ANGELICAOne of the laciest and most romantic of names, more delicate than Angelina, more feminine than Angel, and more up to date than Angela.
ARABELLAAll names ending in bella, including the present top name Isabella, are as lovely as their meaning.
DOVEOne of the new bird names replacing Robin, this one is evocative of the cooing of love birds, with its soft and gentle sound-and it does rhyme with love.
EVANGELINEA name that conjures up the image of a radiant young beauty with long, flowing hair, Evangeline was introduced to the English-speaking world by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1837 poem. It means "good news."
IANTHEPronounced "eye-AN-thee," this ethereal ancient name meaning violet was used by the romantic poets Byron and Shelley-the latter actually chose it for his own daughter's name. In Greek myth, Ianthe was the daughter of Oceanus, supreme ruler of the sea.
ISABEAUA unique French spin on the mega-popular Isabel Isabella, and the name of a French queen, the heroine of an opera, and the character played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Ladyhawke.
JULIETThe heroine of the greatest love story ever told, Juliet moves one step beyond the more prosaic Julie and Julia, and is heard more often in England than it is here. The Italian form Giulietta turns it exotic.
MELISANDERarely heard in real life, this hauntingly melodious French form of Melissa and Millicent has lots of cultural references, from the Debussy opera Pelleas et Melisande to sci-fi novels and video games.
MIRANDAA shimmeringly lovely name with nothing but attractive associations, Miranda was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful heroine of his play The Tempest. A nice alternate for the overused-but still attractive-Amanda.
SABRINAA name with a lot of bewitching charm, Sabrina was a legendary Celtic goddess, the charismatic title character of a classic Audrey Hepburn movie, and television's teenage witch.
VALENTINAA perfect Valentine of a name, Valentina has an artistic, slightly exotic image, one that must have appealed to actress Salma Hayek, who chose it for her daughter. It's sometimes given to girls born around February 14th.
SAVANNAHA name redolent of magnolias and other sweet smells of the Old South, Savannah has become one of the hottest place names, as well as one of one of the most appealing. It's now the 40th most popular and beautiful girl names in the country.
