Nature, Place and Word Names · Cool Baby Names
Coolest Baby Names That Aren't Really Names
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About this list
The coolest baby names sometimes aren't names at all, as the mostly unisex names on this list attest. Words as names are a relatively recent yet very hot trend, with Navy, Seven, and Legacy among the fastest-rising baby names of the moment.
Along with Navy and Seven, other baby names that aren't really names in the US Top 1000 include Blessing, Creed, Crew, Dash, Forest, Halo, Journey, and Winter. The Kardashians are especially talented at turning words into hit baby names — Dream, Reign, Saint, and True made incredible leaps in popularity after being endorsed by the famous family.
There are an uncountable number of words turned cool baby names, beyond the scope of any one source. The only limits are your reference books, your imagination, and your taste.
Here are some of the coolest and most evocative of the group.
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The names
Juniper
Latin tree name
"young"
Juniper is a fresh-feeling nature name -- it's a small evergreen shrub -- with lots of energy. A new favorite of fashionable parents, Juniper joins such other tree and shrub names as Hazel, Acacia,…
Haven
Word name, English
"a place of safety"
Haven is a recently invented safe-harbor name that appeals to an increasing number of parents who don't want to voyage quite as far as Heaven. Haven Kimmel is the author of the bestselling memoir A…
Legend
English
"hero or fable"
Legend joins cousins Story, Saga and Fable in the baby name pantheon of narrative words. Unlike Story and Fable, however, Legend comes with additional weight, being used for fame ("living legend")…
Wren
English
"small bird"
Wren, a lilting songbird name, could be the next Robin. Wren entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2012 and is among the new wave of popular English names for girls . Wren makes a particularly…
Crew
English word name
"a band or force of armed men"
Crew is yet another word name that was added to the baby name lexicon when this one was chosen by The Young and the Restless star Joshua Morrow for his son. It debuted on the Top 1000 in 2010. We've…
Saint
English word name
"saint"
Saint as a descriptive word name was first chosen by rocker Pete Wentz for his younger son (baby brother is Bronx), and now Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have catapulted the name into the celebrity…
Navy
English, word name
"fleet of ships; sea-based branch of the armed forces; dark blue"
When R & B singer Nivea made this highly original choice for her daughter's name back in 2005, she claimed to have thought of it in terms of the color and not the seagoing armed service. As a word…
Onyx
Word name
"gem stone; claw, nail"
Unlike Pearl and Ruby and more like Jasper, this gem name works well as a boys name. With its strong final X, it feels similar to Alex, Phoenix, Jax, and Rex, while the shiny black quality of the…
Journey
English word name
"passage from one place to another"
One of the new word names, appealing to parents attracted to the idea of a spiritual -- or even an actual -- voyage. The Journee spelling is also being used. Unisex alert: Jenna Jameson used Journey…
Winter
Word name
Fresher, brisker and, yes, cooler than Summer or Autumn or Spring, Winter is now a full-fledged female choice, especially since Nicole Richie and Joel Madden used it for daughter Harlow's middle…
Dream
Word name, English from German
"cherished ambition or hope; thoughts and images experienced during sleep; ideal"
A whimsical and serene feeling word name, bestowed to reflect the joy and perfection parents might find in their children and the ambitions they have for them. Once a fantastical and celebrity-only…
Reign
English word name
"rule"
Reign is one of a new, ahem, kingdom of word names that suggest a high-born child, joining Royal, Lorde, Titan, Saint, King, Princess, and Noble. We predicted this kind of defining name to be the…
Ridge
English word name
"an elevated body part or structure"
Ridge may be the quintessential daytime drama name, but it's still better than most. This is one word name rising rapidly through the ranks, reentering the US Top 1000 in 2015 for the first time…
Halo
English, word name
Halo is a glowing word name that's both cosmic and spiritual, and with its shiny imagery and bright sounds, it was one of the fasted rising names in 2023. The word "halo" has been used in English…
Legacy
Word name
Legacy is proof that any attractive-sounding word can be turned into a name, and this one has the added attractions of an inspirational meaning and a cool creative namesake -- hot young artist Legacy…
Creed
English word name
"I believe; statement of belief"
Cool, solid, and often spiritual, Creed derives from the Latin word credo meaning "I believe". It appeared sporadically in the US Top 1000 back in the late 19th century, but remained only quietly…
Emerald
Gem name; Persian
"green"
Emerald is the intriguing color and jewel name of the deep green stone treasured as far back as ancient Egypt — it's supposed to open one's heart to wisdom and to love and be good for strengthening…
Forest
French occupational name
"woodsman or woods"
The Forest variation of Forrest, used by actor Whitaker, nudges the meaning more toward the woods and away from the woodsman.
Echo
Greek mythology name
"echo or sound"
Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…
Easter
English, from German
Easter has been used as a name for several hundred years, as part of the day-naming tradition; now, this rarely heard holiday celebration name would make a novel choice for a springtime baby.…
