115 unique girl names with origins and meanings
Want a unique name for your baby girl? Look no further because we���ve rounded up the most unique, uncommon and rare names for your baby girl so that she’ll never feel like one of the crowd.
By Louise Baty | Last updated May 16, 2024
It can be galling, to say the least, to discover that your little cherub is one of three with the same name in their nursery or school class. From a child’s perspective, it can be annoying to share your name with a trillion other kids, as any <ahem> Louise, Sarah or Helen who grew up in the 1980s can testify.
So it’s understandable if you’re set on choosing an unusual name for your baby girl. But what makes a name unique? For starters, Mumsnetters in our Baby Names forum caution against making up a brand-new name by opting for a unique spelling of a more traditionally used name. The issue is that it may cause future headaches for your child when they have to continually spell out their name to teachers, receptionists and later at job interviews.
Let’s face it, it’s nice to stand out from a crowd rather than merge into the background and choosing an unusual name for your little one can give them a head start in carving out their own identity. As Mumsnet user Smogtopia says, “The only names really standing out as cool at the moment are names that are underused.”
What makes a baby name unique?
In the early 20th century, Mary was the most popular girl name in England and Wales. In fact, it was so well-used that, in 1911, there were nearly two million Marys in Britain, representing just over 4% of the total population.
But with a much wider range of names being chosen for baby girls by modern parents, even the most popular baby names of today aren’t as commonly used as this. However, if you’re looking for a ‘unique’ name, avoid choosing a name that appears in the official top 100 ‘most popular’ name lists and you may even want to pick a baby name which is much more unusual than that.
You might be wondering, how unusual is a baby name which is classed as unique, uncommon or rare? Well, to put it into context, the name Chiara - which ranks at number 654 in the official ONS chart for England and Wales - was used a total of 59 times for baby girls in 2021. This means that, if you picked it for your baby, you’d be unlikely to bump into another little Chiara at the local toddler group.
The short, uncommon baby girl name Bibi, which is at number 1351 in the official rankings, was given to only 23 baby girls in England and Wales in 2021. And the rare name Tove, ranked at 3519, was given to only six baby girls in 2021.
How we chose the top unique girl names
When conducting research, we referred to the latest baby names list for 2021 (released October 2022) by ONS for names in England and Wales. We checked the Central Statistics Office and Baby Names in Northern Ireland (nisra.gov.uk) for Irish names and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names.
As we were looking for unusual and rare picks for this article of unique baby names, we avoided using any of the girl names in the official top 100 lists. In fact, we avoided using anything in the top 200. Instead, we focused our search on names which are used much less frequently.
The first three categories of our list - cute and unique girl names, short and unique girl names and cool and unique girl names - were taken from existing Mumsnet articles. For these sections, we only included names which were ranked between 201 and 1000 in the official ONS rankings for England Wales.
In the fourth section of our list - uncommon girl names - we selected only names ranked between 1001 and 2000. In the final section of our list - rare girl names - we used names ranked below 2001, with some names not even featuring in the official ONS rankings, meaning less than three babies were given these names in 2021 in England and Wales.
We also made sure to check which unique baby names were popular with Mumsnetters on our Mumsnet Baby Names forum.
So let’s take a look at some unique, common and rare baby names for girls.
Cute and unique girl names
1. Alessia
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Defender of mankind
2. Alora
Origin: Latin
Meaning: My beautiful dream
3. Aubrey (or Aubrie/Aubriee)
Origin: German
Meaning: Ruler of the elves
4. Betty
Origin: English
Meaning: Consecrated to God
5. Billie
Origin: German name
Meaning: High protector
6. Blair
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Field or meadow
7. Chiara
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Bright and luminous
8. Daphne
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Laurel tree
9. Dulcie
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Sweet or pleasant
10. Eleri
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: River in Wales
11. Ember
Origin: English
Meaning: The burning remains of a fire
12. Fleur
Origin: French
Meaning: Flower
13. Flora
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Flourishing
14. Gloria
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Glory
15. Honey
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Nectar
16. India
Origin: Sanskrit, Old English
Meaning: From the river Indus
17. Juno
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Youthful
18. Marlowe
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Driftwood
19.Monroe
Origin Scottish, Irish
Meaning: Mouth of the River Roe, in Northern Ireland
20. Morgan
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Circling sea, great brightness or bright sea dweller
21. Morven
Origin: Scottish, Irish
Meaning: Child of the sea or big peak
22. Nala (or Nahla)
Origin: African (Swahili), Arabic
Meaning: Queen
23. Octavia
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Eighth
24. Raine (or Rain)
Origin: English
Meaning: Rain or queen
25. Raya
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Friend
26. Sage
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Wise
27. Stevie
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Crown
28. Winnie
Origin: English
Meaning: Holy reconciliation
What Mumsnetters say about cute and unique girl names
“I'm Welsh and a Welsh speaker. Eleri is a very pretty name - not too common in babies or very young children these days.” - Mumsnet user, user1469770863
“I love the name Fallon - it’s gorgeous.” - Mumsnet user, Awwlookatmybabyspider
Short and unique girl names
29. Coco
Origin: French
Meaning: Victorious
30. Demi
Origin: French
Meaning: Half or small
31. Gaia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: The Earth
32. Gia
Origin: Italian
Meaning: God is gracious
33. Inès (or Inés)
Origin: Greek, French, Spanish
Meaning: Pure
34. Joy
Origin: English
Meaning: Contentment
35. Leni
Origin: German
Meaning: Bright or shining
36. Lula
Origin: German
Meaning: Famous in battle
37. Mara
Origin: Hebrew, Czech
Meaning: Bitter
38. Noa
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Motion or movement
39. Rae
Origin: Old English, Old Scottish, Hebrew (derived from Rachel)
Meaning: Roe deer, ewe or lamb
40. Raya
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Friend
41. Rita
Origin: Spanish, Italian
Meaning: Pearl
What Mumsnetters say about short and unique girl names
“I love Coco as a name itself. My DD had a friend called Coco. Really suited her.” - Mumsnet user, rambleonplease
“Rita? Love it. Due a comeback, like Gloria.” - Mumsnet user, Mimilamore
Cool and unique girl names
42. Agnes
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Pure, holy
43. Alma
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Nourishing, kin
44. Anaïs
Origin: French
Meaning: Grace
45. Astrid
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: Divinely beautiful
46. Carmen
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Song or poem
47. Eira
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Snow
48. Elise
Origin: French
Meaning: God is my oath
49. Indigo
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Blue dye
50. Luella
Origin: French, German
Meaning: Famed warrior
51. Meadow
Origin: English
Meaning: A field of grass or wildflowers
52. Pearl
Origin: Latin, English
Meaning: Precious
53. Renée (or René)
Origin: French
Meaning: Reborn
54. Romy
Origin: Latin (diminutive of Rosemary)
Meaning: Drop or star of the sea
55. Stella
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Star
56. Sylvie
Origin: French
Meaning: From the forest
57. Sunday
Origin: Norse
Meaning: Of the sun god Sunna
58. Vivienne
Origin: French
Meaning: Life
59. Wynter (or Winter)
Origin: English
Meaning: The winter season
What Mumsnetters say about cool and unique names:
“Carmen? I adore it. Such a strong, feisty name.” - Mumsnet user, DramaAlpaca
“Vivienne?It's beautiful & different too, you probably won't get one in the same class!” - Mumsnet user, dollym1x
Uncommon girl names
60. Allie (or Ally)
Origin: English
Meaning: Noble
61. Ariadne
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Most holy
62. Aspen (or Aspyn)
Origin: English origin
Meaning: The Aspen tree
63. Bibi
Origin: Irish
Meaning: The exalted one
64. Birdie
Origin: English
Meaning: Refers to a little bird
65. Bluebell
Origin: English
Meaning: Refers to the bluebell flower
66. Bo
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: To live
67. Brontë
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Thunder
68. Coralie
Origin: French
Meaning: Coral
69. Hera
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Hero, warrior
70. Emerald
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Rebirth and love (referring to the gemstone)
71. Jamie (or Jaime)
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Supplanter or one that follows
72. Joanie
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
73. June
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Youthful, derived from the Roman Goddess Juno
74. Kiki
Origin: French, Spanish
Meaning: Double happiness or noble
75. Lilou
Origin: French
Meaning: Lily
76. Lucille
Origin: French
Meaning: Light
77. Lulu
Origin: German
Meaning: Famous warrior
78. Lumi
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: Beauty and purity of snow
79. Lyana
Origin: French, Latin, Hebrew
Meaning: God has answered
80. Marianne
Origin: French
Meaning: Drop of the sea, bitter, beloved and grace
81. Odette
Origin: French, German
Meaning: Wealthy
82. Opal
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Precious gem
83. Petra
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Rock signifying strength and stability
84. Posy
Origin: English
Meaning: Flowers
85. Ramona
Origin: Spanish, German
Meaning: Wise protector
86. Rumi
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Peaceful or flow
87. Suki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beloved
88. Safia
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Pure or wise
89. Seraphina
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Ardent, fiery
90. Tiggy
Origin: English
Meaning: Poet
91. Zola
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Piece of earth
What Mumsnetters say about uncommon girl names
“Love Emerald. Quite like virtue names with it - Emerald Serena, Emerald Constance, Emerald Hope” - Mumsnet user, partyatthepalace
“I looked after a little girl called Seraphina but everyone (including her parents) called her Fina.” - Mumsnet user, MissyB1
Rare girl names
92. Amethyst
Origin: Greek
Meaning: The precious stone or intoxicate
93. Cressida
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Gold
94. Dinah
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Vindicated
95. Dot
Origin: English
Meaning: Gift of God
96. Fifer
Origin:
Meaning:
97. Fifi
Origin: Hebrew, French
Meaning: God gives
98. Hebe
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Youth
99. Kai
Origin: Hawaiian, Japanese
Meaning: Sea, ocean or keeper of the keys
100. Katia
Origin: Russian
Meaning: Pure
101. Lise
Origin: French, English, German, Dutch (derived from Elisabeth)
Meaning: God is my oath
102. Loren
Origin: Latin origin
Meaning: Laurel
103. Lux
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Light
104. Malin
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Little strong warrior
105. Marigold
Origin: English
Meaning: Golden flower
106. Perdita
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Lost
107. Thuli
Origin: Zulu (South Africa)
Meaning: Quiet
108. Tove
Origin: Scandinavian
Meaning: Beautiful
109. Tula
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Balance
110. Valentine
Origin: French
Meaning: Strength or health
111. Vita
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Life
112. Vivi
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Lively
113. Wynona
Origin: Native American
Meaning: Firstborn daughter
114. Zama
Origin: Zulu/Xhosa (South Africa)
Meaning: To try
115. Zena
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Life or woman
What Mumsnetters say about uncommon baby girl names
“Unusual/rare girls’ names? Perdita was my first thought.” - Mumsnet user, Whitechocpizza
“Vita would be perfect.” - Mumsnet user, RogueFemale
How to choose a unique girl name
Get to know the most popular names and then avoid them. Look at ONS for the most popular names in England and Wales, the Central Statistics Office and Baby Names in Northern Ireland (nisra.gov.uk) for Irish names and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names.
For more guidance and inspo, read our Mumsnet baby name articles including most popular baby names, boy names and girl names and unusual names.
Bear in mind that name trends and popularity can vary from region to region and country to country - you can check stats in specific regions including in the ONS info breakdown which discusses names chosen according to mother’s place of residence here.
Look at names which are more popular in another country. For inspo, we’ve included some French baby names on this list which may be well-used in France but are less well known in the UK.
Chat to local parents face to face, as recommended by Mumsnetters. “Do you know anyone IRL you can ask about names they hear at groups/school a lot?” says Mumsnet user, DoucheCanoe. “I ask as I assume you want something that's almost unheard of and this can vary from place to place.”
Check out our Mumsnet baby name forum, where parents and parents-to-be chat and discuss rare names for girls.
Discover how cool and unique names sometimes converge in our cool names for girls and boys article. This will also give you an idea of popular naming trends you might like to follow or avoid. As Mumsnet user Smogtopia says: “The only names really standing out as cool at the moment are names that are underused.”
What is the most unique name for a girl?
The most unique and rare names for girls are so rarely used they don’t even feature in the official ONS rankings. How about the names Thuli and Dot, which both feature in our rare girl names list in this article?
Neither of these names are ranked in the official ONS stats, meaning that they were each given to less than three baby girls in England and Wales in 2021. They’re amongst the most unique names for girls that you could choose for your little one.
For a cool, unique name, the Finnish name Lumi taps into the current Nordic chic trend and has a sweet meaning - 'beauty' and 'purity of snow.' At number 1569 in the official rankings, it’s an uncommon but delightful choice.
About the author
Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her DP.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby. By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.