Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.
LillianEnglish · elaboration of Lily, from Latin lilium (lily flower)
HazelEnglish · "the hazel tree," an Old English word name that doubles as the warm brown-green of hazel eyes; a Victorian nature name that faded with its era and came back a century later as one of the signature revivals
LeeEnglish · means 'meadow, clearing', from Old English leah
VioletLatin · "the violet," from the Latin viola, the small purple flower of modesty in the old flower language; a fixture of Victorian nurseries revived a century later into the top tier. The rare color name and flower name in one
JayEnglish · short form of J- names, or from the bird
LillieLatin · variant of Lily/Lillian, from the flower name, Latin 'lilium'
RubyLatin · "the ruby," from rubeus, "red," July's birthstone; a favorite of the Victorian gem-name generation alongside Pearl and Opal, and the one that came back strongest a century on. Warm, vivid, and a little retro-glamorous
CrystalGreek · from the word for clear quartz, ultimately Greek 'krystallos' (ice)
LilyEnglish · "the lily," from the Latin lilium, the flower of purity in centuries of Christian art; a Victorian flower name that led its generation, faded, and bloomed again a hundred years later. Also the affectionate short form of Lillian
MaeEnglish · possibly a form of Mary, or from the month of May; famously borne by Mae Jemison, engineer and physician who became the first Black woman in space
AmberArabic · from the gemstone amber (fossilized tree resin), ultimately Arabic 'anbar'
HunterEnglish · "one who hunts," an occupational surname from the Middle English hunte; it rode the 1990s wave that turned rugged trade surnames into first names, and outlasted most of that wave. Outdoorsy, direct, and hard to shorten
ShelbyEnglish · English surname of Old Norse origin, 'willow farm'
BrookeEnglish · "small stream," a surname for someone who lived by one; it became a sleek single-syllable girls' name in the 1980s, all clear water and clean lines. Brooklyn borrowed its front half; Brooke needs nothing added
FloraLatin · from Latin 'flos/floris' (flower); Roman goddess of flowers and spring
PerryEnglish · from Old English 'pirige' (pear tree); also a diminutive of Peter or Peregrine
YolandaSpanish · variant of Violante, related to the violet flower
EricaScandinavian · ever ruler; also the name of the heather plant
HaleyEnglish · from an Old English place name meaning 'hay meadow'
MayEnglish · the month of May; also a diminutive of Mary/Margaret
OllieFrench · diminutive of Oliver, traditionally linked to Old French 'olivier' (olive tree)
AshtonEnglish · "ash-tree settlement," an Old English place name scattered across the English map; a surname that became a given name in the 1980s and settled on the boys' side after early unisex use. Leafy roots, boardroom finish
ClayEnglish · from an English surname for someone who lived near or worked with clay; also a short form of Clayton ("clay settlement")
JadeEnglish · the gemstone, from Spanish piedra de ijada; a direct translation pick for families whose Chinese name carries 玉 (yù, "jade") or Vietnamese name carries Ngọc (jade/jewel); one of the cleanest meaning-for-meaning matches in this whole list
HaileyEnglish · "hay meadow," from the surname Hayley and the English villages behind it; barely used as a first name before the 1960s, then a chart-climber with a dozen spellings, of which Hailey leads in the US. Fresh-air sound, minimal baggage
SummerEnglish · the season itself, from the Old English sumor; taken up as a name in the 1970s nature wave beside Autumn and Dawn, and warmed back up in the 2000s. Sunny by definition, casual by nature
CarmelaHebrew · garden, vineyard (from Mount Carmel)
ChloeGreek · "young green shoot," a springtime epithet of the harvest goddess Demeter, mentioned once in the New Testament; beloved in France for decades before the English-speaking world caught up. Ancient credentials, thoroughly modern sound
HarlanEnglish · surname from a place name meaning "hare land" in Old English; in America sometimes given in honor of Justice John Marshall Harlan
HollisEnglish · surname meaning 'dweller by the holly trees'
SkylarDutch · from the Dutch surname Schuyler, "scholar," carried to New York by colonial families; respelled by ear into Skylar and Skyler, it took off in the 1990s with sky right there in the sound. Airy, unisex at root, now mostly a girls' pick
LilianLatin · variant of Lillian (probably a diminutive of Elizabeth, or an elaborated Lily); a Brazilian classic of the 1970s and 80s, one l lighter than the original
LilianaLatin · elaboration of Lily, from lilium (lily flower)
SavannahEnglish · "treeless plain," from the Taino word zavana by way of Spanish sabana; the grassland word became a graceful Georgia port city, and the city became a name. Southern in flavor, tropical in root, steady since the 1990s
