When it comes to choosing a baby name, there are as many sources of inspiration as there as there are stars in the sky. We have seen ideas coming from all over, from the most classic choice — choosing among family names — all the way to baby names inspired by emojis. (Yup, really, check it out — a lot of them are cuter than someone might think!). So it should come as no surprise that we think superheroes are a completely legitimate source of inspiration for a baby girl's name. And while we wouldn't name a kid Wonder Woman — that just seems like it would be cruel for playground purposes (and a career later) — we can definitely name a baby Diana, right? What's more inspiring than these female characters who have the strength of their moral convictions — and often physical strength that can outmatch any man?
These superheroes can act as a guiding star for a young girl growing up, who knows she's been named not just after someone her mom thinks is super cool, but a character who personifies qualities we can all admire. At the least, it's a good jumping-off point for ideating some more baby name ideas and finding something we think balances beauty and meaning. For more inspiration, check out some old-fashioned nicknames for girls that make charming first names. For anyone struggling to think what these might be, think of something like "Betty," which is an old-fashioned nickname for Elizabeth — all of these are great, and chances are high there won't be another one in the classroom. For other baby names that aren't popular here but are beautiful (and worldly) consider baby girl names trending internationally but not in the US. And while we love being inspired by comic books, we're super into literary fiction, too — check out baby girl names inspired by books.
DIANA
Although she uses the alias Diana Price, Princess Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta, is Wonder Woman's real name. She's one of the most popular female superheroes out there, and with good reason — she's an amazing fighter, feminist, and strategist. Diana has a timeless quality to it, too.
MUNROE
Ororo Munroe, known as Storm, is a descendant of Kenyan priestesses, a queen, and an incredible leader. Her powers of lightning are amazing, and she's perhaps the best of all the X-Men, given how she earned her position of leadership.
CAROL
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, isn't just a superhero, she's a super smart, hard worker, too. A great role model for any little girl, she's an intelligence agent, Air Force pilot, and NASA employee, in addition to fighting with superhuman strength.
NAKIA
In Black Panther, Nakia is a member of the War Dogs and an incredible undercover operative. She is an amazing martial artist, marksman, expert spy, and polyglot. When she feels she has a moral obligation to do something, she does it, even if the consequences may be difficult for her personally.
NATASHA
Natasha Romanoff is more often known as Black Widow. Originally born in the Soviet Union as Natalia Romanova, this young orphan became an assassin in the Soviet army, where she was dosed with a form of Super-Soldier serum. Eventually, she joined the forces of good, and became an Avenger.
LAURA
Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, is Wolverine’s clone, and occasionally calls herself Wolverine herself. She has similar abilities to his, with her ability to heal herself and her adamantium claws. We loved her in X-Men: Evolution, but even more in Logan.
SHURI
Shuri is the Princess of Wakanda in Black Panther, and is known primarily for her remarkable intelligence, her abilities as an engineer and weapons developer, and scientist. She is a seriously cool role model for any young woman.
HOPE
Hope van Dyne is a version of the original character Hope Pym. While the first Hope was a supervillain known as the Red Queen, Hope van Dyne appears as the The Wasp in the Ant-Man movies. She's a cool businesswoman and a smart and insightful character.
KAMALA
Although she doesn't have a movie yet, Kamala Khan is an awesome superhero from the Marvel Comics universe. She's a teenage Pakistani-American living in New Jersey who takes on the Ms. Marvel mantle when Carol Danvers becomes Captain Marvel. Her power is body morphing, she's the first Muslim superhero, and we think she's a cool, young superhero role model for a kid to look up to.
JEAN
In the end, Jean Grey is perhaps the most powerful of the X-Men. Her superhuman abilities include telepathic and telekinetic powers, but she is also an adventurer and teacher. She is among the most complex characters on the X-Men team.
AMERICA
America Chavez, known by her superhero name Miss America, right now only exists in the Marvel comic books, but we're hoping to see her in films soon. She has superhuman strength, the power of flight, and can kick open holes in reality, allowing her to travel to other multiverses and realities. A young Latin American superhero, we hope to see more of her in the future.
KATHERINE
Katherine Kane, known more often as Kate, is the real name of the superhero Batwoman. The highest-profile lesbian superhero, Kate is a genius, skilled detective, and martial artist — a great role model for any young girl.
ELEKTRA
We'll admit she's more morally ambiguous than many of the other characters on this list, but Elektra Natchios first appeared in the Daredevil comics. She is a master martial artist with low-level mind control abilities. Her character is somewhat different in the Daredevil movie, but she's still a brave martial artist — and a good role model.
DAISY
Arguably the protagonist of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daisy Johnson — also known by her superhero name Quake — is an interesting character. Aside from being a skilled fighter, her special ability is to generate powerful waves of vibrations, which resemble earthquakes.
SCARLET
Scarlet Witch, also known as Wanda Maximoff, was originally a villain who defected and joined the forces of good. She is able to manipulate probability, causing her foes mishaps, and can also teleport. Her character has evolved considerably from a more sexist view to a more feminist role in recent tellings.
ZEN
Portrayed by Zoe Saldana in the Marvel movies, Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan is an alien known as a Zen-Whoberis, and is an incredibly brave character. She has superhuman strength and speed, and she is willing to make huge sacrifices for the greater good.
EMMA
Emma Grace Frost, also known as the White Queen, is a mutant from the X-Men stories. Originally a villain, she eventually joins the forces of good. She is a telepath and can transform her body into an organic diamond, which gives her superhuman strength.
KITTY
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a mutant in the X-Men who is capable of passing through solid materials. Originally filling a kid sister type role, but she's given room to grow into leadership roles of her own. She's a great role model for a young girl — and we love the name Kitty.
BARBARA
Barbara Gordon is the alter-ego of both Bat Girl from the Batman series, and Oracle from Suicide Squad. In her later incarnations, she's a tech expert and computer genius, as well as a remarkable martial artist and hacker. She's a totally cool STEM-focused heroine for young girls.
SONJA
Red Sonja is a Viking warrior queen from an excellent — and very old — DC comics series that's still around today. She's portrayed as a brash loudmouth who is an expert with a sword, which is pretty excellent, in our book.
