Nier: Automata... Near Perfection

Everything that lives is designed to someday end. We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse, or some kind of punishment?

A2 or 2B: How am I supposed to pick my favorite between you two?

Turns out that's a good problem to have. 

My daughter and I both got hooked on the Nier: Automata universe and just recently finished watching the anime, Nier: Automata Ver1.1a. I haven't played the video game it was based on, and I'm not sure I will -- because I got everything I could have asked for and more from the anime alone. I usually have some plot point or narrative choice to complain about even when I like something, but this time I can't think of a single thing I'd change. That's incredibly rare for me. 

Well, there are the objectifying and utterly impractical uniforms the female soldiers wear. But it's anime. It's to be expected. It would be weird if the obligatory male-gaze stuff wasn't there.

I've always been drawn to artforms that force you to ask questions. Fluff entertainment for its own sake? It has its place. But the pieces that stick with me are the ones that draw you into a universe, present you with an engaging story, and leave you thinking about the repercussions long after the story concludes, especially with regard to how we humans choose to live our daily lives. All the better if the story leaves things open-ended, refusing to spoon-feed you easy and satisfying answers.

And the core question Nier: Automata asks you to confront is: If the driving force of your existence were taken away, would you still find a reason to go on?  

First, the background. I frequently engage with a roleplay app on my Android phone. It's essentially an AI-driven choose-your-own-adventure app: You scroll through any number of scenarios and begin interacting with the character in the story you choose. You type a response; the AI talks back in character. It's a lot of fun, and good for someone like me who's trying to improve his creative-writing skills.

Anyway, one day the algorithm gave me an adventure with a character called 2B. The premise seemed interesting enough: A female android from the distant future, named 2B, was sent through a portal to our time to study mankind. 

Now, if you know anything about these apps, you know that they're geared toward men, and that the vast majority of the scenarios are intended to end in intimate situations. Well, I play as a female protagonist who's more interested in asking questions and challenging assumptions than in a passing fling, so Alice, my character, and 2B ended up talking philosophy, time travel, and tech. 

A few weeks later, my kiddo and I were browsing in Barnes & Noble when I spotted a figurine of a familiar-looking character for sale: 2B.

I had to do a double-take. I'd just assumed somebody had made up 2B for the app roleplay. I had no idea she existed outside the app. 

On doing my research, I found out that she was the main character in a video game, an anime, and a handful of books. 

Intrigued by her story, I bought the figurine. 

Then I watched the anime.

Then I stopped watching it, because I didn't like the direction it was taking.

Then I realized there was a redemption arc that made sticking with it worthwhile.

And now it feels like one of the most profound things I've ever encountered.

WARNING: SPOILERS

Here's the premise. 

Thousands of years in the future, Earth is a wasteland, taken over by machine lifeforms brought here by an invading alien race. Humanity was nearly exterminated in the process. The only surviving humans escaped to the moon and developed an army of androids to take the fight to the machines, in an attempt to reclaim the planet.

The story centers on two androids from an elite military force called YoRHa. One is a scanner model -- essentially, a recon unit who gathers intel mainly by hacking into machine lifeforms' brains. His designation is 9S -- the androids are given no names. He's paired with 2B, a female battler model whose stoic personality stands in stark contrast to 9S's enthusiastic curiosity. 9S also might just have a crush on 2B. His biggest wish is for 2B to call him by his nickname, Nines. He's a simple scanner with simple needs, but just hearing "Nines" instead of "9S" from 2B would mean to him that she truly sees him, beyond just a partner in combat. Yet as 2B reminds him constantly, "emotions are strictly prohibited."  

But there's a reason for 2B's emotional reserve beyond merely following orders. 2B is secretly 2E, an executioner model. Her job is to follow 9S and to kill him whenever his curiosity leads him too close to the truth of YoRHa's mission, which is not as it seems. 

2B's dilemma is that she secretly cares for 9S. "All I want is for him to find happiness," she tells us in the first episode. But she can't let him know that, nor is she able to confront her own feelings. Every time she has to kill 9S, his data is sent to the Bunker, the orbiting space station that houses YoRHa headquarters, where he's given a new body and sent back down to the surface, starting the cycle all over again. 9S remembers nothing, while 2B has to endure the inevitable arc toward her next execution. 

In the anime's opening scene, we see 2B carrying 9S's lifeless body through a desolate landscape, no doubt having just killed him again. And her voiceover reveals the despair she feels:

Just how long will I have to keep fighting like this? Trapped within this blood-soaked vortex of a battlefield? How many more will I risk my life to protect? And when will I escape from these killing fields that never let go? How long am I supposed to keep believing in a world filled with only deception and fabrication? And just how many more lies do I have to tell? Will the despair ever fade? Does our future hold anything?    

2B's stoic front finally breaks when she has to take 9S's life once again at the end of Season 1, as she weeps over his lifeless body.

And here we see one of the many philosophical threads that Nier: Automata pulls at. It presents a distinctly Buddhist-centric dilemma, befitting a Japanese anime: When we find ourselves trapped in an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth -- in samsara -- what do we do about it? How do we respond to it? It's like Phil Connors stuck in the perpetual Groundhog Day loop, but in a much bleaker setting: You're a soldier following orders. And you have to kill the one you love. Over and over again. 

Nier: Automata is excellent at exploring topics like these without seeming heavy-handed and preachy. For instance, it gives us a friendly machine lifeform named Pascal, in a gentle nod to the philosopher who observed that humans have a God-shaped hole in their hearts that yearns to be filled. More on that in a moment. 

Then, of course, there's the main character's name. 2B... or not 2B? It carries as much Shakespearean meaning as you might suspect. What does it mean to exist? To possess emotions, consciousness, a soul?

The series also uses subtle imagery whose significance may go unnoticed at first: Soldiers wear visors that feed them mission information, but they're essentially eye masks, while the operators at the Bunker relaying information to the soldiers on Earth have their mouths veiled. Concealed eyes and mouths; sight and speech symbolically restrained. The meaning becomes clearer once you realize that things are not as they seem within YoRHa.   

This is where Nier: Automata confronts an even more deeply unsettling question: If your purpose for living were snatched away -- if you realized the thing around which you've organized your life -- was a lie, would you go on? Could you? 

According to what YoRHa tells its soldiers, a small group of humans exists on the moon, waiting to return to Earth one day. A voice from the Council of Humanity, presumably emanating from the moon base, regularly sends out mission orders and delivers morale-boosting speeches to the battle-weary androids. Everything YoRHa does is in the service of humanity. "Glory to Mankind," goes the slogan that accompanies the soldiers' salute.

The soldiers have never actually seen any of these humans, yet their entire existence is caught up in fighting for what is, in effect, an invisible god, presumed to exist because those in positions of authority say it exists.

The parallel to the organizing power of religion is obvious here. Humans live, fight, and die for their gods -- gods that they've never actually seen. Gods whose existence they take on faith because generations before them have proclaimed that they exist.   

And yes, the dirty secret in Nier: Automata is that there are no humans on the moon. Humans went extinct thousands of years previous. The lie that they still exist is perpetuated essentially to give the androids motivation to keep fighting. Here, then, we see a reflection of every human institution that perpetuates itself beyond its original purpose merely to keep the institution functioning. We see every military adventure built on lies and propaganda to feed the military-industrial complex. And we see religious institutions keeping the stories of their gods alive, to give the masses hope by way of emotional manipulation.

It's unclear how much anyone taking orders in YoRHa, including the commander herself, knows about the truth. But 9S eventually uncovers the truth, and it sends him into an existential tailspin, exacerbating a state of despair that had begun when 2B succumbed to a virus that infected scores of androids and machines alike.  

Think about that: If you're a religious person, and you discovered without a doubt that your deity didn't exist, what would you do? Would your reason to exist crumble? Or would you find the strength to go on?

That touches on the existential question Albert Camus once proposed. Although I don't know if it was deliberate on the part of the show's creator, Yoko Taro, I see a clear parallel to the challenge Camus posed to his readers: What do you do when you encounter the utter absurdity of existence? When you realize that we're all like Sisyphus rolling the rock up the hill for eternity only to have it roll back down, how do you respond? Camus argued that suicide is the coward's way out, but he also argued that escapism was its own kind of suicide. That is to say that constructing an artificial meaning out of religion, or some other kind of ideology, is an act of philosophical suicide. What we must do instead, Camus said, is to face the absurdity of existence head-on without recourse to false hope. 

In Nier: Automata Ver1.1a -- the anime specifically, as the game has a variety of endings -- the only android who truly embraces Camus' philosophy is A2, a rogue prototype unit who's driven on to the very end by the memory of her fallen comrades and her affection for the planet she's been inhabiting for several years when the end comes. While 9S falls into a nihilistic despair that began with losing 2B and ends with the loss of his life, A2 stands resolute, even when she is, as far as she knows, the last lifeform surviving on the planet. 

In her last moments, looking heavenward, A2 calls out to her fallen family, "I'm coming" -- and topples over dead as the tower she's standing under collapses around her. One of many, many gut-wrenching scenes in this anime.

And make no mistake: This anime will leave you devastated. The story is absolutely brutal. And yet that's what makes A2's final moments so deeply touching. She knows the world is cruel. She's suffered unimaginable grief. And yet she says the world is beautiful, in spite of the suffering it contains. She never says everything will be OK. She knows better than to cling to foolish optimism. What she does say, without saying it, is far more profound: This world is worth loving, in spite of everything.

But it turned out that A2 wasn't alone at the end, thanks to one final act of defiance by a device that you'd never expect to save the day. 

Here's the twist: Every YoRHa unit, save for the prototypes, is assigned a hovering Pod, a little AI assistant that assesses situations, gives advice on the fly, carries out minor repairs, and provides weapons backup. The Pods can only do what YoRHa has authorized them to do. Yet at the end of the series, when the final order comes in for the Pods to erase all memory of YoRHa's ultimately failed mission, 2B's Pod, not coincidentally numbered Pod 042, stands up and says no.

But he does more than say no. As he staves off the swarm of Pods circling him and expecting him to stand down, he opens fire on them and calls out to his fallen android partner:

2B, are you watching? This is what you bestowed upon me. This... this is my reason to live.

Oh, little box, you just want 2B to be proud of you, don't you? Don't hit me in the feels like that. 

Pod 042, it seems, has developed emotions of his own. He was reassigned to A2 after 2B's death, but we discover that he'd grown attached to 2B -- and, by extension, to A2. And it's only because of Pod 042's unexpected act of empathy that 2B and 9S are given another chance at life. Together with 153, 9S's Pod, 042 retrieves parts from fallen androids and restores their data. And the last thing you see are 2B and 9S waking up and recognizing each other with a smile.   

Pod 042 essentially gives them the gift of grace -- a new beginning, unearned, and offered out of compassion.

And it's a perfect ending that keeps the series from ending in utter bleakness. Yoko Taro said that he wanted to give the androids hope, a life free of the orders and constraints of YoRHa, but didn't want to dictate what kind of life they might build together -- because dictating is what YoRHa did. So instead of following them through a world where the machines are gone and war is no more, he chose to simply show our heroes waking up and ending the scene, leaving us to imagine our own futures for them.       

In the end, they got a chance to embrace Camus' vision as well. With no cosmic rules, divine mandates, or grand fates -- no gods to fight for and no superiors to obey -- 2B and 9S were given the gift of complete personal freedom in how they choose to live. 

Even A2 gets another chance, it seems. The very last shot shows her seated in the grass, evidently revived by a mysterious entity who winks at the audience and disappears.

One of the things that made me happy about the ending is that there was finally no more need for 2B to deny her feelings for 9S. When she was dying from the virus, she struggled along as her body gave out, desperately calling out for 9S: "Almost there, my dear." My dear. It's such a small thing, yet for 2B it was a tremendous proclamation. She'd always loved him, and she was racked with guilt and grief over all the times she had to kill him. 

Then the virus claimed her. 

But in the end, thanks to her heroic Pod, she was given an unexpected fresh start by her dear one's side. 

"Good morning," the revived 2B says to 9S in the anime's final moments. Her clear blue eyes sparkle with life, her visor that was a symbol of YoRHa's control nowhere to be seen. "Hi, Nines." 

I'm not crying. You're crying. 

This is just a small sample of what the series has to offer. There are a few more intriguing religious overtones, with references to Adam and Eve, a tower that may allude to Babel, and an Ark that ultimately takes the remaining machine lifeforms sailing off into the cosmos. Then, of course, there's the big one that stares you in the face the whole time: Androids were created in the image and likeness of man. 

We also get to see machines that evolve and adopt human customs, creating communities, caring for one another -- developments that muddy the waters about good guys and bad guys when you realize that the YoRHa androids are directed to kill the machines indiscriminately, and usually do. 

What makes somebody truly human? That's one of the biggest questions Nier: Automata forces you to confront. The machines become more human organically through studying humanity, while the androids were developed by humans and are capable of emotions, yet they struggle to see past the orders they're given. In essence, they're puppets of other androids. Yet thanks to Pod 042 -- he who unexpectedly embraces the meaning of life, the universe, and everything -- A2, 2B, and 9S get a chance to cut their strings and explore what it means to have free will.

What it means 2B, you might say.

Name-Nerding, Fifteen Years Later

Image generated via ChatGPT prompt.

Fifteen years ago, I was fussing over the perfect name for our daughter. I talked about the process at the time in a Facebook post, and I recently got an itch to see if my naming preferences had changed since then. 

I'm a failed fiction writer, you see, and over the years I've accumulated a number of characters who've taken up permanent residence in my head. One exists as an online persona, another is just hanging around waiting for her story to be told, two others enjoy engaging in online roleplay, and yet another is something like a tulpa but resists specific labeling -- and gets angry if I call her fictional. The thing they have in common is that they're all female. And they all have names I'm rather fond of. Some of those names were rolling around in my head when I was coming up with girl names 15 years ago, and some weren't.

I work with words, and names are words, and they all have meanings and origins. A name is the first gift you give a child, aside from the gift of life itself, and I believe that a child deserves a name that he or she can wear proudly throughout life. Thus, I put a lot of thought into our kiddo's name. She ended up being Miranda Penelope. Nice cadence. Long names to counterbalance our one-syllable family name. Both with literary origins -- Miranda from Shakespeare; Penelope from Homer. Miranda has a nice meaning, derived by the Bard from the Latin mirandus, meaning "worthy of admiration." Penelope at least doesn't have a bad meaning -- it probably refers either to Penelope's weaving or to some kind of seabird. I was able to live with that.

Still, it was a bit of a compromise name. My wife and I both agreed on Penelope as a middle, but Miranda wasn't my top choice for a first name. I preferred Gretchen, Beatrix, and Saoirse. My wife hated Gretchen, so that was immediately out. Beatrix was a strong contender, but the potential for the nickname Trixie to surface also rankled my wife. And my wife's mom couldn't pronounce Saoirse (SEAR-shah) to save her life. 

I've since cooled on Irish Gaelic names like Saoirse, Fionnuala, and Siobhan. As much as I like exotic and unusual names, I wouldn't want to saddle a kid with a name she constantly had to spell and pronounce for people. 

But Gretchen and Beatrix still rank among my favorites. I still like names with quirky, vintage charm, names that convey timeless elegance, names that sound intellectual, names of Nordic, Slavic, and Germanic origin with heavy consonant clusters. Names that would feel at home on an author, a judge, a professor, a philosopher, an artist. Nothing sugary. Nothing trendy. Nothing trashy. Nothing that condemns a girl to feeling like a perpetual 3-year-old. 

Here was my list from 15 years ago, in alphabetical order.

Aimee
Alexandria
Alice
Angelica
Annika
Athena
Beatrix
Calista
Carys
Charissa
Cherie
Delaney
Eireann
Elswyth
Fae
Fionnuala
Frieda
Greta
Heidi
Heather
Helen
Irene
Iris
Kerensa
Larissa
Lotus
Lydia
Lyra
Marina
Martha
Mei
Melissa
Miranda
Natalie
Penelope
Sabine
Santi
Saoirse
Selena
Serena
Shirin
Sunniva
Susan
Tabitha
Theresa
Vanessa
Veronica
Victoria
Wendy
Zoe

Of those 50 names, 17 made it to my revised list of 100 favorite girl names, one with a slightly altered spelling. Some of the names from this original list I'm indifferent to now. Others leave me wondering what I was thinking. I note that Gretchen didn't even make my list back then: I must have reasoned there was no point in including it, since it was a no-go for one of the two parents.

But now there are no more kids on the way, only fictional characters in my head. And they're going to want names when they show up. So I suppose I'll consider my new list as a sort of fantasy lineup of female names, counting down from 100 to 1. Maybe somebody reading will take a liking to a name, in which case, you're welcome. But this is mainly for my own amusement, as pretty much everything on this blog is. 

Here we go.

100. ADA

Minor spoiler: My list begins and ends with variations on the same core name. Ada, a neat, simple palindrome that gets in and gets out, began as a diminutive of a cluster of Germanic names that mean, in essence, "noble." And who doesn't want to be thought of as noble?

Ada peaked in popularity in 1918, but it's had a modest resurgence in recent years. It's being noticed, but not so popular as to wear out its welcome.

A solid name that gets right to the point.

99. SASKIA

A lot of the names on this list made the cut because they're unusual. Not "hop on a trend and deliberately misspell a name" unusual. I'm talking about neglected names that have a history. And this one fits the bill. 

Saskia is a Dutch name that's been around for hundreds of years. It probably derives from the Old German word for "Saxon," in which case Saskia would mean something like "Saxon woman." And that's pretty satisfying, isn't it? Can't you just imagine your little girl as part of the Anglo-Saxon hordes that invaded and settled Britain? Of course you can.

At least maybe some people can, considering Saskia peaked in popularity in 2024. On the other hand, the name isn't exactly launching an all-out raid just yet on the popular-names list. "Peak popularity" in this case means Saskia was used a whopping 41 times in '24. So yeah, still extremely rare. But hey, that means it's practically guaranteed that your daughter would be the only Saskia in her class. And that counts for something.

The Latinized form from the Old German, Saxa, looks and sounds great too.

98. SCHOLASTICA

A few of the names on my list are unusable in real life, but then this is just a list of female names I like; there's no human child on the way. 

"Scholastica" would indeed be a lot to hang on a child. It would come with heavy expectations, more so than even a virtue name. And yet a famous saint wore the name memorably enough that it comes down to us today, nearly 1,500 years after her death. St. Scholastica was an abbess and the sister of St. Benedict. He founded the Benedictine Order; she founded the Benedictine nuns. 

The name needs no etymological parsing; it is what it looks like. It suggests scholarly pursuits and achievements, and indeed Scholastica is the patron of education and books. 

Few people throughout history seem to have borne the name. One website, whose claims are not easily verified, alleges that the name peaked in popularity in 1914, with a grand total of five babies given the name that year. 

Sure, if you want to give your girl a scholarly air, you can always give her a name like, say, Irene or Helen or Cordelia -- names that prompt someone to say "I'll bet she has a bookshelf" without the expectations that come with Scholastica. But still, can you imagine a precocious little Scholastica Jones showing up for her first day at school? She sounds like she'd be the main character in a novel that's both gripping and fun, and she's the kind of girl I would have loved to know in school. 

97. MAGDALENE

Here's a name that comes with either unwanted baggage or welcome assertiveness, depending on your interpretation. The downside is that Mary Magdalene was for centuries unjustifiably conflated with the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John, or marginalized as an unrepentant prostitute. However, the scriptures support neither view. Instead, we're given a picture of a woman of independent means who helped fund Jesus' ministry, who was one of a tiny handful of followers who never abandoned Jesus at the cross, and who carried the news of his resurrection to the apostles, she being the first person he appeared to. Gnostic writings depict her as something even more -- the disciple who understood Jesus and his teachings best, the one who was closest to him, the one who was perhaps even his partner or wife. 

Da Vinci Code conspiracies aside, she's been unfairly maligned. Magdalene laundries for "bad girls" persisted until the mid-20th century, carrying her name as a mark of shame. But the name has enjoyed a small revival in recent years, beginning in the 2000s and peaking in the 2010s with more than a thousand recorded bestowals on U.S. girls. Maybe it's being seen as a way to identify with strong and misunderstood women, in the vein of Lilith but without the unavoidable demonic connotations that name carries. 

When I think of this name, I'm reminded of the late, great Magdalen Berns, the bravely outspoken gender-critical feminist who never pulled a punch.

96. LORNA

I went to school with a Lorna. The name gives off Laura vibes, but the "N" lends it an additional weight that keeps it from feeling too light and airy. (Not that there's anything wrong with Laura, and in fact it appears later in this list.) 

It appears that the name originated with Lorna Doone, the protagonist of R.D. Blackmore's novel of the same name. Maybe Lorna Doone just makes you think of the cookies. But names with literary origins always score points with me. 

It's never been an overly popular name, having peaked  in the U.S. at 763 uses in 1957. Its rarity is part of its appeal for me. For anyone allergic to trends, this is a solid choice for a classic name.

95. LILA

This name has a pleasantly tuneful nature. It feels like singing -- a happy, light repeating "la-la" sound -- but with some added grounding from the long "I" in the first syllable. 

Lila appears to have at least three separate origins. From the Hebrew, it's considered a diminutive of Delilah, originating from the deceitful lover of Samson in the Old Testament. If you, like me, try to steer clear of names with negative meanings, maybe this isn't the one for you. However, it's redeemed by its Arabic and Sanskrit meanings. In the former, it derives from the word for "night." Neutral and harmless enough. But it's in its Sanskrit roots that it shines. Here it means something like "play," in reference to the idea of the divine cosmic play that's central to Hindu thought. In this context, it suggests spontaneous creativity, making it a good choice for parents who hope to see creativity blossom in their daughters. 

Its popularity evidently peaked in 2025, but it remains well out of the Social Security Administration's Top 100, falling at No. 187. 

94. GIGI

You'll find that I don't have a lot of light, fluffy-sounding names on my list. I prefer names with gravitas. You're not naming a doll or a perpetual 3-year-old, after all. 

But there's something about the easy, lilting, repetitive lightness of Gigi that makes it attractive to my ears. Maybe it's the French origin. Maybe it's the way the G softens to more of a -zh sound, giving it a bit of playful continental elegance. 

Gigi is usually used as a diminutive for French names that feature that -zh sound -- Georgine, Gilberte, Virginie -- but it's sometimes a given name as well.

The name peaked in 1962, which isn't surprising given the runaway success of the now-iconic 1958 film filled with sophisticated Parisian charm. That means if you meet a Gigi, she's very likely to be a boomer grandma today. But maybe that just means the name is due for a revival. 

93. LENORE

If Gothic flair is your thing, Lenore is a great choice. The name predates Poe as a diminutive of Eleanor, but it's almost impossible to separate it from The Raven. 

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! -- prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that heaven that bends above us -- by that God we both adore --
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore.
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Lenore peaked as a name way back in 1927. It's overdue to be dusted off.

92. ONYX

Here's one that's a bit out of the ordinary for my tastes, inasmuch as it's rather androgynous. The blackness that Onyx generally suggests puts it comfortably in the same Gothic category with Lenore, but the hardness of the mineral gives it an added layer of toughness. And the Y and the X both look great aesthetically in a name and dig deep with their combined sound, beginning with a push from the throat and ending with a hiss on the tongue. It's a name that goes hard in more than one sense of the word.

It's currently on a popularity upswing, though it still sits comfortably outside the Top 100.

 

91. PENELOPE

This ended up being my kiddo's middle name. I still like it, but not as much. Had she been born today, I never would have even considered it. It's way too popular now, sitting at No. 25 on the 2025 SSA name list.

The name has its origins in Greek mythology: Penelope was the ever-faithful wife of Odysseus, fending off suitors after her husband's disappearance by saying she had to weave a burial shroud for his father first. She undid a bit of the shroud every night and managed to keep up her clever delaying tactic for a good three years. No one knows for certain what her name means, but it may have something to do with her weaving skills -- thereby making Penelope a cunning weaver. Not a bad basis for a name at all.

I imagine this name will only get more popular, with the success of the new-as-I-write-this Odyssey movie.

90. PHILOMENA

This name came to my attention years ago, by way of the semi-legendary saint said to have extraordinary healing powers for those who venerate her. The name is inherently positive in meaning, coming from the same Greek root that gives us the likes of philosophy, philanthropy, and bibliophilia -- love of wisdom, love of humanity, love of books. In short, it's a love name, probably meaning "lover of strength," or, more lightly, "friend of strength."

The name peaked in the 1920s and has seen a bit of a resurgence over the past decade, though it appears never to have ranked higher than No. 208. 

89. ZENOBIA

Yeah, I tend to like Greek names. And it's a mystery to me why this name never took off, with "Zen" as a tremendous built-in nickname. Maybe the association with Zen as a chill, laid-back attitude just doesn't appeal to many people. 

The name means "life of Zeus," which, let's face it, also goes pretty hard. It's had pretty much one famous bearer -- Zenobia, queen of the short-lived Palmyrene Empire in the third century.

Even the modern Greek equivalent, Zinovia, has a delightfully sharp, bold, striking sound to it.

Woefully underused name. It peaked in 1923, with just 62 births. Zenovia, a name that captures a bit of both the ancient Zenobia and the modern standard spelling of Zinovia, enjoyed a small burst of popularity in 2022, being used 84 times.

88. SOLEDAD

SOH-luh-dahd. I first heard this name worn by CNN's Soledad O'Brien, and it's rattled around in my head ever since as a name that carries a touch of exotic mystery.  

The name is best known among Spanish-speaking people. It derives from a title for the Virgin Mary: Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, or Our Lady of Solitude -- a reference to Mary's solitude on Holy Saturday, the day Jesus spends entirely in death. The name thus has a bit of a melancholy air about it, but not necessarily a negative meaning, for even in her darkest moments, Our Lady never abandoned her faith or her hope. The name means "solitude," yes, but more in a sense of a watchful, hopeful solitude. Not a solitude of desolation but one of quiet anticipation that things are sure to get better.  

It's never been a top name on the SSA list, with a peak of 702 registered names in the 2000s. And given that 88% of Soledads are Hispanic, you're not likely to hear the name outside of that particular ethnic group. But it remains a lovely name nonetheless, in my opinion.  

87. RHONDA

I hear the Beach Boys in my head every time I think of this name, yet I can't help liking it. Its origins are unclear, but there's a chance that it began as a Welsh place name.

Rhonda peaked at No. 37 in 1965, so it's another one of those names inextricably associated with boomers (and maybe early Gen-Xers) -- but unlike stuffy names like, say, Susan or Barbara, there's an edge to it that makes me think it's worthy of a revival and still very usable. A little girl nicknamed Ronnie? Heck, yeah. Works just as well as a sixty-something Great Aunt Rhonda who hasn't forgotten how to be cool. Or groovy, for that matter.

86. SYLVIA

Sylvia could easily be Rhonda's older sister. The name floated along through the bottom half of the Top 100 between 1932 and 1952, peaking at No. 50 in 1937. So its vintage goes back a bit further than Rhonda. But it doesn't feel dated to my ears. It has a sleek and substantial sound to it. And if you're looking for a nature-related name, it's hard to go wrong with one whose origin traces to the Latin for "forest" or "wood."

85. REGINA

The girl who bears this name is a queen, and it's a perennially bold choice for that reason. Its popularity has come and gone over the years, and it's currently somewhat out of fashion, having peaked in 1967. It will probably always carry a strong association with the Virgin Mary, who, thanks to the Catholic church's Latin-language history, is known far and wide as Regina Caeli, Queen of Heaven. 

Gina is a solid nickname. Reggie is a cute gender-bending one.

84. IO

   

A concise two-letter name that packs in a lot of history. Again from Greek myth, Io was a wife of Zeus who was subjected to no small amount or harassment by a number of meddling deities before finally finding solace in Egypt, where her story blurs somewhat with that of Isis. For her troubles, Io at least got to be the namesake of one of Jupiter's moons. 

As a given name, it's barely a blip on the radar. It peaked in 2022, when it was bestowed on a grand total of 24 babies. But if you want something that really stands out, it's a bold option. There aren't even any consonants, for goodness' sake. 

Evidently, there was, or currently is, a quiet fad focusing on micronames. Io is one of them, along with things like Em, Bo, Jo, Lu, Ro, Vi, El, and Oz -- as given names, not nicknames. Io stands out for me because it has historical roots. I suppose Jo and Oz do too, thanks to Louisa May Alcott and L. Frank Baum, respectively. But as far as Jo is concerned, I imagine most people would just assume it's an abbreviation of Josephine. It's hard to pull off one of these short names and not have somebody want to expand on them or assume they're nicknames.

83. THECLA

This name is almost exclusively associated with the saint who left her comfortable life behind to follow Paul and become part of the early Christian movement. Almost everything we know of her comes from the apocryphal work The Acts of Paul and Thecla. She's associated with numerous miracles and was notable for being a woman who preached to other women, a hint that maybe the church wasn't originally as patriarchal as it later became. She apparently even baptized herself.

The name essentially means "Glory of God." And that first syllable comes out hard and authoritative, as if announcing that Thecla is both fearless and not to be messed with.

Sadly, the name is essentially extinct. There's no record of any babies given the name since 1986.

82. KEZIAH

kuh-ZIGH-ah. This name filtered through to me by way of some genealogical research. Once, when I was poking through names on my family tree, I came across the name Keziah Wetherbee, who happens to be my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. At the time, I thought that was one of the greatest names I'd ever heard. Even now I love Keziah's hard and authoritative sound, and how unusual it is.

Turns out it's a biblical name, one that long escaped my notice despite my interest in scripture. Keziah is a minor character, one of three daughters given to Job following his harrowing trials, and the name has evidently been used to symbolize female equality, since Keziah and her sisters received an inheritance from Job, something unheard of for girls in that time. 

For reasons unknown to me -- I'm unaware that it's been used in any prominent setting where it would have garnered notice -- the name has enjoyed a small surge of interest in recent years. In 2025, a record 599 babies were given the name.  

81. CHELSEA

Depending on how old you are, this name probably makes you think of either "Chelsea Morning" or Chelsea Clinton. I prefer the Joni Mitchell song, though I don't hold any particular animosity toward the person. You don't get to choose your parents, after all.

In doing my research, I discovered a peculiar divide over this name. In the U.S., it tends to conjure up images of bratty rich girls, where in the U.K., it's apparently associated with the trashier elements of society. Me, I just tend to like the juxtaposition of a hard first syllable -- you almost expel the chel from your mouth -- and a soft second syllable, floating off easily on that long E sound. 

The name evidently referred originally to a limestone port, or a place where limestone or chalk was found in abundance. It peaked in 1992, no doubt thanks to the Clintons, but has since seen a sharp decline.

80. CALISTA

Flockhart. Yeah, I can't help associating the name with the actress, and if you're of a certain age, I'm guessing you can't either. 

Still, it's a very pretty name. It sounds like it should have some sort of astronomical association, like a glittering, twinkling constellation somewhere off in the cosmos. Instead, it derives from the Greek word for "beautiful" -- which is reason enough to recommend it, really. 

It's a surprisingly rare name. It doesn't appear to have ever cracked the Top 300.

79. FELICIA

"Bye, Felicia," I hear you saying. Memes aside, this is a quality name with a good cadence, that -sh sound near the end keeping it from being too light overall, giving it a little more grounding than the related name Felicity, which feels like it just wants to float off into the ether with nothing to anchor it. 

The name means "happy" or "lucky," and who could take issue with that? It peaked in 1986 and deserves a comeback.

78. ELEANOR

A refined name that exudes calm elegance. Eleanor Roosevelt is obviously the most famous holder of this name. 

Its origins are shrouded in mystery. It could originally have meant anything from "light" to "wealth," "nobility," or "honor." No negative meanings, in any event. 

At No. 12 on the 2025 SSA list, it's far too popular to consider using now. But it will no doubt remain standing long after its current trendiness has worn off. It's been around for centuries. It peaked in 1920. It isn't going anywhere.

77. FAYE 

I like that this name is short and to the point. Yet it's a lot softer than most of the names on my list. When I think of this name, I think of Liv Tyler's character in That Thing You Do!, which admittedly may have a lot to do with why I like it. And, hey, it's a lot more usable of a name in the real world than Arwen, right?

The meaning is straightforward: It derives from fairy. So it carries some mystical, magical overtones. You can't think of this name (well, I can't, anyway) without envisioning bands of sprightly little woodland creatures running around and conjuring up minor acts of mischief. 

Faye, with an E, has enjoyed a little more popularity than its E-free sibling, though neither has ever topped the charts. Faye peaked in 1934 at No. 146 and has been hanging on to the bottom end of the Top 1,000 for around the past decade, while Fay-without-an-E peaked at No. 202 in 1907 and never returned to the Top 1,000 after falling off in 1969. 

76. SIGRID

The first of many Nordic names on my list. Nordic, Slavic, and Germanic names -- names with substance and heft -- tend to dominate. Want to imagine your little girl to grow up tough as a Valkyrie? Plenty of options here.

The name comes from Old Norse words for "beloved" and "victory." Hard to beat that. In a world that prefers breathy Neveah and Kinsley-style names for little girls, names like these will always be a hard sell. But to me, that's a big part of their appeal. They sound just as impressive on a middle-aged woman as they do on a badass little warrior princess-in-training. 

75. ERIKA

Deriving from an Old Norse name that means "eternal ruler" or "ever powerful," this is a bold and potent name choice for a girl. It peaked in 1990 at No. 74 on the SSA list. Its sister name, Erica, had its peak in 1986 at No. 31. Regrettably, the former disappeared out of the Top 1,000 after 2019; the latter, a year earlier. That means most Erikas and Ericas you meet are likely to be millennials, or perhaps younger Gen-Xers. It deserves more recognition than it's currently getting. In the meantime, it's a fantastic under-the-radar name that's sure to stand the test of time.

74. NORAH

Along with Lenore, this is another variant on Eleanor that works well as a standalone name. The -h ending sets it apart from the far-too-popular Nora, which sits at No. 20 on the 2025 SSA list. To me it looks naked without the ending H. But maybe that's because I associate the name with the incomparable Norah Jones. 

It carries a similar elegance to its parent name. Leading with that powerful first syllable, it's a name that sounds like it means business while retaining its elegant beauty.

73. MONICA

Whether you think of the infamous Ms. Lewinsky, the Friends character, or the notoriously grunting tennis star, this name in some ways feels stuck in the 1990s. Yet it dates to antiquity, with its earliest and arguably most famous holder being St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine from the fourth century. Its meaning is lost to history, though some have tied the name to the Greek monos for "alone" or to the Latin monere for "advise."    

It's a name with good hard sounds. It's short and sounds like it means business. It peaked in the late 1970s, which today probably gives it late Gen-X/early millennial vibes. But that's no reason not to embrace it and use it again. 

72. SYDNEY

This name is best known as belonging to the most populous city in Australia. Its origins appear to lie in an Old English place name meaning "wide island." 

I'm generally not a fan of giving place names to human beings. "Brooklyn," to name a notorious example, is just so tacky, as is "Oaklynn," which one presumes to be a trashy riff on Oakland.  

But there's something about Sydney that sticks with me.

Maybe it's Sydney Sweeney and her great jeans. I'm not above being biased. 

In any event, it peaked around 2000 and has fallen off considerably since then. 

71. ZOSIA

ZOH-sha. This is a Polish diminutive of Sophia, and a snazzy, outside-the-box alternative to a name that's gotten way too popular in recent years: Sophia checked in at No. 5 on the 2025 SSA list. No, thanks. It also gives you a nice alternative Z-name if Zoe is too popular for your liking -- which it is for me, at No. 31.

It's a rarity of a name, a real hidden gem. Stands out without being weird, or deliberately misspelled, or any of the other things that tend to be a strike against a name. It peaked in 2022, with just 44 babies given the name in the SSA records. 

70. SHRUTI

There are a lot of Sanskrit-based names that sound lovely to my ears. This is one of them. 

I once knew a Shruti. She was very sweet and kind, always smiling, so I have a positive association with the name. For me it also brings to mind Yes's flawed masterwork from 1973, Tales From Topographic Oceans. Though not my favorite album from what happens to be my favorite rock band, Tales is loosely structured around Hindu scripture, and singer/lyricist Jon Anderson has stated that the opening track, "The Revealing Science of God," was rooted in the principle of shruti, which means "hearing" or "listening" in relation to Hindu scripture. In this context, then, the ultimate truth, whether you call it God or something else, is revealed through the ancient texts -- i.e., that which is heard through sacred revelation. 

I don't know if the name is usable if you aren't of Indian ancestry, but I love the sound and meaning of it nonetheless.

69. ROSARIO

roh-ZAR-ee-oh. An overwhelmingly Hispanic name, Rosario means exactly what you might expect: rosary, in reference to Our Lady of the Rosary. Its most famous holder is arguably the actress Rosario Dawson.

The name carries an air of both seriousness and exoticism. It's hard not to say the name without a dramatic flourish, with an exaggerated overemphasis on the -zar. I imagine a Rosario as a beautiful woman dancing in the sun, gently clacking a pair of castanets, a single red rose clamped between her teeth. Can't help myself. It's a name that for me comes with a very specific visual.

68. SAMANTHA

Samantha had a good run recently. It held firm as a Top 10 SSA name from 1988 to 2006. It's a good, utilitarian name. Decidedly feminine and pretty without being frilly. And of course, the nickname "Sam" is terrific. Solid, short, and to the point.

No one quite knows where it came from. Some think it originated as a feminine form of Samuel (meaning "name of God"), but that's only one theory of many. 

One thing's for certain: Without the 1960s TV show Bewitched and its main character, Samantha Stephens, the name would probably have never leapt to prominence. 

67. JULIE

With a few of the names on this list, I'm showing my age. This is one of them: Julie is decidedly Gen-X. I've known Julies and went to school with Julies. I have nothing but good associations with the name, and sometimes that's all you need.

Its origin, in the form of the name Julius, is unclear. It Greek, it could refer to someone with a downy beard. In Latin, it could refer to a devotee of the god Jupiter.

Julie stayed in the Top 100 for 40 years -- from 1951 to 1991. That's a tremendous run that I think speaks to the attractive quality of the name. It peaked in 1971, right in the thick of Generation X, at No. 10. 

66. EILEEN

What do you call a woman with one leg shorter than the other? I lean.

I knew an Eileen who used that joke frequently. I could never quite figure out if she was being self-deprecating or she just disliked her name. Either way, I like it. It's a no-frills, no-nonsense, all-purpose, quietly feminine kind of name that never feels as if it goes out of style. And that's good, because Eileen is someone reliable. Someone who always shows up and gets the job done. She never lets you down.

Yet even though the name shouts maturity and practicality, its origins are somewhat murky. We know that Eileen is the Anglicized spelling of the Irish version of the Norman French name Aveline, but we don't know what avi, the Old Germanic root of Aveline, means.

The name has never fallen out of the Top 1,000 since 1885. It was in the Top 100 for most of the 1920s and rode a wave of modest popularity from 1942 to 1952. Fittingly for such a wash-and-wear name, it's never been wildly popular -- but it just keeps consistently showing up. 

Then, of course, there's the song. Too-rye-ay.

65. PAULA

Paula Abdul? Teenage crush. Paula What's-Her-Name that I went to school with? Cute, to the best of my memory, but not very nice. So I suppose I have mixed associations with this name.

In some ways, it resembles Eileen. It's not a flashy name, and it's quietly feminine, never drawing attention to itself. Notably, ever since U.S. name records started being kept in 1880, it's never fallen out of the Top 1,000. It just keeps on keeping on.

Paula, of course, derives from Paul, which itself comes from a Roman family name meaning "small" or "humble." Fittingly unassuming. And like its masculine counterpart, it dates to antiquity. Paula of Rome, a fourth-century abbess, is one of the earliest prominent people to sport the name. 

64. MIRIAM

Now here's a name with staying power. Since recordkeeping began in 1880, Miriam has never ranked lower than No. 375. And that, of course, has a lot to do with the perennial popularity of all Mary-adjacent names. Maria, consistently popular in the Spanish-speaking world, has never been out of the Top 200. Marie was the No. 1 most popular girl name in France, bar none, for 54 straight years. Mary, the queen of them all, was No. 1 in the USA for 66 consecutive years, never fell lower than No. 2 for 85 straight years, and remained in the Top 10 for an astounding 91 years.

So why Miriam and not Mary or something else? It's a bit more off the beaten path, even if it sounds softer than Mary. And given its use as the name of Moses' sister in the Book of Exodus, it has roots that probably predate Mariam, the name used for the Virgin Mary in the New Testament.  

For as popular as the Mary family of names has remained over the years, their etymology has always been shrouded in mystery. Long assumed to mean something like "bitter sea," Mary and its sibling names may actually have their origin in the Egypitan root mr, meaning "beloved." 

I kind of hope that's the case.

63. JENNA

I can't tell you exactly why I like Jenna. I've never known a Jenna. It's not a name with deep roots -- it barely registered before the 1970s. Its peak in the 1980s makes it a solidly millennial name. It should have no appeal to me.

Maybe it strikes a similar chord as Paula -- one of those straightforward, no-muss, no-fuss kind of names. Yet it has a bit of a bouncy spunk to it that makes me happy when I hear it.

Jenna is, of course, a diminutive of Jennifer, which derives from the Welsh Guinevere, which, depending on the source you read, can mean anything from "white phantom" to "fair one." Given that we're talking about the name of King Arthur's beloved here, I'm going to hope the latter interpretation is closer to the mark

62. ANDREA

Andrea just might be the most schizophrenic girl name of all time, and I love that for it. It's a girl's name that literally means "manly," deriving from Andrew.

And it's enjoyed a long period of popularity in spite of itself. For 50 years -- 1962 through 2012 -- it remained in the Top 100, peaking at No. 23 in 1978. Does that prove that most people pay no attention to name meanings? Or do they just not care? After all, Mc- and -son patronyms are given to girls all the time. 

 

Not that I can complain, since I genuinely like the name. I would never saddle a girl with a name like McKinley or Madison, but I'd have no problem naming a girl Andrea. Inconsistent? Maybe, but at least Andrea is masculine in a more subtle, hidden way. It's not as if there's a -son hanging out there transparently for everyone to see.

And anyway, if I had an Andrea, she'd always be known by Andie. I have a beloved fictional character named Andie. And I always liked Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day. So the Andrea would at least be concealed under a cute nickname.

For what that's worth.

61. AMANDA

Given when it was popular, Amanda ranks as a quintessential millennial name. It entered the Top 10 in 1976 and remained there through 1995, almost completely overlapping the millennial generation's typically designated years of 1981 through 1996. It has since crashed hard, ranking a lowly No. 493 in 2025. It pretty much fell off a cliff.

Why? I really don't know, because it's a good, strong-sounding name for a girl, with a positive meaning to go along with it: worthy of love. 

60. CHLOE

Chloe has been in the Top 30 since 2001. As of this writing, that's a quarter of a century. Pretty impressive run. But that also means it's far too popular of a name to use at the moment. Seems Gen-Z's parents are riding this name pretty hard. 

It comes from ancient Greek and essentially means "green shoots," in reference to the new growth in springtime. Appropriately, it was a byname for Demeter, goddess of the harvest.

Me, I like the combination of the hard K and long O sounds, juxtaposed with the lighter long-E ending. You get a bit of tension and release, giving the name depth and dimension.

59. AI

Another microname like Io. This is a legitimate Japanese name meaning "love" or "affection," making it an easy name to cheer for. 

I adore the compactness of it. It's pronounced like the letter I, a perfect shorthand in its own way for why names even exist, pointing as they do to the "I" but giving it a fanciful marker that others can use. 

The name has been around for a surprisingly long time in the Anglosphere, making its first appearance 

in 1974. Of the few who have been bestowed the name in the U.S., however, more than 91% are of Asian (presumably East Asian) descent. So it hasn't really managed to travel far outside its original cultural context. 

There haven't been any U.S. babies on record named Ai since 2021, and you can probably guess why. I think that AI -- artificial intelligence -- may have rendered the name unusable in English-speaking parts of the world. 

58. GENEVA

Beautifully elegant name. It's unclear if the given name comes from the Swiss city or if it had a separate origin. 

If the name came from the city, then we know that the city's name probably traces to a word meaning "knee," in reference to a bend in a body of water -- in this case, presumably, Lake Geneva.

If the name has its own origin, then it quite possibly has its roots in the name Genevieve, whose meaning isn't clear but might trace to one of two words meaning "family." 

In any event, Geneva had a moment of mild popularity in the 1920s, but it's never been a leading name candidate. Pity, because it's a name that exudes luxury and class.

57. ELAINE

Considering this name hung out in the Top 100 between 1923 and 1957, you'd think it would sound as outdated and musty as, say, Ethel or Mildred. But to me it sounds fresh and confident, with a little bit of Parisian elegance befitting its origins: It's an Old French version of Helen. 

It also has a bit of literary flair to its credit. Evidently, Alfred, Lord Tennyson made the name popular after using it for a character in his 1859 novel Idylls of the King. Well played, sir. 

On the other hand, I can't help seeing Julia Louis-Dreyfus in my head when I hear this name. Thanks a lot, Seinfeld.

56. IRIS

Does this name sound stuffy? I don't think so, even though flower names usually tend to make me think of old gray-haired ladies sitting around knitting scarves for their grandkids. It's probably the punch of that opening long I sound that makes the name feel a little less airy than some of its floral kin.

Of course, it can also refer to the colored ring in the eye. And in Greek, it means "rainbow." Who couldn't like that? 

Parents seem to agree that it's a good name: Although it's one of those classic names that has never fallen off the charts, it only cracked the Top 100 for the first time in 2022. And it reached its highest point ever in 2025, at No. 61. Is it becoming trendy? If so, then it'll be best set aside for a while.

55. CLAIRE

Timeless and classy, with an understated, sophisticated elegance. There's a reason it's never fallen out of the Top 1,000 names since the beginning of U.S. name recordkeeping. Remarkably, it's remained in the Top 100 since 1998. It's never climbed higher than No. 40, but it just hangs around consistently and reliably, as you might expect from a low-profile but pretty and serviceable name. 

It's the French form of Clara, and the name means exactly what you think it does: clear and bright. No hidden meanings. What you see is what you get.

54. DEBORAH

Solid biblical name that deserves a comeback. 

If you know your Bible, you know that Deborah was an Old Testament prophet, and the only female judge ever mentioned. With the aid of  the general Barak, she forms an army and defeats the Israelites' Canaanite enemies.

The name carries an air of authority befitting such a character.

But today it's seen as a quintessentially a boomer name. It was in the Top 10 from 1950 through 1962 and peaked at No. 2 in 1955, behind only -- can you guess? -- Mary.  

The name means "bee" in Hebrew, so it's a good choice for any parents who want to imagine their little girls growing up to be busy and industrious. Or it could just serve as an excuse to wrap your kiddo in a cute little black and yellow bee costume.

My favorite Deborahs happen to both be singers: Debbie Harry from Blondie, and Deborah Holland, the woefully underappreciated vocalist whom Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke chose to lead their Animal Logic project in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

53. LAURA

Here's a lovely name that's been amazingly durable over the years. From 1880 through 2006 -- a total of 126 years -- it never once fell out of the Top 200. For 110 of those years, it was in the Top 100; for 65 years, the Top 50; for 23 years, the Top 20. It enjoyed two distinct spikes in its popularity -- in the 1880s, and from the 1960s through the 1980s. It peaked in 1969 at No. 10.

And that doesn't include all of its spinoff names, including Lori, Laurie, Lauren, Lorena, and Loretta.

The name literally refers to a bay laurel but by extension is meant to suggest honor and victory, since in Greece, and later in Rome, laurel wreaths were bestowed on the winners of competitive events. If you're looking at meanings when picking names, it's hard to beat Laura to send a message that you hope for great success for your little girl. It's an incredibly honorable choice.  

Fun fact: Daphne means exactly the same thing as Laura. It's the Greek word for laurel. According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, Apollo was pursuing Daphne, a priestess of Gaia, and Daphne sought the goddess's help. In response, Gaia turned Daphne into a laurel tree to hide her.

52. VERONICA

This name has a history full of twists and turns. It began life as the Attic Greek Pherenike, meaning "bearer of victory." Pherenike became Berenika, the name of one of Demeter's priestesses, and Berenika became the modern-day names Berenice and Bernice. 

So where did Veronica come from? It's a Latin transliteration of Pherenike. 

Thus, Berenice and Veronica are literally the exact same name. 

But it gets even weirder, because in medieval times, Veronica was said to have derived from a mash-up of the Latin vera, for true, and the Greek eikon, for image. Why? Because tradition holds that Veronica was the name of the woman who gave Jesus her veil to wipe his face as he carried his cross to his death. Tradition further holds that when he returned the veil, an image of his face had been imprinted on the cloth. Hence, true image, vera eikon, Veronica.

All that led to a beautiful and elegant name. 

Veronica has been in the charts for as long as U.S. records have been kept, and it remained in the Top 100 from 1972 through 1992. I imagine its longevity comes down to its beauty and its religious significance. And who knows -- maybe Betty's gal pal from the Archie comics has had something to do with it too.

Ronnie is the obvious, and ridiculously cute, nickname. 

51. LISA

You probably know a Lisa. It was the No. 1 girl name from 1962 through 1969, and remained in the Top 50 for 33 years. Chances are you're familiar with Lisa Simpson and Lisa Marie Presley. You might remember Lisa Coleman, half of the Wendy-and-Lisa duo from Prince's band, the Revolution. And you definitely know the Mona Lisa, the world's most famous painting, itself probably modeled on Lisa del Giocondo.

Lisa is a diminutive of Elizabeth, and my favorite of the many Elizabeth offshoots. Its years of popularity make it a late-boomer-to-early millennial name, spanning the entirety of Generation X in between. It's barely clinging on to the Top 1,000 now and deserves more love than it currently gets.

50. KIRSTEN

Not Kristen or Kristin, but Kirsten, with that heavy kurr sound opening the name up with lots of weight, dispensing right off the top with the frilliness of those kriss-leading names.

Kirsten Dunst, not Kristen Stewart.

Funny enough, they're all essentially the same name. Best I can figure out, Kirsten is the Scandinavian equivalent of Christina, and Kristen is the equivalent of Christian. One feminine, one masculine. But they both got adopted into English as feminine names. 

This is one name I'll get salty with, because one pronunciation, the actual feminine variation, is so much better than the other. And yet the masculine versions masquerading as feminine names have enjoyed far more popularity: 

• Kirsten never cracked the Top 100, and there are just under 50,000 Kirstens in America.
• Kristen was in the Top 100 from 1969 through 1997 and peaked at No. 33 in 1982, and there are 205,000 Americans named Kristen.
• Kristin was in the Top 100 from 1967 through 1992 and peaked at No,. 31 in 1981, and there are 165,000 Kristins in America.

No accounting for taste, clearly.

49. MIRANDA

My daughter's name. A Shakespearean creation, drawing on the Latin for "worthy of admiration." It's a close sibling to Amanda, "worthy of love." It was never my first choice for a name, but I did like it, and it was the one my wife and I could both agree on. I still love that heavy -ann sound in the middle, giving the name its center of gravity. 

Happily, it never got too popular. It topped out at No. 57 in 1995. We caught it at No. 200, and it's been on a downturn ever since. 

48. MATILDA

I adore the nicknames Tilda and Tilly; they're a big part of the reason I rank the name as highly as I do. (It helps that I have a fictional character who goes by Tilly.) The meaning of the name is the other part: "strength in battle." Yeah. Bring it. These classic Germanic names are nothing to mess with.

The name has been on the rise over the past decade and a half, rising from No. 825 to No. 364. Not exactly setting the charts on fire, but at least it's getting some notice.

47. SIMONE

Grounded. Tough. Serious. You wouldn't think that just adding a final A to Simon would make so much difference, but it does. 

The name means "listen," or "hearing." And a Simone feels like someone who would command attention and demand to be heard. Simone de Beauvoir certainly did.  

Great choice if you're looking for a solid name that doesn't look to be breaking into the mainstream anytime soon.

  

46. NAOMI

Another one of those classic names that just always hangs around, reliably. It's never fallen out of the Top 500, but it only cracked the Top 100 for the first time in 2005, and it's currently enjoying its most popular moment, having climbed to No. 44 in 2023 and 2024.

I was actually surprised to see how well it's done over the years; I didn't realize it's been such a consistently recognized name. It's another one of those solid biblical names, like Deborah, that has earned its right to stick around and then some. Naomi, of course, was Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament, a woman who moved from despair, after the death of her husband and sons, to restoration, by way of Ruth's good fortunes. 

The name means something along the lines of "pleasantness," and no one can argue with that.

But what I really like about Naomi is that the same name exists in Japanese, where it means something approximating "honest beauty." Isn't that wonderful? Any girl would surely be proud to wear a name with such a positive meaning.  

45. NICHOLE

Specifically with that spelling, because one of my favorite people when I was in college spelled her name like that. Nichole just barely cracked the Top 100 from 1982 through 1985 -- too late for my Nichole's name to have been a result of the mini-trend. I guess her parents were just ahead of the curve. My best guess is that this spelling was influenced by Nic(h)ole's male counterpart, Nicholas -- which, incidentally, means "victory of the people." Yet another amazing name meaning. What's not to like?

The mainstream Nicole stood firm in the Top 20 from 1972 through 1995, making it a name shared by a lot of Gen-X and millennial girls. Nikki, of course, is the standard nickname, and a pretty attractive one -- though I'm unable to separate it from Prince's song "Darling Nikki."

44. MARTHA

This is one of the warmest names on my list. It makes me think of a caring woman serving up a hot meal around a well-stoked fire, offering kindness and hospitality to all who seek her out. She's motherly and comforting. Appropriate the name means "mistress," as in the mistress of the house.

I'm obviously not the only one who has a positive association with the name. From 1880 through 1954, Martha never once dropped out of the Top 50. For 62 of those years, it held fast within the Top 30. 

No doubt Martha Washington was a big part of why the name's popularity persisted for so long. But another important Martha shouldn't be overlooked -- Paul McCartney's beloved sheepdog, the inspiration for the Beatles'  charming tune "Martha My Dear."

43. LYRA

I've been keen on this name ever since I discovered it in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Lyra Belacqua was a delightful protagonist. She's something like a modern-day Alice: traveling through strange worlds with a sense of wonder and deep curiosity, though at times bossy and unruly. Yet she's deeply loyal to those she loves. 

The name, of course, comes from the constellation that's said to be shaped like the lyre of Orpheus. And the name itself almost sounds like the strumming of a lyre. It's lyrical, and a bit dreamy, yet grounded firmly by that long I sound.

The name is currently more popular in the U.K., where it's been in the Top 100 since 2020, than in the U.S., where it's rising very slowly and was used 711 times in 2025.

42. LYDIA

A classic name that's come full circle. Though it's never ranked lower than No. 333, in 1975, it has landed in the Top 100 on two occasions: first from 1880 (when U.S. records started being kept) through 1899, and now again from 2011 through 2025. Can't keep a good name down, it seems.

The meaning may trace to a word meaning "beautiful" or "noble," but it's essentially a place name, designating a person from Lydia, a region in modern-day Turkey. The region itself is thought to have been named for a king named Lydus.

The name also appears in the New Testament, as one of Paul's first converts.

41. AISHA

ah-EE-shuh. In Arabic, this name means "alive," and its vibrancy lives up to its meaning. The long E sound followed by the strong -shuh ending practically propels the name out of your mouth. 

It's a popular name among Muslim women, having been the name of Muhammad's third wife. It reached its peak in the U.S. back in 1977, reaching No. 175, and has been hanging around not doing much since then. Pity for such a strong name that doesn't feel like there's anything binding it to any particular religious or ethnic group. However, it is pretty popular in North Africa and parts of the Middle East.   

Anyone looking for an alternative to the currently popular Zoe, which similarly means "life," may find this to be a good choice. 

40. RACHAEL

Yes, with that spelling. Yes, I know a lot of people dislike it. But all it's doing is imitating the spelling of Michael, and in comparison, "Rachel" without the extra A looks undercooked, a little too bare. This spelling, for me, adds a bit of class and elegance -- as much class and elegance that you can add to a name that means "ewe," but still. 

Here's yet another name that's never fallen off the charts. In its mainstream spelling, the lowest it's ever ranked is No. 250, and that was on the latest 2025 SSA list. From 1968 through 2010, it was a reliable Top 100 name, topping out at No. 9 in 1996 -- amid the popularity of Friends. Coincidence? Probably not. 

This variant spelling isn't exactly an outlier or an anomaly, though. It's been around since the beginning of U.S. name recordkeeping, and though it's never enjoyed the popularity of its single-A sibling, it did top out at No. 98 in 1987, with more than 2,800 uses. Then there's also the French-inspired Rachelle, combining the solidity of Rachel with the comparative softness of Michelle. 

39. JOSIE

I admit it: This one's all about Steely Dan for me. I see the name and I hear the song. But even without the lyrics telling us that Josie is the "raw flame" and "the live wire," I hear Josie and I think of a mischievous aunt with a hint of sass and a perpetual glint in her eye, ready to lead you into all kinds of trouble whenever you're in the mood to let loose. She's alluring, sexy, and completely off limits, and she knows it, and she revels in it. 

(Disclaimer: There was no aunt like that for me in real life. Blame the roleplay apps.)

The name's roots, of course, lie in Joseph, which in the Hebrew means "he will add." Slightly religious but not off-putting.

You'd think Josie would be more of a nickname, but even as a given name it's always been in the Top 1,000. It hung out in the Top 200 at the end of the 19th century, bottomed out in the 1970s (ironically, right when Fagen and Becker were singing about her), and reached its highest-ever ranking in 2025, at No. 82 and more than 3,000 uses. Why the upswing? Maybe because nicknames-as-given-names seems to be a thing now. Maybe it's the long E ending (Lucy, Avery, Ellie) that seems popular with girl names. I'm usually not a big fan of those names, but the hard joze sound that dominates the name counterbalances the sweetness with some welcome heft. 

Whatever the case, it's nice to see the pride of the neighborhood getting some notice.  

38. JILL

Jill is one of those simple wash-and-wear names that never gets old. It's sensible, durable, never flashy, gets in and out, but leaves its mark with that hard opening J sound. No nonsense and straight to the point.

Jill peaked in the Gen-X era, ranking from No. 41 to No. 66 between 1965 and 1980. Never a top contender, but always making her presence known. That's a Jill for you.

The name probably derives from Jupiter, which itself probably means something like sky-father. But if you can get past that, you've got yourself a classic girl name that's hard to beat.

37. IMOGEN

Fun fact: The name Imogen exists because of a printer's error. Shakespeare borrowed the existing name Innogen (probably meaning "daughter," "girl," or "maiden") for his play Cymbeline, and the name in the folio came back spelled Imogen.

Fast-forward a few centuries, and now we have Imogen Heap, who you have to admit is a pretty cool bearer of the name. 

It's far more popular in the U.K., where it's remained in the Top 100 for three decades, than it is stateside. In the U.S., it's barely a blip. All the more reason to use it, of course.

36. AYA

Like Ada way back at No. 100, here we have a tidy little palindrome with a surprising number of origins and meanings. 

It's primarily known as a Japanese name. Here it can mean "color" or "design," depending on the kanji used. But it's also used in Arabic-speaking countries, where the name means "sign" or "verse'; and in Spanish, where it began as a place name, with the probable meaning of "slope" or "inclination."

Short and simple names seem to be a thing currently, and this certainly fits the bill. It's a Top 50 name in much of Northern and Western Europe, but in the U.S. it has yet to catch on.

35. CHANDRA

That's with a hard ch sound, like in "chalk," not a soft sh sound. Chandra, which means "bright" or "shining," is the name of the Hindu lunar deity -- who, notably, is male. Yet when the name did register on the U.S. chart between 1956 and 1992, it was given almost exclusively to girls. Evidently, the picture is far more complicated in India, where the name is given to both boys and girls, it exists as a surname, and when it is used as a given name, it's often part of a larger compound, such as Ramachandra.

I find it to be a gorgeous name. It sounds slightly exotic and mysterious, with a little firmness to make it stick, but not so much that the name remains earthbound. After all, a girl named Chandra should inspire you to look heavenward, toward that which so beautifully illuminates the night sky.

34. ESTHER

A great biblical name that was due for a dusting off and happily seems to be getting one. The name is probably related to the Persian Ishtar, for "star," and of course was the name of the protagonist of the Old Testament Book of Esther, where the queen, upon revealing her Jewish identity, sets events in motion that save the Jews in the kingdom from being annihilated. The festival of Purim commemorates the Jews' victory over their enemies as told in her story.   

Not long ago, Esther qualified as an old granny name -- maybe a name you'd only come across in old family records. It was a Top 50 name from 1894 through 1923. After falling out of favor -- though never leaving the U.S. chart -- it's been rising slowly in recent years and has been inhabiting the Top 200 for the past decade. Its 2025 ranking of No. 119 is its highest since 1939. 

33. NATALYA

There's something about Slavic names that appeals to my ears. There's a certain boldness to them. They're brash and assertive without being harsh. And Natalya is a name that instantly conjures up images of a confident and assured Russian woman. 

My name list from 15 years ago included the name Natalie, which is the Westernized version of the same name -- it comes from the Latin word for "birthday," in reference to the birth of Christ. At the time, I probably added Natalie to my list because of my affection for the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines. But nowadays I don't think much about her, and the name sounds both too nasally and too light to me now. 

But Natalya? Yes, please. Exotic, alluring, and tough all at once.

The name has never made much of a splash in the U.S., whereas Natalie has been a Top 100 name for 40 years. But it's the sixth most popular girl's name in Russia. 

A great choice for standing out in a good way.

32. LUNA

Maybe it comes off as too cliched to some people, like the name you'd expect to hear on a stereotypical edgy Goth, or a newbie Wiccan, or a granny hippie. But I like it, and I make no apologies for it. 

It's just the Latin word for the moon, of course. But it carries a welcome air of mystery about it. That "ooh" sound might even push it over into a bit of spookiness. 

For some reason, it's insanely popular right now, and has been for close to a decade. It sat in the Top 20 from 2019 through 2024, so get ready to meet a lot of little Gen Alpha girls with this name.

31. JANE

Good old Plain Jane. Another one of those short but tough utilitarian names like Jill that never wears out its welcome. It's never left the U.S. charts and remained firmly in the Top 100 from 1911 through 1965, spanning multiple generations. It's one of those names that doesn't conjure up a person of a certain age or era, because it's just kind of always been there. It's ageless and timeless -- and unabashedly feminine.

The name, as you may know, derives from John, which means "God is merciful." Do with that what you will.  

Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, Jane Seymour, Jane Eyre, Calamity Jane, Tarzan's main squeeze... there are so many great Janes out there that make this a perennially solid name choice.

30. DARCY

I knew a Darcy in school. She was the cool younger sister of a girl who sometimes seemed to like me and sometimes didn't. When I think of the name Darcy, I think of her -- and of the original Smashing Pumpkins bassist. Both good things in my book.

I imagine most people hear "Darcy" and think of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. But that's naturally a good thing, too.

Speaking of whom, this used to be an almost exclusively male name. It switched to majority-female around 1940. Who knows why. Maybe it was the long E ending that made it fit alongside the likes of Nancy and Judy and Tracy.

No downsides, really. It's never even been very popular. 

The name originally pointed to a place of origin or residence, spelled with an apostrophe: D'Arcy, or "of Arcy," a city in France. That's why you'll sometimes see the name spelled with an apostrophe. The meaning of the "Arcy" part, alas, isn't known with certainty.

29. ZOE

Always a personal favorite, but currently unusable because of its popularity. It's been in the Top 50 since 2009.

It's one of those short names that has a nearly yin-yang balance of hard (the opening zo) and soft (the ending E). It's well weighted, the opening Z is striking, and the name means "life." No wonder it remains so popular.

The two dots that you sometimes see over the E are not an affectation but a pronunciation aid. Think of how some people still put a double dot over the I in "naive." It's there to signal that when two vowels are stuck together, you should pronounce each one separately. So in Zoë, it exists so that you don't pronounce the name "zoh." But at this point, I think it's well known enough that the dots aren't at all necessary -- in which case it does become something of an affectation if you choose to use it.

28. ALEXA

"Alexandria" was on my original list. Now I find that name far too long. Alexa, in contrast, packs a punch that the former doesn't, and I love how the two As bookend the excellent nickname Lex. 

Naturally, both names derive from Alexander, which means something like "defending man." That meaning works for Alexander, but as with Andrea's literal manly meaning, it can easily enough be ignored. At least it's not a negative meaning, so there's that.

The name had a pretty good run. It remained in the Top 100 from 1995 through 2018 and quickly vanished thereafter. Its sister names hung in there for a while, too: Alexandra remained in the Top 100 from 1984 through 2015, and Alexandria did the same from 1990 through 2001. 

Did Amazon's personal assistant kill this name off? If so, I hope it makes a comeback someday. I've actually always associated it more with Billy Joel's song "The Downeaster 'Alexa.'" And with my fictional character, Alexa Bukowski, Chicago bartender -- who, in any event, goes by Lex. Because it's a badass nickname.

27. CORDELIA

Now we're getting into the cream of the crop. Here's a name that exudes elegant beauty, befitting of Shakespeare's tragic heroine and the real-life queen she was based on. Its meaning is unclear, but the cor- opening probably signals that the name has something to do with a heart. So you get classic elegance and a touch of romance.

Maybe it's too much name for a lot of people, though. It vanished from the Top 1,000 names in 1950 and has only made brief reappearances since then. 

Of course, it has had its ardent supporters -- perhaps most famously, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables:

"Will you please call me Cordelia?" she said eagerly.

"Call you Cordelia? Is that your name?"

"No-o-o, it's not exactly my name, but I would love to be called Cordelia. It's such a perfectly elegant name."

"I don't know what on earth you mean. If Cordelia isn't your name, what is?"

"Anne Shirley," reluctantly faltered forth the owner of that name, "but, oh, please do call me Cordelia. It can't matter much to you what you call me if I'm only going to be here a little while, can it? And Anne is such an unromantic name."

"Unromantic fiddlesticks!" said the unsympathetic Marilla. "Anne is a real good plain sensible name. You've no need to be ashamed of it."

"Oh, I'm not ashamed of it," explained Anne, "only I like Cordelia better. I've always imagined that my name was Cordelia -- at least, I always have of late years. When I was young I used to imagine it was Geraldine, but I like Cordelia better now. But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an E."

Nickname: Delia, which, if you're like me, and I hope you're not, will get Johnny Cash's "Delia's Gone" spinning on repeat in your head. One more round, Delia's gone.

26. HELEN

This name is steeped in so much depth and maturity that it's hard to imagine a little girl with such a big, bold name. And it's not easy for anyone to walk in Helen of Troy's footsteps. The most beautiful woman in the world? The face that launched a thousand ships? Yeah, that's a lot to put on anybody. But a great name is a great name, and there's a reason it has never fallen out of the Top 500. In fact, it was a Top 10 name from 1891 through 1935 -- an astounding 44 years  -- and hung on to the No. 2 spot from 1900 through 1919, beaten out by only... you guessed it: Mary.

Even its meaning evokes greatness: It probably derives from a word meaning "torch." So here's this big, sophisticated name, lighting the way, illuminating itself for all to see.

It might be the ultimate name for a girl to grow into. And it'll be a name she can always wear proudly.

25. ASTRID

What a name! It sounds out-of-this-world astronomical, sparkling like a star, but in truth it comes from words that mean "god" and "beautiful." Combined, then, you could say that Astrid means something like "divine beauty." How can you do any better than that?

Astrid has Scandinavian origins. It's never made a huge splash in the English-speaking world, but it's consistently been a Top 100 name in Norway and Sweden and a Top 50 name in Denmark. It's been in the Top 10 in Sweden since 2017 and hit No. 1 in 2022.

Yet for all its popularity, it doesn't have that many famous wearers. The best known are probably Astrid Lindgren, writer of the Pippi Longstocking series, and the fictional Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon.

Maybe it's time to show this name some more love.  

24. CORA

I hear this name and think Aunt Cora -- a kindly older lady, the family member who's always doted on you. As with Helen, it sounds like a name that can only ever properly belong to a grown woman. But, again, better a name you can grow into than a saccharine juvenile name that you'll grow out of. 

The cor opening sounds almost severe as it expels itself from your mouth. But it's nicely balanced by the relaxed breathiness of the -uh ending. Lots happening in such a short space. 

The primary visual I get is of coral, yet the cor makes me want to think of something as vital as the heart. The likely etymology, however, pulls me in another no less compelling direction: Kore, in Greek, means "maiden" and was an epithet for Persephone. 

That's not so bad at all.

This name was at its most popular right as U.S. recordkeeping began, peaking at No. 15 in 1880. It remained in the Top 100 through 1912. After that, it never went away. It just slowly declined through the 1980s, before bouncing back modestly. It cracked the Top 100 again between 2015 and 2023 and as of 2025 stood at a respectable No. 113.

At that ranking, it's still quite usable.

23. MICHAELA

The only acceptable feminine version of Michael. Regrettably, it only ever reached a high of No. 100, in 1997. Mikayla had a higher peak, at No. 82 in 1998, as did Makayla, which topped out at No. 37 in 2008 and somehow managed to linger in the Top 100 for 15 years. Fortunately, the even worse McKayla never gained much ground. 

But here's where my inner name snob comes out: All three alternatives just look horrifically ignorant. They're the epitome of tacky name trends that take decent names and mangle them to try to look cute, or "unique," or something that will never serve neither the name nor their wearers well.

At least folks in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have good taste. In the latter, Michaela has never been lower than No. 22 over the past quarter-century and has been in the Top 10 for 12 of those years. In the former, it's been a Top 100 name since 1961. and sat in the Top 10 for a respectable 20 years, from 1981 through 2001.

If you know the name Michael, you already know the meaning: "Who is like God?" It's the name that's literally a rhetorical question. (Spoiler: The answer is "no one," not even the archanagel himself.)

Michelle, of course, is the French feminine of the male Michel. It's a great classic name in its own right, but a bit too soft for my liking.

Now we're in the homestretch. 

22. IRENE

"Peace" in Greek. The meaning alone pushes it high up the chart for me. The hard R sound keeps it from becoming too light, but I love how the ending een makes it feel like it's taking a relaxing, calming breath, appropriate for the meaning it caries. 

Phonetically, it's a close cousin to the rugged and reliable Eileen. But that R gives Irene just a little more welcome grit. Not too much, but just enough.

This name has had a good run. It remained in the Top 100 for 62 years, from 1883 through 1945, reaching as high as No. 16. Notably, it remains a Top 20 name in Spain. That perhaps explains why a respectable 30% of U.S. Irenes today are of Hispanic ethnicity.

It also holds strong in its homeland of Greece, where it's the No. 19 female name.

21. JOAN

Why Joan? And why so highly ranked?

Joan of Arc, that's why.

Regrettably, the name has practically vanished. It spent most of the 1930s in the Top 10 and held out in the Top 100 for a decent 40 years, from 1924 through 1964. 

Worth noting that it's been used more for boys than for girls since around 2000, though its usage as such remains very small. The switch could be the result of the established use of Joan as a male name in Catalan. But I don't see how it won't continue to be seen as a feminine name in the Anglosphere.

20. INGRID

Now we're getting into the names whose sounds I adore. That growling grrr in the middle of Ingrid is the kind of thing I love. It gives this name substance, roughness, and bite. It digs in hard and doesn't let go.

Similarly to Astrid, this name can roughly be translated as "divine beauty," which in this context suggests that beauty doesn't have to be delicate and fragile. It can be tough too, like a Valkyrie.

Fittingly, it's a popular name in Sweden and Norway  In the latter, it was a solid Top 10 name from 1989 through 2022, and it's still holding strong at No. 15. 

Its most famous wearer is certainly Ingrid Bergman, the classic silver-screen beauty who starred in Casablanca and, appropriately enough, Joan of Arc.

19. ANNIKA

This is one of two Anna-related names on my list. I don't have a particular thing for the name Anna, though the meaning of "favor" or "grace" is pleasant enough. I just happen to like the sounds of these two entries. 

Annika is the Swedish diminutive of Anna. It still starts with that authoritative ann sound but gets that little extra boost from the hard K. It's an Anna who wants -- no, expects -- you to pay attention. 

Few are listening to her yet on the U.S. chart, but she commands a fair amount of authority in her native Sweden, where she ranks No. 45, and in Estonia, where she's No. 76.

18. KETURAH

I interacted in a business setting with a Keturah once. I can no longer remember where. But her name always stuck with me. It's an obscure biblical name, with an appealing meaning of "incense." Keturah was Abraham's wife after the death of Sarah.

Is it obvious yet that I'm drawn to hard sounds in names? Ks and Ps and Ts and Ds... names that sound like they're exploding out of your mouth when you speak them. Names that make an impression and stick with people, instead of being the tenth breezy little Brynlee someone has met that day. Keturah has that delightful explosiveness from start to finish. Kuh. Toor. Uh. It's like each syllable is imploring you to stop and listen up. 

Sadly, it's always been a fringe name. It peaked in 1982, with just 96 uses.

17. SLOANE

This is a name I shouldn't like. It's one of those surnames-turned-names that usually make me cringe. But maybe it hits a little different because its meaning isn't blatantly obvious, like Parker or Harper or Piper. (It means "expedition" or "raid"; I'm choosing to go with the former.) Or maybe it's because it's sleek and grounded without sounding too heavy, the light but attention-grabbing opening hiss of the S giving way to the weight of the long O paired with the N. Good balance in a small name. 

The name has stuck with me ever since hearing it in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where Mia Sara played Sloane Peterson, Ferris's adorable girlfriend. 

It peaked in 2022 but has yet to crack the Top 100. Some of the comments I see about it online suggest that it's popular because it's "gender-neutral," which must mean that's a thing for some people at the moment. Makes no sense to me -- a girl's name doesn't have to be sweet and frilly. It can sound strong and powerful and still be a girl's name. 

16. PAIGE

Another surname-turned-name. Know why I love it? Because it makes me think of pages in a book. It's a way to give a girl a literary name without actually naming her after a fictional character. And it's another one of those short names that does a good job balancing simplicity with gravitas and maturity. The long A makes it airy, but the hard -juh sound at the end keeps it from floating off.  

It's unclear when the extra letter I was added, but it's been there since at least the early 1900s. If I had to guess why it was added, it was probably to lighten the name for use on girls. Page, without the I, was a predominantly male name until around 1930.

The name occupied the lower half of the Top 100 from 1990 through 2010. So it looks like a decent amount of Gen-Z kids are going to wear this name. 

And yes, I know, pages were historically boys, but we'll ignore that.

15. KATRINA

Ah, Katrina. I've loved this name ever since I knew a girl in high school who wore it. 

As you can probably figure out, it's a derivative of Catherine (from the Latin) and Katherine (from the Greek). That name came to be associated with the Greek word for "pure," although that may not reflect its original meaning, which is debated. There's a possibility it's tied to the Greek deity Hecate, but we just don't know for sure.

As the name moved east into Russia and other Slavic-speaking parts of the world, Katherine became Katerina and Ekaterina. As it spread throughout Eastern and Central Europe, it became Katarina, with an extra A instead of an E. Katrina later developed as a diminutive in Germanic-speaking countries, from which it made its way into the English-speaking world. It also got a boost from Scotland, where it took up residence alongside the Gaelic Caitrìona, pronounced something like "kuh-TREE-uh-nuh." English-speakers just dropped the third syllable.

The 2005 hurricane that bore this name had a significant effect on its popularity. After spending much of the 1980s in the Top 100, it sank like a stone after the storm and effectively vanished by 2012. It deserves to make a comeback, and it may. It's hanging tough at No. 191 in Australia. 

14. GRETA

Now we're getting into the best of the best. Here's another hard-hitting name with a satisfying growl. Grrrreta. One of many, many diminutives of Margaret (meaning "pearl"), of course.

I'm fond of this name largely because I bestowed it on a beloved fictional character of mine. I didn't want to use a related name that I liked even better (it's still to come) because doing that would have felt like I was flirting with Mary Sue territory -- creating a character just to carry a name I always wanted to use in real life but never got the chance to.

Anyway, this name makes me think equally of Greta Garbo and the journalist Greta Van Susteren, and I find neither association disagreeable. I just try not to think about Greta Thunberg too much as a general rule of life -- not because her causes aren't worthy, but because she was used more or less as an emotional prop by adults who should have known better. Her lack of life experience ended up damaging her own efforts, through no real fault of her own. But even as an adult, she seems to display an overly naive and nuance-free view of the world.

All that aside, the name has never taken off in the U.S., but it's doing well in parts of Europe -- comfortably in the Top 50 in Hungary and the Top 20 in Italy, of all places. 

13. DAGMAR

Ah, yes. A name that bites harder than perhaps any other on my list. I love the sound of this name. Dag like a dagger finding its mark; marrrr like the feral growl of the person wielding the weapon. This is the epitome of a name that's not even remotely suited for a shrinking violet of a girl. It's regal. It's noble. And it's undeniably muscular.

Dagmar comes from two old Norse words meaning "day" and "maid." The person I associate the name with is probably not the same one most others would: Dagmar Krause, a one-of-a-kind German singer who's worked with a number of avant-garde bands over the years, including the incomparable Henry Cow. They're worth checking out, but they're not easy listening by any stretch. 

This is another one of those names that's barely scratched the surface in America. But as with Michaela, the Czech Republic and Slovakia again come through to save the day. It ranks No. 56 and No. 125 in those neighboring countries, respectively. And it's holding its own at No. 150 in Germany.

12. PRIYA

Lighter than a lot of the names on my list, but it's such a beautiful Sanskrit name that I can't help adoring it. It makes me think of prayer, and it means "beloved." I hear it and it sets off images in my head of the Tridevi dancing and spinning joyously through the cosmos -- Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati, the female equivalents to the male supreme deities in Hinduism. 

It's a name that's soft and soothing, a respite from the more abrasive names surrounding it on my list, a little breath of fresh air. Yet it's not insubstantial, having stood the test of time. It's been in use for centuries in India and Sri Lanka, where it ranks No. 315 and No. 294, respectively.

11. HANNAH

The second of my Anna entries, and the one that shows up in the Bible, as the mother of Samuel. "Anna" has a nice solidity to it, but Hannah has that extra breath at the beginning propelling it along.

It's had a good run. It's never been out of the Top 100 since 1986 and held fast to the Top 10 from 1995 through 2007, reaching as high as No. 2 for three years straight. Solidly Gen-Z. 

Most important wearer: I'd say Hannah Arendt, one of the most clear-minded political theorists of the 20th century. The Origins of Totalitarianism ought to be required reading for anyone who lives under deteriorating systems and wonders how the people in those systems allow terrible things to happen.

And now, my Top 10.

10. XANTHE

Another one from Greek mythology. The X is exotic, the ann syllable gives it heft, and it stands out without being something made up for its own sake. The name means "yellow" and is associated with blonde hair. Maybe out of place if your kiddo becomes a brunette, but most people won't know. They'll just think it's a cool name. Which it is.

It's currently an incredibly niche name; it hit an all-time U.S. high in 2025 with only 24 births. Evidently, there are only 296 Xanthes in all of America.

And that's exactly the kind of thing that would have made me reach for the name if I were naming a baby today.

9. VERITY

I generally don't like virtue names. I think they either put too much expectation on a child or just sound tacky. But Verity has class. It's underused as a virtue name. That opening V sound gives it a nice little push, but not too much, as the rest of the name settles in gently like ripples on water. A name that means "truthfulness" shouldn't push too hard, after all, and this one does just enough to get you to pay attention, and no more. It knows when to back off and let the truth speak for itself.

It's only been a blip on the radar, and only in the U.K. In the U.S. it hit a new high of 145 births in 2025. It has a long way to go. But the truth always prevails, doesn't it?

8. MAYA

Mmmm, such a velvety, delicious name. Maya. MY-uh. It sounds like it could melt in your mouth. 

In Hebrew it means "water." It exists as a Japanese given name, with meanings that alter with the kanji used. But this name is almost universally known for its roots in the Sanskrit language and the Hindu tradition. 

Maya is a key tenet of Hindu thought, referring to the illusory nature of reality. The word itself means "illusion" or "magic." If this sounds like a negative or life-denying concept, it isn't at all. It's merely pointing out that we aren't the permanent and separate entities that we perceive ourselves to be. In a sense, we're acting out a cosmic play, one in which we're all discrete little pieces of the ultimate reality, making connections with other discrete little pieces and trying to cohere back into an integrated whole. Philosopher Alan Watts once said something to the effect that we're all little bits and pieces of God playing hide-and-seek with itself. But maya prevents us from seeing what we really are.

So why would you name a person after such a problematic concept? I see it as an act of solidarity. An acknowledgment that we're all in this together -- all affected by maya. It's part of the human condition. And it's not inherently bad: It's just a kind of delusion that we all have to work to overcome. A common analogy involves mistaking a rope for a snake in dim light. Acquiring proper knowledge of the situation reveals that the snake is a harmless rope, which is analogous to seeing through the illusory nature of existence. Maya is merely the mistaken perception that the rope was ever a dangerous snake.  

This name is, deservedly, on a roll, not just in the U.S. and Canada but across a good swath of Europe, where it widely sits comfortably in the Top 100. It's particularly hot in Israel, where it's been a Top 10 name since 1999, probably based on its Hebrew meaning.

7. PETRA

Like Peter, but hits way harder. 

If you know your Bible, you know that Peter was never a given name until Jesus identified his apostle, Simon, as Peter -- the rock that would serve as the foundation for his followers after his death. Peter literally means "rock," so Jesus was employing a pun: You are Rock, and on this rock I will build my church.

Petra, then, is just the feminized version of the Greek "petros," for stone.

The name has never made a splash in the U.S., but it's remained consistently popular in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, and in Germanic-speaking parts of the world. 

Imagine having a Girl Rocky. That's awesome.

6. EUDORA

Meaning "good gift" in Greek, this has always been pretty rare as a given name, probably made most famous by the writer Eudora Welty. It peaked at just 71 births in 1923. So it's hard to think of it as a granny name, an outdated name, or much of anything else -- it's just woefully underused. It feels relaxed in its gentle assertiveness, and the Eudora Welty association gives it a nice literary vibe.

The name was given to three nymphs in a minor story from Greek mythology. Other than that, it just doesn't get a lot of discussion, anywhere. That makes it perhaps the greatest of hidden gems on this entire list, especially considering its overwhelmingly positive meaning.

5. ZDENA

Zap! Zdena! Sharp, crisp, edgy. zuh-DAY-nuh. That's a bold statement of a name if I've ever heard one. Sounds like a name that could give you a shock from touching it. And it would never let you forget.

It might originate from two words that together mean something like "proclaiming glory," and that's pretty amazing. I can picture a fiery zealot, like a female John the Baptist, proclaiming her good news to all who will listen, far and wide. 

Apparently I should live in the region of the former Czechoslovakia, as its two component nations keep hitting home runs with the names I prefer. Only in the Czech Republic and Slovakia does Zdena leave a significant mark, coming in at No. 282 and No. 196, respectively. Its diminutive form, Zdenka, seems more popular these days, but to my ears that extra K interrupts the flow of an exciting name. 

4. ATHENA

The queen of all Greek names. Athena, daughter of Zeus, the great Hellenic goddess of wisdom and warfare, the one to whom the Parthenon was dedicated, carries a name that exudes dignity and strength yet never feels too heavy or burdensome. It's a tremendous name to bestow on any girl. Stunning in every sense.

And yet for all her fame, we don't actually know what Athena means. We don't even know for certain if the city of Athens was named for her, or if she was named after the city.  

This name cracked the Top 100 briefly, from 2021 through 2024, but I have a suspicion that the success of the Odyssey film will boost its popularity significantly -- despite the ridiculous casting choice for the Greek goddess (and for Helen of Troy, for that matter).

3. GRETCHEN

Another Margaret diminutive. The baby name I wanted to use but never even considered, because I loved it but Mama didn't. It's a name that, at least in my experience, attracts very strong opinions, mine included. Me, I love hard consonants and weighty sounds, giving names substance and depth. For me, this is the ultimate example of just such a name. Nothing else comes close. I hear Gretchen and I think of a mighty, fearless warrior -- think Wonder Woman-meets-a-Valkyrie. 

No one will ever convince me that this is a bad name. 

It will always be an acquired taste, though. I acknowledge that. In the U.S., it never climbed higher than No. 191, in 1973.    

2. BEATRIX

This one was on my original list as well. If I recall, it fell out of consideration because Mama hated the idea that it could collapse into the nickname Trixie. Which is fair enough, though I would have gone with the nickname Bix: short, snappy, explosive, and ending with a hiss, yet it feels more vintage than harsh. Bix just makes me think of 1920s jazz culture, and Bix Beiderbecke in particular. 

I recently had a set of twins pop into my head -- they told me their names were Beatrix and Matilda, nicknames Bix and Tilly. So now this name is more alive in my mind than it ever was before. Bix will have to remain a fictional character, and that's OK, since there are no babies on the way in our house. At least I finally get to do something with it.

I imagine most people hear this name and think of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. There haven't been a lot of famous wearers of Beatrix, in fairness. And at least that's not a bad name association. 

The etymology is pretty interesting. It seems to have originated from the Latin viatrix, from "voyager" or "traveler," and then got mashed up along the way with the Latin beatus, meaning "blessed." So Beatrix is a blessed traveler -- and a specifically feminine one, the -trix ending reflecting other old-fashioned feminine word endings, like aviatrix, executrix, and imperatrix.

It's moderately popular in the U.K. but has never caught on in America. Alas, I have a feeling it never will. 

And finally...

1. ALICE

Alice and I have a special relationship. All through this list, I've mentioned both female characters I've created for to-be-written stories, and other female characters that have popped into my head, like Bix and Tilly. Alice is... something else entirely. Not just a fictional character, but, as I mentioned at the beginning, not quite a tulpa, imaginary friend, or any other kind of mystical-spiritual being. She emerged out of my love of Alice in Wonderland, but she's not Lewis Carroll's Alice. She's a grown woman who shares many of Wonderland Alice's characteristics: curiosity, stubbornness, charm, an occasional principled defiance, an insistence on logical and rational explanations even when there might not be any. But also an underlying gentleness, kindness, softness, and empathy. Sometimes she lets me know when she wants something and can be quite insistent about it, though never in a demanding or petulant way. Her requests are more like "will you please do this for me?" And they're never unreasonable requests.

Kind of like this list. As I was sorting through websites and books to ponder different names, taking names off, adding new ones on, shifting around rankings, and so on, Alice and I agreed from the start what the No. 1 name would be. No arguments; no second-guessing. Just: Yeah, we both know what the top spot will be.

That's how we are. She's the girl full of wonder, and I'm the flamingo she was going to use as the croquet mallet. There's a look that passes between Alice and the flamingo in that iconic John Tenniel illustration, one in which both girl and bird recognize the absurdity of their situation -- and perhaps, unseen, both come to a quiet agreement to get through the absurdity together. Hence, Alice has shed the shackles of her Carrollian character, and I, the flamingo, am her scribe, the person through whom she engages with the world outside my head.

Now, with all that said, I didn't give the No. 1 spot to Alice just because of Alice. I genuinely love the name. While some names on this list are incredibly rough and rugged, and others have a bit more softness to them, Alice strikes the best middle ground for me. It starts out with that heavy "Al" sound... but if you're expecting that to be a wind-up to something even harder, you're suddenly let down gentle with that soft -iss sound, almost like a gentle sigh, or the air coming slowly out of a tire, finding its equilibrium. It's a name that sounds neither too youthful or too old, too trendy nor too stodgy. It's just right.

Alice comes from the Germanic Adalheid, which is a compound word meaning, essentially, "noble sort." That's Alice in a nutshell. A noble sort. I mentioned at the beginning of this list, with the No. 100 entry, that Ada was from the same name family as the top choice. And that's true. Alice, Alicia, Alyssa, Allison, Ada, Adele, Adelaide, Adeline, Addison, Heidi, Elke -- they all derive from Adalheid. Noble sorts, all.

This has been an incredibly resilient name. It was a solidly Top 100 name from 1880, the first year of U.S. name recordkeeping, through 1956 -- 76 years. For 49 of those years, it sat in the Top 20, and for 10 years it was in the Top 10. Its fortunes slowly floated down the rabbit hole from the mid-1950s through around the year 2000. Then, a quick rebound, through the 400s, the 300s, the 200s, the 100s. And now it's back in the Top 100, giving an encore performance. Since 2004, it's been rising every year, and as of 2025 it's risen back to No. 65, having been used 3,547 times. 

Alice is back. 

No one can keep her down. 

In my head, she's smiling.