If not for Motown founder Berry Gordy, this name would now be totally in the girl group.

An ubercool and mysterious name, brought to you by director M. Night Shyamalan.

A dramatic nature-inspired possibility for either sex.

Mysterious.

This familiar Irish surname, best known as the name of the mononamed Welsh female singer, is extremely rare as a first name in the US but could make an original Irish choice.

This sophisticated French name was used last year in the US for about ten baby boys and twice as many girls. We can see it having a much bigger future.

An androgynous alternative to Hazel, Hayes, and Hayden, Hazen is predominantly used for boys at the moment, though it has been given to a handful of girls since the 2000s.

A dark, mystical choice, most often used for black cats, Midnight is a relatively new addition to the baby pool. It was used as a middle name by Nicole Richie and Joel Madden for their son in 2009, and then by social media star, Jasmine Chiswell in 2022 for her son's first name.

It has a variety of associations from Smokey Robinson to Smokey the bear, but Smokey still feels a bit comical for a baby.

Kerry is the name of one of the most beautiful and lush counties of Ireland was a seventies favorite. Related, updated versions might include Cerys and Keira.

Lace is a delicate feminine name derived from the English word for the ornate fabric made from intricately looped threads. As a given name, it emerged primarily in the late 20th century when word names and short, distinctive choices gained popularity. Lacey is more popular and more usable in everyday life: Lace has a pseudonym vibe, in the vein of Satin and Velvet.

Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is a hilarious Australian actress who puts a female spin on this contemporary badass baby name. Still, we think this name is truly gender neutral – though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest girls' names starting with the letter R.

Veruca is a name Roald Dahl made up for the horrid little girl Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A modern rock band adopted the name, though few parents familiar with the original namesake and meaning would choose to pass it on to an innocent child. Verruca is another spelling, but don't use that one either.

Despite the light, pretty sound of Bella for a girl, the boys' name Bela has dark and mysterious undertones, thanks to Dracula actor Bela Lugosi. Béla is also the first name of composer Bartók.

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorn? Add an E to give it a surnamey spin.

With Bear and Fox becoming hot baby names, why not Panda? Why not indeed. Both the name and its animal namesake are adorable. And Pan is a nickname right in line with the mythological name trend. The word panda comes from the Nepali word ponya, meaning "bamboo eater" for the panda's favorite food.

Stormi is like Sunni, with angst. If naming your child Storm or Stormy is asking for trouble, naming her Stormi -- as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott did -- is asking for trouble of several different kinds. But we're sure she'll be adorable and as celebrity baby names go, this one is nearly normal.

A much fresher Ty name than Tyler or Tyson.

Shyam is one of the alternate names of Hindu God Krishna.