Updated October 2026
Across 12 pages
of 12
English
"hallowed island"
Halsey became famous as a girls' first name via singer-songwriter Halsey, who took her name from Halsey Street in Brooklyn, where she was living when she began writing songs. It's also an anagram of…
Hebrew
"greatly praised"
Hillel the Great was a famous Talmudic scholar, the spiritual and ethical leader of his generation, and his name is greatly honored by parents in Israel and, to some extent, here.
Flower name, from Greek
"blue larkspur; precious stone"
Though it may not be as sweet and gentle as, say, Violet, the purple-hued Hyacinth still might hold some appeal for the parent seeking a truly unusual flower name. In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was…
"lives where hawthorn hedges grow"
The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and nature names , for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more…
English, Scottish, Irish surname
"mind, intellect; son of Aodh"
Part of the next generation of preppy H-beginning surnames. Once Harrison, Hudson, and Holden are no longer fresh, expect to hear more little boys being called Hughes, Hutch, and Henderson on the…
Hindu
"dark, tawny"
Familiar via Harry, but much more worldly.
Arabic variation of Aaron
"exalted, high"
This common Arabic name is related to Aaron, but feels far more distinctive in the US. Haroun Khalifa is the protagonist of Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories .
Greek
"security, hostage, pledge"
Homer is a name of two halves, associated with the ancient Greek poet of the epic Odyssey and with the (often) doltish patriarch of The Simpsons . So does that make Homer a classic and scholarly…
Diminutive of Howard, English, Germanic, Norse
"high guardian; brave heart"
Old school Howard has fallen out of fashion in recent years, having been a Top 100 choice in the US from the 1880s until the 1960s. Short form Howie, however, might have more potential, with its…
Arabic
"beloved, sweetheart"
A name whose sweet sound matches with its meaning, Habiba is popular in Somalia and North Africa. It comes from the Arabic habib meaning "dear, beloved", making it a bright and endearing choice.
"guide to righteousness"
A pleasant, welcoming Middle Eastern choice.
"fruit or glory"
Hadara is a Hebrew name associated with the holiday of Sukkot, the harvest festival. In the Torah, the citrus fruit etrog, used on the holiday, is called a "hadar fruit".
Nature name
"hawk, a bird"
Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname,…
Japanese
Heard most frequently in 18th century Japan, Hanzo is a rarity in modern culture. Hattori Hanzo was a legendary samurai of the Sengoku Era. A modern day namesake might be Hanzo Shimada, from the…
"spring tree"
Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, well known in the U. S. , might inspire some namesakes. Haruki is a popular Japanese name meaning spring tree or bright tree, a lovely nature meaning combined with…
Sanskrit
"diamond"
Hira is a significant name in Islam, as in the Quran it is the name of the cave where Prophet Muhammed received revelations from Allah.
Spanish
"the sun"
More familiar to English speakers in the Italian Elio form.
English word name
"a curve in three-dimensional space"
A scientific word name that would work wonderfully as a given name, given its similarity to Felix.
Nature name or Greek
"hero"
Heron may feel like a very usable nature name -- the heron is a long-legged wading bird -- but it was also the name of a 1st century Greek inventor and of an Egyptian saint. Highly unusual yet easy…
Heloisa is a feminine name with Portuguese and Spanish origins, derived from the Old German name Helewidis, composed of elements meaning 'hale' or 'healthy' and 'wide' or 'encompassing.' It's the…