Struggling to come up with a name for your imminent arrival? Here are the ten most popular names for baby girls in Queensland in 2009, including a brief explanation of their origins and meanings and some famous namesakes.
Make sure you check out our baby boys list as well.
1. Chloe (2008 - 4th) - Greek in origin and meaning 'blooming' or 'fertility'.
Famous namesake - Chloe Sevigny (actor).
2. Mia (2008 - 2nd) - a shortened form of the name Maria, which is a variant of Mary (meaning 'star of the sea').
Famous namesake - Mia Farrow (actor).
3. Isabella (2008 - 5th) – Latin in origin and meaning ‘God’s promise’ or ‘God is my oath’. Isabella stormed to prominence in the mid-90’s and has been something of a juggernaut ever since, particularly in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Famous namesakes - Isabella Rossellini (actor) and Queen Isabella II of Spain.
4. Emily (2008 - 3rd) - Latin in origin and meaning 'rival, laborious and eager', Emily has been one of the most popular names in the English speaking world since the 1970's.
Famous namesakes - Emily Dickinson (poet) and Emily Watson (actor).
5. Charlotte (2008 - 6th) - French in origin and meaning 'little and womanly'. There are a rather astonishing 81 known variants of the name (including Carlie, Lolita and even Sheryl).
Famous namesake - Charlotte Bronte (writer).
6. Ella (2008 - 1st) - origins are German (meaning 'other' or 'foreign'), Hebrew (meaning 'goddess') and English (meaning 'beautiful fairy').
Famous namesake - Ella Fitzgerald (singer).
7. Sophie (new entry) - originally a French name, Sophie is a variant of the Greek Sophia, meaning wisdom.
As the name is less popular in America, the only famous namesake we can find is local lass Sophie Monk – who is famous for reasons science has been unable to explain.
8. Olivia (2008 - 9th) – Latin in origin and means ‘olive tree’.
Famous namesakes - Olivia Newton-John (singer) and Olivia De Havilland (actor).
9. Lily (2008 - 7th) – Latin in origin and the name of a flower, the lily is considered a symbol of innocence, purity and beauty. The name Lily has sprung into popularity since the late 1990’s.
Famous namesakes - Lily Tomlin (actor) and Lily Allen (singer/songwriter).
10. Ruby (new entry) - as one would expect the name comes from the red gemstone that bears the same moniker. Amethyst is less popular, presumably because it’s much more difficult to spell.
Famous namesake - Ruby Rose (television personality).
