These Upscale & Elite ‘Rich Girl’ Names Are Giving High Society Vibes

Arden

Arden is derived from an English place name meaning “high” — and thanks to a cultural association with high-end beauty brand Elizabeth Arden, it has an upscale feel befitting of any rich girl!

Berkeley

Nothing says “affluent” like higher education, and the association with prestigious university UC Berkeley doesn’t hurt this name’s cause! Originally a surname meaning “birch clearing” (from the Old English elements beorc and leah), Berkeley makes a preppy-sounding first name — and comes with the adorable nickname option Berke.  

Daphne

Meaning “laurel” in Greek, Daphne was a mythological nymph who was turned into a laurel tree by her father in order to escape the pursuit of the god Apollo. The name has been a mainstay for decades, but has had a recent boost in popularity thanks to the hit series Bridgerton. 

Addison

The name Addison means, as you may be able to guess, “son of Addy” — but you may not know that Addy was the medieval diminutive of Adam, meaning “man!”

Avery

There’s just something about a surname used as a first that screams “rich girl name,” and Avery is just that. Funny, then, to think that it comes from the same root as the male names Albert and Alberich: the Old German elements alb and rih, meaning “elf king.”

Hollis

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!

Sutton

Sutton may have originated as a surname meaning “South town” … but now it’s more Upper East Side! We’re talking about Sutton Place in NYC, of course — famously the home of Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Kennedys. So it’s no wonder it makes a good rich girl name!

Saylor

The meaning of this name is as straightforward as it gets — “sailor,” of course — but we think swapping out the i for a y gives it a bit of class (and sass!).

Alexis

Meaning “helper” or “defender,” Alexis gives off a perfectly-posh vibe. Is it because of multimillionaire business mogul Alexis Ohanian? Perhaps fictional Schitt’s Creek socialite Alexis Rose? Whatever it is, we like it!

Teagan

With possibly the best meaning in this entire rich girl name roundup, we’ve got Teagan, which is of Welsh origin and means “darling.”

Finnley

From the Old Irish name Fionnlagh, meaning “white warrior” (how cool is that?!), Finnley — or Finlay, Finley, or Finleigh, however you want to spell it — has been gaining popularity as a female first name. We expect an uptick now, since celeb parents Kylie Kelce and Jason Kelce gave this name to their fourth daughter. 

Harlow

Another surname-turned-first-name, Harlow is comprised of the Old English elements hær, meaning “rock,” and hlaw, meaning “hill.” But the only rocks this Harlow calls to mind are diamonds, thanks to the help of the glamorous Old Hollywood movie star Jean Harlow.

Tierney

There’s no question this name is aristocratic — right down to its origins! It comes from the Irish name Tighearnach, which comes from the word tigerna — meaning “lord.”

Britton

Move over, Brittany — Britton is the hot new it-girl name! It’s an old surname that literally means either “a Briton” (someone from England) or “a Breton” (someone from the Brittany region of France). And Britt is the quintessential popular-girl nickname!

Parker

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what this occupational surname means: “keeper of the park.” It’s also a gender-neutral pick, but has an especially crisp and classic sound when used for a girl.

Ainsley

Ansley is an alternatively-spelled version of this pretty name, which comes from the Old English elements anne and leah, giving it the cool meaning “solitary woods.” 

Emery

It’s a unisex name, meaning “brave ruler,” but on a girl Emery sounds peppy, preppy, and upscale.

Brighton

The meaning of Brighton is unclear; it could be from the Old English elements beorht and tun, meaning “bright town.” Either way, we love the way it sounds like the word “brighten,” giving it a light and energetic feel.

Schuyler

This name is derived from a Dutch word meaning “scholar” — and though this is its traditional spelling (which we think looks more upscale), you could make it more pronunciation-friendly by spelling it the way it sounds: Skyler. 

Lauren

As meanings go, Lauren’s isn’t all that spectacular; it comes from a Roman name meaning “from Laurentum” (an ancient Italian city). But it has an upper-crust vibe thanks to associations with cultural icons like designer Ralph Lauren and Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall.

Peyton

Whether you spell it Peyton or Payton, this is another surname that makes a great gender-neutral first name.

Blair

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.

Sloane

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.

Vanessa

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”.

Hadley

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. 

Piper

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. 

Quinn

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”.)

Penelope

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.

Eleanor

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.

Greer

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.

Harper

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.

Leighton

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”.

Brooke

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.

Paisley

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!

Brynn

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.

Fallon

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.

Bianca

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.

Courtney

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.

Briony

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.)

Afton

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.

Darby

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.

Morgan

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.

Claire

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. 

Meredith

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!

Regan

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.

Tatum

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.

Whitney

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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