These 15 Familiar Girls' Names are Actually Rare—And Always Have Been
Familiar names, rare names. The two are opposites. Yet a handful of names manage to hit both contradictory targets, and zero in on the style bullseye at the same time.
I've uncovered 15 examples of girls' names that have flown consistently under the radar. Not only are they rare today, but they've never been popular in the United States. None has ever ranked among America's top 300 girls' names, a bar low enough that even names like Elva and Floy have crossed it. That makes them true individuals, names that your daughter could feel she had full ownership of.
At the same time, each name is pleasingly familiar. Some have famous standard bearers, others have more common name "relatives," and a few are just so simple and classic-sounding that they sound like old friends. That familiarity lends them the warmth of tradition, and should spare them from the spelling and pronunciation headaches that come with most rare names.
Best of all, these names should fit in with contemporary style, even as they stand apart. Their tones vary, from the light touch of Calla to the storybook charm of Clementine, but all have fashion elements that keep them current.
Photo: Getty Images
| NAME | WHY IS IT SO FAMILIAR? |
|---|---|
| Calla | From the calla lily flower, and because it's so close to the nickname Callie (traditionally short for Caroline) |
| Blythe | From actress Blythe Danner, and Blythe fashion dolls |
| Paloma | From the Spanish word for dove, and from designer Paloma Picasso |
| Clementine | "Oh my darlin', oh my darlin'..." |
| Hollis | Because it's been quietly present as a girl's name, boy's name, surname and place name |
| Rhea | From celebrities including actresses Rhea Perlman and and Seehorn, and from the mythological mother of Zeus |
| Cecily | Because it's the antique English form of Cecilia, and from comedian Cecily Strong and actress Cicely Tyson |
| Adela | From the French form Adele, and a global history ranging from a daughter of William the Conqueror to telenovela star Adela Noriega |
| Petra | As a female form of Peter, the name of an ancient stone city in Jordan, and slow but steady usage in multiple languages |
| Mercy | From the common word mercy, and occasional fictional characters |
| Daria | From the MTV animated series Daria |
| Sylvie | As the French form of Sylvia, and an occasional nickname for it |
| Althea | From barrier-breaking tennis champion Althea Gibson |
| Coralie | Because it's popular in French, and hits the same sweet old-fashioned notes as Rosalie |
| Beatrix | From the form Beatrice, "Peter Rabbit" creator Beatrix Potter, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands |
11/28/2018, 10:03AM
Comments
1. Cicely (Tyson) is not actually the same name as Cecily. :)
2. I'm not familiar with Hollis, like at all. Have I been living under a rock or something?
I knew a female Hollis around 20 years ago.
Some friends named their daughter Rhea, who is now around 25.
Even furthur back I met a young girl named Blythe who must be 40 by now.
Althea is the name of a beloved Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter song (Grateful Dead)
It's surprising that as the feminine form of a very common name that Petra is so uncommon.
some classes I know do have name repeats. I was unsurprised to have Henry and Lucy be borne by two of my kids’ classmates... but another classroom (at the private school not attended by my kids) actually is distinguished by having two girls named Paloma!
Althea is also used in a poem called "To Althea, From Prison" by the poet Richard Lovelace. It's one of two of his poems to have women's names in the titles. He's best known for "To Lucasta, Going to the Wars."
I would love to meet a young Blythe! It's on my list for our next baby! As are Beatrix, Cecily, and Sylvia
@TheOtherHungarian -- while Cicely and Cecily are not the same name, I included both because I think they contribute to each other's familiarity. People tend to conflate the two...in fact, if you do a Google search for "Cecily Tyson" (in quotes), you get 50,000 results!
I like the name Cecily most of all because my name is Cecil. This is a very rare and beautiful name. I think this is a Jewish name, which is associated with the name Caecilia. I met this name only once in my life, it was an employee of papersgram writing company https://papersgram.com/ that wrote my term paper. I never met such a name. I will name my daughter like this if I have a daughter.
Most of all for boys I love such rare names : Phoenix, Duke, Dante. For girls I would prefer Kaia, Oriana.
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Cecily and Blythe are also familiar names from the Anne of Green Gables books.
Petra seems Deutsch for me. I remember a movie "Taxi" and there was a woman Petra, she was from Germany. Maybe it is the reason of such a rare using of this name. And I don't know why, but all these names are very appropriate for hurricane's names, or some paper writing helper tool.
I would love to meet a young Blythe! It's on my list for our next baby! As are Beatrix, Cecily, and Sylvia
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Hollis is popular as girl's name. Don't know that it is used for boys too.
I too would love to meet a young Blythe! It's on my list for our next baby! As are Beatrix, Cecily, and Sylvia. Maira Nutrition
Awesome article, thanks for sharing Laura as always!
I like Blythe name. Maybe some day I'll call my daughter like so. But it will not be in near future :)
Also I like a name Albright. It's strange for sure. But I like it :)
Have to agree with Clementine. I travel a lot and have met with many people all over the world with my friends. And we have only ever met someone with the name of Clementine once. I remember her story very clearly as such, she was the owner of a top legitimate paid online survey site.
They're rare indeed. But sylvie, beatrix or cecily are such cute names. I would consider one of those names if i had a baby girl. :)
Regard,
Deviayu
Rhea reminds me of my old manager a few years ago when I was selling Color Label Printers. She was a jerk and was always trying to make me hit my sales goal.
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This is amazing name..
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This is a amazing list of name i must say, really love this site for some beautiful names collection.
Thank you for post . amazing names.
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wow really all the name are very rare even most of the name i didn't hear, but one of my frnd name is calla
Regards
Pukhraj
wow really all the name are very rare even most of the name i didn't hear, but one of my frnd name is calla
Regards
Pukhraj
I called my dog Calla. I really like the name
Calla , this is surely a rare name as I have never heard of it. However while trekking Himalaya I cam accross a guy whoese mane was Kala.
WOW really nice article. Daria is so lovely name. I think that will be name for my first daughter. The rest of the names are cute as well. Just can't wait when I will receive my first Mother's Day Gift from my child.
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I would disagree with "Mercy" being on that list.
That is a pretty common name in many religious parts of the wold and I know quite a few girl who go by that name.
It might from your part of the world but frankly, I think Mercy is pretty common. LiZino
Elva and Floy are actualy beautiful name, I really love it. This is my name Mitha Aprilia
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Petra seems Deutsch for me. I remember a movie "Taxi" and there was a woman Petra, she was from Germany. Maybe it is the reason of such a rare using of this name. And I don't know why, but all these names are very appropriate for hurricane's names, or some paper writing helper tool.
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From the name, Petra I always associate a Hungarian website <a href="https://pajkospajtas.hu/">Pajkos Pajtás szexshop</a> so it is funny for me... :D
some classes I know do have name repeats. I was unsurprised to have Henry and Lucy be borne by two of my kids’ classmates... but another classroom (at the private school not attended by my kids) actually is distinguished by having two girls named Paloma!
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Girls names are cute
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Cecily and Blythe are also familiar names from the Anne of Green Gables books. <a href="Điêu khắc lông mày SonaLy
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