Birthday Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 17 pages
of 17
Fruit name
British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The…
English
"a bunch of flowers"
A sweet, nostalgic nosegay kind of name, Posy has been long fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is still rarely heard in the US, though it could be…
Scottish surname and place name
This Scottish surname and Scottish and Australian place name has a pleasant airy and breezy sound to it. Camden mayor Lara Symkowiak chose the name for her daughter born in 2016.
Estonian
May derive from Estonian "sirel", meaning "lilac flower".
French, English
"to stay a while"
African-American and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth was born as Isabelle into enslavement. She adopted her new name when she began traveling and preaching abolition in 1843. Sojourner is a…
Celtic
"gem of the sea"
Ula is among the unusual U names that may have a range of origins and meanings, from the Celtic one given here to its possibilities as a short form of Eulalia or Ursula. Ulla is a Scandinavian name…
Latin
Cirrus is a type of cloud formation characterized by thin, wispy strands (from the Latin cirrus "tendril; ringlet"). British cloudspotter Gavin Pretor-Pinney gave his eldest daughter the middle name…
Occupational name
One of the less obvious newly plausible occupational names, could instill a sense of adventure in a child.
"little wave"
Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.
"sacred foliage"
This name of a showy, lemony plant makes an unusual entry into the name garden.
Australian Aboriginal
"wave, surf"
Is there anything more Australian than the beach and surfing? Tarni is the Kaurna word for wave/surf, and is sometimes used as a girls name in Australia. Other spellings that are sometimes seen…
French
"alive, lively"
Transferred from the surname Vianney, in reference to French saint Jean-Marie Vianney, this name is a diminutive form of Vivian and Vivien, sharing the same spirited meaning. Associated with the…
Hebrew
"rose"
Related to the Arabic Warda, Vered is a strong sounding nature name with a sweet floral meaing.
English nature name
"tea rose"
A Hybrid Tea Rose is a popular garden rose, developed to produce a single flower per stem. Tearose is a rare but whimsical compound that could perhaps be used as a middle for the daughter of a…
English from French
"traveler"
Hebrew, French
"guide"
Solal is a trendy choice in France, where it's primarily a literary name. It featured in an eponymous novel by Albert Cohen published in 1930, as well as two sequels. Another famous French bearer is…
Welsh
"sun born"
Said to be the name of the most learned man in ancient Wales, in this country it would be open to mispronunciation, making it rhyme with Julien.
Nature and flower name
Wildflower may be the ultimate hippie name, added to the lexicon by Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden when they chose it as one of their daughter's middle names. It's generic in the way that Flora and…
English from German
"one who roams"
Irish from Old Norse
"a summer sailor"
Sorley is an anglicization of the Irish name Somhairle, itself derived from the Old Norse Sumarliði , a nickname for a summer traveler (perhaps meaning a viking raider!). It is sometimes used as a…
