An upper-crusty-sounding name with humble origins, Bancroft is a surname and a place name that may appeal to those who like Banks and Banner but prefer something rarer (or who've found Bancroft in their family tree!)

Blær is a rare Icelandic name meaning "light gust or breeze" that made headlines due to one family's battle to be allowed to use it for their daughter. Iceland has strict name laws and it is not permitted to use a traditionally male name for a girl. The name was finally allowed when she was 15 years old. Blær is also a (female) character in a novel by the famous Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness.

Has diverse links to a Groucho Marx character, a bouncing ball, and late performance artist Spalding Gray.

A form of Ardath (and Ardith), a Biblical place name that appears in some versions of the Old Testament. It sounds similar to the stylish Arden and vintage Edith, and has an appearing floral meaning.

Blær is a rare Icelandic name meaning "light gust or breeze" that made headlines due to one family's battle to be allowed to use it for their daughter. Iceland has strict name laws and it is not permitted to use a traditionally male name for a girl. The name was finally allowed when she was 15 years old. Blær is also a (female) character in a novel by the famous Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness.

Symbolic name given to girls born on TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.

Forbes is a business magazine in the U.S., long led by Malcolm Forbes, with a buttoned-down Brooks Brothers image. If you name your son Forbes, you're definitely implying a connection to the prominent and wealthy family -- which may be exactly what you're intending. But if you have a more down-to-earth image in mind, try Field.

Despite the presidential pedigree, it's still hard to shake the image of the cartoon cat (named after his creator Jim Davis's grandfather). However, there are other Garfields, such as Barbadian cricket player Sir Garfield Sobers, who carries it with gravitas.

Could work for a blended Japanese-Irish family.

This name may be related to the Latin Maximus, which means "the greatest," or to a British landowner's name, but for most modern parents, it's one of several ways to get to short form Max.

Japanese surname occasionally heard as a first.

One place-name that doesn't make the cut as a person name, associated with several commercial enterprises. We've seen it used by Chicago Cubs fans — Sheffield is the name of a major street bordering Wrigley Field.

Braxley is an invented name — a combination of two hot syllables — and therefore has no official meaning. It could, however, be interpreted to mean "Brock's field" from each of its elements.

For the parent who genuinely wants something different, this nature choice is popular in Spain. Downside: connection to words irate and irritation.

Niria is the female equivalent of Nir and may also be found as Nira. This simple, pleasant name has an earthy meaning.