50 Baby Girl Names Trending Around the World
Looking for girl baby names beyond the US top 10 lists? There are so many pretty baby name choices for girls for all around the world. Cases in point: Aurora (Norway), Mei (Japan), Lesedi (South Africa), Catalina (Argentina), and Sienna (Australia). The structure and sounds of these names make them stand out among the names we hear very often. Yet their global appeal makes them fit right at home here in the US, whose fabric is made of so many different cultures.
There are many reasons to pick a baby girl name that's common in another part of the world.
"Some parents want to honor some part of their ancestry -- we see that in families of different heritages, especially when the baby will have one culture's last name and they want to honor the other culture with the first name," says Laura Wattenberg of Baby Name Wizard. "Or they simply want to show pride in their own culture."
But Wattenberg also says folks don't have to have heritage of a certain country to use a name that's common there.
"This is melting pot name culture," she explains. For example, we "don't meet a Sean and assume he's from Ireland. Names popular in other countries give parents fresh ideas that still have some roots behind them."
So what are parents in other countries naming their babies? Lucky for us, Wattenberg and her team tracks the stats for many different countries. We combed through their lists to find 50 names that are hot in other parts of the world that could be a perfect fit for an American girl as well.
Comb through the 50 baby girl names on this list -- we tried to include something for everyone from many different countries. Wattenberg explains that not every country makes its official baby name data public, so not every place is represented here. (Still, we've covered every continent.)
We hope this list helps expectant parents find the perfect name for their own future world traveler.
Tamar
Tamar is currently the #1 baby name for girls in Israel. It's Hebrew for "palm tree."
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Astrid
A common name for girls in Sweden and Denmark, Astrid is a compound name meaning "a god" and "beautiful" or "fair."
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Ines
Ines is a French version of Inés or Agnes, and it's currently in the top 10 baby names given to girls in France. This sophisticated moniker is a fitting choice for parents that love the sound of French names but don't want one that's heard often in the US (such as Chloe, Eva, Sofia, etc.).
Tia
Tia is sometimes short for Letitia, which means "happiness," but it is used in lots of different languages and has a variety of meanings. It's often used in New Zealand, where Tia was a historical Maori explorer and chief.
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Adele
Adele originated as a short form of Adelaide, meaning "nobility." It is on the list of top 10 baby names in France.
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Liliana
According to Baby Name Wizard, Liliana probably means "lily," which also makes a cute nickname for this pretty four-syllable name. It's popular in Poland, and there are also Lilianas found in Hungary and Portugal.