A New Generation of Compound Girl Names Has Arrived

What are compound girl names? These are simply two names that have been combined into one, even better name. For years, Anne and Mary were the bases of these names bringing us the classic compound names like Annemarie and Maryann. But, perhaps it is time for new parents to rethink those classic combos and try some new ones for a new generation of compound names that feel hipper, fresher, and way more fun. The great folks over at the baby name database, Nameberry have rounded up the new kids on the compound name block that parents have begun using in recent years.

Some newcomers include Aubriella and Novalee and both of those options now sit firmly in the US top-1000 most popular names for girls. They have shared their findings as well as come up with some suggestions that new parents are coming up with for baby girls today. If you’re interested in a charming appellation for your daughter, a compound girl name could be the unique answer for your family. Take a look at some of these evocative and cute options!

Annelore

Annelore is a compound German name for girls that was popular in the country way back in the 1940s. Elsewhere, it sounds pretty fresh and new. It is a variant of Hannalore (which is also excellent). The name is comprised of Anna and Eleanore. Thus, you can take this name to mean “grace” and “God is my light.”

Bellerose

Bellerose actually names a beautiful neighborhood in New York City and it has two of the compound name roots parents are really looking for today. We have Belle and Rose together with the meaning of “beautiful rose.” Nameberry also suggests variants of this name, Bellarose and Bellarosa. If you want a more established compound name that is similar, try Rosabel or Rosabella.

Belphoebe

Belphoebe is actually a literary compound name that came about hundreds of years ago. The appellation was created by Edmund Spenser in the 16th century for a character in his poem The Faerie Queene. Despite it being old it’s heating up for the first time ever as a given name today. Of course, this name is a combination of Belle and Phoebe giving this name its meaning of “beautiful, shining one.”

Daylily

Daylily is a mellow flower name that updates some older iterations like Waterlily, Tigerlily, and Callalily (although, you should consider these as well if you are fond). It’s one of the most straightforward compound girl names and it leaves little to the imagination about what its meaning is.

Eleodora

How excellent does the compound name Eleodora sound? We’d venture to say really, really excellent! Eleanor and Theodora are such established names for girls that it is a wonder how magical the compound of the two sounds together. For this name, you have the meaning “gift of God.” Also, we must tell you that you have your pick when it comes to a nickname for Eleodora: Dora, Ellie, Elle, Leo, etc.

Evaluna

Classic meets trendy with the combination of Eva and Luna. Evaluna is similar to the pan-European name Evalina but the Luna element really does update that. For this name, you get the wonderful meaning “life moon.” Not bad, right? We also think a fun thing would be to flip the compound name so it is Luneva.

Graceland

Gracelyn has become a hugely popular compound girl name and it’s more popular than most think because parents are spelling the name in a couple of different ways. Inspired by Gracelyn, we thought music-lovers would appreciate Graceland which works thanks to established names like Ireland and Holland paving the way.

Idabel

Idabel has a very cute ring to it. Is it part Ida and part Belle or is it part Ida and part Mabel? You get to decide. The old-fashioned but fantastic Ida is a name of German origin that means “industrious.” Belle means “beautiful,” and Mabel means “lovable.” Just all-around goodness no matter how you slice it. We also think compound name variants like Idabelle or Idabella are worth considering.

Lilivere

Lilivere takes the ending of the Welsh name Guinevere which already feels magical and combines it with the wonderful flower name Lili. Guinevere’s root means “white shadow,” so together, the name’s meaning could be “lily, white shadow.” That’s interesting to say the least! We encourage you to try out that “-vere” ending with other names as well!

Marisol

Marisol is the charming, Spanish compound name of your dreams. It combines Maria de la Soledad into a streamlined charmer. This name means “Mary of Solitude” and is a reference to the Virgin Mary—Our Lady of Solitude. Marisol is the most popular compound name in the US today! We can’t get enough of it.

Marylark

Despite what we said about the Mary compound names being old-school, you can still come up with fresh possibilities for this name. We like Marylark which sounds like you are describing a delightfully happy (merry) bird. We also think nature combinations work best with Mary today like Maryfleur or Maryflora.

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Milou

Milou is a huge hit in the Netherlands today. In fact, last year, it ranked as the 16th most popular name for baby girls there. This compound name is simply a combination of Marie plus Louise. It’s making its way stateside as Barron and Tessa Hilton recently chose it for their daughter. Also great is the Danish form of the name, Malou.

Olivet

A biblical place name, Olivet coincidentally is a compound name that combines Olivia and Violet. For those looking for nature names that can also be combined, Olivet could be the winning ticket. With the popularity for both Olivia and Violet today, Olivet could be your perfect alternative.

Pennylane

“Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes…” so goes the old Beatles standard “Penny Lane.” We thought why not combine the two and come up with a name that music-lovers will enjoy? Penny Lane might be a street in Liverpool, England but Pennylane sounds absolutely thrilling as a compound name for girls. This offbeat choice has actually been used sparingly in the US since 2008.

Posyanna

Inspired by the children’s book character, Pollyanna, we thought the combination of Posyanna could be an updated compound form. It’s a bit flowery but at least it does not come with the baggage that Pollyanna does as it is used as a word to describe people with an overly optimistic outlook on life. Posy is an English name that means “a bunch of flowers” and Anna is the old standard here.

Rosemay

If you read Rosemary, give this quirky alternative a second look. Rosemay is an updated compound name that will likely be confused with Rosemary often. But, if that does not deter you, we find Rosemay to have plenty of virtues. It could be the perfect option for a May baby or you could even use it as a unique middle name.

Stelmaria

Stelmaria is another literary choice that we pulled from His Dark Materials. The name Lyra has exploded in popularity recently but Stelmaria remains overlooked. In the book, Stelmaria is the snow leopard of Lord Asriel. It’s a colorful choice that combines Stella and Maria. Stella will likely appeal to nature lovers as it means “of the forest.” We also think the reverse works as well as in Maristela.

Verily

Verily is the rare, English word name that most parents are overlooking today. It indeed means “truly.” But, this name can also be considered a compound of Vera and Emily or Vera and Lily. It works because it is similar to Verity or Cecily. Vera is a name of Russian origin that means “faith.” While Emily means “rival.”

Willadean

You might think we made the name Willadean up but it was once a top-1000 name in the US in the 1920s. Its popularity at the time was driven primarily by baby-namers in states in the Southeast. Then, the most popular spelling was Willodean but we think Willadean sounds a touch more sophisticated.

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Zoelle

Finally, we come to the remarkable Zoelle. This compound name combines Zoe and Elle. Zoelle sounds like a zippy twist to the classic name Noelle while being its own standalone option. A variant that is also worth considering is Zoella which is on the rise today.

There you go! Now, you know some of the most exciting compound girl names that are heating up today! For more compound and unique names for girls, keep reading for names that start with Lee. These names all have the Lee base but have a little something extra added to them!

Leea

A variation of the Hebrew name, Leah, Leea feels like a fresh, updated spelling for the appellation. Leah comes from the Hebrew word le’ah, meaning “weary.” In the Old Testament, Leah was the first wife of Jacob, the mother of one daughter, Dinah, and six sons including Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. She is one of the Bible’s most important matriarchs. The Leah spelling is a top 50 name today so Leea could offer some variety.

Leeann

While you could do Lee Ann, you can totally skip the space and go with Leeann instead. The name is a compound combination of Lee and Ann. You already know Lee means “meadow” and “pasture.” Ann is an English name from Hebrew that means “grace.” So, you could take the name to mean “graceful meadow.” Not bad!

Leeba

You will scarcely see the name Leeba outside of Jewish families but this Yiddish and Hebrew name could be a beautiful option for your baby girl. It’s actually one of our favorite girl names starting with Lee. You will also see this name spelled Liba but we like the Leeba spelling because it takes away the pronunciation guesswork. The root of this name gives the meaning “beloved.”

Leece

Leece is a German name and form of Alice. The meaning of this breezy name is “noble.” While Alice has been a top 500 name in the US since records begin, Leece has somehow evaded new parents’ radars. We love the casual appeal of this one and could see it becoming a cute alternative for Lisa as well as Alice, of course. It’s likely one of the girl names starting with Lee that you’ve never encountered!

Leeda

Leeda is a multi-cultural name that can be found in a variety of naming traditions including Greek, Swahili, Arabic, and Iranian/Persian. That means that there are a few possible meanings for this gorgeous name for girls. It can be taken to mean “happy,” “to bring” or “bringer woman,” “night,” and “swan.” We’re not mad about any one of those possible meanings!

Leehi

Leehi is a very handsome Hebrew name for girls and one of the girl names starting with Lee that you do not hear very often. The Hebrew root of this name means “she who is mine.” The appellation has never been a popular choice in the US but you can help change that!

Leelah

Leelah is an alternative form of the Arabic name Leia. The name means “night.” The Leia spelling is extremely popular today and Leelah would offer some variety. In fact, the name is trending on many baby name resource sites like Nameberry and BabyNames.com.

Leelamayee

Leelamayee is one of the longest girl names starting with Lee. Despite its length, the name really does roll right off the tongue. The name is most popular among Indian families and is of Sanskrit origin. The appellation means “one who plays.” We find this name to be endlessly appealing but we understand that it’s not going to be for everyone.

Leelavati

Leelavati is sometimes found spelled Leelavathi and Lilavati. Leelavati is another Indian name of Hindu/Sanskrit origin. The name means “playful” and “goddess Durga.” In Hinduism, the goddess Durga, also known as Shakti or Devi, is the protective mother of the universe. She is one of the faith’s most popular deities, a protector of all that is good and harmonious in the world.

Leelo

How cute does the name Leelo sound? It’s a remarkable option that hails from Estonia. The root of the name means “folk song.” As you might expect, not too many Estonian names rank in the US top 1000 so this option has never been a popular one in the US. We think it has so much potential!

Leelou

Leelou can be considered a combination of the names Lee and Lou. Lou is considered a short form of Louise, a French and German name meaning “renowned warrior.” It can also be considered an alternative spelling of the French name Lilou which means “lily.”

Leen

Leen, a relative of Layan, is one of the most popular girls’ names in the Arab world. This amazing appellation means “tender.” The name has ranked in the top 1000 names in England but has yet to fully land in the US yet. We think it’s only a matter of time! This simple yet tasteful name just sounds right.

Leenata

Leenata is a charmer of Indian/Hindi origin that means “humility.” It’s the perfect alternative to the Latin name Renata. It sounds both familiar and exotic while also maintaining its own level of cuteness. Just think of all the cute nicknames you could make of this name: Lee, Nata, Na, Ta, and Leen could all work!

Leeona

Leeona is a form of the Latin name Leona. Leeona has never ranked in the US top 1000 but the Leona spelling was very popular at the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th. The name is on the rise again these days but do not expect to see the Leeona spelling often.

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Leesa

Leesa is a variant of Liza or Lisa, which both are derived from the Hebrew name, Elizabeth. Each variant shares the same meaning, “pledged to God.” The Leesa spelling was actually once a popular choice for baby girls. The name peaked in the 1950s and 1960s but we’d love to see it return to favor.

Leeya

Leeya can be seen as an Italian form of Leah or an alternative spelling of Lia. The name’s Hebrew root means “weary” (the same as Leea). There is also a possibility that this name is of Indian origin and it means “to take.” The Leeya spelling has never been popular in the US but the Lia spelling has and it’s steadily been on the rise since 1998. That means there’s definitely space for the Leeya form.

Leeza

Leeza might seem like a newer form of Lisa or Liza but it’s actually unrelated to those names. It is a form of Aleeza, a Hebrew name meaning “joy.” Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American television personality with this distinct appellation. Despite being a completely accessible option, the name has never been a popular one in the US. We think that’s a shame because it is one of the best girl names starting with Lee!

Leela

While Leela may be a spelling variation of Lila or Leila, it’s also an Indian name in its own right with a joyful meaning. Leela’s Sanskrit root means “play.” Not bad, right? This appellation is completely accessible and would be a welcome addition to any playground or classroom.

Leelee

How about a name that is twice as nice? You get a double hit of Lee with the adorable name Leelee. The name originated as a short form of the French name Liliane. Further, this name has the appealing flower meaning of “lily.” While this name is pretty common as a nickname in France it has yet to land in the US top 1000. That’s an opportunity for you to give your daughter a really singular name (by being doubled).

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Leena

Leena is the Finnish and Estonian diminutive of names ending in -leena or -lena. It’s the Finnish and Estonian answer to Lena. Leena gets rid of any possible pronunciation mistakes. This cheerful option means “bright” and “beautiful.” The name is resting just outside of the top 1000 names for girls today so expect to land in the top 1000 in the next couple of years. Outside of continental Europe, the name is also popular in the UK and Australia.

Now you know them! We hope you found these girl names starting with Lee to be as beautiful and cute as we do. There are not a ton of names in this category but the ones that are out there are just magnificent.