Futuristic Names

As a boys' name, Angel has two distinct name personalities. One is as a perennial favorite Hispanic boys’ name, popular in the US along with Spain, Mexico, and South America.

An ancient Roman name that has never made it into the modern world.

With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, if high-pressure, option.

The smooth, attractive Ariana is on the rise along with the fame of pop princess Ariana Grande. Also famous is twin spelling Arianna, which is associated with Greek-born online presence Arianna Huffington. Both Ariana and Arianna are widely used names and are equally acceptable spellings.

The given name Athena was derived from the city name Athens, which is of uncertain origins. In Greek mythology, Athena is the name of the daughter of Zeus who was the goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicrafts, mathematics, and courage, among others. She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. In the Odyssey, Homer describes her as 'sparkling-eyed Athena.'

High-kicking cohort of Coco, Gigi, Fifi, Kiki, et al.

The lead character of the Captain America movies, played by Chris Evans, is occasionally called Cap, short for "captain," but even he has a real name. (Steve Rogers, ICYC)

This name of a touristed island in sight of Los Angeles makes an attractive and newly stylish variation on the classic Catherine or overused Caitlin.

Cecelia, with this spelling, got some recent attention as the name of Jim and Pam's baby on The Office -- and also the name of actress Jenna Fischer's newborn niece. A spelling variation of Cecilia that has a gently old-fashioned feel and several appealing short forms, including Celia, Celie, and, as on the TV show, Cece. Three times as many babies are given the Cecilia spelling as get the Cecelia one, though if you plan on calling your daughter Cece or Celia, Cecelia may feel like the more logical spelling.

Cressida is a pretty mythological and Shakespearean heroine name much better known in Britain than it is here — an imbalance the adventurous baby namer might want to correct.

Cyrus is one of those surprising names that have always ranked among the Top 1000 boy names in the US. On an upward trend since the mid-90s, Cyrus now sits in that comfortable place between too popular and too unusual.

Darius is a historic name via Emperor Darius the Great, a key figure in ancient Persian history, and several other Persian kings. His name today has an appealingly artistic image, which might well be found on a concert program or gallery announcement.

Actress Daryl Hannah made this a girls' name in theory, though in the most recent year counted, about 75 baby boys in the US were named Daryl...and zero baby girls.

Again, the trendy -ee ending.

Old-fangled nickname could make dot.com era short form or middle name.