10 Native American Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

If you're someone who likes names with meanings to match, Native American names are right up your alley. All of their names have very intentional meanings that were (and sometimes still are) widely known throughout the tribes. There are thousands of wonderful Native American names from tribes all over the country, but I chose ten I think would work on girls of all cultures. As always, let me know your favorites (and names you wish I'd featured) in the comments.

Aylen- Aylen is a name from the Mapuche tribe that means "happiness." Even though she has ancient roots, Aylen features a contemporary sound that would fit in seamlessly with other children's names of today.

Citlali- Citlali is absolutely stunning. She means "star," and comes from Nahautl culture. Citlali had a brief run in the top 1000 from 2001-2006, peaking in 2005 at #915.

Galilahi- This Native American name may seem very similar to the faith-based names Galilea and Galilee, but they share no connection. Galilahi means "gentle and attractive" in Cherokee. Gala and Lila would make cute nicknames.

Lilakai- Lilakai is a name that I can see becoming embraced by people of all cultures, a la Leilani. The Navajo name feels upbeat and youthful--a quality coveted by my parents. Plus, with easy-access nicknames like Lily and Kai, Lilakai is hard to argue with.

Maiara- Maiara comes from the Tupí tribe. Despite her Native American roots, she's most popular in Portugal. Maiara made it into their top 100 for the first time in 2014, coming in at #81. I'm not sure if she could become as equally popular in America, but I do believe Maiara could make it into the top 1000 one day if she got some publicity 

Miski- Miski means "honey" and "sweet" in the Quechua language. She has a old-school sound a la Misti and Missy, but Miski is still wearable for a 21st century baby.

Nayeli- Nayeli comes from the Zapotec tribe, where she means "I love you." She is most common  among Latino families, and has been at a relatively steady ranking around #400 for the past ten years. Nayeli peaked at #175 in 2001.

Siaska- Need an uncommon way to get to Sia? Take a look at Siaska. She is a name from the Ho-Chunk tribe, which is native to Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Uki- It's not often that I recommend a U name, so I was thrilled to find the charming and likable Uki. She's an Inuit name that means "survivor." She's pronounced the same was as the Japanese name Yuki, which could lead to some confusion.

Zyanya- Like Nayeli, Zyanya comes from the Zapotec tribe. She means "forever and always," which I'm sure many parents would find delightful.

10 Japanese Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Japanese names are gorgeous, but unless you live in Hawaii or along the Pacific coast line, you won't often hear them in the United States (and even then, they're not as common as you'd think). I'm always encouraging people to go back to their roots when searching for names, so if you have Japanese heritage (or are just a Japanese name enthusiast like me) consider one of the following for your daughter.

Aneko- It's not always easy to find names from your culture that will be well-received in America. Aneko, however, would be perfect on a Japanese-American child. Her similarity to Annika and the like give Aneko a familiar feel--no mispronounciations likely. Bonus: she means "older sister," perfect if you plan to have a big family.

Haruko- Haruko is a classic Japanese name. But even though she's conventional in Japan, you'll rarely hear her around the U.S. Haruko means "Spring child" or "sun child," which would be a sweet meaning for those warmer month babies.

Kyoko- Yoko is a beautiful name, but unfortunately she's hard to use due to the heavy associations with Yoko Ono. But add one letter and you get a completely different name (though it is, in fact, the name of Yoko Ono's daughter). To stray away from Yoko even further, use alternate spelling Kyouko.

Mieko- Lovely Mieko--that's mee-ay-ko--has many many meanings. Nameberry claims she means "prosperous," while Behind the Name cites "three branch child," "three blessing child," and "beauty blessing child" as possible meanings. Either way, it's all good (and she would make a nice choice for a third child).

Naoko- You've probably noticed that many Japanese names end in the -ko suffix. In Japanese, ko means "child," hence all these names have child as a part of their meaning. As for Naoko, she means "obedient child" or "honest child," depending on how you translate it.

Nomi- I suspect Nomi will be the overall favorite of my readers. She's easy to like--it's that long o sound--but delightfully unusual. Multicultural families take note: Nomi has roots in both Hebrew and Japanese.

Sakura- Sakura is a name many people are familiar with, though not necessarily as a given name. If you're into mommy blogs, you'll probably recognize it from the sling brand Sakura Bloom. She means "cherry blossom," which begs the question: is this the perfect name for a springtime Washington D.C. baby?

Takara- Looking to honor a Tamara or Kara in an interesting way? Takara is a beautiful option. She means treasure or jewel, so unsurprisingly there are more than a few jewelry companies with the name.

Umeko- I have loved the name Umeko for ages. There's just something about her--I can't put my finger on it. Umeko means "plum child," which gives you another excuse to use one of my favorite nicknames--Plum.

Yuki- Yuki is a unisex name that most Americans are familiar with. Perhaps, then, you already know that she means "snow." However, Yuki has many possible meanings. "Happiness," "valuable reason," and "chronicled reason" are among them. Whatever meaning you decide is right for your little Yuki will be perfect.

10 Y Names You Never Thought of Using: Girls

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Though it may not seem like it, there are actually so many great Y names for girls. In fact, it was difficult to edit my list down to ten. Take a look, and as always, let me know what you think.

Yael- Yael is a Hebrew name that is currently used for girls only 28% of the time. On the boys list he's #864, but she doesn't rank on the girls list. Yael is pronounced (yah-ELL), making it a viable contender for either gender. As a bonus, Yael means mountain goat, which is adorable.

Yamelia- Yamelia is a variation of Amelia that is decidedly less vintage, more urban. She's a good choice if you're looking for something out of the box, but that sounds trendy. But beware, she will get mistaken for Amelia. A lot.

Yani- If you want a name that's cute, perky, and unusual, put Yani on your list. She's originally a diminutive of Yana, but she could also be a nickname for Yaneli, Yaneth, Yanina, Yanira, or Yanitza.

Yara- Yara (alternate spellings: Yarra or Yarah) is a super sweet Arabic name meaning "small butterfly." Many Sarahs and Saras are now becoming moms--Yara would make a wonderful honor name.

Yarrow- One of the top baby name endings of the year was -ow and -owe, but Yarrow remains undiscovered. This unisex herb name would fit right in at any 2015 playground.

Yelena- Helena is a beautiful name that people--especially those in the baby name community--seem to love. Yelena is not much different, but hasn't caught on in the same way. She currently sits at #3363 on the charts (a step above Abbigayle). She's much more popular in Kazakhstan and Russia.

Yonit- Yonit is a simple, tailored, not-overly-girly Hebrew name. She's so unique that it's hard to even find information about her. She does share roots with Jonah, suggesting she means dove. One notable Yonit is Yonit Levi, and Israeli TV producer.

Yosebe- Perhaps even more scarce than Yonit is Yosebe. She's an ancient variation of Josephine, so Yosie or even Josie would be darling nicknames. If your goal is to find a rare Hebrew name for a daughter, Yosebe is your girl.

Yuki- Yuki is just such a happy name. I can't help but smile when thinking about her. She's a Japanese name (meaning "snow") that everyone is familiar with, yet almost no one uses. If you have Japanese heritage, Yuki is one for the list.

Yulia- Like Tulia, Yulia is an excellent substitute for Julia. She is the Armenian and Russian form of Julia, along with Iuliya and Yulya.