American Girl Names

Ah, American girl names. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness combine in these all-American picks ripe with fashion and modern appeal. While sometimes similar to international counterparts, American girl names buck convention and do things their own way, catching the eye of parents seeking something different. Let’s run through some American girl names together.

Like the country itself, American girl names are relatively new to the baby name world. They aren’t as long-used as Latin or Hebrew monikers, but they’re steadily becoming classics in their own right. Americans love to play with spelling, which leads to a distinct look among American girl names. It’s not uncommon to see Ys in the place of the letter I in names, nor is it surprising to see the -eigh, -ee, or -ie suffixes where a Y or a -ey once stood. While it may not change the sound of a name, it gives the name an edgier look in some parents’ eyes.

African American girl names are a popular subgenre of American girl names, where you’ll find plenty of beautiful choices to explore. The prefix De- is common, as seen in DeAsia, DeAndrea, and DeJanae. The De- prefix has origins meaning “day.” It’s a great meaning behind the little one that’ll bring a smile to your face every day, right? You’ll also find Shatoya, Nakendra, and Lashae. Some combine parental names, like Kennita, a combination of Anita and Kenneth that is simply precious. We love this tradition, and you’ll find plenty of stunning choices because of it.

American girl names may riff of other names, like Jayla, a twist on Jamie and Kayla. There’s also Brylee, a combination of B and the red-hot unisex pick, Riley. Kenna is a diminutive of McKenna that has a soft and serene sound, while Kaliyah is a mash-up of Aaliyah and Kaylee. As you can see, they’re similar but unique, and often follow rising trends on the baby name charts. J names, for instance, are always in demand, which led to the rise of Jaycee, Jaci, and Jacey, spunky triplet sisters of Macy with energetic J starts.

Many American girl names have word name influences, like Nevaeh, a name that is the world “heaven” spelled backwords. She first rose to prominence in the 1990s, and she’s been climbing the charts since. There’s also Jovie, a happy pick that’s rooted in the word “jovial.” Other actual words are trending on American baby name charts such as Essence, a name whose Essie nickname is too cute for words. Others hail from the car world, like Chevelle, an ear-pleasing beauty made popular by the manufacturer Chevrolet.

Some American girl names are rooted in pop culture, such as Miley, a nickname turned baby name favorite thanks to singer Miley Cyrus. Renesmee is another American pick with Hollywood origins, as the combination name of Renee and Esme appeared in the Twilight franchise of vampire movies.

As you can see, American girl names are certainly as diverse as they are stylish. Explore them with us.