British Girl Names
British girl names have a recognizable charm: a little vintage, a little floral, and often shorter and softer than their American cousins. Names like Florence, Poppy, Elsie and Imogen feel quintessentially British, while Olivia, Amelia and Isla have topped the charts in England, Wales and Scotland in recent years.
Below you’ll find 100+ British girl names, from current UK favorites to royal classics, posh picks, literary heroines and names from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each with its meaning and origin. For boys, see British boy names; for more from the nations of the UK, browse Scottish girl names, Welsh girl names and Irish girl names.
Popular British girl names right now
These names have been fixtures in recent Office for National Statistics top 20s for England and Wales, and many also rank highly in Scotland.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Olivia | Olive tree | Latin, popularized by Shakespeare |
| Amelia | Work, effort | Germanic |
| Isla | From the Isle of Islay | Scottish |
| Lily | The lily flower | English |
| Ava | Possibly “bird” or “life” | Latin / Germanic |
| Ivy | The climbing plant | English |
| Freya | Lady; Norse goddess of love | Old Norse |
| Florence | Flourishing, blossoming | Latin |
| Willow | The willow tree | English |
| Isabella | Pledged to God | Hebrew via Spanish |
| Mia | Mine; or short for Maria | Scandinavian / Italian |
| Poppy | The poppy flower | English |
| Evie | Life (from Eve) | Hebrew |
| Grace | Grace, charm | Latin |
| Elsie | Pledged to God (from Elizabeth) | Scottish diminutive |
| Sienna | Reddish-brown; from Siena, Italy | Italian |
| Daisy | Day’s eye | Old English |
| Rosie | Rose | Latin via English |
| Sophia | Wisdom | Greek |
| Harper | Harp player | English occupational |
Royal British girl names
Names worn by queens and princesses never quite go out of style in Britain. For more, see princess names.
| Name | Meaning | Royal connection |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth | My God is an oath | Queen Elizabeth I and II |
| Charlotte | Free woman | Princess Charlotte of Wales |
| Victoria | Victory | Queen Victoria |
| Anne | Grace | Queen Anne; Anne, Princess Royal |
| Mary | Possibly “beloved” or “bitter” | Mary I, Mary II, Queen Mary |
| Alexandra | Defender of men | Queen Alexandra |
| Beatrice | She who brings happiness | Princess Beatrice |
| Eugenie | Well-born | Princess Eugenie |
| Catherine | Pure | Catherine, Princess of Wales |
| Diana | Divine; Roman moon goddess | Diana, Princess of Wales |
| Margaret | Pearl | Princess Margaret |
| Louise | Famous warrior | Lady Louise Windsor |
| Adelaide | Noble kind | Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV |
| Matilda | Mighty in battle | Empress Matilda, 12th century |
| Lilibet | Childhood nickname of Elizabeth | Queen Elizabeth II; Princess Lilibet |
Posh British girl names
The kind of names you might hear at a country wedding or on a boarding-school register: long, elegant and a little theatrical.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Arabella | Yielding to prayer, or “beautiful altar” | Latin |
| Araminta | Invented by 17th-century playwright Vanbrugh | English literary |
| Clementine | Mild, merciful | Latin |
| Imogen | Maiden; from a misprint of Innogen in Cymbeline | Celtic via Shakespeare |
| Tallulah | Leaping water | Choctaw via English use |
| Octavia | Eighth | Latin |
| Cressida | Gold | Greek via Chaucer and Shakespeare |
| Persephone | Greek goddess of spring | Greek |
| Henrietta | Home ruler | Germanic |
| Ottilie | Prosperous in battle | Germanic |
| Cosima | Order, beauty | Greek |
| Honor | Honor | Latin |
| Jemima | Dove | Hebrew |
| Liberty | Freedom | English virtue name |
| Lettice | Joy (from Laetitia) | Latin via medieval English |
Vintage British names making a comeback
The “great-grandmother chic” trend is strong in the UK. Many of these were Edwardian favorites. More in vintage girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Mabel | Lovable | Latin |
| Edith | Prosperous in war | Old English |
| Hattie | Home ruler (from Harriet) | Germanic |
| Harriet | Home ruler | Germanic |
| Maisie | Pearl (Scottish pet form of Margaret) | Scottish |
| Millie | Gentle strength (from Mildred or Amelia) | English |
| Nell | Light (from Eleanor or Helen) | English |
| Winifred | Blessed peace (Welsh Gwenfrewi) | Welsh / Old English |
| Dorothy | Gift of God | Greek |
| Violet | The violet flower | Latin |
| Ada | Noble | Germanic |
| Martha | Lady | Aramaic |
| Beatrix | Voyager, or she who brings happiness | Latin |
| Iris | Rainbow | Greek |
| Agnes | Pure, holy | Greek |
| Maud | Mighty in battle (from Matilda) | Norman French |
Girl names from British literature
Heroines from Shakespeare, Austen, the Brontës and beyond.
| Name | Character | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Juliet | Juliet Capulet | Shakespeare |
| Ophelia | Hamlet’s lost love | Shakespeare |
| Miranda | Prospero’s daughter in The Tempest | Shakespeare |
| Viola | Heroine of Twelfth Night | Shakespeare |
| Cordelia | King Lear’s loyal daughter | Shakespeare |
| Emma | Emma Woodhouse | Jane Austen |
| Eliza | Elizabeth Bennet’s pet name | Jane Austen |
| Marianne | Marianne Dashwood | Jane Austen |
| Jane | Jane Eyre | Charlotte Brontë |
| Tess | Tess Durbeyfield | Thomas Hardy |
| Bathsheba | Bathsheba Everdene | Thomas Hardy |
| Jessica | Shylock’s daughter; Shakespeare’s spelling made it a name | Shakespeare |
| Alice | Alice in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll |
| Wendy | Wendy Darling, a name popularized by Peter Pan | J. M. Barrie |
| Hermione | Hermione Granger (and Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale) | J. K. Rowling |
| Luna | Luna Lovegood | J. K. Rowling |
| Lyra | Lyra Belacqua | Philip Pullman |
Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish girl names
Names from the other nations of the UK are common across Britain. Pronunciation tips are included for the trickier ones.
| Name | Pronunciation | Meaning / origin |
|---|---|---|
| Eilidh | AY-lee | Scottish Gaelic form of Helen, “light” |
| Ailsa | AIL-sa | Scottish; from the island Ailsa Craig |
| Mhairi | VAH-ree | Scottish Gaelic form of Mary |
| Kirsty | KUR-stee | Scottish pet form of Christine |
| Catriona | ka-TREE-na | Scottish Gaelic form of Catherine |
| Fiona | fee-OH-na | Fair, white; popularized by a Scottish writer |
| Seren | SEH-ren | Welsh, “star” |
| Cerys | KEH-ris | Welsh, “love” |
| Ffion | FEE-on | Welsh, “foxglove” or “rose” |
| Megan | MEG-an | Welsh pet form of Margaret |
| Rhiannon | hree-AN-on | Welsh, “great queen” |
| Eira | AY-ra | Welsh, “snow” |
| Nia | NEE-a | Welsh form of Irish Niamh, “bright” |
| Niamh | NEEV | Irish, “bright, radiant” |
| Aoife | EE-fa | Irish, “beauty, radiance” |
| Orla | OR-la | Irish, “golden princess” |
| Caoimhe | KEE-va | Irish, “gentle, beautiful” |
| Siobhan | shiv-AWN | Irish form of Joan, “God is gracious” |
How to choose a British girl name
- Look to the nickname: many British parents choose a long formal name with a sweet short form, such as Florence/Flossie, Matilda/Tilly or Harriet/Hattie.
- Check both spellings of trans-Atlantic names; the UK favors Isla and Evie where the US leans to Ayla and Evey.
- If you love a Welsh or Gaelic name, practice the pronunciation first; Mhairi (VAH-ree) and Caoimhe (KEE-va) surprise many people.
- Royal and literary names age gracefully, and they rarely feel dated a decade later.
- Pair a vintage first name with a nature middle name for a very British combination, like Edith Willow or Mabel Rose.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular girl name in the UK?
Olivia has led the England and Wales list for most recent years, with Amelia, Isla and Lily close behind; Isla and Olivia have also been at the top in Scotland.
What are posh British girl names?
Arabella, Araminta, Clementine, Octavia, Cressida, Imogen, Tallulah and Henrietta are often seen as classic upper-class British names.
What are old-fashioned British girl names coming back?
Mabel, Edith, Maisie, Nell, Winifred, Ada, Maud and Florence are all enjoying a revival.
What’s the difference between British and American girl names?
The lists overlap, but Britain favors softer vintage names such as Florence, Poppy, Elsie and Imogen, which rank far lower in the US.
What British girl names are royal?
Elizabeth, Charlotte, Victoria, Anne, Beatrice, Eugenie, Margaret, Alexandra and Adelaide are all names of British queens and princesses.