By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Basque, medieval Spanish variation of Ignatius
"fiery"
Inigo, almost unknown in the U.S., is an intriguing choice, with its strong beat, creative and evocative sound, and associations with the great early British architect and stage designer Inigo Jones.…
Scottish variation of Welsh Ifor, English form of Norse Ívarr
"lord; yew tree, bow warrior"
Ivor, a favorite choice for upscale characters in Brit Lit novels by authors like P.G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh, is an interesting and unusual name just waiting to be discovered by parents in this…
Place name
"land of ice"
Iceland is a futuristic place name that works as well for babies as Ireland. We predict it's going to be one of the top baby names of 2050 , along with other girl names that end in land, such as…
Latin, diminutive of Ignatius
Iggy is the quintessential pop star name, though it's the nickname Cate Blanchett uses for son Ignatius. Iggy does bring any grander-sounding name down to earth.
Mesopotamian
"lady of heaven"
An ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war and justice, with a name that fits modern tastes. In recent years it has become a rare but steady fixture near the bottom of the charts, and feels full of…
Hindi
"desire"
Pretty Asian option.
Latin from Greek
"cheerful, happy"
Ilario's merry, jovial sound reflects a shared root with the word hilarious.
Finnish place name; Japanese
"loaded with rice"
A unisex cultural crossover that has seen a little use from the 1990s onwards. In Japanese mythology, Inari is an androgynous deity associated with rice, tea and foxes. In Finland, it is the name of…
Japanese, Welsh
In Welsh, a diminutive of Iorwerth. As a Japanese name, Iori stands alone.
German and Russian variation of Isidore
"gift of Isis"
Isidore and variants are remarkably underused and ripe for revival, a la Theodore and company.
English word name
Icy baby names are currently hot, with names like Icelynn, Iceland, and Winter trending up for girls. Rapper Gucci Mane chose simple, streamlined Ice for his son 2020-born son, appropriately a winter…
Japanese
"present, now"
Frequently cited as an example of cruel baby naming, à la Ima Hogg.
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
"weasel"
The Japanese word for "weasel" was chosen as the name of Itachi Uchiha, a character in Naruto . In anime, name meanings often relate to a character's story. Weasels are bad luck in Japanese culture…
French variation of Isabel
"pledged to God"
With Isabel getting so popular, parents are searching for new varieties of the name, and Isabeau is one that makes a lovely French twist. Isabeau of Bavaria was the wife of King Charles VI of…
French and Swedish variation of Idalia, Greek
"behold the sun"
A warm, sunny, and extremely rare name, even within its native France. Idalie would be especially perfect to honor an Ida.
Diminutive of Imogen or Imogene, Celtic
"maiden"
This cutesy nickname is best known as that of Imogene Threadgoode in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes .
Greek mythology name
Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example. Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter,…
"brave or gallant"
This charming Japanese name, with two meanings every little boy would love to have, was briefly in the Canadian Top 100 in the early 20th Century. There are many famous bearers of the name, such as…
French or Sanskrit
"cave; possessing drops of rain"
The Indre is a river in France. Spelled Indra, it's the name of a powerful deity worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains — roughly the South Asian equivalent of the Greek Zeus or Norse Odin. But…
