Banana is one fruity name we wouldn't recommend. Pick Plum instead. There is a Japanese novelist whose pen name is Banana Yoshimoto--birth name Mahoko.

Peanut is a name you might call a baby in the womb, but at least one set of parents put it on the birth certificate too. General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher and his fiance Ehiku named their son Peanut Kai.

Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose birth certificates are not filled out on time are given generic placeholders for registration, such as Infant, Unknown, or Baby. But more influential during this decade was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman. It's the origin of the famed line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Mango might be cute as a short form of a related name like Manuel, or for a pet name. But we're not feeling it as a full baby name for a child of any gender.

Mittens is a common name for cats with mitten-like fur patterns on their paws. The word actually has feline origins — it shares a root with mite, an Old French pet name for a cat. It became linked with mittens because they were made of fur.

A snug word name that may appeal to hygge-minded parents. It reappeared on the US charts in both 2020 and 2022 after a gap of 55 years. It can be short for Cosima or Cosette/Cozette.

This nickname name might be cute for a niño, but one of the full names ending in tino would make a more mature statement.

A pet name, literally and figuratively. The word pumpkin is derived from the Greek pepōn, meaning large melon."

Aromatic spice used in cooking, and a cute route to Meg, Nutmeg is predominantly used on pets rather than humans.

A common name for cats with boot-like markings on their feet, in the same vein as Mittens, Socks, and Beans, Boots is also the name of Dora The Explorer's monkey friend and the name of a UK drugstore chain. It has, you may be surprised to learn, also appeared in the US stats, used sparingly in the early half of the 20th-century, possibly as a nod to a family surname.

Tigger is the bouncing not-a-tiger from Winnie the Pooh, a symbol of buoyancy and resilience. As Tigger says in the books, he's "the only one", and it should probably stay that way when it comes to people names, though Tigger would certainly make a cute name for a cat.

Peppy is undeniably cute, but we bet that after a while the jokes aren't.

Lissy may be this generation's answer to Missy. It's rare to see Lissy on a birth certificate, but if you pay attention, you may notice it as a nickname for names such as the classic Elizabeth or hot traditional choice Felicity.

As the former stage name of TLC founder Perri Reid and the name of the youngest member of the animated Flintstones clan, it's got some pop culture cache. But it'll be too cutesy by half for most parents.

A rarely used word name that could be unexpected route to nicknames Bonnie and Betty.

Most likely to be borne by a spotted cat or dog.