Names That Mean War

Wyatt has been hot, which is to say cool, for several years now. With its easy Wyatt Earpish cowboy charm, it's relaxed but still highly respectable.

Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image.

Cillian is one of the native Irish names that, along with Aiden and Declan, is becoming an unlikely favorite in contemporary America. The Killian spelling has been more popular in the US, but Cillian's star is rising, perhaps thanks to Irish actor Cillian Murphy, star of Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders.

Edie is part of the Evie-Ellie et al family of cute and friendly short forms that sometimes stand on its own. Briefly popular in the 1960s, it could well be due for rediscovery. It's already a fashionable choice in the UK, where it has ranked just outside the Top 100 for several years.

Killian – aka Cillian – is a spirited yet resonant Gaelic name that was borne by several Irish saints and could make a distinctive replacement for the dated Kelly. Kylian is another spelling that's gaining traction, thanks to French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. Possible downsides: an unsavory first syllable and a connection to the trendy brew.

The Kylian spelling of this popular Irish name was introduced to the lexicon by French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. Kylian entered the US Top 1000 a few years ago and is trending upwards.

Though to most Americans Viggo is a one-person name attached to intense actor Mortensen, it is actually an old Norse name dating back to the Vikings, and is currently the 32nd most popular appellation in Sweden. Viggo Mortensen is a Jr., sharing his name with his Danish father.

Once the quintessential bouncy teenager name, Kelly helped launch the trend of unisex Irish names . But it now takes a backseat to more substantial surname names like Kennedy.

A predominantly male name in the US until the late 1950s, the name continued to rise for both sexes for both sexes for a further decade, before starting to decline for boys. Despite dropping out of the boys' Top 1000 in 2002, Kelly retains a rugged Irish charm.

The name of one of the antagonists in the 1998 Lion King sequel Simba's Pride. The character was originally named Shetani, which means "devil" in Swahili, but this name was later combined with Swahili vita "war" to create the portmanteau name Vitani.

Destry rides again, this time as a Western flavored baby name. Derived from the French surname Destrier, from an Anglo-Norman word meaning "warhorse", this rugged name was popularized by the 1930 novel Destry Rides Again by Max Brand, subsequently adapted for the big screen.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher named their daughter Wyatt in 2014, making it a viable option for girls. It hasn’t gained widespread traction though — at most it has been given to 107 baby girls in a single year.

Marcy is about as hip as bobby sox and saddle shoes – which is to say, it's probably due a revival in the not-too-distant future! It was a typical Peanuts character name, which peaked in the seventies, but is starting to attract attention again across the pond, where soundalikes like Macy, Marnie, Maisy, Darcy and Lacey are already popular.

This Olde World name with a large measure of European style makes an offbeat possibility for the bold baby namer in search of interesting Italian names for girls. Currently very popular in its native Italy, Ludovica is an unusual path to all the great Lu nicknames, like Lulu and Lula.

This German spelling of the classic Irish Cillian is heard throughout Europe — it's a popular choice in France as well.

An ancient German saint's name – and most famously the name of Harry Potter's snowy owl – but the combination of "head" plus "wig" feels a little too literal in English.

An attractive and little-known member of the group of romantic, Euro-chic boys' names ending in -ian: think Julian, Fabian, Florian, Adrian.

Yes, another Irish surname, turned boys' name, turned unisex name. But we think this one has a bit more going for it than Logan or Mason, given its similarity in sound to very traditional feminine names Gillian and Lillian.

This strong Norwegian name war goddess name, commonly heard in both midcentury Norway and Iceland, has never ventured far beyond its native culture.

Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat highlighted this sophisticated, chignon-wearing choice for literate parents.