Cool Colours

More unusual than Fiona and more user-friendly than Fionnuala, the engaging Scottish Fenella, has been scarcely heard in this country.

A fragrant herbal and color name that could make a sensitive, distinctive choice.

Euphonic hybrid of the sounds of Melissa and Laura. Melora Hardin is an actress who was featured on The Office.

As a name, Topaz is a quietly used option, with a distinctive ending and a sleek but sassy feel. As a golden gemstone, it is said to have energizing properties and bring good luck to those who wear it. It is also the the birthstone for November, making it an ideal choice for a spirited November baby.

Mauve is an offbeat color name whose soft and sentimental Victorian spirit is conveyed by the name. One of the newer color names like Blue, Gray and Plum that are increasingly being used as novel middle names, Mauve has the added benefit of being similar to stylish Maeve and classic Maude.

Even among the range of blue names on the current baby naming palette -- Blue itself, Azure, Cerulean, Teal, Aqua, Cyan, Indigo -- Cobalt remains the most unusual, not to mention the most masculine.

Ivory was last popular a hundred years ago. In 2013, it finally began to regain some momentum in the female rankings, reentering the Top 1000, while 2024 saw it jump up the charts again by over 100 places, making it a To 500 name.

Blane is the attractive surname name of an important seventh-century Scottish saint, but is in danger of sounding slightly feminine and soap opera-ish.

Energetic choice that bounces off the tongue.

One of those names you may not even be aware of if you haven't been paying attention to recent naming trends, Alani was given to more than 700 baby girls in the US in one recent year, to be the second most popular feminization of Alan after Alana. It's certainly the most modern-sounding female version of Alan.

Like Cerulean, one of the new and unusual color names -- it's a soft grayish green -- suitable for a boy.

Crimson could be a possible competitor for Scarlett's success, though it's lacking that Johansson charm.

Damek, which you might think of as Adam with a Slavic accent, considerably freshens up the original.

Intriguing derivation, though people will assume it's a simplified form of Maura.

Possibility for a dark-haired babe.

Popular name in Israel, worth considering for a dark-haired daughter with a bit of a bohemian cast.

Popular in India and among Indo-Americans, this name of the hero of a famous Hindu epic has an extremely pleasing sound.

In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Caliban is the name of the deformed son of a witch: not the greatest literary reference for a child. But Caliban does have an appealing international-yet-accessible feel and a rhythmic sound. As long as nobody knows its origin, it might make a great name for a boy or even a girl.

One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, for both boys and girls, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl. But interestingly, Garnet means pomegranate, the fruit who shares a deep red color with the jewel.

This ancient saint's name was borne by the infamous midcentury playboy, Porfirio Rubirosa.