Curated list · 99 names
Dark academia girl names
Dark academia girls' names live in the library: Beatrice, Cordelia, Rosalind, Ophelia, Eloise, Ines, Penelope, Persephone, Helena, Imogen. Most come from Shakespeare, Dickens, the Greek myths, or the lives of medieval saints. They tend to be long, lyrical, and a little theatrical — names that announce themselves on the first day of class.
Olivia
SteadyEnglish · girl
From the Latin oliva, 'olive tree' — a symbol of peace.
Emma
SteadyItalian · girl
From Germanic ermen, 'whole' or 'universal'.
Charlotte
SteadyEnglish · girl
French feminine of Charles; 'free woman' or 'petite'.
Sophia
SteadyGerman · girl
Greek sophia, 'wisdom'.
Isabella
SteadyItalian · girl
Italian form of Elizabeth; 'pledged to God'.
Harper
Steady· girl
English occupational — 'one who plays the harp'.
Eleanor
SteadyEnglish · girl
Old French; likely 'bright, shining one'.
Chloe
SteadyGreek · girl
female given name
Nora
SteadyItalian · girl
Short for Honora, Eleanor, or Norah; 'honor' or 'light'.
Emily
Steady· girl
From Latin Aemilius, 'rival' or 'industrious'
Aria
Steady· girl
Italian for 'air' or a solo song.
Penelope
Steady· girl
Greek Penelopeia; in myth, Odysseus's faithful wife.
Lucy
Rising· girl
From Latin lux, 'light'
Ivy
Rising· girl
From the evergreen vine, symbol of fidelity.
Layla
Steady· girl
Arabic, 'night'
Emilia
Steady· girl
Latin feminine of Aemilius, 'rival' or 'emulous'
Elena
Steady· girl
From Greek Helene, 'torch' or 'bright light'
Delilah
Rising· girl
Hebrew, 'delicate' or 'languishing'
Maya
Steady· girl
Multiple roots: Roman goddess, Sanskrit 'illusion', Hebrew 'water'
Josephine
Rising· girl
French feminine of Joseph, Hebrew, 'he will add'
Sophie
Steady· girl
From Greek sophia, 'wisdom'
Alice
Steady· girl
Old French from Germanic Adelais, 'noble'
Eloise
Rising· girl
French from Germanic Helewidis, 'healthy and wide'
Addison
Falling· girl
Old English surname, 'son of Adam'
Vivian
Rising· girl
Latin Vivianus, from vivus, 'alive'
Madeline
Steady· girl
French form of Magdalene, from Hebrew Migdal, 'tower'
Melody
Steady· girl
From Greek melōidía, 'singing, song'
Anna
Falling· girl
From Hebrew Hannah, 'grace'; spread widely across European languages
Lydia
Steady· girl
Greek, 'woman of Lydia', an ancient kingdom in Anatolia
Hadley
Steady· girl
Old English hǣth + lēah, 'heather field'
Rose
Steady· girl
From the rose flower; emblem of love.
Julia
Steady· girl
From Roman gens Julia; possibly from Latin iuvenis, 'youthful'
Eliza
Steady· girl
Short form of Elizabeth; Hebrew Elisheva, 'my God is an oath'
Melanie
Falling· girl
From Greek melaina, 'dark' or 'black'
Margot
Rising· girl
French pet form of Marguerite; from Greek margarites, 'pearl'
Juliette
Rising· girl
French diminutive of Julia; from Roman gens Julia
Arya
Falling· girl
Sanskrit and Persian, 'noble'
Genevieve
Steady· girl
Old Gaulish, likely 'tribe woman' or 'white wave'
Evangeline
Rising· girl
From Greek evangelos, 'bearer of good news'
Phoebe
Rising· girl
From Greek Phoibe, 'bright' or 'radiant'
Vivienne
Rising· girl
French form of Latin Viviana, from vivus, 'alive'
Daphne
Rising· girl
Greek, 'laurel tree'; nymph in Apollo's myth
Arabella
Steady· girl
Latinate elaboration of Amabel, 'lovable'
Lila
Rising· girl
Sanskrit 'divine play'; Arabic, 'night'
Camille
Rising· girl
French, from Roman Camillus, 'young ritual attendant'
Mariana
Rising· girl
Spanish/Portuguese elaboration of Maria with diminutive -ana
Lilith
Rising· girl
Hebrew, linked to laylah, 'night'; Adam's first wife in folklore
Collins
Rising· girl
Irish Ó Coileáin, 'descendant of the young warrior'
Ophelia
Rising· girl
Greek ōphélia, 'help, benefit'; Shakespeare's Hamlet heroine
Leila
Falling· girl
Arabic/Persian Layla, 'night, dark beauty'
Jane
Steady· girl
English feminine of John, from Hebrew, 'God is gracious'
Juliet
Rising· girl
Diminutive of Latin Julia, from the Roman Julii clan
Alanna
Rising· girl
Feminine of Gaelic/Breton Alan; 'little rock' or 'harmony'
Leia
Steady· girl
Hebrew Leah, 'weary'; Hawaiian, 'child of heaven'
Octavia
Rising· girl
Latin, 'eighth'; feminine of the Roman Octavii family name
Tessa
Falling· girl
Dutch nickname for Theresa; possibly Greek, 'to harvest'
Samara
Rising· girl
Hebrew, 'protected by God'; also Arabic, 'evening conversation'
Francesca
Rising· girl
Italian feminine of Franciscus, Latin for 'Frenchwoman'
Adriana
Falling· girl
Feminine of Adrian, Latin Hadrianus, 'from Hadria' (Adriatic coast)
Camilla
Falling· girl
Latin camillus, 'young attendant at religious rites'
Aurelia
Rising· girl
From Latin aureus, 'golden'
Vanessa
Falling· girl
Literary invention by Jonathan Swift (1713) from a friend's surname
Esme
Rising· girl
From Old French esmer, 'to esteem' or 'to love'
Heidi
Rising· girl
Swiss German short for Adelheid, Germanic 'noble kind'
Julieta
Rising· girl
Spanish form of Juliet, from Roman Julius, 'youthful'
Annabelle
Falling· girl
Medieval blend of Hebrew Hannah ('grace') and Latin bella ('beautiful')
Esmeralda
Rising· girl
Spanish/Portuguese for 'emerald', from Greek smaragdos via Latin
Giselle
Falling· girl
Germanic gisil, 'pledge' or 'hostage'
Sabrina
Rising· girl
Latinized name of British river Severn; goddess of that river
Sylvia
Rising· girl
From Latin silva, 'forest'
Elora
Rising· girl
Modern coinage; echoes Greek Eleonora and Hebrew 'my light'
Elaine
Rising· girl
Old French form of Helen, from Greek root meaning 'light'
Elodie
Rising· girl
French, from Germanic Alodia, rooted in alod, 'inherited land'
Laila
Falling· girl
Arabic, 'night'
Frances
Rising· girl
Feminine of Francis, from Latin Franciscus, 'Frenchman'
Winter
Falling· girl
English word name, the cold season
Raven
Rising· girl
Old English hræfn, the black-feathered bird
Gwendolyn
Steady· girl
Welsh gwen, 'white, fair, blessed'; elaboration of Gwendolen
Colette
Rising· girl
French feminine diminutive of Nicolas, 'victory of the people'
Lorelai
Rising· girl
German Loreley, 'murmuring rock' on the Rhine; mythic siren
Fiona
Falling· girl
Coined by James Macpherson from Gaelic fionn, 'fair, white'
Mallory
Rising· girl
Norman surname from Old French maloret, 'the unlucky one'
Wynter
Falling· girl
Modern respelling of Winter, from Old English winter
Carmen
Rising· girl
Latin carmen, 'song'; also from Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Willa
Falling· girl
Feminine of William, Germanic 'resolute protector'
Dorothy
Rising· girl
From Greek doron and theos, 'gift of God'
Madeleine
Falling· girl
French form of Magdalene, 'of Magdala' (Hebrew 'tower')
Elowyn
Rising· girl
Variant of Cornish Elowen, 'elm tree'
Lorelei
Rising· girl
German, 'murmuring rock' on the Rhine; legendary siren
Bianca
Falling· girl
Italian for 'white'
Alexandria
Falling· girl
Feminine of Alexander, Greek 'defender of the people'
Alison
Falling· girl
Medieval French pet form of Alice, Germanic 'noble'
Lyra
Rising· girl
Latin for 'lyre', the constellation of Orpheus's harp
Paris
Falling· girl
Greek mythological Trojan prince; also the French capital
Felicity
Falling· girl
From Latin felicitas, 'good fortune' or 'bliss'
Scarlet
Falling· girl
From Old French escarlate, a rich crimson dyed cloth
Meredith
Rising· girl
Welsh, from Maredudd, 'great lord' or 'great ruler'
Arielle
Falling· girl
French feminine of Hebrew Ariel, 'lion of God'
Calliope
Rising· girl
Greek, 'beautiful voice'; eldest Muse of epic poetry