By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
English, diminutive of Philippa
"lover of horses"
Pippa, a peppy condensation of Philippa that turns it from serious to sprightly, has come into the public eye in a big way via the former Kate Middleton's sister. Pippa can and is given as a name in…
English, place name meaning "bright town"
"bright town"
Brighton has long been known as a holiday resort town on the south coast of England. A cheery unisex name, it was used for his daughter by Jon Favreau, but was a boy on the TV show The Nanny .
English, diminutive of Coburn or Jacob or Jacoby
Actor Coby Bell gives this short but sweet name a hefty amount of street cred. Can also be spelled Koby or Kobe, as in Kobe Bryant.
English
"little village near the bridge"
A distinguished sounding place and surname borne by religious leader Brigham Young, second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Word name
Divine seems more proper a name with the rise of Heaven and its turned-around twin Nevaeh. Though superlative names like Divine -- Unique, say, or Precious -- sometimes seems as if they're trying to…
"meadow of deer"
An attractive North Carolina unisex place name, Raleigh's soft sound is particularly appropriate for a girl.
"place on a cliff"
A less-used cross between Clifford and Clinton.
English from Latin, Sanskrit, "the pepper plant; berry"
"the pepper plant; berry"
With its bubbly sounds and stylish feel, Pepper joins a small but distinctive group of names inspired by the spice rack: Saffron, Juniper, Cassia, Sage, Ginger, and Rosemary. Enough like Pippa, Piper…
"son of the unspoiled forests"
Has that blunt masculine feel -- à la Cole and Kyle -- that many modern parents are drawn to.
"rock spring"
This would be an intriguing choice for an illustrator's child, thanks to Norman Rockwell and Rockwell Kent. But most babies called Rockwell today are named after Porter Rockwell, a companion of…
English occupational name
"cloth walker"
Walker is an outdoorsy, Old Western-style name that leapt into the US Top 100 for boys back in 2022. Now, like a number of occupational names before it (think Sawyer, Palmer, and Parker), Walker is…
"gentle strength"
Is it clunky cute, strong and vintage, or dreadful and mildewy? Like Gertrude and Bertha, Mildred is one that divides the crowds, but with popular nickname Mildred and renewed interest in Winifred,…
Yiddish variation of Asher or English surname from French
"blessed; doorkeeper"
Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad. The Yiddish variation of Usher is commonly used in the…
"pleasant, dreamlike state"
With strong sounds but a whimsical feel, Reverie is a word name associated with being in a dreamy, ethereal state, of being lost in a daydream, or coming up with a pleasant fantasy for the future.…
"maker or seller of rope or cord"
This is a name that deserves more attention. Cordell is an occupational name that, through its similarity in sound to Cornell, Denzel, Dashiell, Boswell and Maxwell, feels both on-trend and upmarket.
"harp player"
Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have…
English word name
"charity"
Charity is one of the Big Three abstract virtue names, along with Hope and Faith, though far less widely used than the others. But as Faith, Grace and Hope grow more common, some parents are…
English combination name
"beautiful honey"
In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into…
"male deer or rabbit"
Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and…
English or Latin
"from the north; or, the pattern"
Invented for Bellini's opera, Norma had some star quality in the silent-screen and Marilyn Monroe days, but at this point it's a graying grandma in baby name limbo.
