Updated October 2026
Across 25 pages
of 25
Hebrew
"handsome, good"
In the Bible this was the name of a midwife who helped deliver Moses.
Irish variation of Cecilia
"blind"
Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to…
Word name
One of the more unusual of the current crop of strong, single-syllable boys' names, evoking the images of both old-fashioned blackboards and modern stepping-stones and countertops.
English animal name
Sable is often associated with the Dynsaty soap opera, but it is actually a type of animal historically hunted for its fur. Sable is also used as a word for a warm, rich black color. Both…
Spelling variation of Star, word name
Starr today is more fashionably the plain-spoken Star or the more obscured Stella, Esther, or Estella.
Hindi
"sun god"
Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god. One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.
Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of Silvius
"wood, forest"
A shiny and sylvan choice, this sleek yet spirited name feels familiar yet is rarely used.
Numerical word name
Seinfeld's George threatened to name his future child Seven, and then singer Erykah Badu actually did it.
Arabic
"well developed, handsome"
No longer a one-person name, as a number of parents have been inspired by basketball great Shaquille O'Neal to adopt it for their own future athletes.
Invented name
"the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own"
A neologism coined for the 2012 Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows , which aims to come up with new terms for emotions that currently lack words
Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee .
Dutch and Scandinavian, diminutive of Alexander
"defending men"
Sander is a more conventional form of Zander or Xander, heard frequently on its own in Europe. It is now a Top 20 name in Norway, and is also popular in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Occupational word name
A word name that has sailed onto birth certificates of both genders, especially since Liv Tyler used it for her son. For boys, Saylor and Sailor are used about equally, but were together given to…
German
"people of the dagger"
Saxon is unusual word name that nevertheless feels right on trend, with that sharp X in the middle and that two-syllable-ending-in-n pattern. Reminiscent of Roman but not yet so popular, Saxon is one…
Japanese or English
"loved one; lily"
As a Japanese name, Suki has the sweet meaning "loved one". It's also an English diminutive of Susanna, making it a creative and modern way to honor a Susan in your life.
"peace"
Supermodel Shalom Harlow glamorized this name, which is heard as a greeting every day in Israel.
Hard and shiny, Steel projects an image that's smooth, macho...and cold to the touch.
Welsh, Turkish
"star or sail mast"
Seren is a top girls' name in Wales – and a lovely choice almost unknown elsewhere. Seren, in the Sirona form, was an ancient goddess of the hot springs. Seren only recently fell out of the girls'…
Shaylee is a feminine name with Celtic and American influences, likely a creative variation of the Irish name Shelia (derived from Celia, meaning 'heavenly') or possibly related to the word 'shay'…
Japanese invented name
Sayori was invented for a character in the popular anime series Doki Doki Literature Club . Creator Dan Salvato said that Sayori is an "unholy fusion between 'Sayuri' and 'Saori.'"