By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 31 pages
of 31
Yoruba
"joy"
This charming West African mini name fits in with the other similarly short names that are all the rage right now. Actress Ayo Edebiri is the star of TV's The Bear .
Lara Bingle and Sam Worthington gave their son Rocket the middle name Zot after Lara's father's nickname.
Hebrew
"contempt"
A name used in the Old Testament, as well as a variation of Buzz.
English, Dutch, Frisian
"marshland; peace"
In English, a fen is a wetland fed by surface and/or groundwater. In Dutch and Frisian, it's a traditional diminutive of names containing the element frid , meaning "peace". Either way, Fen makes a…
English word name
With River and Ocean becoming mainstream, why not consider Sea?
Spelling variation of Kai or short form of Cayden, Cayson et al
There were no baby boys named Cay born in the US last year, but there's no reason why there couldn't be, especially with the rise in popularity of the similar Kai as well as the nouveau proper names…
Avestan
Modern name of the Zoroastrian diety Tishtrya.
Chinese
"to dance in the air"
A unisex name in China, but better suited for girls in the US due to the similarities to sound-alike Faye.
Nature name
Yes, Yew is a tree name, but it's similarity to "you" makes it a potentially problematic choice as a first name.
Ewe
"born on Thursday"
Among the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo, Yao is the name for babies born on Thursday.
African, Akan
"fifth born child"
Traditionally the name for the fifth-born child, however, we like it no matter where the child is in the birth order.
Hebrew, short form of Raziah
"the Lord's secret"
Raz is one of the many modern Israeli unisex names. It's simple and sleek and translates easily to English.
Diminutive of Tucker, English
"fabric pleater"
Tux can be used as a short form of Tucker, but you're likely more familiar with it as a name for black and white cats. As a pet name, Tux comes from tuxedo — black and white men's formal evening…
Norwegian
"ancestor"
Åge is a common element of Scandinavian names — in Sweden, it's a nickname for August — but it's also a given name in its own right. It comes from the Old Norse name Áki, meaning "ancestor".
Swedish
əli (pronounced approximately as 'uh-lee') is a masculine name found in various cultures with different spellings. The name appears to use the schwa symbol (ə) from the International Phonetic…
İsa is a masculine name of Arabic origin, being the Arabic form of Jesus (Yeshua). The name holds significant importance in Islamic tradition as Prophet İsa (Jesus) is revered as one of the most…
"beautiful, elegant, mind, intellect, joyous"
A lovely name with many possible meanings depending on the characters used. A common feature of Chinese names for both sexes.
Old Danish and Old Swedish
"serpent, snake"
Orm was a common name in the Viking Age, when children were often given names of animals. Animal names were thought to provide protection to those who had them.
Old Norse
