Congratulations on the pending arrival of your baby girl! Whether you're a first-time parent or not, choosing one or more baby girl names for your little one is exciting. It’s also daunting because there are so many wonderful baby girl names available.

That’s why we've stepped in and made a list of the top ten most popular names for girls along with their meanings for you. Good luck!

There’s more to a baby name than it just sounding right or liking it. There’s the spelling of the name, along with uniqueness and even meanings to consider. To help make your baby name researching a bit easier, we've put together a list of the top ten girls names for you.

  1. Amelia - having first become popular in the 18th century, Amelia has the meaning of being industrious or hardworking.
  2. Charlotte - thanks to the McCaws and the royals, Charlotte remains a popular baby girl name. It means free woman and originates from the Germanic languages.
  3. Isla - with a meaning of from the Islay island, this beautiful girls name continues to grow in popularity, with roots in Scotland.
  4. Olivia - originating in the Latin language, Olivia means olive and was first used by Shakespeare in his play Twelfth Night.
  5. Ruby - Ruby refers to the ruby gemstone and has been a popular girls name since the Victorian era.
  6. Sophie - with the meaning of woman of wisdom, Sophia has always been a popular name for girls. The name originated in the Greek language.
  7. Harper - a name from the Old English language, Harper means harp player. It was first a surname, and now a popular girls name.
  8. Mila - with roots in Eastern Europe, Mila means gracious or dear and continues to grow in popularity.
  9. Willow - meaning willow tree, Willow comes from the Old English language and while rare throughout the world, is popular here in New Zealand.
  10. Ava - with roots in the Hebrew language, Ava means living and breathing.

Once you've chosen a name for your baby girl, consider holding a baby naming ceremony for her. It’s a wonderfully informal and non-religious celebration performed by a celebrant to help welcome your daughter’s birth. Take a look through our celebrant directory to discover the amazing baby-naming celebrants available in your local area.