Quirky, Quaint, & UniQue Girl Names That Start With Q

This gender neutral Irish name of Quinn cracked the Top 100 baby names in the U.S. back in 2015 and has remained popular without being too popular. It is a spin on surnames like McQuinn and Ó Cuinn, but could also come from the Irish word for “wise” or “head.”

Let her know who she is straight away with this unique, sweet girl’s name of Queen. I also like the diminutive version, Queenie.

A gender neutral name that may bring to mind Quincy Market in Boston or legendary record producer Quincy Jones, the name of Quincy, like so many on our list, comes from the Latin word for “five” and means “the fifth.”

Made famous by comedian/actress/writer Quinta Brunson of Abbott Elementary, the name Quinta also means “fifth.” Perfect for your fifth child or daughter, or if you find that the number five speaks to you.

Pronounced “key-ANA”, the name Quiana does not appear to have a clear source of origin, but rather came up in America as something that people liked the sound of. The word quiana, however, was coined in 1962 — it is a nylon derived silk-like fabric.

This Arabic girl’s name of Qadira means “capable.”

A spin on Quinn that follows the trend of adding “lyn(n)” to names that gives a little extra femininity/panache, Quinlyn is a pretty darling girl name that starts with Q.

I love Qira as a quirky twist on the more popular (but not tremendously popular) Keira or Kira, which is itself a spin on the Irish name Ciara (“little dark one”).

A variation on the Irish name Caiomhe (which is pronounced “KWEE-va because the Irish language does its own thing and well it should) is Queeva. This version is more readily understood by non-Irish speakers, so it might be a good answer to people who love Caiomhe (which means “dear” or “noble”), but not the spelling.

This apparently invented name of Quilla appears to have been inspired by the word “quill” (as in an old timey pen made from a feather) — perfect for the child of a writer!

Quitterie — pronounced “KEY-tuh-ree” — is an off-beat French name meaning “the red one.” It is associated with Quiteria, a second century Catholic saint.

In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the name Quetzalli means “quetzal feather.” A quetzal is a resplendent green bird native to Central America that figures prominently into the mythology and folklore of the region.

I like the off-beat quirkiness of this invented girl name of Queue. Pronounced just like the letter, it doesn’t mean anything in particular (though spelled this way, it’s another word for a line of people), but if you’re proudly nerdy, it could be a reference to the chaotic powerful being from Star Trek, who shares the same name.

The Mandarin name Qing is pronounced “ching.” The meaning can change depending on what characters are used to spell it in Mandarain, but it often means “aqua green” or “green grass.”

Another unique spin on Quinn that lends itself to several cute nicknames is Quinley. You could even play around with the spelling of this girl name that starts with Q.

This Spanish name of Quintana is sometimes a surname and means “country house.”

Qianquian is a sweet, uncommon Chinese name pronounced “chi-ehn-chin,” and means “diligent.”

I’m a big fan of Quora and its spin on “Cora,” a name that pops up in a number of different languages. In Greek it means “maiden,” and in Gaelic lanaguges it can mean “good,” “virtuous,” or “honest.”

Quitarah is a unique spelling of the similarly unique name “Kitara/Katara” which is itself of unknown origin (as far as I can tell). It’s also the name of a character in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Querida is a Spanish term of endearment meaning “dear” or “darling one.” (Be careful, though: while it has a cute meaning throughout much of the Spanish speaking world, in the Phillipines, when spelled different, it has a less wholesome meaning.)

This truly unique Q name of Quvenzhané was made famous by child actress Quvenzhané Wallis. The origin is unclear, and in Wallis’ case, her parents named her by combining the first syllables of her parents' first names in "Quven", and a twist on the Swahili word “jini” meaning “sprite” or “fairy.”

The name Queralt comes to us from Catalan — a unique language spoken in eastern Spain, parts of the south of France, and the micro-nation of Andorra — and is pronounced “ca-RAHL” (like Carol, but fancy), meaning “high rock.”

Quasheba is a unique Q name for girls that has its roots in America, specifically among enslaved people. It is thought to be a spin on the West African name “Kwasi” which means “born on a Sunday.”

The beautiful Vietnamese name Quynh may look difficult to pronounce if you don’t speak the language, but it’s quite simple — it’s the same as Quinn — and it means “deep red” and is the name of a flowering plant in the country.

An alternate spelling of “Khadijah,” this Arabic name of Qadeisha means “early baby” (perfect for a preemie!) and also “trustworthy.” In the Koran, Khadijah is the first wife of Mohammed.