Girl Names Starting With P, Popular and Rare Picks
P is a strong starting letter for girls’ names, carrying everything from long-running classics to Greek mythological figures. Below is a curated set split into names that are currently common and names that are still genuinely rare, each with a sourced meaning rather than a guess.
Currently popular P names for girls
These sit in or near the national top 200 in the US as of recent naming data.
- Penelope (Greek, meaning weaver, tied to the faithful wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey)
- Paisley (Scottish, originally a place name later associated with the teardrop textile pattern)
- Piper (English, an occupational surname for a pipe player)
- Peyton (English, originally a surname meaning “Paega’s estate”)
- Phoebe (Greek, meaning bright or radiant)
- Paige (English, an occupational surname meaning a young servant or attendant)
- Paloma (Spanish, meaning dove)
- Priscilla (Latin, meaning ancient or venerable)
- Presley (English, originally a surname meaning “priest’s meadow”)
- Paris (Greek, tied to the mythological prince of Troy, and separately the name of the French capital)
Rare and less common P names
These carry real linguistic roots but sit well outside the current top lists.
- Perpetua (Latin, meaning perpetual, the name of an early Christian martyr)
- Petra (Greek, meaning rock)
- Pandora (Greek, meaning “all-gifted,” the name of the first woman in Greek mythology)
- Portia (Latin, a Roman family name, notably used for a central character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice)
- Primrose (English, a flower name)
- Philippa (Greek, meaning “lover of horses,” the feminine form of Philip)
- Persephone (Greek, the name of the mythological goddess of spring)
- Pearl (English, a gemstone name)
Quick facts
| Most common origins for P girl names | Greek, Latin, English |
| Common meaning themes | brightness, nature, mythology |
| Popular length | most sit at 2 to 3 syllables |
| Common nickname pattern | shortened to Penny, Percy, Pip |
How to pick between two P names
If you are down to two finalists, say both full names, first and middle and last, out loud in a normal speaking pace. Names that look equally good on paper often separate quickly once spoken. It also helps to check what nickname each name naturally shortens to, since that shortened version is often what actually gets used day to day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular girl’s name starting with P?
Penelope has been one of the most consistently popular P names for girls in recent US naming data.
Is Paris used as a girl’s name outside of the French capital?
Yes. Paris is used as a given name independent of the city, and in Greek mythology it was originally a masculine name belonging to a Trojan prince, though it is now used almost exclusively as a girl’s name in English-speaking countries.
What does the name Penelope mean?
Penelope is Greek, commonly read as meaning weaver, and comes from the faithful wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, who wove and unwove a burial shroud to delay suitors while waiting for her husband’s return.
Is Portia a real name or just a Shakespeare character?
Both. Portia was a genuine ancient Roman family name before Shakespeare used it for a central character in The Merchant of Venice, and it has been used as a given name since.