Girl names that start with Q are genuinely rare in the United States. Only 34 of the 100 names below appear in Social Security Administration birth records at all, and the other 66 have never been given to five babies in a single year (1).
One name carries the letter almost single-handed. Quinn ranked 97th for American girls in 2025, with 2,634 babies given the name, and it is the only Q name inside the top 100 (2). Behind it, Queen has climbed back to 2,234th after bottoming out in 1987, and Qamar just reached its best rank yet at 2,745th.
The other 97 run from Arabic and Quechua to Inuit, Nahuatl, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Every entry below gives the origin, meaning, pronunciation, and where the name actually stands in U.S. records.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Quinn, Quincy, Queen, Quest and Qamar.
100 Beautiful Female Names That Start With Q
Quietly contemplate this list of unique girl names that start with Q.
Qabilah
Qabilah carries the sense of one who accepts or approves, an Arabic name with a settled, agreeable feel. Federal birth records in the U.S. have never listed it, so a Qabilah is unlikely to meet another. The spelling Qaabilah gives parents a second option without changing the sound. Families reach for it to keep a cultural or religious thread running through a daughter’s name.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Accepter, approver
- Pronunciation: kuu-BEE-la, KHA-bluh
- Variations: Qaabilah
- Popularity: Qabilah is most commonly found in Qatar, but has about 12 bearers worldwide.
Q’abze
Q’abze belongs to the Kabardians, a Circassian people of the North Caucasus, and means clean. It is short on the page and long on mystery, since the pronunciation is not widely documented outside those communities. The apostrophe does most of the visual work, giving five letters an unexpected break in the middle.
- Origin: Kabardian, Circassian
- Meaning: Clean
- Popularity: Q’abze is extremely rare and doesn’t show up on popularity charts.
Qadira
Qadira is the feminine form of Qadir, an Arabic name from the root Q-D-R that carries the idea of power and capability. Qadir appears seven times in the Quran, which lends Qadira a quiet religious weight. It has a lyrical three-beat rhythm, kuh-DEE-ruh, that softens the force of the meaning. The variant Qadeerah stretches the middle vowel if you prefer a longer look. American parents have used it only in small numbers, so it is still wide open.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Powerful, able
- Pronunciation: KA-dih-ruh, kuh-DEE-ruh
- Variations: Qadeerah
- Popularity: Qadira last appeared in U.S. birth records in 2016 at 15,800th, and 57 American girls have been given the name since 1992.
Qaifa
Qaifa is a Bengali name usually glossed as estimator, someone who sizes things up. Its documentation is thin and its origin uncertain, which is worth knowing before you commit. What is not in doubt is the sound: KAY-fah lands near Kayla and Keira without copying either.
- Origin: Bengali
- Meaning: Estimator
- Pronunciation: KAY-fah
- Popularity: Qaifa has three known bearers in Pakistan.
Qailah
Qailah is Arabic for one who speaks, and it wears its meaning lightly. English speakers hear an echo of Kayla, but the roots are separate, with Qailah reaching back into Islamic naming rather than modern coinage. That gives it a rare double life, familiar enough to say on the first try and unusual enough to stand out on a class roster.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: One who speaks
- Pronunciation: KAY-lah
- Popularity: Qailah is extremely rare with one recorded bearer worldwide.
Qailertetang
Qailertetang is the longest shot on this list and one of the most interesting. In Inuit tradition she is a weather spirit tied to hunters, fishers, and the animals they depend on. Neither the pronunciation nor the meaning travels far outside Inuit communities, so a family choosing it takes on the job of explaining it. Twelve letters is a lot for a birth certificate, and many parents would place it second rather than first. Few names, though, arrive with an entire weather system attached.
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Weather spirit
- Popularity: There are no known instances of Qailertetang on popularity charts.
Qalamoy
Qalamoy comes from the Uzbek qalam, a word covering pen, pencil, and the fine line of mascara, joined with oy for month. The pairing is more poetic than literal, and its cultural resonance is easy to miss from the outside. Three syllables give it a balanced shape that works well as a middle name. Nothing in U.S. records suggests it has been used here.
- Origin: Uzbek
- Meaning: Pencil mouth, mascara mouth
- Pronunciation: kha-LAM-oy, kha-lam-oy
- Popularity: Qalamoy is extremely rare and does not appear on popularity charts.
Qalina
Qalina is the Azerbaijani form of Galina, itself the Russian feminine of Galenos, and it means calm. The soft opening, gah-LEE-na, sells the meaning before anyone looks it up. It reads as unfamiliar in the West and as ordinary in Azerbaijan, which is a useful combination. Parents who like Galina but want a sharper first letter get it here without losing a single sound.
- Origin: Azerbaijani
- Meaning: Calm, tranquil
- Pronunciation: gah-LEE-na, kah-LEE-na
- Variations: Galina
- Popularity: Qalina is most commonly found in Azerbaijan, with about 3,129 bearers internationally.
Qamar
Qamar is Arabic for moon, up 343 percent in U.S. births over the previous decade. Although it suits a child of any gender, it leans feminine in practice, following the long habit of pairing lunar imagery with goddesses and daughters. The sound, kah-MAAR, opens wide at the end and pairs cleanly with short middle names. Its Quranic root Q-M-R also produced Qamaraat and Qamra, two more entries below.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Moon, natural satellite
- Pronunciation: kah-MAAR
- Namesakes: Saba Qamar Zaman, a Pakistani actress working in Urdu films and TV. Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri, an Iranian singer.
- Popularity: Qamar reached its best U.S. rank yet in 2025 at 2,745th, with 63 girls named that year, up 343 percent on the previous decade.
Qamaraat
Qamaraat is the Arabic plural of Qamar, so where one name gives you a moon, this one gives you several. It shares the Quranic root Q-M-R with Qamra and Qamar, which makes it an easy pick for a family that wants the imagery without the shorter spelling. Three syllables ask something of the reader, though Qam and Mara shorten it in a hurry.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Moons, satellites
- Pronunciation: kuh-muh-RAT, ka-MAAR-at
- Popularity: Qamaraat doesn’t appear on popularity charts.
Qamra
Qamra grows from the same Arabic root as Qamar, meaning moon. It is the most compact of the moon names here, two syllables landing firmly on KAM. English speakers will hear camera in it, so expect a say cheese joke or two over the years.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Moon, satellite
- Pronunciation: KAM-ruh
- Popularity: Qamra is rare worldwide but is most prevalent in Pakistan and Kuwait.
Qannik
Qannik means snowflake, a modern spelling of the Inupiaq K’anik and a cousin of the Greenlandic qanik. The consonants do something unusual in English, a small click at the center that sounds like ice settling. It reads as delicate without being fragile, a hard balance for a short name. K’anik offers the older spelling if you want the apostrophe. It sits below the U.S. publication line, which lists only names given to five or more babies in a year.
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Snowflake
- Pronunciation: KUN-nik
- Variations: K’anik
- Popularity: Qannik is extremely rare, with less than five known bearers in the U.S.
Qarirah
Qarirah comes from the Quranic root Q-R-R and means serene or joyful. The open vowels give it a bright, unhurried sound, kuh-REE-ruh, that matches the meaning better than most. Qareerah and Qarira are the usual alternate spellings.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Serene, joyful
- Pronunciation: kuh-REE-ruh
- Variations: Qareerah, Qarira
- Popularity: Qarirah is limited to use in Egypt and South Africa and has at most five known bearers.
Qasmaa
Qasmaa means beautiful, drawn from the Quranic root Q-S-M, though the name itself is not mentioned in the Quran. It is one of the rarest Arabic options here, with no U.S. chart history at all. The double a stretches the final syllable and keeps the name from sounding clipped. Qasma trims it for anyone who wants a tidier spelling.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Beautiful, gorgeous
- Pronunciation: khus-MA, khus-MAH
- Variations: Qasma
- Popularity: Qasmaa doesn’t appear on popularity charts.
Qaumaniq
Qaumaniq is Inupiaq for enlightening knowledge, and the spelling is the first hurdle. Once you know it runs KA-WMAN-IHK, the rest follows. Its length makes it a natural counterweight to a one-syllable first name, which is how many families use it. The name works for a child of any gender, in keeping with Inuit practice.
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Enlightening knowledge
- Pronunciation: KA-WMAN-IHK
- Popularity: Qaumaniq has one recorded bearer in the U.S.
Qëndresa
Qendresa comes from the Albanian qendrese, meaning a firm stance, steadfastness, or outright resistance. It is one of the most striking names here on the page. The Kosovan-born footballer Qendresa Krasniqi is its best-known bearer. For everyday use, Dre trims it to one cool syllable.
- Origin: Albanian, Kosovan
- Meaning: Resistance, steadfast, firm
- Pronunciation: chuun-DREY-sa
- Namesakes: Qëndresa Krasniqi, a Kosovan-born Albanian women’s football player.
- Popularity: With just over 1,000 bearers worldwide, Qendresa is the most popular in Kosovo.
Qenehelo
Qenehelo is a Sotho name meaning pity or forgiveness, and it carries that gentleness in its long, even syllables. It belongs to Lesotho, the mountainous country landlocked inside South Africa, and turns up across the surrounding region. Four syllables sound like more than they are once you hear KEH-neh-heh-LOH. Few names on this list say something so plainly kind.
- Origin: Sotho
- Meaning: Pity, forgiveness
- Pronunciation: KEH-neh-heh-LOH
- Popularity: Qenehelo is most common in Lesotho and South Africa but is extremely rare worldwide.
Qetesh
Qetesh takes its name from a Bronze Age goddess of fertility and pleasure, worshipped in Egypt and across the Semitic world. The root Q-D-S carries the sense of holy or set apart, which is where the meaning comes from. The sound is the opposite of gentle, two hard clusters and a slashing finish, keh-TESH. Qadesh and Qedesh are the older spellings. It is a lot of name for a very small person, in the best way.
- Origin: Egyptian, Semitic
- Meaning: Holy, blessed
- Pronunciation: keh-TESH
- Variations: Qadesh, Qedesh
- Popularity: There are four known bearers of Qetesh in the U.S.
Qeturah
Qeturah is a variant spelling of Keturah, a Hebrew feminine name from Qetura, meaning incense or the fragrant smoke of an offering. In the Bible, Keturah becomes Abraham’s wife after Sarah, which gives the name a long scriptural trail. Swapping the K for a Q keeps the sound and changes the shelf it sits on. Ketty, Keta, and Rah all work as short forms.
- Origin: Arabic, Hebrew
- Meaning: Incense
- Pronunciation: keh-TOO-ruh
- Variations: Keturah
- Popularity: Qeturah is mostly limited to England and the U.S. but is extremely rare.
Qhawa
Qhawa is a Quechua and Aymara name meaning breastplate or one who watches, and in Quechua it belongs to girls. Five letters make it compact, even if the qh opening looks harder than it is. The exact pronunciation is not widely recorded, so families settle on KA-WA and move on. It suits parents who want strength and watchfulness in the same word.
- Origin: Quechua, Aymara
- Meaning: Breastplate, armor, one who watches
- Pronunciation: KA-WA
- Variations: Qhawaq
- Popularity: Qhawa doesn’t show up on any popularity charts as a forename.
Qi
Qi is two letters carrying a whole philosophy: air, breath, life energy, and by extension the will to open or enlighten. Depending on the character behind it, the name also reads as plan, strategy, or a game of chess. Chinese bearers include the actress Qi Wei and the gymnast Qi Qi. Said CHEE, it is easier for English speakers than it looks.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Air, vital energy, enlighten, strategy
- Pronunciation: CHEE
- Variations: Chi
- Namesakes: Qi Wei, also called Stephy Qi, a Chinese singer and actress. Qi Wen Feng, a Chinese model. Qi Qi, a Chinese artistic gymnast.
- Popularity: Qi has been recorded for about 10 U.S. girls, last charting in 2018 at 13,636th.
Qian
Qian sits between the futuristic and the traditional. Written as the character for money it is a thoroughly practical wish; other characters give it beautiful, smiling, or fast. The writer and attorney Qian Julie Wang is its most visible bearer in English. Chien and Tsien are the older romanizations.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Money, iron spade
- Pronunciation: tCHEE-an, CHEE-ehn
- Variations: Chien, Tsien
- Namesakes: Qian Julie Wang, a Chinese-American writer and attorney.
- Popularity: Qian charted in U.S. records from 2000 to 2015, with its best year in 2014 at 9,405th.
Qiana
Qiana started as a trade name, a silky fabric developed by Du Pont, and became a real American given name in the 1970s. It is one of the easiest Q names to say on sight, kee-AH-nuh, with a sing-song rhythm that explains its run. It likely lost ground over time to the similar-sounding Kiana. The Saint Lucian cricketer Qiana Joseph keeps it in circulation.
- Origin: African American
- Meaning: Silky
- Pronunciation: kee-A-nuh, kee-AH-nuh
- Variations: Kiana
- Namesakes: Qiana Joseph, a Saint Lucian cricketer.
- Popularity: Qiana peaked at 507th in 1978 and still turns up in U.S. birth records, ranking 16,695th in 2025.
Qianru
Qianru joins the character qian, elegant or beautiful, with ru, the scholar of Confucian tradition, or a second ru meaning to be like. Read together it is a name for a family that values learning. It is used in China and Taiwan and almost nowhere in the West. Qianru Sun, a Singaporean university professor, wears it well.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Beautiful scholar
- Pronunciation: tCHEE-AN-ROO
- Namesakes: Qianru Sun, a Singaporean university assistant professor.
- Popularity: Qianru is most prevalent in China and Taiwan.
Qiao
Qiao is not the Italian greeting, though English speakers reach for that first. It comes from the character qiao, skillful or artful, and can also be written as bridge, buckwheat, or firewood gatherer. That range is a feature rather than a problem, since parents choose the character and the meaning follows.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Skillful, firewood gatherer, bridge
- Pronunciation: tchy-OW, CHYOW
- Popularity: Qiao has about 6,739 bearers worldwide and is more common as a surname.
Qiaochai
Qiaochai pairs qiao, to resemble, with chai, company or companion. The result is roughly like a companion, a fair description of what a new baby turns out to be. The two syllables split cleanly, which makes it easier to say than it looks. It stays inside China, which is part of why it feels untouched.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Like a companion
- Pronunciation: tchy-OW-tch-EYE, CHYOW-CHEYE
- Variations: Qiao Chai
- Popularity: Qiaochai is limited to China, where there are about 560 bearers.
Qilan
Among Chinese names for girls starting with Q, Qilan is used in Taiwan. It combines qi, good fortune, with lan, orchid, so the whole name reads as lucky orchid. Flower names age well, and this one comes with luck attached. Two syllables and a soft ending keep it from feeling formal.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Lucky orchid
- Pronunciation: kuh-LAN, KEE-laan
- Variations: Qi Lan
- Popularity: Qilan is most prevalent in Taiwan but doesn’t make the top 1,000 names there.
Qimmiq
Qimmiq is the Inuit word for dog, and it belongs to the family of names that borrow an animal’s loyalty rather than its looks. The double m gives it a solid center, and Qimmi shortens it to something a toddler can manage. Its meaning has pushed it toward boys in some communities, though Inuit names generally cross gender freely.
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Dog
- Pronunciation: KIHM-MEEK, KHIHM-MIHK, KWIHM-MIHK
- Variations: Qimmik
- Popularity: Qimmiq has less than five known bearers in the U.S.
Qing
Qing covers a surprising span of meaning: blue and green in one character, young in another, clean or upright in a third. That mix of color and character is why it has stayed in use across generations. It sounds like CHEENG, with a hum at the end that keeps it from being abrupt. It can also mean still or quiet, which sits oddly beside all that color.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Blue, green, young
- Pronunciation: CHYUNG, CHEENG
- Variations: Ching
- Namesakes: Qing Tian, a Chinese badminton doubles player. Qing Jiang, a Chinese communist revolutionary, actress, and wife of the Paramount leader, Mao Zedong.
- Popularity: Qing has charted in U.S. records once, in 2003, at 17,741st.
Qingling
Qingling puts qing, to celebrate, next to ling, the tinkling of jade. The name is essentially a sound, the small bright chime of stone against stone. Qing Ling splits it into two words if you prefer. The film concept designer Qingling Zhang carries it into English-speaking work.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Tinkling jade celebration
- Pronunciation: tch-YUNG-lyung, CHYUNG-LYUNG
- Variations: Qing Ling
- Namesakes: Qingling Zhang, a Chinese-British film concept designer.
- Popularity: Qingling is most popular in China but falls short of the top 1,000 names there.
Qinnuajuaq
Qinnuajuaq is Inuktitut for rough-legged hawk, a bird of prey that ranges across the Arctic and Subarctic. It is gender-neutral, as most Inuit first names are. Ten letters and four syllables put it in the middle-name column for a lot of families, which is a perfectly good place for it. The Inuit artist Qinnuajuaq Aasivak gives it a real face.
- Origin: Inuit
- Meaning: Rough-legged hawk
- Pronunciation: ken-OH-jew-ack
- Variations: Kenojuak
- Namesakes: Qinnuajuaq Aasivak, a prominent figure of modern Inuit art.
- Popularity: There is one recorded bearer of Qinnuajuaq in Canada.
Qiqi
Qiqi doubles up, repeating either the character for gem or the one for seven. Gamers will know it from Genshin Impact before they know either character. The repetition makes it one of the easiest names here for a small child to say and spell.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Seven gems
- Pronunciation: CHEE-CHEE, TCHEE-TCHEE
- Namesakes: Qiqi Yua, a Chinese athlete specializing in sprinting. Qi Qi, a Singaporean TV host.
- Popularity: Qiqi is most popular in Taiwan, with about 1,510 bearers worldwide.
Qiraat
Qiraat means recitations or readings, specifically of the Quran, from the root that also gives Arabic the word Quran itself. That connection makes it one of the more openly devotional names on this list. The stress lands late, kee-ruh-AAT, which gives it momentum. Qira’at is the transliteration with the glottal stop marked.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Recitations, readings
- Pronunciation: kee-ruh-AAT, kee-ruh-UHT
- Variations: Qira’at
- Popularity: Qiraat is most common in Pakistan but is quite rare, with about 118 bearers worldwide.
Qisma
Qisma is an Arabic name for girls meaning fate, fortune, or destiny. Two syllables make it a natural partner for one of the longer names on this list. Qismah adds the h without touching the sound.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Fortune, destiny
- Pronunciation: KIHS-muh, KUUS-muh
- Variations: Qismah
- Popularity: Qisma is extremely rare, with less than 40 bearers internationally.
Qismat
Qismat comes from the same Arabic root as Qisma and means fate or God’s will. English already borrowed the idea once, as kismet, so the concept arrives familiar even where the spelling does not. Qesmat is the Persian-facing variant. Bearers include Qismat Abaza, daughter of the Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza, and the Azerbaijani footballer Qismat Aliyev. It is common in the East and effectively unused in the West, which leaves the trend to you.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Fate, fortune
- Pronunciation: kuus-MEHT, KIHS-mut
- Variations: Kismet, Qesmat
- Namesakes: Qismat Abaza, the daughter of Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza. Qismat Alıyev, an Azerbaijani professional football player.
- Popularity: Qismat is common in Azerbaijan and Pakistan but doesn’t appear on U.S. popularity charts.
Qiu
Qiu looks like a phonetic spelling of the letter Q and is nothing of the kind. It comes from the character qiu, autumn, or a second qiu meaning mound or hill, and it was the given name of Confucius. The autumn reading is the popular one in China. The revolutionary writer Qiu Jin and the actress Qiu Tian are its best-known modern bearers. Three letters, one syllable, several centuries of use.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Autumn, hill
- Pronunciation: CHYOH
- Variations: Chiu
- Namesakes: Qiu Jin, a Chinese revolutionary, feminist, and writer. Qiu Tian, a Chinese actress.
- Popularity: Qiu is very popular in Hong Kong, usually ranking in the top 1,000 names there.
Qiuyue
Qiuyue joins the characters for autumn and moon, which is about as much atmosphere as two syllables can hold. It ranks well in Taiwan and is widely used in China. Genshin Impact players will recognize it as an open-world character. For a baby born in the fall, the name does the work for you.
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Autumn moon
- Pronunciation: CHYOH-YOO-EH
- Popularity: Qiuyue ranks in the top 1,000 names in Taiwan and is also highly popular in China.
Qiziloy
Qiziloy comes from the Uzbek qizil, meaning red, and oy, meaning crescent or moon. Together they describe a blood moon, the deep red the moon turns during a total lunar eclipse. The spelling gives no clue to the sound, kuu-zuu-laay, so expect to say it twice. Kizilay is the variant, and also a neighborhood in Turkey.
- Origin: Uzbek
- Meaning: Red moon, red crescent
- Pronunciation: kuu-zuu-laay
- Variations: Kızılay
- Popularity: Qiziloy is extremely rare as it doesn’t show up on popularity charts.
Qoni
Qoni is Quechua for warmth, and it is as cozy as that sounds. Two vowels stretch the middle so it reads longer than four letters should. In Uzbek the same word means blood, unrelated but not unfitting, since both point to what keeps a family alive.
- Origin: Quechua
- Meaning: Warmth
- Pronunciation: KOH-neye, KOH-nah
- Popularity: Qoni has about 128 bearers worldwide, making it quite rare.
Qoqa
Qoqa is Chechen for dove or rock pigeon. Doves carry peace, freedom, and love in most cultures, which gives four letters plenty to lean on. The repeated q makes it look stranger than it sounds, since KOHW-KA is all there is to it. Parents who like soft, round birds will find the association fits.
- Origin: Chechen
- Meaning: Dove
- Pronunciation: KOHW-KA
- Popularity: Qoqa is most popular in Azerbaijan, with about seven bearers.
Q’orianka
Q’orianka joins the Quechua qori, meaning gold, with anka, eagle. A golden eagle is a fair image for a daughter, and the apostrophe gives the name a catch in the throat that Western spellings rarely offer. The actress Q’orianka Kilcher, known for The New World and Princess Kaiulani, is why most English speakers have heard it at all. Even so, it has stayed rare enough to feel personal.
- Origin: Quechua
- Meaning: Golden eagle
- Pronunciation: KAW-ree-aang-kuh
- Variations: Qorianka
- Namesakes: Q’orianka Kilcher, an American actress, noted for starring in The New World and Princess Kaiulani.
- Popularity: Q’orianka is most popular in Peru and Brazil but is rare worldwide.
Quandra
Quandra is a modern American coinage, built from the element quan and the tail of Sandra, itself from Alessandra. That heritage points back to a meaning of defender, which suits the firm KWAAN opening. It had a run in U.S. records through the 1970s and 1980s and has since gone quiet. Among the invented names here it is one of the more usable.
- Origin: African American
- Meaning: Defender of men
- Pronunciation: KWAAN-druh
- Popularity: Quandra peaked at 4,370th in 1979 and last charted in the U.S. in 1995 at 11,443rd.
Quanita
Quanita’s meaning is not settled. The likeliest reading traces it to the Spanish name Juanita, little Juana, and back to John; another suggests humble. Either way it lands as a contemporary classic rather than a novelty. The author Quanita Roberson and the South African actress Quanita Adams both carry it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Humble, little Juana
- Pronunciation: kwah-NEE-tuh
- Variations: Juanita
- Namesakes: Quanita Roberson, an American author and founder. Quanita Adams, a South African stage and screen actress.
- Popularity: Quanita reached 3,317th in 1982 and last charted in 2007; 547 U.S. girls have carried it since 1959.
Quannah
Quannah is an Anglicized form of the Comanche kwana, meaning fragrant. The better-known spelling, Quanah, belonged to the Comanche leader Quanah Parker; the extra n softens it and pushes it toward the feminine. The model and actress Quannah Chasinghorse-Potts has given it fresh visibility. The doubled n gives it a softer landing than Quanah’s single one.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Fragrant, scent
- Pronunciation: KWAH-nuh
- Variations: Kwana, Quanah, Quana
- Namesakes: Quannah Chasinghorse-Potts, an American model and actress.
- Popularity: Quannah charted in U.S. records once, in 1978, at 10,961st.
Quartney
Quartney is Courtney with the letter swapped, a small change with a large effect on the page. The root is Old French, either from the court or from court nes, short nose, depending on which reading you follow. Anyone who has met a Courtney will spell it wrong the first time, so it comes with a lifetime of gentle corrections.
- Origin: English, American
- Meaning: From the court, short nose
- Pronunciation: KAWRT-nee
- Variations: Courtney
- Popularity: Quartney has charted on and off since 1991, most recently in 2021 at 14,849th, with its best year in 1994 at 10,279th.
Quartz
Quartz comes straight from the German quarz, rock crystal, with older roots meaning hard or to grasp. It sits alongside the other mineral names that have crept into use, and the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe did it no harm. Under 50 bearers worldwide keeps it as rare as the crystal itself is common.
- Origin: German, English
- Meaning: Hard, rock, crystal
- Pronunciation: KWAWRTS, KWAWTS
- Namesakes: Jakie Quartz, born Jacqueline Cuchet, a French singer.
- Popularity: Quartz has less than 50 bearers internationally.
Qubilah
Qubilah is another form of Qabilah, the Arabic name meaning accepter. Its most famous bearer, Qubilah Bahiyah Shabazz, was named by her father Malcolm X for Kublai Khan, whose own name has never been pinned down. That is a great deal of history packed into seven letters.
- Origin: African American, Arabic
- Meaning: Kublai, accepter
- Pronunciation: koo-BEE-luh, kuh-BEE-lah
- Variations: Qabilah
- Namesakes: Qubilah Bahiyah Shabazz, the second daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.
- Popularity: Qubilah charted in U.S. records once, in 1995, at 15,138th.
Qudrat
Qudrat comes from the Arabic qudrah, from the Quranic root Q-D-R, and means power or strength. It works for a child of any gender and is widely used in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Qudra and Qudrah are the shorter spellings. In the West it is effectively unused, which leaves plenty of room.
- Origin: Persian, Arabic
- Meaning: Power, aptitude, strength
- Pronunciation: KOOD-reht, kood-RAAT
- Variations: Qudrah, Qudra
- Popularity: Qudrat is quite popular in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.
Qudsia
Qudsia grows from the Arabic quds, sacredness, and means holy, pure, or chaste. In Islamic usage the word connects directly to the divine, which gives the name real weight for devout families. The Pakistani novelist and playwright Bano Qudsia, born Qudsia Chattha, is its best-known bearer. Three syllables and a soft ending keep it from sounding severe.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Holy, sacred, pure
- Pronunciation: kuud-SEE-ya
- Namesakes: Bano Qudsia, born Qudsia Chattha, a Pakistani novelist, playwright, and spiritualist. Qudsia Ali, a Pakistani actress.
- Popularity: Qudsia is popular in Pakistan and made the top 1,000 names in Afghanistan in 2014.
Qudwah
Qudwah means exemplar or ideal, which is a large thing to ask of a newborn and a lovely thing to wish for her. Qudwa, Qodwah, and Qodwa are all in circulation. The stress sits on the first syllable, KUUD-wuh, so the name never drifts.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Exemplar, ideal
- Pronunciation: KUUD-wuh
- Variations: Qudwa, Qodwah, Qodwa
- Popularity: There is one known bearer of Qudwah worldwide, making it extremely rare.
Que
Que is not the Spanish question word, or not only. As a Catalan variant of Quer it means rock or cliff; in Chinese it points to a palace watchtower or to the city of Quetang. The Filipino golfer Angelo Que has made it familiar in sport. Angelo Que’s golf career has kept it visible far past its 1921 peak.
- Origin: English, Catalan, Chinese
- Meaning: Rock, cliff, palace watchtower/rampart
- Pronunciation: KEHY, KAY
- Variations: Qué
- Namesakes: Angelo Que, an award-winning Filipino professional golfer.
- Popularity: Que has appeared in U.S. birth records since 1916, peaked at 3,440th in 1921, and still charted in 2025 at 11,678th.
Quebec
Quebec belongs with London, Brooklyn, and Florence in the place-name column, just considerably rarer. The word comes from the Algonquin kepec, meaning narrows, and became the name of the Francophone Canadian province. It has also served as a Filipino Spanish habitational surname. Say it kwuh-BEHK or KAY-behk depending on which side of the border you are on.
- Origin: French, Spanish, Native American
- Meaning: Narrow passage, straight
- Pronunciation: kwuh-BEHK, kwih-BEHK, KAY-behk
- Variations: Québec
- Popularity: Quebec is rare as a forename, with less than 50 bearers worldwide.
Queen
Queen goes back to the Old English cwen, which meant woman or wife long before it meant a monarch. It has been in U.S. birth records since 1880 and has had a genuine second act, climbing back after a low point in the late 1980s. It also holds steady in Nigeria and several other African countries. Bearers include the Nigerian actress Queen Nwokoye and the Indian singer Queen Hazarika. Few names introduce a child quite so directly.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Wife, woman, queen
- Pronunciation: KWEEN
- Namesakes: Queen Celestine, a Nigerian model and beauty pageant titleholder. Queen Hazarika, an Indian singer and actress. Queen Nwokoye, a Nigerian actress.
- Popularity: Queen has charted in every era since 1880, peaked at 412th in 1929, and stood at 2,234th in 2025 after bottoming out in 1987.
Queenie
Queenie is the diminutive that outlived the formality of Queen. It shares the Old English root cwen and adds the friendly ee ending that Victorian and Edwardian parents loved. It peaked in 1914 and has never quite disappeared, which is the difference between vintage and extinct. The silent-film actress Queenie Rosson and the Hong Kong presenter Queenie Chu both wore it well. Queeny is the tidier spelling.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Woman, wife, queen, royal lady
- Pronunciation: KWEE-nee
- Variations: Queeny
- Namesakes: Queenie Chu, also Wai Man Chu, a Hong Kong TV presenter and actress. Queenie Smith, an American actress. Queenie Rosson, an American silent film actress.
- Popularity: Queenie peaked at 797th in 1914 and still charts, ranking 11,685th in 2025.
Queeva
Queeva is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhe, from caomh, meaning beautiful, dear, and gentle. It looks invented and is anything but, since the Irish spelling simply hides a sound English speakers already know. Keeva and Kiva are the other ways to write it. For parents who love Caoimhe and dread the spelling questions, this is the workaround.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Dear, gentle, beloved
- Pronunciation: KWEEV-ah
- Variations: Caoimhe, Kweeva, Keeva, Kiva
- Popularity: Queeva is an extremely rare variant that doesn’t appear on popularity charts.
Quella
Quella comes from Quilla, a diminutive of Tranquilla, and behind that the Latin tranquillus, quiet and calm. The double l gives it a soft landing to match. Quilla is the older spelling if you prefer the i.
- Origin: English, Italian, Latin
- Meaning: Quiet, to quell
- Pronunciation: KWEH-luh, KWEH-yah
- Variations: Quilla
- Popularity: Quella charted in U.S. records once, in 1918, at 5,431st.
Quenbie
Quenbie is the relaxed spelling of Quenby, an Old English name meaning queen’s settlement. The ie ending does what it always does, trading formality for warmth. It has never charted in the U.S., so there is no name-twin problem waiting at school. Anyone who likes Quinn but wants two syllables should start here.
- Origin: Old English
- Meaning: Queen’s settlement
- Pronunciation: KWEN-bee
- Variations: Quenby
- Popularity: Quenbie doesn’t make the U.S. top 1,000 names.
Quenby
Quenby most likely comes from Old English and means queen’s settlement, though its origin is not fully settled. A competing reading makes it a form of the habitational name Quarmby, from the Old Norse kvern, a millstone, and byr, a farmstead. Either way it is a place name that became a person’s name, which is the usual path for a surname. The author Quenby Olson keeps it in print. Quenbie is the alternate spelling.
- Origin: Old English
- Meaning: Queen’s settlement
- Pronunciation: KWEN-bee
- Variations: Quenbie
- Namesakes: Quenby Olson, an American author.
- Popularity: With just under 100 bearers worldwide, Quenby is most popular in the U.S.
Quenilda
Quenilda descends from the medieval Cwenhild, joining the Old English cwen, woman or queen, with hild, battle. A battle queen is not a bad thing to name a daughter. It is long, old, and completely unclaimed in modern American records. Cwenhild, Quenell, and Quenilla give you three different eras to pick from.
- Origin: Anglo-Saxon
- Meaning: Battle woman
- Pronunciation: KWEN-ihl-duh
- Variations: Cwenhild, Cwenhilde, Quenell, Quenilla
- Popularity: Quenilda is the most popular name in Brazil where there are about nine known bearers.
Queralt
Queralt means high rock in Catalan and takes its name from a Marian sanctuary set in the hills of Catalonia. That gives it both a religious anchor and a literal sense of high ground. It last ranked 70th in Catalonia in 2020 and 206th in Spain in 2010, so it is a working name rather than a curiosity. The snowboarder Queralt Ibanez and the basketball player Queralt Casas Carreras carry it. English speakers can soften the final t if they like.
- Origin: Catalan
- Meaning: High rock
- Pronunciation: keh-RAL, kuh-RAL, keh-RALT, kuh-RALT
- Namesakes: Queralt Ibáñez, a Spanish award-winning snowboarder. Queralt Casas Carreras, a Spanish women’s basketball player.
- Popularity: In Catalonia, Queralt last ranked 70th in 2020, and in Spain, it ranked 206th in 2010.
Querida
Querida is Spanish for beloved or dear, a word used as an endearment long before anyone used it as a name. That makes it unusually direct, since you are calling your daughter darling every time you say it. Queri and Ida both work if the full form feels like a lot.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Beloved, dear
- Pronunciation: keh-REE-dah, keh-REE-duh
- Popularity: Querida charted in U.S. records from 1978 to 2003, with its best year in 1992 at 5,657th.
Quest
Quest comes from the Latin questa, an inquiry or search, and quaerere, to ask or seek. It is one of the few genuine word-names here. In U.S. records it leans strongly toward boys, which leaves it fresh for a daughter. Send a small explorer out with it and see what happens.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Search, inquiry
- Pronunciation: KWEHS, KWEHST
- Namesakes: Quest Couch, an American writer, designer, and inventor.
- Popularity: Quest ranked 16,699th for U.S. girls in 2025 and is far more common for boys, who ranked 2,413rd that year.
Questa
Questa is the Latin feminine of the same root, meaning search or inquiry, and it is used in Italian, English, and Spanish. Unlike Quest, which crosses over, Questa reads as a girl’s name wherever it appears. Among the Santal of eastern India the word means journey, a happy coincidence for a name about seeking.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Search, seeking, inquiry
- Pronunciation: KWES-ta, KWES-tuh
- Popularity: Questa is most common in the U.S., although it doesn’t make the top 1,000 names.
Queta
Queta began as a nickname for Enriqueta, so its meaning traces back to home ruler. The Mexican actress Queta Lavat, born Enriqueta Margarita Lavat Bayona, made it a household name in Spanish-language film. Do not confuse it with Quetta, a different word entirely, from the Pashto for fortress. One recorded U.S. birth, in 1957, keeps it rare enough to feel like a discovery.
- Origin: Mexican, Portuguese
- Meaning: Home ruler, head of the household
- Pronunciation: KEH-ta, KAY-ta
- Namesakes: Enriqueta Margarita Lavat Bayona, known professionally as Queta Lavat, a Mexican actress.
- Popularity: Queta charted in U.S. records once, in 1957, at 5,911th.
Quetzal
Quetzal comes from the Nahuatl quetzalli, the tail feather of the quetzal bird, and by extension anything precious or beautiful. The bird itself is real and impossible to miss, native to Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of South America. The name is used for children of any gender and is popular in Puerto Rico. It is one of the few names here that comes with a field-guide entry.
- Origin: Nahuatl
- Meaning: Quetzal feather, precious thing, beautiful feather
- Pronunciation: KEHT-sal
- Variations: Quetzalli
- Popularity: Quetzal has charted for U.S. girls on and off since 2004, most recently in 2022 at 17,196th.
Quetzalli
Quetzalli is the fuller Nahuatl form, meaning quetzal feather or precious feather. It reached its best U.S. showing in 2025, so this is a name on the way up rather than on the way out. Four syllables look elaborate written down and flow easily out loud, keht-SA-lee. Quetzal shortens it if you want the bird without the feather.
- Origin: Nahuatl
- Meaning: Quetzal feather, precious thing, beautiful feather
- Pronunciation: keht-SA-lee
- Variations: Quetzal
- Popularity: Quetzalli reached its best U.S. rank in 2025 at 3,240th, with 49 girls given the name that year.
Quetzalxochitl
Quetzalxochitl is a mouthful on paper and worth the effort. It joins quetzalli, precious feather, with xochitl, flower, giving feather flower or precious flower. Aztec naming loved that kind of compound image. The spelling is daunting and the sound is not, since KEHT-sal-SHOH-cheetl comes together after a few tries. Quetzalxoch trims it for daily use.
- Origin: Nahuatl
- Meaning: Feather flower, precious flower
- Pronunciation: KEHT-sal-SHOH-cheetl
- Variations: Quetzalxoch
- Popularity: Quetzalxochitl is extremely rare with about two known bearers in Mexico.
Quezella
Quezella may well be invented, which would make it thoroughly modern. Some sources give the meaning as zealous; beyond that, its origin is uncertain, and there is no point pretending otherwise. Zella and Ella are both waiting inside it if the full name feels ornate.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Zealous
- Pronunciation: kweh-ZEH-luh
- Popularity: There are about three recorded bearers of Quezella in the U.S.
Quiana
Quiana is the fuller spelling of Qiana, both from the Du Pont fabric that gave the name its silky association. It peaked in 1979 and is the steepest faller among the charted names here, down 64 percent on the previous decade, likely losing ground to the similar-sounding Kiana. That leaves it more available than it has been in forty years. The model Quiana Grant and the singer Quiana Lynell keep it audible.
- Origin: African American
- Meaning: Silky
- Pronunciation: kee-AH-nuh
- Variations: Qiana, Quianna
- Namesakes: Quiana Grant, an American model. Quiana Lynell, an American singer-songwriter and arranger.
- Popularity: Quiana peaked at 571st in 1979 and is down 64 percent on the previous decade, ranking 16,700th in 2025.
Quica
Quica is a short form of Francisca or Frederica, so it means either Frenchman or peaceful ruler depending on where you start. It is also the name of a type of possum, which somebody will mention eventually. Kika is the same name with a friendlier first letter.
- Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
- Meaning: Frenchman, peaceful ruler
- Pronunciation: KEE-kuh
- Variations: Kika
- Popularity: Quica is most popular in Portugal, but is rare worldwide.
Quieta
Quieta comes from the Latin quietus and means exactly what it looks like. A saint from Dijon carried it, which gives the name a quiet devotional thread as well. It is rare everywhere, with scattered use in Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. Two pronunciations circulate, kee-EH-ta and kwee-EH-ta, so settle on one early.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Quiet, calm
- Pronunciation: kee-EH-ta, kwee-EH-ta
- Variations: Quiéta
- Popularity: Quieta is quite rare, with about 39 bearers internationally.
Quile
Quile has two separate stories. One makes it a feminine form of the Aragonese Quilez, itself from Cyriacus, meaning of the lord; the other is African American, with bliss suggested as the meaning. Neither is fully documented, so a family choosing it gets to decide which reading to keep. It is limited to the U.S. and a handful of Portuguese and Spanish-speaking territories.
- Origin: English, Aragonese
- Meaning: Happiness, bliss, of the lord
- Pronunciation: KWEYEL, KWIHL
- Popularity: Quile is extremely rare and limited to the U.S. and a handful of Portuguese and Spanish-speaking territories.
Quilene
Quilene is probably a diminutive of Aquilene, from the Latin for eagle, or a variant of Queline from Jacqueline. A third reading blends Quinn with Helene or Marlene. Whichever you pick, the name sounds more contemporary than any of its roots. Queline, Quileen, and Quelene are the spellings you are most likely to meet.
- Origin: Afrikaans, Dutch, English
- Meaning: Eagle, supplanter
- Pronunciation: kee-LAY-nuh, KWIH-leen
- Variations: Queline, Quileen, Quiline, Queleen, Quelene
- Popularity: Quilene doesn’t make the top 1,000 names in the U.S.
Quill
Quill is a word, a surname, and a name, in roughly that order historically. In English it is the shaft of a feather and the pen made from it, from the Middle English quil. It is also an Anglicized Irish surname meaning wood or hazel tree, and a short form of the French-derived Quillian. In U.S. records it leans toward boys, so a girl called Quill is doing something genuinely unusual. Quille adds a letter if you want a softer look.
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: Shaft of a feather, fragment of reed, forest, wood
- Pronunciation: KWIHL
- Variations: Quille
- Popularity: Quill is far more common for boys, who ranked 3,361st in the U.S. in 2025; it has not reached the SSA girls publication threshold.
Quilla
Quilla holds several traditions at once. It is an American diminutive of the Italian Tranquilla and the Roman Aquila, and it is also the Hispanic form of Killa, the moon goddess of Incan belief, which is where mother moon comes from. That range gives parents room to choose what the name means to them. The British artist Quilla Constance and the Canadian musician Quilla both perform under it. Quila, Killa, and Kilya are the other spellings.
- Origin: Spanish, Incan, English, Latin
- Meaning: Mother moon, calm, quiet, eagle
- Pronunciation: KWIH-luh, KIHL-ya
- Variations: Quila, Killa, Kilya
- Namesakes: Jennifer Allen, stage name Quilla Constance, a British artist. Anna Luisa Daigneault, stage name Quilla, a Canadian singer-songwriter and DJ.
- Popularity: Quilla goes back to 1902 in U.S. records, reached 2,839th in 1917, and last charted in 2021 at 10,944th.
Quincy
Quincy came to English as the Norman surname de Quincy, from a place name, and behind that the Latin Quintus, fifth. It started as a boy’s name and has been crossing over steadily. In 2025 it ranked 815th for American girls and 654th for boys, so it is genuinely shared rather than borrowed. Quincee, Quincey, and Quinci all trade the y for something softer.
- Origin: English, Norman
- Meaning: Fifth
- Pronunciation: KWIHN-see
- Variations: Quincee, Quincey, Quinci
- Namesakes: Quincy Davis, an American surfer. Quincy Coleman, an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of actor Dabney Wharton Coleman.
- Popularity: Quincy ranked 815th for U.S. girls in 2025 with 335 births, and 654th for boys.
Quinevere
Quinevere swaps the G of Guinevere for a Q, a small change to a very old name. Guinevere is the Norman French form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, from the Celtic windos, white, and sebros, a magical being or phantom. White phantom is a striking thing to call a daughter, and Arthurian legend does the rest. Quin, Quinny, and Vera are all waiting inside.
- Origin: English, Welsh
- Meaning: White phantom, white fairy
- Pronunciation: KWIHN-uh-vihr, KWIHN-uh-vair
- Variations: Guinevere
- Popularity: There is one recorded bearer of Quinevere in the U.S.
Quinleigh
Quinleigh is most likely Quin, meaning chief, joined to Leigh, a meadow. It also works as a respelling of Quinley, which traces to the Scottish McKinley, son of the white warrior, or the Irish Mcquinnelly, son of the one faithful to pledges. The leigh ending puts it squarely in the current naming fashion. It works for a child of any gender.
- Origin: English, Irish, Scottish
- Meaning: Chief meadow, of the white warrior
- Pronunciation: KWIN-lee
- Variations: Quinley
- Popularity: Quinleigh has charted since 2014, most recently in 2024 at 14,876th, with its best year in 2022 at 11,988th.
Quinley
Quinley is a Q surname that made the jump to a first name, and it has been rising since. It comes from the Scottish Gaelic McKinley, white warrior, built on the Old Irish finn, white or blessed, and laech, warrior. A second reading traces it instead to the Irish Mcquinnelly. The footballer Quinley Quezada-Keca carries it professionally.
- Origin: English, Irish, Scottish
- Meaning: Of the white warrior, of the one faithful to pledges
- Pronunciation: KWIN-lee, KIN-lee
- Variations: Quinleigh
- Namesakes: Quinley Quezada-Keča, a professional women’s football player.
- Popularity: Quinley has climbed since 2004 and ranked 3,286th in the U.S. in 2025, up 140 percent on the previous decade.
Quinn
Quinn is the one Q name everybody already knows. It comes from the Irish Gaelic surname O Cuinn, built on conn, sense or reason, or cenn, chief. It is the highest-ranked Q name in the U.S. and the only one inside the top 100, and it belongs to boys and girls alike. As a girl’s name it reads cool and unfussy rather than delicate. Quin drops a letter without changing a thing.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Chief, reason, wise, son of Conn
- Pronunciation: KWIHN
- Variations: Quin
- Namesakes: Quinn Gleason, an American professional tennis player. Quinn Dupree, an American rapper, DJ, and singer. Quinn Norton, an American journalist and essayist.
- Popularity: Quinn ranked 97th for U.S. girls in 2025 with 2,634 births, the highest-ranked Q name in the country.
Quinta
Quinta is the feminine of the Latin Quintus, fifth, and it is used across Portuguese-speaking countries. The comedian, producer, and actress Quinta Brunson, known for ABC’s Abbott Elementary, is its best-known current bearer. If your daughter is the fifth in the family, the name arrives ready-made.
- Origin: Portuguese, Latin
- Meaning: The fifth
- Pronunciation: KEEn-tah, KWIN-tuh
- Namesakes: Quinta Brunson, an American producer, actress, and comedian known for ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
- Popularity: Quinta charted in U.S. records from 1915 to 1997, reaching 4,583rd in 1977.
Quintana
Quintana means country house in Spanish and serves as an English feminine of Quentin, both paths leading back to Quintus, fifth. It is also an Antarctic island and a well-established surname. Quintana Roo Dunne, daughter of the writers Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, is its most literary bearer. Despite those associations it has stayed genuinely rare.
- Origin: English, Spanish
- Meaning: The fifth, country house
- Pronunciation: kwin-TA-nuh, kwin-TON-uh, keen-TA-na
- Namesakes: Quintana Roo Dunne, the daughter of American writers Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne.
- Popularity: Quintana peaked at 5,801st in 1982 and last charted in 2009.
Quintella
Quintella is the little fifth, an English diminutive built on the Latin Quintus. It has the shape of a Victorian name and the rarity of a modern one. Quin and Ella both live inside it, which covers two very different moods.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Little fifth
- Pronunciation: KWIN-teh-luh
- Variations: Quintela
- Popularity: Quintella reached 3,475th in 1964 and last charted in U.S. records in 1997.
Quintessa
Quintessa welds Quintus, fifth, to Tessa, from the Spanish and Portuguese Teresa, which likely means summer or harvester. Fifth summer is a good deal more evocative than most invented blends manage. The actress Quintessa Swindell has kept it visible. It is unusual without being unheard of.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Fifth summer, fifth harvester
- Pronunciation: kwin-TEH-suh
- Namesakes: Quintessa Swindell, an American actress.
- Popularity: Quintessa peaked at 3,390th in 1987 and last charted in 2020 at 10,100th.
Quintina
Quintina is the feminine of the Roman cognomen Quintinus, from Quintus, fifth. It is used in English and Spanish-speaking countries and had a real run in the middle of the last century. Tina, Quin, and Tee are the obvious short forms, and they could hardly be more different from one another.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: The fifth
- Pronunciation: kwin-TEE-nah
- Popularity: Quintina reached 1,722nd in 1974 and last charted in U.S. records in 2004.
Quirina
Quirina is the feminine of the Latin Quirinus, from the Sabine quiris, a spear, used figuratively for a warrior. It has real historical bearers, among them the Italian painter Quirina Alippi-Fabretti, the noblewoman Quirina Magiotti di Montevarchi, and the Tamien Nation chairwoman Quirina Luna-Geary. The pronunciation splits between KEE-ree-na and kwih-REE-nuh. A spear is not a subtle thing to name a daughter, which may be exactly the point.
- Origin: Latin, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Meaning: Spear
- Pronunciation: KEE-ree-na, kwih-REE-nuh
- Namesakes: Quirina Luna-Geary, a Native American Tamien Nation chairwoman. Quirina Alippi-Fabretti, an Italian painter. Quirina Magiotti di Montevarchi, an Italian noblewoman.
- Popularity: Quirina is most popular in Mexico, with about 6,306 bearers worldwide.
Quirine
Quirine is the Dutch feminine form of Quirinus, from the same Sabine root meaning spear. It is at home in the Netherlands and largely unknown in English-speaking countries, which makes it an easy import. The tennis player Quirine Lemoine is its most visible bearer. Parents drawn to strong names with an elegant finish should hear this one out.
- Origin: Dutch, Latin
- Meaning: Spear
- Pronunciation: kwee-REE-nuh
- Variations: Quirina
- Namesakes: Quirine Lemoine, a Dutch tennis player.
- Popularity: Quirine is most common in the Netherlands but falls short of the top 1,000 names there.
Quisett
Quisett looks like a mash-up of quiche and cassette and comes from somewhere stranger still. It began as a place name built on the Old French quisse, thigh, and may have reached English through the Middle English quishete. The meaning is odd and the name is not, since KWEE-set is soft and easy. KWEE-set stays easy to say for a lifetime, odd meaning aside.
- Origin: Old French, Old English
- Meaning: Thigh
- Pronunciation: KWEE-set, KEES-eht
- Popularity: Quisett doesn’t show up on popularity charts.
Quispe
Quispe is the Hispanicized form of the Southern Quechua qispi, free, and q’ispi, glass. It has become a widespread Native American surname and a rare given name. Two meanings sit side by side here, freedom and fragility, and either one makes its own case. It is most common in Bolivia. The Inca princess Quispe Sisa, also called Ines Huaylas Yupanqui, is the name’s oldest famous bearer.
- Origin: Indigenous American, Quechua
- Meaning: Free, glass
- Pronunciation: KEES-pay
- Namesakes: Quispe Sisa, also called Inés Huaylas Yupanqui, an Inca princess.
- Popularity: Quispe is most common in Bolivia but is extremely rare worldwide.
Quiteria
Quiteria has an uncertain meaning, most often read as a form of Kythereia, a woman from Cythera. Saint Quiteria of Iberia, a 2nd-century martyr, gives it a long devotional history. It usually makes the top 1,000 in Brazil and Mozambique, so it is a working name rather than a relic. Four syllables and a rolling middle make it genuinely musical.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Woman from Cythera
- Pronunciation: kih-TEH-ree-a, kih-TEH-rya
- Variations: Kythereia
- Namesakes: Quiteria, a 2nd-century Roman virgin martyr and saint.
- Popularity: Quiteria is most popular in Brazil and Mozambique, usually making the top 1,000 names.
Quitterie
Quitterie is the French form of the Spanish Quiteria, and behind both stands the Latin Kythereia. The double t and the ie ending make it look like a nickname, which suits how it sounds: KEE-tuh-ree, light and quick. It is used in France without ever troubling the top 1,000 there. Anyone collecting French names that have not crossed the Atlantic should add it.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Woman from Cythera
- Pronunciation: KEE-tuh-ree
- Variations: Quiteria
- Popularity: Quitterie is most popular in France, but doesn’t make the top 1,000 names there.
Qumri
Qumri means turtledove, from the Uzbek word, with Arabic roots behind it. Doves turn up as names in nearly every culture, and this is one of the least worn versions. Qumry and Qomri are the other spellings you will see.
- Origin: Uzbek, Arabic
- Meaning: Turtledove
- Pronunciation: koom-REE, kuum-REE
- Variations: Qumry, Qomri
- Popularity: With about 20 bearers worldwide, Qumri is quite rare.
Quora
Quora will make most readers think of the question-and-answer site first, which is a hurdle worth knowing about. It is a variant of Cora, the Latinized form of Kore, the maiden, a goddess of vegetation also known as Persephone and Despoina. If the internet association does not bother you, the mythology behind it is first-rate.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Maiden
- Pronunciation: KAW-ruh, KWAR-uh
- Variations: Cora
- Popularity: Quora has charted in U.S. records since 2013, most recently in 2021 at 14,853rd.
Quorra
Quorra was invented for the film TRON and doubles as a possible variant of Quora, from Cora and, behind that, Kore the maiden. It peaked in 2012, right after the film, and has eased back since. That gives it a clear origin story, which not many names here can claim. Whether you are naming for the character or the goddess, it turns heads.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Maiden
- Pronunciation: KAW-ruh, KWAR-uh
- Popularity: Quorra peaked at 3,901st in 2012 and ranked 14,522nd in 2025.
Quratulain
Quratulain means coolness of the eyes, an Arabic image for solace and delight, and it describes a child who brings her parents relief. It has many English transliterations, including Qurat-ul-Ain, so expect to spell it out. The singer Quratulain Balouch and the Urdu novelist Qurratulain Hyder are its best-known bearers. Five syllables is a commitment, but the meaning earns it.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Happiness, delight, solace
- Pronunciation: kur-at-ul-AYN
- Namesakes: Quratulain Balouch, or Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch, a Pakistani-American singer-songwriter. Qurratulain Hyder, an Indian Urdu author, academic, and journalist.
- Popularity: Quratulain is the most popular in Pakistan, with about 2,785 bearers worldwide.
Qurra
Qurra is Arabic and Persian for comfort, solace, and joy, describing a child who takes worry away. As a surname it traces instead to qarar, meaning decision. Two meanings, both about something being settled at last.
- Origin: Arabic, Persian
- Meaning: Comfort, solace, joy, decision
- Pronunciation: KOO-ra
- Variations: Qurrah
- Popularity: Qurra is most prevalent in Pakistan, but doesn’t make the top 1,000 names there.
Quvenzhané
Quvenzhane was created for one person: the actress Quvenzhane Wallis, whose parents combined their own names with zhane, from the Swahili jini, a fairy. That makes it a genuine one-family invention that went national. The accent is part of the spelling, though some parents drop it and keep the sound. It is long, and kwuh-VEHN-zhuh-nay is worth practicing before the birth announcement.
- Origin: African American
- Meaning: Fairy
- Pronunciation: kwuh-VEHN-zhuh-nay
- Namesakes: Quvenzhané Wallis, an American actress known for starring in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
- Popularity: Quvenzhané doesn’t show up on popularity charts.
Quý
Quy is Vietnamese for precious or valuable, drawn from the Chinese character for turtle. Without the accent it becomes the English Quy, a habitational surname from the Old English cu, cow, and eg, island. Those two stories have nothing to do with each other, which is half the fun. It works for a child of any gender and is widely used in Vietnam.
- Origin: Vietnamese, Old English
- Meaning: Precious, valuable, cow island
- Pronunciation: gWEE, WEE, KWEE
- Popularity: Quy is highly popular in Vietnam.
Quyên
Quyen comes from the Sino-Vietnamese character for beautiful or graceful, and it serves as both a given name and a surname. The accent matters: written one way it becomes masculine and means power or authority. Anglicized, it drops the marks entirely. The singer Quyen Hoang Le and the surgeon-scientist Quyen T. Nguyen both carry it.
- Origin: Vietnamese
- Meaning: Graceful, beautiful
- Pronunciation: KOO-yen, KOO-yin
- Namesakes: Quyên Hoàng Lệ, a Vietnamese singer. Quyen T. Nguyen, an American surgeon-scientist and university professor.
- Popularity: Quyên is most commonly used in Vietnam.
Quỳnh
Quynh comes from the Sino-Vietnamese character meaning deep red, and it names a type of flowering plant. Floral names never really go out of fashion, and this one arrives with a color attached. It works for a child of any gender. Both the Vietnamese singer Quynh Anh Pham and the Vietnamese-Belgian singer of the same name answer to it.
- Origin: Vietnamese
- Meaning: Deep red
- Pronunciation: WUN, KWIN, WIN, KWING
- Namesakes: Quỳnh Anh Phạm, a Vietnamese singer. Quynh Anh Pham, a Vietnamese-Belgian singer.
- Popularity: Quỳnh is most popular in Singapore and has about 294 bearers internationally.
