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Girl Names
749 names, most popular right now in United States
Starting with PHow Do I Choose a Girl's Name?
Most people arrive with a shortlist and no way to choose between the names on it. These are the questions that actually narrow it down, in the order they are worth asking.
How common do I want it to be?
This is the first question because it removes more names than any other, and because couples disagree about it more than they disagree about names. Decide the ceiling together before you argue about candidates: top ten, top hundred, top thousand, or no limit at all. Girls' names turn over faster than boys' — the top of the girls' list changes more from decade to decade — so a girls' name that feels fresh now is more likely to date than a boy's equivalent.
Do I mind it being shortened?
Any name of three syllables or more will get shortened by somebody, usually within a week of school starting, and you do not get a vote. The useful test is not whether you like the full name but whether you can live with the two or three nicknames it produces. If you cannot, the short form is the name — plenty of parents register it that way, and have for centuries.
How does it sit with the surname?
Say the whole thing out loud, at speed, in an irritated voice — that is how it will most often be said. Two things go wrong: a first name ending in the sound the surname begins with, which slurs into one word, and matching lengths, which plod. A short first name generally pairs better with a long surname than with a short one.
Does the spelling earn its keep?
An unusual spelling of an ordinary name buys distinctiveness on paper and costs a correction every time the name is said aloud or written down by someone else. That is a real trade rather than a wrong answer, but make it deliberately. It is also worth knowing that respelled names attract invented meanings — a spelling with no history behind it tends to acquire one on the internet within a few years.
Should I care what it means?
Only as much as you want to. Almost nobody your daughter meets will know the meaning, and a great many beautiful names mean something flat or unfortunate. But it is worth checking rather than assuming, because the meaning printed on most name sites is frequently wrong — particularly for modern coinages, where a flattering meaning is often invented after the fact.
What if we cannot agree?
Stop reading lists aloud to each other. The person reading has already chosen — they picked which names to read and in what order — and the other person is responding to a pitch rather than choosing. Go through the same names separately and compare only the overlap, which is exactly what our swipe tool is for.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Swipe through girl names with your partner and only see the ones you both like.