By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 776 pages
of 776
French color and botanical name
This botanical name, referring to the vivid deep red color and to the madder plant from which it derives, is almost unknown to English speakers. But it's been trending in France recently, reaching…
Literary name
Game of Thrones fans may recognize this as the name of the wily Wildling who helped protect Bran Stark for several seasons of the HBO show. George R.R. Martin has cited Harry Potter vet Natalia…
Thai
"spider"
This Thai nature name is closely associated with popular young Thai-Chinese actress Pimnitchakun Bumrungkit, who uses it as her nom de guerre.
Scottish form of Alice
"noble"
Aileas is one of those Scottish names that is at once familiar and unusual, a spin on the internationally-popular Alice that is all but unknown outside of its native Scotland. It might overcomplicate…
Arabic via Urdu
"soul"
A lovely Arabic name for girls mostly used for Muslim girls of South Asian descent.
Variation of Mirin and Merryn
Merran is a name that feels like a real name but is more a variation on the ancient saint's name Mirin which has morphed through several spelling variations and origin points, traveling from Ireland…
Welsh
"grace"
Nansi is a phonetic Welsh spelling of Nancy that is currently popular in Wales.
Animal name
While we don't see many parents adopting Otter as a name for their own babies, Zooey Deschanel put this one in the lexicon when she used it as a middle name for her adorably-named daughter Elsie…
Spanish
An energetic Spanish surname with serious first name potential, thanks to its trendy initial V and -o ending. A famous bearer is Spanish surrealist artist Remedios Varo (1908-1963).
English, short form of Trinity or Trinidad
Trini is best known as the name of the (male) singer Trini Lopez, who sang "If I had a Hammer", but Trini is a gender neutral name that works equally well for girls or boys.
Amharic
"joy"
An Ethiopian name that means "joy."
Chinese
"willow tree"
Commonly associated with Chinese supermodel Liu Wen.
Hebrew
Rare biblical name.
Hindi and Arabic
"valuable, precious"
This theoretically unisex name has an unfortunate homonym in English.
Fictional invented name, variation of Moony
"moon, moon-like"
A name invented for the 2017 movie The Florida Project , recently chosen by influencers and content creators Ellie and Ella for their daughter in 2026.
Greek
"dew"
Ersa, daughter of Zeus and the moon goddess Selene, is goddess of the morning dew, which may make this an excellent name for a child born in the early hours of the day.
Greek mythology name
"wife or hidden"
Leto is the titaness of motherhood (there's a title!) and, with Zeus, mother of the twin Olympians Artemis and Apollo. Simple, sleek, and unique, Leto is one mythological name for girls we might…
Tibetan
"lotus flower"
Variation of Pema.
Word name or diminutive of Regina, Latin
Variation of Rainey.
Hindi
A traditionally feminine Hindi name, although Sinead O'Connor used it on her son in 2006.
