These Rare Baby Girl Names Caught Us Off Guard in 2024

You never know what rare girl names you might find on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) list. 

The list, which is released every year on Mother’s Day, gives parents an aerial view of every name given to at least five baby girls the previous year, making it one of the best sources of baby name inspiration.

And that’s especially true if you’re in the market for rare baby girl names you don’t see that often.

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For example, the name Willow is rather popular, but what about the name Williow for a baby girl?

Williow, which is likely a variant of Willow, was one of the many rare girl names given to just five baby girls in 2024, according to the SSA. And the same can be said for Wave, Wyzdom, Sunshyne and Texas. 

Korea, Knowledge, Hilton, Grethel, Ferris, Chumy, Astryd — all given to just 10 baby girls in 2024. 

Or you can do what “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot did and go with a name like Ori, which means “light” in Hebrew. Ori was only given to 39 baby girls in 2024 — and Gadot’s daughter was one of them. 

Whether you’re interested in giving your daughter a one-of-a-kind name or simply enjoy looking at some of the rare baby names parents are coming up with: let’s take a look at what the SSA’s list has to offer!

50. Wyzdom

Origin: English

Meaning: Wisdom; Wise

Wyzdom, pronounced WIZ-dum, is a variant of Wisdom, which comes directly from the English word wisdom (derived from Old English wis), meaning “the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgment” or “the quality of being wise.”

49. Worthy

Origin: English

Meaning: Valuable; Deserving

Worthy, pronounced WIR-thee, is sometimes used as a diminutive of the surname Worthington, but also comes directly from the English word worthy (derived from Old English weorþ), meaning “valuable” and “deserving.” 

48. Wimberley

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Royal fortress; Meadow

Wimberley, pronounced WIM-bur-lee, is a modern variation of Kimberley, which is believed to derive from the Old English elements cyne, meaning “royal,” burg, meaning “fortress,” and leah, meaning “meadow.” 

47. Vegas

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Fertile land next to water

Vegas, pronounced VAY-gus or VEH-giss, comes from the plural form of the Spanish word vega, which means “a fertile land next to a body of water.” It most commonly refers to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

46. Texas

Origin: English; Caddo Native American

Meaning: Friendship; Lone Star State

Texas, pronounced TEK-sis, is believed to come from a Caddo Native American for “friendship,” but some experts dispute this. Nonetheless, it was popularized by the American state of Texas, which shares a border with Mexico.

45. Stonie

Origin: English

Meaning: Small rock

Stonie, pronounced STOH-nee, could be considered a feminine form of Stone, which comes from the English word for “a small piece of a rock.” Stoney Edwards was one of the first African-American singers to have a significant presence in country music.

44. Starlight

Origin: English

Meaning: Light from a star

Starlight, pronounced STAR-lyt, comes directly from the English word starlight (derived from Old English words steorra and leht), which refers to the light emitted by stars, which is especially visible at night. 

43. Spiritual

Origin: English; Latin

Meaning: Religious; Intangible

Spiritual, pronounced SPEER-ih-choo-uhl, comes directly from the English word spiritual (derived from Latin spiritus), meaning “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul” or “relating to religious beliefs.”

42. Seattle

Origin: English; Duwamish

Meaning: Little crossing-over place

Seattle, pronounced see-AD-uhl or see-AT-uhl, comes from the name of the American city, which was named after Chief Sealth (Si'ahl), a prominent Duwamish and Suquamish leader from the 19th century.

41. Lyrique

Origin: French

Meaning: Lyric; Song; Poem

Lyrique, pronounced LEER-ihk or leer-EEK, comes directly from the French word lyrique, which means “lyric” in English. A lyric can refer to the words of a song or a poem that expresses the writer's emotions.

40. Loveland

Origin: English

Meaning: The land of love

Loveland, pronounced LUV-lind, is a combination of the English words love (from Old English lufu), meaning “affection,” and land (from Old English lond), meaning “ground” or “property.” It’s also the name of a city in Colorado. 

39. Whisper

Origin: English

Meaning: Soft-spoken; Secretive

Whisper, pronounced WISS-pur, comes directly from the English word whisper (derived from Old English hwisprian), meaning “a soft or confidential tone of voice” or “to speak softly.” It can also mean “to hiss.” 

38. Ablessyn

Origin: English; Invented

Meaning: A blessing

Ablessyn, pronounced uh-BLESS-ihn, is a variation of the English phrase a blessing, which can refer to a prayer or ritual, something beneficial, fortunate or advantageous, or an expression of gratitude or approval.

37. Jamaica

Origin: Arawak

Meaning: Land of wood and water

Jamaica, pronounced juh-MAY-kuh, comes directly from the name of the island country of the West Indies. The name is believed to derive from the Arawak word Xaymaca, meaning “land of wood and water.”

36. Fairy

Origin: English; french; Latin

Meaning: Sprite; Pixie; Magical creature

Fairy, pronounced FAIR-ee, comes directly from the English word fairy (derived from Old French faerie and Latin fata), meaning “a small fictional being of human form that has wings and magical powers.” 

35. Fairlight

Origin: English

Meaning: Beautiful light

Fairlight, pronounced FAIR-lyt, is a combination of the English words fair (derived from Old English fæger), meaning “beautiful,” and light (derived from Old English leht), meaning “visibility” or “not heavy.” 

34. Energy

Origin: English; Latin; Greek

Meaning: Active; Working; Vigorous

Energy, pronounced EH-nur-jee, comes directly from the English word energy (derived from Latin energia and Greek energeia), which refers to the “capacity for doing work” and “force of expression” in nature.

33. Dreamlynn

Origin: English; Welsh

Meaning: Lake of dreams

Dreamlynn, pronounced DREEM-lin, is a combination of the English word dream (derived from Old Frisian dram), referring to “imagery while sleeping,” and the Welsh word llyn, which means “lake.” 

32. Cinderella

Origin: French; English

Meaning: Little ashes

Cinderella, pronounced sin-dur-EL-uh, is the Anglicized form of the French name Cendrillon, which is believed to translate to “little ashes.” It was popularized by the Disney princess in the Cinderella franchise.

31. California

Origin: Spanish; American

Meaning: Fictional island; American state

California, pronounced cal-ih-FOR-nee-uh, comes directly from the name of the American state, which was named after a fictional island from the Spanish novel "Las Sergas de Esplandián" by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. 

30. Apple

Origin: English

Meaning: Apple; Fruit

Apple, pronounced AP-uhl, comes directly from the name of the fruit, which is ultimately derived from the Old English word æppel. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter Apple in 2004. 

29. Americus

Origin: Latin; Italian; Germanic

Meaning: America; Great ruler

Americus, pronounced uh-MAIR-ih-kus, is either a variant of America, referring to the nickname for the United States of America, or the Latin form of Amerigo, which comes from Emmerich, meaning “great ruler.” 

28. Ahnesty

Origin: English; Latin; Old French

Meaning: Honesty; Truthful; Fair

Ahnesty, pronounced AH-nis-tee, is a unique and invented spelling of the English word honesty (derived from Old French oneste and Latin honestus), meaning “faithfulness,” “truthfulness” and “fairness.” 

27. Agape

Origin: English; Greek; Biblical

Meaning: Wide open; Goddess of love; Selfless love

Agape, pronounced uh-GAYP, comes directly from the English word agape, meaning “wide open,” but is also the name of the Greek goddess of love and refers to unconditional, selfless and sacrificial love in the Bible.

26. Tsunami

Origin: Japanese; English

Meaning: Giant waves; Harbor waves

Tsunami, pronounced soo-NAH-mee, comes directly from the Japanese word tsunami, which is made up of the Japanese elements tsu, meaning “harbor,” and nami, meaning “waves.” A tsunami is a series of giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

25. Shadow

Origin: English

Meaning: Area of darkness; Follower

Shadow, pronounced SHAD-oh, comes directly from the English word shadow (derived from Old English sceaduwe), which refers to an area of darkness caused by light being blocked by something or someone. 

24. Scotlin

Origin: English; Invented

Meaning: From Scotland; Gaelic speaker

Scotlin, pronounced SKOT-lin, is likely a variation of Scotlyn, which combines the names Scott, meaning “Gaelic speaker,” and Lynn, meaning “lake.” It can also be a feminine variant of Scotland, referring to the country.

23. Rowdy

Origin: English; American

Meaning: Loud; Noisy; Rambunctioius

Rowdy, pronounced ROW-dee, comes directly from the English word rowdy, referring to something or someone that’s loud, noisy and rambunctious. It was popularized by three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Rowdy Gaines. 

22. Righteous

Origin: English

Meaning: Morally right; Virtuous

The name Righteous, pronounced RYE-chuss or RYE-chiss, comes directly from the English word righteous, which derives from the Old English word rihtwis, meaning “morally right” or “justifiable.” 

21. Reality

Origin: English; Latin

Meaning: Real; True; Existence

Reality, pronounced ree-AL-ih-tee, comes directly from the English word reality ( from Latin realitas), meaning "the world or the state of things as they actually exist" or "the quality or state of being real or true."

20. Mystic

Origin: English; Latin; Greek

Meaning: Spiritual truth; Spiritual mystery

Mystic, pronounced MISS-tik, comes directly from the English word mystic ( from Greek mystikos and Latin mysticus), referring to someone who seeks spiritual truth through direct personal experience or something having a spiritual mystery.

19. Miami

Origin: Native American

Meaning: Big water; City in Florida

Miami, pronounced my-AM-ee, comes from the name of the American city in Florida, which was named after the Mayaimi Native American tribe. The name is believed to mean “big water” in Tequesta Indian.

18. Memphys

Origin: Greek; Egyptian

Meaning: Enduring and beautiful; Ancient Egyptian city; City in Memphis

Memphys, pronounced MEM-fiss, is a variation of Memphis, which was named after an ancient Egyptian city, which derived from the Greek form of the Egyptian word mn-nfr, meaning “enduring and beautiful.”

17. Manhattan

Origin: Native American

Meaning: Island of many hills; Burrough in New York City

Manhattan, pronounced man-HAT-in, comes from the name of the New York City borough, which derives from the Lenape Native American word Manna-hata, believed to mean "island of many hills" or "place where we get bows."

16. Jerzey

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Island; American state; Knitted cloth

Jerzey, pronounced JUR-zee, is a creative spelling of Jersey, which comes from the Channel Island of Jersey and was inspired by the Old English element ey, meaning “island.” It also refers to a type of knitted cloth.

15. Hypatia

Origin: Greek

Meaning: Highest; Supreme

Hypatia, pronounced hy-PAY-shuh, comes from the Greek word hypatos, meaning “highest” or “supreme.” Hypatia of Alexandria was a renowned mathematician, astronomer and philosopher from Ancient Egypt.

14. Free

Origin: English

Meaning: Unconfined; Without cost

Free, pronounced FREE, comes directly from the English word free (derived from Old English freo), meaning "not under the control of another,” "not physically restrained,” or “without cost.” 

13. Fox

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Clever; Cunning; Dog-like mammal

Fox, pronounced FOKS, comes directly from the name of the animal (derived from Old English fox), known for being clever and cunning. Other names that mean fox include Fuchsia, Todd, Criofan and Foxy.

12. Elegance

Origin: English; Latin

Meaning: Graceful; Stylish

Elegance, pronounced EL-ih-gins, comes directly from the English word elegance (derived from Latin elegantia and elegantem), meaning "the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner."

11. Eclipse

Origin: English; Latin; Greek

Meaning: Overshadowing; Obscurring

Eclipse, pronounced EE-klips or uh-KLIPS, comes directly from the English word eclipse (derived from Greek ekleipsis and Latin eclipsis), referring to a celestial object moving into the shadow of another. 

10. Dutchess

Origin: English; Latin

Meaning: Leader; Royal family member; Wife of a duke

Dutchess, pronounced DUH-chiss, comes from the English word duchess (derived from Latin ducissa and dux, meaning “leader”), which refers to a female member of a royal or noble family, or the wife of a duke.

9. Disney

Origin: Norman French

Meaning: From Isigny; Animation company

Disney, pronounced DIZ-nee, is a surname that comes from the Norman French phrase d'Isigny, meaning "from Isigny," a town in Normandy. It was popularized by Walt Disney and the company bearing his name.

8. Cher

Origin: French

Meaning: Dear; Beloved

Cher, pronounced SHAIR, comes directly from the French words cher and chérie, meaning "dear" or "beloved." It was popularized by the iconic singer and actress Cher, who was born Cherilyn Sarkisian.

7. Bunnie

Origin: Scottish; English

Meaning: Little rabbit; To bring victory

Bunnie, pronounced BUN-ee, is a creative spelling of Bunny, which comes from the Scottish word bun, originally referring to a squirrel but later applied to rabbits. Bunnie can also be a diminutive of Berenice, meaning “to bring victory.” 

6. Symphonie

Origin: French; English; Greek

Meaning: Harmonious arrangement; Harmony of sounds

Symphonie, pronounced sim-foh-NEE, comes from the French spelling (simphonie) of symphony, which comes from the Greek word symphonos, meaning "harmony of sounds" or "agreement of sound." 

5. Sylver

Origin: English

Meaning: Precious metal; Shiny color

Sylver, pronounced SIL-vur, is a creative way of spelling Silver, which comes directly from the English word for the precious metal and shiny color. It’s ultimately derived from the Old English word seolfor.

4. Siri

Origin: Old Norse

Meaning: Beautiful victory; Beloved victory

Siri, pronounced SEER-ee, is a diminutive of the Old Norse name Sigríðr, which is composed of the Old Norse elements sigr, meaning “victory,” and fríðr, meaning “beautiful” or “beloved.” It’s also the name Apple’s digital assistant. 

3. Raezyn

Origin: English; Invented

Meaning: Dried grape; Explanation; Justification

Raezyn, pronounced RAY-zin, is likely an invented name inspired by similar-sounding English words like raisin, referring to a dried sweet grape, or reason, meaning “a cause, explanation or justification of something.” 

2. Million

Origin: English; Latin; Italian

Meaning: 1,000,000; Ten hundred thousand; One thousand thousands

Million, pronounced mill-EE-uhn, comes directly from the English word million (derived from Latin mille and Italian millione), meaning "the number 1,000,000." It represents abundance, vastness, and infinite possibilities.

1. Heart

Origin: English

Meaning: Blood-pumping organ; Love; Affection

Heart, pronounced HART, comes directly from the English word heart (derived from Old English heorte), referring to the vital organ that pumps blood and the metaphorical center of love, emotion and compassion.

Still Looking for More Rare Girl Names?

If the rare names above are right up your alley, then there’s plenty more where that came from!

For example, you can go with the name Birdie, which is what Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson named their daughter — as well as Busy Philipps and Marc Silverstein, who also have a daughter named Cricket.

Likewise, rappers Cardi B and Offset share two daughters named Kulture and Blossom. 

Other rare girl names you wouldn’t expect to see on the Social Security Administraton’s annual list include Jream, Clover, Isis, Blessyn, Heavenly, Harlem, Egypt, Patience, Stori, Atlas and Gitty. 

The possibilities are quite literally endless when searching for a baby name for your daughter. 

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For more baby name inspiration, don’t forget to use our baby name generator to narrow your list down!