Updated November 2023
Across 108 pages
of 108
Variant of Leia
Is this a yoonek spelling of Star Wars name Leia? A shortened take on Aaliyah? Laila with a Valley Girl accent? A complicated anagram of Hailey? Maybe all of the above. It's been growing in…
Hebrew
"pleasantness, charm, tenderness"
A popular name for both sexes in Israel, in the Top 10 for boys and Top 100 for girls. In the US, Noam is most closely association with (male) intellectual figure Noam Chomsky and so is used (at this…
Quynn is a modern feminine name with several possible origins. Some consider it a variant spelling of Quinn, which comes from the Irish surname Ó Cuinn, meaning "descendant of Conn" (wisdom or…
Hindi or Japanese
"holy or difference"
As an Indian name, Sai honors spiritual master Shirdi Sai Baba, who was revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Sai is the name of the young heroine of Kiran Desai's prizewinning The Inheritance…
Scandinavian
"new victory"
Signe could make an offbeat, more unusual alternative to Sydney or Sigrid. In Norse mythology, Signe was the twin sister of Sigmund. Can also be spelled Signy.
Thia is a short, feminine name with multiple possible origins. It may be a diminutive of names like Cynthia, Anthea, or Dorothea. Alternatively, it could derive from the Greek 'theia,' meaning…
Van as a feminine name is quite uncommon, as it's more frequently encountered as a male name or surname across various cultures. Of Vietnamese origin, Van can mean 'cloud' and is often used as a…
Word name
Straightforward yet romantic, this is one newly minted name with long-term appeal, especially as a middle name. It was used as such for Tea Leoni and David Duchovny's Madelaine, whom they call West.…
Arabic
"beauty, grace"
Zain is a name usually given to boys -- nearly 500 with this spelling alone in the US in one recent year, vs. only 20 girls. But CNN newswoman Zain Asher, sister of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, is a noted…
Japanese
"color and design; sound"
English word, Old English
"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"
One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…
Short form of Rebecca
Modern, mini nickname for Rebecca, much fresher than Becca or Becky.
Word name and virtue name
Blessed and Blessing are two word and virtue names getting more attention, especially among religious parents.
Breanne is a feminine name that emerged as a modern variation of Breanna, which itself is a feminine form of Brian, a name of Irish and Celtic origin meaning "high" or "noble." This contemporary…
Modern invented name
There aren't many characters in the notoriously amoral world of Game of Thrones with a spotless record of moral righteousness -- but Brienne of Tarth comes close. She's one of the most accomplished,…
English word name
"bright"
Bright is a rare yet intriguing word name used for a female character in Ann Patchett's novel The Dutch House.
English word name; diminutive of Cassandra
"shining, excelling man"
Rising fast for boys both as a stand-alone name and as a nickname to Cassius or Cassian, Cash also has potential to cross over to the girls' side — either as an edgy word name, or as a diminutive of…
English place name
"Day's town"
Daytona Beach is a city in Florida named after founder Matthias Day in 1870. It is well-known as the home of NASCAR's Daytona International Speedway, the racetrack which hosts the Daytona 500. As a…
Latin
"day"
A modern name likely inspired by the Latin phrase carpe diem meaning "seize the day", it appears in romantasy novel Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole.
Dim is a feminine name with various origins and meanings across cultures. In Slavic contexts, particularly Russian, it functions as a diminutive of names like Dimitri or Dmitry. In Vietnamese, Dim…