This colorful Sanskrit name belongs to the Hindu god Aruna, the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. Aruna can also be masculinized to Arun.

It can also be a female name in Japanese.

Aruna

Arvilla

Azuba is a form of Azubah, the Old Testament wife of Caleb.  The name was used among early African-Americans.

Azuba

Abiff

Alanson

Almiron

Araminda

Arlamae

Occasionally used as an alternative to Brandon or Brennan. 

Brannon

Bazzel

Carmeline

Chevalier

Crail

Culbert

Dapper-sounding choice with old American roots (Dabney Cosby was a 19th century Virginian architect who worked with Thomas Jefferson on some of that state's most iconic buildings). Dabney Montgomery was Martin Luther King Jr's bodyguard, giving this name yet more American history depth. Dab is a sweet nickname option for this name.

Dabney

A case in which the son is now more attractive than the father. There have been Colonial settlers surnamed Dennison on this side of the Atlantic since 1623. 


Dennison

Diantha, a mythological flower of the supreme Greek god Zeus, is a melodious and more unusual cousin of Diana, heard most often in The Netherlands. 
 Some similar choices: Diandra and Dianthe.

Diantha

Delivia

An Early American name undoubtedly related to the Greek mythological name Electra, the version we prefer.

Electa

Elzira

The Biblical Erastus was an assistant of Paul's in the New Testament.  A name used in the 19th century that has fall off the scope, but may be revived as parents dig deeper for undiscovered Biblical choices.

Erastus

Elnathan

Elphias

Elveritte

Elwell

Epaphrus

Ermil

Gowan

Greenberry

Gret

Grid

This is a streamlined spelling of the biblical Hephzibah. Hephzibah is an Old Testament name that came into use in the 17th century, but is not often used today. It does have less formal nicknames Eppie and Hepsie, which seem revivable. Hephzibah "Eppie" Cass/Marner is the heroine of George Eliot's novel Silas Marner and Hepzibah Smith is a witch in the Harry Potter series.

Hepzibah

Hammiel

Henslee

Issachar

This biblical name of the mother of King Jotham of Judah has an appealing soft Russian accent.

Jerusha

Jerijah

This lively Old Testament nature name (belonging to one of the three beautiful daughters of Job) may be missing from the current US Top 1000 list, but it ranks highly here on Nameberry — making it one to watch!

 Also spelled Kezia, the name has multiple legitimate pronunciations — from "KEE-szhah" to "KEZ-ee-ah" to "keh-ZYE-ah" — and comes complete with the sweet and sparky nickname Kizzy. A related name is the lovely cinnamon-scented Cassia, which beginning to be discovered by lovers of the fashionable Cas- clan.

Keziah

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name. 

Larkin

Lilburn

Luvena

Levant

Linford

Lourine

Luman

Medora is a Greek name much less common here than, say, Melanie or Melissa.  It has some literary references, including as the beautiful and passionate heroine of Lord Byron's poem The Corsair, and in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, there is a character named Marchioness Melora Manson.

Medora

Malden

Mandilla

Montrose

Old Testament name of a king of Israel, related to the harvest.

Omri

One of those names with a wide array of meanings across different cultures; it's the Lithuanian form of Anna, for instance, and William Blake used it as the name of one of his mysterious, godlike characters. But it's found major popularity in Spain, where it's just outside the Top 50. It makes the Top 10 in Catalonia, being both a diminutive of Mariona and the word for "wave".

Odona

Orlow

Pamelia

Permelia

Philena

Pliny

Pulliam

Provocative word name that may strike the right chord for an adventurous baby namer.

Reason

Ruhamah

Sethelius

Sigwell

Sulveanus

Ursal

Upper-class surname in England that might be prime for adoption here. 

Vere

Verlaine

Vienette

An Old Testament name with a Puritan feel and post-Zachary possibilities--one of several routes to the cool nickname Zeb.
 Pike's Peak was named for Zebulon Pike, the best known bearer of the name.
 In the Bible, Zebulon--or Zebulun-- was the son of Jacob and Leah, the ancestor of the tribe of Israel which bore his name and settled around Nazareth. The Zebulunites mustered the single largest army to fight for David's installation as king. 
 Zebulon is the name of a song by Rufus Wainwright, and Margaret Atwood used it for a character in her MaddAddam trilogy. It was also the name of the grandpa on The Waltons.

Zebulon

Though the etymology of this name is unclear, it had modest usage in the United States during the nineteenth century. Zerelda has a double connection to outlaw Jesse James: Zerelda James was his mother, and Zerelda Mimms was his wife and first cousin. Zerelda G. Wallace was a temperance activist and a women's suffragist during the same era. All three of these Zereldas were born in Kentucky.
 With the rising popularity of Zelda—it reentered the US Top 1000 at Number 647 in 2015 after nearly fifty years off the list—Zerelda could attract some attention as a longer form.

Zerelda

emilyfontes's list "Unusual Names from My Family Tree" of 69 great name ideas: Aruna - Zerelda!

Unusual Names from My Family Tree

I'm the family genealogist and in documenting over 3500 people for my family tree I've run across some very unusual and interesting names. These are all first or middle names.