“What’s so special about European names?”, you might ask. After all, the majority of the baby names most widely used in the US have European origins.

But what we’re talking about here are baby names that are not widely used in the US, the UK, and other English-speaking countries. We scoured the popularity lists of European countries from Sweden to Spain, France to Russia in search of names that are widely used in their native cultures but largely unknown in the Anglophone world.

Search here to find a distinctive name from your family’s culture of origin. Or think of these names as a way to spark up old favorites that have perhaps grown a bit boring in their usual American incarnation. Emily may feel a lot more appealing as Emiliana and Saar may freshen up Sarah.

These girls’ names have a stylish European flavor that will be in good taste anywhere.