Updated November 2023
Across 2 pages
of 2
Hebrew or Turkish
"oak tree; halo, moonlight"
Bright, fresh, and sunny, Ayla is a fashionable and exciting international choice for girls. Reminiscent of other trending names such as Layla, Isla, and Ava, Ayla has recently found its place in the…
Turkish
"of the moon"
This Turkish name has some of today's most popular sounds: partly like Isla and Ayla with the well-loved -lin ending of Evelyn, Oaklynn, and Brooklynn. Used internationally, it's currently on trend…
"intelligent"
While it looks like a creative respelling of the ubiquitous Aidan, Aydin has Turkish roots and means "intelligent." While there will most certainly be issues with spelling, those attracted to the…
Arabic
"heavens, highborn, exalted"
Alya is most familiar in the US in its much-more-complicated form Aaliyah, the spelling used by the later singer. The traditional name of the star system Theta Serpentis, Alya is also an established…
"sea"
A super popular nature name in its native Turkey, currently Top 50 for both boys and girls there.
"friend"
This Turkish name meaning "friend" should be very useable outside Turkey, given that it is pronounced just as it is spelled. Famous men named Emre include Emre Can, a chess grandmaster, and Emre…
Adem is a masculine name with rich historical and cultural significance. It is the Turkish, Albanian, and Bosnian form of Adam, which comes from Hebrew origins meaning 'man' or 'earth.' In Islamic…
Flower name, from Persian
"turban"
One of the most unusual flower names, Tulip is cute but tough to pull off as a first. It has some celebrity cred via Charlie Tamara Tulip, twin daughter of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell. It…
Hungarian
"little father"
English speaking countries may only associate this with the fifth-century Hun, but the name is still well-used in contemporary Hungary, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Usually said to derive from the Gothic…
Turkish variation of Ahmad
"greatly praised"
Ahmet is known outside its native land largely thanks to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The original crazy celebrity baby namer Frank Zappa named one of his sons Ahmet, after the influential…
Russian and Armenian variation of Sophia, Greek
"wisdom"
This spelling of Sophia is primarily used in Russia and Armenia.
Finnish, Albanian, "sapling, sprout; dew"
"sapling, sprout; dew"
A unisex nature name much more popular for boys in Finland, with a simple, strong sound. It is also used in Albania as a strictly feminine name, equally connected to nature.
Turkish; Ethiopian, Amharic
"clever, intelligent; pure"
This mini name is more spunky than Zack or Zeke, but shares those well-loved sounds. In Ethiopia, Zeki means "pure", and is pronounced "zeh-KEE", with emphasis on the second syllable. With the rise…
"sky"
Sema may have hit its peak in its native Turkey in the 1980s, but this simple distinctive name is new in the English-speaking world. Arabic variation Sama ranks in the British Top 1000.
Cemal is a masculine name of Arabic origin, commonly used in Turkey and throughout the Middle East. Pronounced 'je-MAL' in Turkish, the name means 'beauty' or 'perfection' and is the Turkish form of…
"a miracle, beautiful"
Pretty and unusual.
"festival"
Though Bayram is not well known in the US, it's a name that easily crosses cultures because it sounds exactly like the English name Byram, a variation of Byron. Bayram is the Turkish word for…
"bright moon"
Nuray is one of the most popular girls' names in the Middle East though it's largely unknown and unused in the Western World. The meaning, related to the more familiar Noor, adds appeal.
Turkish and Arabic
"first letter in the alphabet, slender"
This is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph. Elif can also mean "slender", from the Turkish…
"revolution"
This unusual, in the US at least, Turkish name has an attractive sound and a modern meaning. We can imagine it becoming much more widely known and used, the way the Irish Declan has over the past…