There are few things as daunting in this life as choosing the perfect name for your child. Not only do you have to pick something that you like, that you think they will like, that sounds good with your last name, and that seems to work for their individuality, you must make that decision with your partner. If you need tips on where to start and how to narrow down your list, check out my blog post on finding the perfect baby name.
While a list of baby names seems silly to be writing out as a blog post, I know that when I’ve been searching for a perfect name it was much more helpful to have a more condensed list of someone else’s favorites to browse than an alphabetical list of every name that exists.
This is my personal list of favorites. While we may not share the same style and preferences, hopefully this is a place for you to start and narrow down some names that you do and don’t like. I’ve added their meanings, origin, nicknames, and similar names. I hope these are helpful to you in your pursuit! Good luck!
Adeline
Means: Noble
Origin: French/English
Nicknames: Addie, Addy, Ada
Similar names: Adelaide, Audrey, Adele, Addison, Angelina, Ilene, Irene, Cora
Aimee
Means: Beloved
Origin: French/English
Similar names: Amy, Amelia, Mia, Maya, Emelia, Jessa, Karis, Charlize, Ashleigh
Brielle
Means: God is my strength
Origin: French/English
Nicknames: Bri
Similar names: Brienne, Brianna, Brenna, Bria, Bailey, Brynlee, Britta, Arielle, Giselle,
Caroline
Means: Warrior
Origin: European
Nicknames: Carrie
Similar names: Carolyn, Carol, Catherine, Coraline, Cara, Lena, Callie, Grace, Madeline
Celeste
Means: Heavenly
Origin: Italian
Nicknames: Celia, Cece, Este
Similar names: Cecelia, Juliet, Celine, Felicity, Blythe, Carmen, Jasmine, Cecily
Clara
Means: Clear
Origin: European/Spanish/Italian
Similar names: Clarise, Alice, Clarabelle, Hattie, Cordelia, Aurora, Jane, Louise
Charlotte
Means: Warrior
Origin: European
Nicknames: Charlie, Lottie
Similar names: Caroline, Charlene, Cherie, Cherise, Carla, Charlize, Stellera, Penelope
Eleanor
Means: Like her mother
Origin: English
Nicknames: Nora, Ellie, Elle, Nellie,
Similar names: Eleanore, Nora, Jane, Laura, Julianna, Alice, Clara, Florence, Vivian
Eloise
Means: Healthy
Origin: English/German
Nicknames: Ellie
Similar names: Elsie, Ella, Phoebe, Dorothy, Vivian, Alice, Jane, Eliza, Mabel, Daisy, Stella
Eliana
Means: my God has answered
Origin: Hebrew
Nicknames: Ellie, Yana, Lia
Similar names: Elena, Eliora, Eliza, Ariana, Julianna, Lilliana, Gianna
Esther
Means: Star
Origin:Persian
Nicknames: Essie
Similar names: Naomi, Estelle, Juliet, Miriam, Esme, Ruth, Harriet
Evelyn
Means: Desired
Origin: English/French/German
Nicknames: Evie, Lyn, Eve, Eva
Similar names: Eve, Evette, Everly, Eden, Everly, Alice, Cora, Lydia, Amelia
Evangeline
Means: Bearer of good news
Origin: Greek
Nicknames: Eva, Lina, Angel, Eve
Similar names: Eyva, Ava, Emmaline, Vivian, Angelina, Jane, Ilene, Irene, Abilene
Felicity
Means: Intense happiness
Origin: Latin
Nicknames: Lissie
Similar names: Fiona, Noel, Merry, Virginia, Selah, Holly, Genevieve, Cordelia, Juliet
Gwendolyn
Means: White ring
Origin: Welsh
Nicknames: Gwen/Gwyn
Similar names: Gwynevere, Genevieve, Gemma, Matilda, Imogen, Hermione, Elspeth
Hannah
Means: Grace
Origin: Hebrew
Similar names: Anna, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, Laura, Leah, Abigail, Rebecca, Rachel
Hazel
Means: the color hazel
Origin: English
Similar names: Violet, Scarlett, Azalea, Everly, Ember, Paisley, Mabel, Willow, Olive
Hadassah
Means: Myrtle tree
Origin: Hebrew
Nicknames: Dess, Dessa, Haddie
Similar names: Esther, Anastasia, Ruth, Lorelei, Abigail, Rebekah, Esther, Elisabeth
Harmony
Means: Harmony
Origin: English/Greek
Nicknames: Harmie, Mo
Similar names: Melody, Lyric, Estelle, Merry, Serenity, Mercy, Hope, Selah, Cadence
Heidi
Means: Noble
Origin: German
Nicknames: “Heidi” is a nickname for “Adelaide”
Similar names: Margo, Matilda, Hattie, Edith, Cora, Dorothy, Louise, Abilene, Harriet, Agnes, Ingrid
Ilese
Means: Pledged to God
Origin: German
Nicknames: Lesie, Lese
Similar names: Elise, Ilene, Irene, Jeanne, Leah, Alice, Elsa, Jane, Ava, Eliana, Lydia
Isabelle
Means: Pledged to God
Origin: French
Nicknames: Izzy, Isa, Belle
Similar names: Isabella, Elisabeth, Gabriella, Belle, Annabelle, Julianna, Anneliese
Josephine
Means: Jehovah increases
Origin: French
Nicknames: Josie
Similar names: Lorraine, Jacquelyn, Lorelei, Charlotte, Margaret, Penelope, Caroline
Juliette
Means: Youthful
Origin: English
Nicknames: Julie, Jules, Julia
Similar names: Lucille, Julianne, Viola, Aurora, Scarlett, Charlotte, Alice, Genevieve
Lucille
Means: Light
Origin: French
Nicknames: Lucy
Similar names: Lucinda, Juliet, Matilda, Edith, Abilene, Genevieve, Charlotte, Beatrice
Lydia
Means: Beautiful/Noble
Origin: Greek
Nicknames: Lydi
Similar names: Olivia, Lorraine, Viola, Alice, Clara, Amelia, Lucille, Margaret, Felicity
Magdalene
Means: High tower
Origin: Aramaic
Nicknames: Maggie, Magda, Mags
Similar names: Margaret, Magdala, Magnolia, Madelyn, Madeline, Martha, Abilene
Maleah
Means: Rebellious
Origin: Hawaiian/American
Nicknames: Mia, Mal
Similar names: Maya, Mia, Leah, Aliyah, Mariea, Kaia, Selah, Taryn, Haleigh, Blakely
Marley
Means: Pleasant seaside meadow
Origin: English
Similar names: Sloane, Harper, Eliot, Sawyer, Finley, Ember
Mildred
Means: Gentle strength
Origin: English
Nicknames: Millie, Mills
Similar names: Millicent, Molly, Lilly, Lillian, Heidi, Mila, Shirley, Martha, Gwendolyn
Olive
Means: Olive tree
Origin: English
Similar names: Lydia, Olivia, Jane, Phoebe, Viola, Hazel, Mabel, Juniper, Wren, Flora
Sloane
Means: Raider
Origin: Irish
Similar names: Piper, London, Sienna, Presley, Sawyer, Eliot, Quinn, Wren, Hadley
Sophia
Means: Wise
Origin: French
Nicknames: Soph, Feefee
Similar names: Sophie, Sadie, Piper, Lily, Emma, Olivia, Ella, Chloe, Grace, Lucy
Vivian
Means: Alive
Origin: English/Swedish/Dutch
Nicknames: Viv
Similar names: Viva, Violet, Virginia, Vera, Genevieve, Scarlett, Evelyn, Olivia
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