By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
Word name or nickname
Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening…
Boo may have started out as a nickname for the male character Arthur "Boo" Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird and these days may be closely associated with another male Boo, the "world's cutest dog" or…
English word name
"cotton cloth imported from India; a blotched or spotted animal"
A word name with fashionable o -ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago, while it was selected more recently…
Fluttery and flighty. But there are a couple of names that mean butterfly you might consider, such as Yara and Farasha.
English or Irish
"broad hill or salmon"
One in the currently modish aden family of boys' names beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. The name Brayden was given to 15 baby girls in the US last year....and over 5000 baby boys, so…
English
"broad hill"
One of several trendy boys' names now being adopted for girls with feminized spellings.
Flower name from English
"blue bell"
Bluebell is one flower name that is used very quietly. Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell joined her former Spice Sisters in creative baby-naming with this adventurous — some might say outlandish —…
"nail maker"
This is an occupational surname for one who made nails and has been used by one Berry to honor a Canadian World War I hero, Col. George Nasmith. Other related names with the same meaning nclude…
"bird"
One of the rare cases where spelling a name with a y makes it less rather than more feminine. Birdie might be the freshest choice in this aviary.
Literary surname
Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. In the novel, the character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name…
Word name or diminutive of Barbara
You can call your baby "babe," but don't name her that.
English from German
"noble, bearlike"
With the growing popularity for girls of such names as Aubrey and Audrey, Auberon feels like a fresh and viable option.
"ash tree farm"
Ashley substitute with a slightly more unisex feel; it was picked for her daughter by TV host Nancy O'Dell.
"moral depravity or corruption"
This scary word name was given to five baby boys in the US in 2013, entering the lexicon for the first time. Are the boys named Vice destined for a life of crime, or the creation of a media empire?
Word name
"firearm"
While Pistol might be more positively spun as a word name for an enterprising and spirited person, it's the small, handheld firearm that most people will think of first. As such, it joins the ranks…
"fiream"
A contemporary choice, Pistol entered the stats in the US back in 2010 for boys and then in 2013 for girls too. Given to around 80 babies throughout the 2010s, it has fallen out of favor in the…
English, diminutive of Araminta, invented hybrid name
Minta is an eighteenth century short form of a literary beauty still used in England today, but yet to be discovered by American baby namers. It has a fresh and dainty feel. Virtually unheard today,…
"boar battle"
One of the rare English surname names originally derived from a female given name: Eoforhild (Everild), meaning "boar battle". Also spelled Averill, it's an extremely rare choice today, but shares…
English, diminutive of Nancy
Bobbsey Twins-era nickname name that could find new life via Nan, heroine of The Nanny Diaries. Nan was also the nickname of Annabel St George, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel "The…
