Native American Names

Rare and rugged, though one of the baby names with a lot of teasing potential.

Highly unusual possibility for a twin girl.

Olympic skier Picabo Street was allowed to choose her name at the age of three, and picked it possibly (a) after a nearby Idaho town or (b) because she loved to play peekaboo. No longer a single-person name, it is now worn by a number of satisfied bearers.

Fresher sounding than Mandy or Brandy, but Thandie might be a more original way to go.

Unusual and lithe.

Strong and rhythmic American Indian name.

Pretty and unusual bird-related name.

This spelling variation of Peta, chosen by Ani DiFranco for her daughter, might be a little difficult to pull off. Alternative suggestions: Petra and Petal.

Cherokee is the name of a Native American tribe, the largest in the United States stretching from North Carolina through Oklahoma. The meaning of the word Cherokee is uncertain: It may be Choctaw for "those who live in the mountains" or "those who live in the cave country" or it may be an Anglicization of the word the Cherokee use to refer to themselves, Tsalagi. The name was given to 19 baby girls in the U.S. in 2013 but was not recorded on the boys' roster, though we'd consider it a gender neutral name.

Has a nice outdoorsy, beachy cabana feel.

Fish -- or caviar -- lover's choice, though it would tend to sound like a girl's name.

Unique baby names are often found in nature, conjuring up the beauty of the lake between California and Nevada that has become a popular tourist destination. Though Tahoe is also a line of SUVs, which may not be the kind of unique name you're after.

Rumors abound about Waneta, which is a Canadian place name. Some say it's an Anglicization of Juanita, while others claim it's a Native American name. Interestingly, Waneta is a common name among the American Amish.

This attracitve Sioux name belonged to one of Sitting Bull's many wives.

A given name found among the Hopi people as well as a Finnish surname.

A strong name equally appropriate for girls and boys. For more, see Sequoia, which is the more feminine-feeling spelling.

Pawnee, the name of a Plains tribe, seems cartoonish as a first name.

Powhatan is identified with the powerful chief and father of Pocahontas; not likely to be adopted by others.

This town in central New York might make a rhythmic first name.

Purportedly the name of Pocahontas' mother.