Fish Names

An original choice for a fisherman's child.

Angel is one of those names that has a very different trajectory for girls and boys. As a female name, it was most popular in the US from the 1970s until the turn of this century, almost breaking into the Top 100 at its peak in 2001 but then beginning a long slide down the list.

The Play Misty for Me jokes will get old really fast.

Like Marvin and Melvin, Sheldon has been perceived as about as far out as you can get, though there are very pretty towns in Devon and Derbyshire that inspired it. Sheldon Lee Cooper is the lead nerd character on the TV hit The Big Bang Theory, giving the name a brainy image. Nickname Shel (as in Shel Silverstein, author of Where the Sidewalk Ends) could, in the modern world of nature name love, be seen as beach evoking.

Most Bills today are dads...or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will, or called by their full names.

If you're a lover of the beach and sea, and want a name that relates to the largest body of water, there are several variations you could consider.

Y-ending color adjectives like Tawny and Rusty are nowhere near as stylish as the more sophisticated Lilacs and Violets.

Not quite as over-the-hill as Herman, but not far behind either.

A South American dance style whose name derives from Latin tangere "touch". It's also a popular orange-flavored fizzy drink in the UK, as well as the word for the letter T in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

This body of water runs deep; the best of a group of new possibilities that includes Bay, Ocean, River, and the more established Brook. It has received attention via the actress Lake Bell. Lake would make a particularly cool and refreshing middle name, as Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady did for daughter Vivian.

This is an ancient saints' name well used in Ireland but a rarity here and unlikely to ever reach the popularity of other Finn-ish names. St. Finbarr (the more common spelling) is the patron saint of Cork and in Irish folklore, Finbarr was king of the fairies.

This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.

Loch is a watery word that sounds more like a name because it's one step removed from its English form. Pronounced as "lock," it's also a short form of the variously-spelled Lachlan.

A name with an obvious meaning, for a long time associated with Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Nickname Goldie seems to be catching on in the celebrity community.

Ama is a day name used by the Akan people of Ghana for girls born on Saturday. Names that reference a baby's birth by day of the week, time of day, or season of the year are common in many African cultures. Ama is one that can be used happily by parents who live in English-speaking countries.

Swam into style and quickly out again, on Chad's fish- er, coat-tails.

More common as a dog name than a baby name for now, but that hasn't stopped Milo and Rex rising back up the charts! Lovers of edgy o-ending names like Otto, Arlo and Cosmo might like this starry-eyed possibility.

Marlin is a masculine name with multiple origins and meanings. It derives primarily from English surname traditions, originally denoting someone who lived near a small lake (mere) or possibly from the bird name 'merlin.' The name also inevitably brings to mind the marlin fish, a powerful ocean predator known for its strength and fighting spirit. Marlin gained modest popularity in the United States during the mid-20th century but remains relatively uncommon. The name carries associations with nature, the sea, and rugged independence. It combines traditional masculine qualities with distinctive character, making it appeal to parents seeking a name with strong imagery and outdoor connections without being overly common.

As a name, Topaz is sophisticated and sultry; as a golden gem, it's said to have healing and energizing properties and also to bring good luck-- and being the birthstone for November it's one of the perfect names for November babies, with that final 'z' giving it some extra sizzle.