Popular Names and Name Trends · Unusual, Rare, and Unique Baby Names
Modern Baby Names
Across 27 pages
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Bronx
Place name
Rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz put a new baby name on the map when they chose this downscale New York borough name for their son. The Bronx, the place, was named for early Dutch settler Jonas…
Cru
Spelling variation of Crew or short form of Cruz or Crusoe
The short, clipped Cru is one of those modern names that's starting to find favor -- it was given to about 100 boys last year, while Crew has vaulted onto the Top 1000. One inspiration is undoubtedly…
Bronson
English
"son of brown-haired one"
This surname has a modern yet old New England feel, perhaps because of the association with the transcendental teacher and reformer Bronson (born Amos Bronson) Alcott, father of Louisa May. (One-time…
Heavenly
Word name
Heavenly, the word that's become a name, has been flirting with the bottom of the Top 1000 for a handful of years now. Heaven and cousins like Nevaeh have been well-used so adding the popular -ly…
Layne
Variation of Lane, English
"a small roadway or path"
Currently gender-neutral in the US, although boys have the edge, as they do with Lane. The Y spelling makes it a bit more feminine.
Haze
Word name or variation of Hayes
Is Haze a spiky, contemporary form of Hayes or is it an obscure, slightly trippy word name? Is it what Blaze is to Blaise and Jaxon to Jackson or is it more in line with Misty, Stormy, Rainy, and…
Lebron
French
"brown-haired one"
The best-known bearer of this name by far is basketball superstar LeBron James. While LeBron James is a great athlete and American hero, only 19 baby boys were named LeBron or Lebron in 2021.
Cullen
Irish
"holly tree"
Cullen is an appealing Irish surname name that upped its cool factor considerably when it became the Twilight family name of Edward et al. It's considerably less popular than it was at its peak in…
Hartley
English
"stag meadow"
Smart and preppy, but with plenty of heart, Hartley is a surname style name that could work as an alternative to the popular Harley, Harlowe, Harper, and Hadley. Quietly used for boys throughout the…
Lexington
English place name
Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War.…
Linkin
Variation of Lincoln, English
"town by the pool"
A variation of the presidential surname, likely inspired by the band Linkin Park, this rock and roll name joins the likes of Bowie, Mercury, Jagger, Hendrix, Buddy, Cash, Guthrie, Lennon, and…
Brixley
Brixley is a modern feminine name that has emerged as part of the contemporary trend toward surname-inspired and location-based names with the popular '-ley' suffix. Likely derived from Brix…
Loyalty
Word name
Loyalty is one of the Modern Virtue Names rising precipitously for babies in recent years, used last year for nearly 300 children, about 85 percent of them girls. Loyalty may also owe some of its…
Lux
Latin
"light"
Lux, one of the light-filled names that include Lucy and Lucian, broke onto the scene as a girls' name but now it's decidedly gender neutral. In fact, at the last count there were slightly more boys…
Dalary
American invented name
Prior to 2013, this name was unheard of. That was the year that Larry Hernandez, singer and star of reality show Larrymania , gave the name to his daughter. It has now entered the US Top 1000,…
Lyric
Greek
"of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"
Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it. Currently more popular for girls in the US, it was in the Top 1000 for boys between 2007 and 2020.…
Mackenna
Irish
"son of the handsome one"
Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no…
Majesty
Word name
Alternative to Princess or Queenie.
Davion
Modern invented name
Davion has only ranked in the US Top 1000 since the early 1990s, and its alternate spelling Davian is a more recent entry, first entering the charts in 2004. Their apparent connection to more common…
Bridges
English, word name and surname
"bridges"
Bridges is one of the new last names as first names ending in S that are so fashionable right now, joining Brooks, Wells, and Banks.