Baby girl names beginning with P – with origins and meanings
On the search for baby name ideas for a girl that start with the 16th letter of the alphabet? We’ve got some perfect suggestions, along with their origin and meaning
Let us help you with your newborn baby name list. Read our list of popular girl names beginning with P to find out their origin and meaning and see whether Paige, Perdita or Poonam will make your shortlist. For more inspiration also discover our one-syllable names for girls, with their origin and meaning.
1. Padma
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: lotus flower
- Also: Padmal, Padmini, Padmavati
2. Paige
- Origin: English
- Meaning: page to a lord; a surname used as a first name
- Also: Page
3. Paisley
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: church; the name of a town in Scotland
- Also: Paislee, Payzlee, Paizley
4. Pallas
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: goddess
5. Palma
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: palm of the hand
6. Paloma
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: dove
7. Pamela
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: honey
- Also: Pam
8. Pandora
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: clever; a name from Greek mythology
9. Panphila
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: love
10. Pansy
- Origin: French
- Meaning: The name of the flower (which is a symbol of remembrance)
11. Paris
- Origin: French
- Meaning: The capital city of France
12. Parker
- Origin: English
- Meaning: park keeper; also used as a boy’s name
13. Parvati
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: from the mountain
14. Pascale
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Easter
15. Patience
- Origin: English
- Meaning: a word for the virtue used as a first name
16. Patricia
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: high-born the feminine form of Patrick
- Also: Pat, Patsy, Patti, Pattie, Patty, Tricia
17. Paula
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: small; the English form of Paola; the feminine form of Paul
- Also: Paulina, Pauline, Paulette, Paola (Italian form), Polly
18. Payal
- Origin: Hindi
- Meaning: ankle decoration
19. Payton
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: fighting man’s estate
- Also: Peyton
20. Pearl
- Origin: Middle English
- Meaning: the jewel found inside an oyster
21. Peggie
- Origin: Greek/Latin
- Meaning: short form of Margaret
- Also: Peg, Peggy
22. Peke
- Origin: old German
- Meaning: shining and glorious
23. Penelope
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: she who weaves; Penelope was the wife of Odysseus
- Also: Pen, Penny
24. Peony
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: healing; the name of a plant used as a first name
25. Perdita
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: lost; a name created by Shakespeare for A Winter’s Tale
26. Persephone
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Persephone was the goddess of spring
27. Persis
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: a woman from Persia
28. Petra
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: rock; the feminine form of Peter
- Also: Petrina and Peta
29. Petronella
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: derived from a Roman family name
- Also: Petronilla
30. Petula
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: a seeker
31. Petunia
- Origin: English/Scottish
- Meaning: the name of a trumpet-shaped flower
32. Phemie
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: the good little omen
- Also: Euphemia
33. Philberta
- Origin: Greek/Middle English
- Meaning: glowing with love
34. Philippa
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Lover of horses: the feminine form of Philip
- Also: Philipa, Phillippa, Pippa
35. Philomena
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: well-loved
36. Phoebe
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: the moon
- Also: Phebe
37. Phoenix
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: dark red or purple; the name of a mythical bird
- Also: Phoenyx
38. Phyllis
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: leafy
- Also: Phyllida
39. Pia
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: pious
40. Piper
- Origin: English, Romanian
- Meaning: flute or pipe player
41. Pixie
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: fairy
42. Poko
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: poetry
43. Polly
- Origin: Latin/Hebrew
- Meaning: the short form of Paula (see above) or an alternate form of Molly, derived from Mary
44. Pollyanna
- Origin: English
- Meaning: one who sees the bright side of every situation; a combination of Polly and Anna
45. Pooja
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: worship
- Also: Puja
46. Poojita
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: one who is worshipped
- Also: Pujita
47. Poonam
- Origin: Sanskrit
- Meaning: full moon
- Also: Punam
48. Poppy
- Origin: Latin/Old English
- Meaning: the name of a red flower
49. Portia
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: doorway; Roman family name and name of Shakespearean heroine in The Merchant of Venice
50. Presley
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: priest’s meadow; also used as a boy’s name
51. Primrose
- Origin: Welsh/English
- Meaning: first rose; the name of a spring flower
- Also: Prim
52. Priscilla
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: former
- Also: Cilla, Pris, Prissy
53. Priyal
- Origin: Hindi
- Meaning: well-loved
- Also: Priyam, Priyanka, Priyasha.
54. Prudence
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: good judgement, wisdom
- Also: Prue, Pru, Prudie
55. Prunella
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: little plum
56. Punita
- Origin: Hindi
- Meaning: pure
About our author Catherine Ball
Catherine Ball is a freelance journalist who specialises in writing about parenting and health. She has been a journalist for 20 years, writing for a wide range of regional and national publications. She is also mum to 4 children between the ages 3 and 12, so has drawn up many, many lists of baby names over the past few years.
Illustration: Emma Winchester
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