Adjective Names
Adjective names are the latest class of word names to gain traction in the US, as choices like Loyal and Royal rise in the rankings. Adjectives as names can be more evocative than noun names, conveying personal qualities and character traits.
Along with Royal and Loyal, other adjective names in the US Top 1000 include August, Christian, Major, Sincere, Sterling, Sunny, Tru, and Wilder. Unique adjective names that may be future favorites include Able, Brave, Saintly, and Serene.
Adjective names have been especially embraced by celebrities. Nick Cannon is the king of adjective names, with children called Moroccan, Golden, Powerful, Legendary, and Beautiful. Other celebrity adjective names include Jessica Hart's son Glorious, Chris Brown's daughter Lovely, and Elle King's baby boy Lucky.
Adjective girl names may be options like Blithe, Graceful, and Precious, which are mostly used among female babies. Adjective boy names may be names such as Cosmic, Earnest, and Handsome, which are mostly given to male babies. But adjectives as names are mostly gender-neutral, working for people of any gender.
See our collection of adjective names below. You may also be interested in our full list of Word Names.
- Royal
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"royal"Description:
Even less subtle than Duke or Earl, this name shot up the popularity charts in 2013, the same year young Prince George was born and the craze for all things royal (and Royal) began. Today, it's a leading boys' name on Nameberry's own popularity charts.
- August
Origin:
German form of Latin AugustusMeaning:
"great, magnificent"Description:
August is THE celebrity baby name of the moment, chosen by both Princess Eugenie and Mandy Moore for their baby boys in early 2021. Before that, August had been heating up in Hollywood – used by Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, Lena Olin, Dave Matthews and Jeanne Tripplehorn for their sons, and is rapidly becoming the preferred month of the year for boys' names. The month of August was named after the Emperor Augustus.
- Frank
Origin:
Diminutive of Francis or FranklinMeaning:
"Frenchman or free man"Description:
A Top 10 name from the 1880s until the 1920s, Frank has fallen from favor but still has a certain warm, friendly real-guy grandpa flavor that could come back into style, like other such choices as Jake and Jack. Maybe thanks to Sinatra, it's become a new hipster favorite with such couples as Diana Krall and Elvis Costello.
- Wilder
Origin:
Surname or word nameDescription:
New to the US Top 1000 in 2015, Wilder is on many parents' possibility lists, one of the new generation of bad boy names growing in popularity. Wilder got a big boost in interest through Goldie Hawn's grandson, born in 2007, via son Oliver.
- Christian
Origin:
Greek or English from LatinMeaning:
"anointed one or follower of Christ"Description:
The name Christian has fallen a bit from its 90's and 00's heights, but it's still quite popular. Once considered overly pious, Christian is now seen as making a bold statement of faith by some, while also having secular appeal for others, perhaps influenced by such celebrities as Christian Slater and Christian Bale, not to mention the fashion world's Dior, Lacroix, Louboutin and Audigier.
- Sunny
Origin:
English nicknameDescription:
Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile. You might want to use it as a short form for a more "serious" name such as Sunniva, but Sunny is undeniably, well, sunny.
- Ever
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
Ever's timeless quality would make this evocative word a positive middle name choice for a boy or girl. Alanis Morissette and Souleye named their son Ever Imre.Ever also seems to have ties to a Scandinavian name meaning "wild as a boar" and a Hebrew name meaning "beyond,"-- a variation of the name Eber.
- Sterling
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"of the highest quality"Description:
A name with some sterling qualities, most associated with the British currency and silver markets. Sterling has several recent TV associations, with characters Roger Sterling (on Mad Men) and Sterling Archer (on Archer), and actor Sterling K. Brown (on This is Us).
- Innocent
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"harmless, innocent"Description:
Innocent, the name of thirteen popes, is rarely heard in a secular setting, where its loaded meaning could open the door to ridicule.
- Sunny
Origin:
Nickname nameDescription:
Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile, along with its soundalike Sonny.
- August
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"majestic, venerable"Description:
Though associated traditionally (and fashionably) with boys, it has been used occasionally for girls as well – by Garth Brooks, Nicolas Cage, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, for example. But August is used significantly more often for girls these days than traditional feminine variations Augusta and Augustina, and makes for a fresh twist on traditional month names like April and May, as well as an updated spin on season name Autumn.
- Rusty
Origin:
Short form of RussellDescription:
Though as a formal name Rusty is a little, well, rusty, it spent half a century among the Top 1000, departing only in 1995. Only 45 baby boys received the name in the US in one recent year and it's difficult to imagine it as the winning choice of many modern parents. Whether you want an informal name or a spin on a traditional name or even a word name or a name that means red, there are simply too many better options.
- Cosmic
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"of the universe or cosmos"
- Ever
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Ever is a name we first heard via the now grown-up Ever Carradine, daughter of Robert. It's a truly unusual and simple name with an evocative meaning. Milla Jovovich and Paul Anderson chose it for their daughter.
- West
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
West is the most fashionable of what you might call the direction names, with North and East (or Easton and Easter) coming up behind, and South not yet on the map.
- Lucky
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Recently chosen by singer Elle King for her son. Lucky is a name that could see a considerable rise in the near future, as word names continue to heat up.
- Celestial
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"of the heavens, planets or stars"Description:
A pretty and almost unique word name to add to the galaxy of astral appellations. More distinctive than the better known Celeste, it was given to only nine girls last year. Celestial is also the title of several band albums, and is heard in the video game and comics worlds.
- Loyal
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"faithful, loyal"Description:
Loyal is one of the few virtue names suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history.
- Rogue
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Now that names like Cannon and Gunner, fit for comic book heroes, are rising up, Rogue may fit right in.
- True
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Inspirational, aspirational word name that would work especially well as a middle name; it was used by Forest Whitaker for his daughter, and more recently by Khloe Kardashian.