Cottagecore who? These “rich girl” names aren’t about giving rustic or simple or humble. These names are giving prep school, private jet, second homes in the Hamptons or Vale, European vacations. If a name can give you a first impression of a person, a rich girl name tells you she’s got a designer handbag collection and a platinum card. She’s highly educated, well traveled, cultured, and probably has a killer manicure and good hair to boot.
Rich girl names are related to the “old money” aesthetic, but they’re a bit different; while old money names tend to be a little more understated and classic, rich girl names have a more obviously-affluent vibe. They’re the names of the girls everybody secretly wishes they could trade lives with. Preppy, polished, and posh, they make a statement — and that statement is “I’m getting a massage after my tennis lesson.”
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Blair
Image Credit: SheKnows Derived from the Scottish Gaelic blàr, Blair means “plain” (as in a field, not as in the nothing-special type of plain). If you want to soften the look of it a bit, add an E to the end: Blaire.
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Sloane
Image Credit: SheKnows A surname-turned-first-name, Sloane is derived from the Irish surname Ó Sluaghadháin (which is … definitely a lot harder to pronounce than Sloane!) and means “raider”. Fun fact: back when Princess Diana was still just Lady Diana Spencer, she and her inner circle of friends lived in a posh London neighborhood called Sloane Square, helping the name to become synonymous with the upper-crust.
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Vanessa
Image Credit: SheKnows The story behind Vanessa is an interesting one. It’s actually a literary invented name, made up by Jonathan Swift for his poem Cadenus and Vanessa (published in 1726). It’s said that he came by this name when he combined a few letters of his close friend Esther Vanhomrigh’s name (“van” and “es”). In the late 1700s, a butterfly species would be named Vanessa, so you could say the name means “butterfly”.
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Hadley
Image Credit: SheKnows The name Hadley has a lovely meaning: “field of heather”, derived from an Old English place name. It was the name of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Elizabeth Hadley Richardson, who was referred to as simply Hadley in all of Hemingway’s books she was mentioned in, including his memoir A Moveable Feast.
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Piper
Image Credit: SheKnows Piper is a peppy, cute name with an even cuter meaning. It comes from the Latin pipere, meaning “to peep”, and was used to describe someone who played the pipes or the flute.
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Quinn
Image Credit: SheKnows This gender-neutral name has some serious cheerleader vibes thanks to a couple of pop culture characters who were cheering on their school teams: Quinn Morgendorfer from MTV’s Daria, and head cheerleader Quinn Fabray from Glee. The name Quinn is the anglicized version of the Gaelic surname Ó Cuinn, which means “descendant of Conn”. (Conn is an Irish name meaning “wise” or “chief”.)
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Penelope
Image Credit: SheKnows The origins of the name Penelope are debated. It’s definitely Greek, but from there, the opinions are split. Some say it comes from penelops, meaning “duck”, while other sources maintain that it comes from pene (threads), meaning “weaver”. Either way, it sounds upscale — and comes with a host of cute nickname options like Penny, Pepper, Nell, Elle, and Lola.
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Eleanor
Image Credit: SheKnows There’s a super-cool legend behind the name Eleanor. It’s said that 12-century Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine was the first bearer of the name, and that she was originally named Aenor, after her mother. But in the Provençal (Occitan) language, she was referred to as alia Aenor — or “the other Aenor” — which gave rise to the Eleanor we know today. As a bonus, this regal name also has a lot of nickname possibilities; Elle is our favorite.
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Greer
Image Credit: SheKnows This perfectly-preppy name comes from the same root as Gregory: the Greek gregoros, meaning “watchful”. Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson popularized this as a female name in the 1940s. Alternatively, it can also be spelled Grier, as Brooke Shields spelled it for her daughter Grier Henchy.
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Harper
Image Credit: SheKnows Harper started as an occupational surname for a person who played the harp (shocker!), usually as a court musician — and it’s still used as a last name today. However, in the 1990s there was a surge in popularity when it came to using last names as first names, especially for girls (looking at you, Taylor!), and Harper fit perfectly into the trend. As of last count, it was nearly within the top 10 most popular girl names per U.S. Social Security Administration data.
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Leighton
Image Credit: SheKnows While Leighton is technically a unisex name, it definitely skews female — probably thanks to actress Leighton Meester who played in Gossip Girl. It’s derived from the surname Layton, which is an English place name derived from the Old English phrase for “town with a leek garden”.
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Brooke
Image Credit: SheKnows From the Old English broc, Brooke comes from, unsurprisingly, someone who lived by a brook or stream. It was used mostly for males (minus the E at the end) until it was popularized for girls by socialite Brooke Astor in the 1950s.
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Paisley
Image Credit: SheKnows Paisley is a surname that comes from a Scottish town of the same name. It likely comes from passeleg, which means “church” or “basilica”, though that’s not 100% certain. It’s also the name of a popular fabric pattern!
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Brynn
Image Credit: SheKnows The word bryn means “hill” in Welsh — and that’s where we get the name Brynn, though elsewhere in the world it’s usually spelled with only one N and given mainly to boys, which makes it technically gender-neutral. There’s a college just outside of Philadelphia called Bryn Mawr, which means “large hill” and is one of the first women’s colleges established in the United States.
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Fallon
Image Credit: SheKnows Fallon is derived from the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Fallamháin, which means “leader”. It’s still used as a surname, but thanks in large part to fiery and intelligent heiress Fallon Carrington from the 1980s hit series Dynasty, it’s used as a female name too.
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Bianca
Image Credit: SheKnows If you like the name Blanche but it’s a little too Golden Girls for your taste, why not go with Bianca? It’s the Italian version! Both names come from the Germanic blankaz meaning “white”. Bianca has a decidedly glamourous vibe.
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Courtney
Image Credit: SheKnows Courtney likely comes to us from the French place name Courtenay (derived from the Latin curtus, meaning “short”) — though some sources say it could also be from a nickname meaning “short nose”. Once considered a boy name (check out some others here!), it’s now far more popular for girls.
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Briony
Image Credit: SheKnows Though Briony is technically a nature name (bryony is a type of climbing vine that produces flowers and fruits), it has a preppy feel, unlike other nature names such as Willow and Daisy. It was once used for medicinal purposes and comes from the Greek bryo, meaning “to swell”. As it’s pronounced very similarly to Brian, it would be a great way to pay tribute to a Brian in your life. (And if you’re a Harry Potter fan, the way it’s pronounced rhymes with Hermione.)
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Afton
Image Credit: SheKnows In Swedish, afton means “evening”. It’s also the name of a river in Scotland, and is used as a surname to this day. But like many other surnames that have been transferred to use as first names, Afton has a strong, confident feel.
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Darby
Image Credit: SheKnows Darby is also derived from a surname, one that means “deer town” in Old Norse. But despite its rustic meaning, Darby sounds sophisticated and upscale. Similarly, you could use Darcy, which comes from d’Arcy, used to denote someone from the town of Arcy in the La Manche region of France.
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Morgan
Image Credit: SheKnows This strong unisex name is more popular for girls these days, though you can still find male Morgans (Actor Morgan Freeman and country singer Morgan Wallen come to mind!). It comes from the Welsh male name Morcant, meaning “sea circle”. Of course, its association with wealth comes from American financier and investment banker John Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan, whose JPMorgan Chase Bank is still in business today.
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Claire
Image Credit: SheKnows Coming from the Latin clarus meaning “clear” or “bright”, Claire is the fancier French version of Clara. It can be spelled with or without the E on the end, though the presence of the E makes it seem more feminine.
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Meredith
Image Credit: SheKnows Meredith comes from the Welsh name Meredydd, combined from two words meaning “magnificence” and “lord” (as in the rank, not the divine). It’s another that was once used almost solely for boys, but now has flipped entirely and is used almost exclusively for girls, at least in the United States. If Meredith is a bit too old-fashioned, you could go with Merritt instead. Both fit the “rich girl name” vibe!
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Regan
Image Credit: SheKnows You can pronounce this one REE-gan or RAY-gan (like former President Ronald Reagan), but whichever you choose, its origins are the same — it comes from the Old Irish Riacán, which most likely meant “king”. It’s fresher-sounding than the similar Megan and the R-beginning makes it sound stronger, too.
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Tatum
Image Credit: SheKnows Tatum comes from the English surname Tatham, meaning “Tata’s homestead”. (Tata itself could be related to the Old Norse taitr, meaning “joyful”, so you could say that Tatum shares this meaning.) The youngest-ever Oscar winner, child actress Tatum O’Neal, brought the name into the spotlight for girls in the 1970s. But it’s also a unisex name, as Khloé Kardashian used it for her son.
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Hollis
Image Credit: SheKnows Hollis is the new Holly — or at least the rich girl version. It comes from the Middle English holis, meaning “holly trees”. That said, it could be perfect for a Christmastime baby!
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Whitney
Image Credit: SheKnows Whitney just so happens to be the surname of one of the wealthiest and most prominent American families, so even though it’s not a newly-popular pick, it’s a classic rich girl name. The Whitney family is known for both horse racing and their philanthropy; the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York was established by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. The name was originally from an Old English place name meaning “white island”.
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