By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 76 pages
of 76
Italian literary name
"good, nice"
A character the Italian fairy tale Prunella ; Bensiabel is the benevolent son of a witch, and the heroine's love interest.
Diminutive of Tolliver or Bartholomew
Tolly is an antique short form that is not only jolly but makes Bartholomew usable in the modern world, when Bart is too Simpsonesque. For the adventurous nicknamer, Tolly might even be a novel short…
Scottish surname
"wood man"
This unusual Scottish surname was made immortal by Michael Faraday, a British scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His name is now a unit of scientific…
English, variation of Clarence
Clarry can be used on its own or as a nickname of Clarence. It can also be a girls name, sometimes spelled Clari.
Old English
"rules an estate"
Change one letter of Henry, and you end up with this modern-sounding but dignified boys' name. Henty is an English surname that has been spotted on a few boys recently.
Cornish variation of Paul
Pawly has catapulted into the lexicon with the advent of Pawly the pet dog robot. It's a cute version of the more serious Paul.
English
"man of Rome"
Originally a surname deriving from the Roman twin Romulus, this attractive name was introduced to the English-speaking world by painter Augustus John who used it for his son. Romilly John became…
Berkay is a Turkish masculine name that combines 'berk' meaning 'solid,' 'strong,' or 'firm' with the suffix '-ay' which relates to the moon or represents brightness. The name essentially conveys…
Eray is a male name of Turkish origin that carries the beautiful meaning of 'bright moon' or 'radiant moon.' Combining 'er' (man) and 'ay' (moon), it reflects masculine strength associated with…
Turkish
"ember moon"
This Corey lookalike actually has quite a different sound – the final syllable rhyming with Kai rather than Lee or Ray. Its evocative meaning is a definite bonus.
Chewy is a masculine name that originated as a nickname or diminutive form, most famously associated with the Star Wars character Chewbacca. As a given name, it has an inherently playful,…
Modern invented name
The name of a crucial character on inventive FX series Legion not found in the Marvel comics on which the show is based, a so-called "memory artist" who can help others recall past events with…
"lost one"
Digory is the name of a character in a romantic poem from the Middle Ages as well as from The Chronicles of Narnia , also known as The Professor. There's a Harry Potter character named Diggory. If…
Cornish, English
"beloved day"
A loveday in medieval England was a day when people engaged in a dispute would come together and try to resolve their differences amicably. The name was sometimes given to babies, male or female, who…
Russian
"noble, generous"
Gennady is derived from an early saint's name (Gennadius) and shares the same Greek root word as the English word generous. It is a familiar if still uncommon boys' name in Russia. If you're looking…
Literary name
Most of the names George R.R. Martin created for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books are close variants of existing English names, but this is an exception. Gendry was a minor character in the…
American Day Name
Friday became famous as a name via the sidekick character in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, morphing into a generic term for an all-around professional assistant, as in "girl Friday." As a word for…
Country name
"genuine"
Germany doesn't seem to have the same possibilities as a first name as other countries and continents do. It's unlikely to become another Asia or Africa, India or Ireland. But there was an early…
Day name
Thursday is named after the god Thor, itself becoming a popular baby name (who would have thought?). So why not Thursday?
One of the less common names that came over on the Mayflower, albeit, one with modern potential.
