neala and Neila.

Reva- Reva has roots in both Hebrew and Hindi, making her a good cross-cultural choice. She's pronounced RAY-va, and is the name of a sacred river in India. Reva is super glamorous--I find her very sophisticated.

Savita- Savita means "sun" and is quite popular in India. The fact that she's three syllables and ends in "A" means she'd fit in perfectly with other American kids' names.

Shivani- We've had a post chock full of wonderful meanings, and the most intense one got saved for last. Shivani means "life and death," which is by no means horrible--just maybe not the happy-go-lucky meaning you were looking for. That aside, Shivani is a gorgeous name, as well as one of an Indian goddess.

Short Middle Names: Girls

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With Americans' fascination of long, extravagent first names for girls, many parents are looking for something much shorter to put in the middle. I've put together a list of 100 single syllable names for girls, any of them are perfect for the middle position. There's something for everyone on this list, whether you prefer classic, quirky, or cutesy names. Tell me in the comments: which ones would you use?

Anne
Bay
Bee
Belle
Bess
Beth
Bette
Bex
Biet
Bird
Blair
Blake
Blythe
Bo
Bree
Bren
Britt
Brooke
Brynn
Cass
Cat
Claire
Clove
Dell
Dot
Dru
Elle
Em
Eve
Faye
Fleur
France
Gem
Grace
Greer
Gwen
Harp
Hayes
Hope
Jade
Jane
Jean
Jen
Jess
Jette
Jewel
Jill
Jo
Joan
Joss
June
Kate
Kath
Kay
Kit
Lane
Lark
Lee
Lex
Lise
Liv
Lotte
Lou
Lune
Lux
Luz
Lynn
Maeve
Mai
Maude
May
Meg
Mel
Nan
Nell
Noor
Paige
Pearl
Pimm
Plum
Poe
Pomme
Prune
Quinn
Rae
Rose
Roux
Ruth
Scout
Shae
Sloane
Sol
Sue
Tate
Tess
Val
Vale
Viv
Wynne

Nicknames for Rebecca

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Even though she sounds slightly dated, I'd call Rebecca a modern classic. No one will argue with putting Rebecca on the birth certificate, and there will likely be no others in her class. That said, you may want her to go by a nickname. Here are some good choices.

Expected:
Becca- The most popular nickname for Rebecca right now.
Becky- She sounds dated, but I could see this being very cute on a little girl.

Unique:
Beck- This seems like the most modern option to me. Names like Beckett are popular, so she might share a nickname with some of the boys, but that can be very cute on a girl.
Reba- She has a country vibe.


Unheard of:
Bee- Bee is darling. This is my favorite of the list.
Bex- Sassy, and has that trendy "X" ending
Rebe- An interesting pick that is seldom heard.

Nicknames for Beatrice

Beatrice is a super cool name for a little girl. She has many different nickname options, one for each personality. Here is a list if you are looking for the perfect nickname.

Expected:
Bea
Bee

Unique:
Bebe
Trixie

Unheard of:
Beah (Rhymes with Leah)
Tris

Animal Names

Animal names have been a recent trend among celebrities. From Busy Phillips' Cricket to Alex O'Laughlin's Lion we have quite a group. Want your own creature? Here is some inspiration.

Bear
Bee
Bird
Birdie
Bunny
Cat
Coyote
Crane
Cricket
Doe
Dove
Drake
Elk
Falcon
Finch
Fox
Hawk
Jack
Jay
Jill
Joey
Kit
Kitty
Lark
Lion
Pike
Raven
Robin
Seal
Sparrow
Swan
Tiger
Wolf
Wren

Full Names for Bee

Bee is a such a sweet nickname. For full names, you can really use any name that starts with B, but here are the names I think work very well.

Beatrice
Beatrix
Beatriz
Beeja
Beverly
Birdie
Delbe
Elizabeth
Phoebe
Selby
Shelby

Nicknames for Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a classic name. She has many nicknames and variations, some more popular than others. Here I have listed all the nicknames I could think of.

Battie
Bee
Bess
Bessie
Bet
Beth
Betsy
Betty
Birdie
Bitsy
Bitty
Ella
Elle
Ellie
Eliza
Elsa
Elsie
Izzy
Lia
Libby
Liddy
Lilibet
Lilo
Lisa
Lissy
Liz
Liza
Lizzie
Tib
Tibby
Zaza