Popular Names and Name Trends
Baby Names So Far Out They're In
Across 8 pages
of 8
Ambrosia
Latin, feminine form of Ambrose
"Immortal"
Ambrosia combines some of the more whimsical qualities of more popular Aurora and Isabella, with a heavenly meaning. In Greek mythology, Ambrosia was not a goddess or other figure but literally the…
Echo
Greek mythology name
"echo or sound"
Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…
Dulcie
Latin, diminutive of Dulcibella
"sweet"
A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia. In Agatha Christie's…
Ashwin
Sanskrit, Old English, "possessed of horses; ash friend"
"possessed of horses; ash friend"
A cultural crossover with multiple roots. Ashwin is an English surname from the Anglo-Saxon male name Æscwine, meaning "ash tree + friend". It's also a popular Hindi name: in Hindu mythology, the…
Dougray
French surname
Scottish actor Dougray (born Stephen) Scott made us aware of this name when he took on his French grandmother's surname as his stage name.
Elva
Feminine form of Alf or anglicized form of Ailbhe, Danish, Icelandic, Irish
"elf; bright, light, white"
Elva is a multicultural choice, being both an anglicization of the Irish Ailbhe and an feminine form of the name Alf, meaning "elf". Popular in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, it…
Enid
Welsh
"life, spirit"
This Celtic goddess and Arthurian name may sound terminally old-ladyish to many ears--but so did names like Ella and Etta not so long ago. So Enid is yet another forgotten four-letter E-possibility:…
Esca
Gaelic
"water"
The name Esca appears in Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth , which is set in 2nd century Roman Britain. Esca is the name of a freed slave who accompanies his…
Eulalia
Greek
"sweetly speaking"
Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double L s and similarity to similar Eudora and Eula. Familiar in the US in the early 20th century, it was also a popular…
Evadne
Greek
"pleasing one"
In Greek mythology, Evadne was the daughter of Poseidon. Evadne also appears in literature (Mary Shelley's "The Last Man") and has a pop culture reference as the cousin of Wonder Woman. A more…
Gwyn
Welsh
"fair, blessed"
Short, simple, gentle, undeniably Welsh but easy to spell and pronounce – there's a lot to like about this underused gem. In the States it's been almost exclusively female, perhaps due to the greater…
Delphi
Greek place name
"of Delphi; womb"
An interesting unisex possibility, with an air of mystery connected to the Delphic Oracle, the most important oracle in ancient Greece; it was also a major site for the worship of the god Apollo.…
Aroon
Irish
"darling"
More popularly used as an alternative spelling to the popular Hindi name, Arun, the mythic charioteer of the dawn, Aroon is also used as an Irish term of endearment, loosely translating to "darling"…
Florin
Romanian, Latin
"flower; flourishing"
Florin is one of several names derived from the Latin root floris , making it a floral and prosperous choice for boys. A relative of Flora, Florence, and Florian, this form is most popularly heard in…
Florian
Latin
"flowering"
If Flora and Florence have returned full force, then Florian, with its strong Latinate ending and its botanical meaning in one to watch out for. Popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and…
Fifer
Scottish occupational name
"piper"
Fifer is a musical name that fits in seamlessly with the likes of Harper and Piper, but is much more unusual. It's also a Scottish demonym, referring to an inhabitant of the historic Scottish county…
Cosima
Italian feminine variation of Cosmo, Greek
"order, beauty, universe"
Cosima, the kind of elegant and unusual name the British upper classes love to use for their daughters, is given to a handful of baby girls in the US after being chosen by two high-profile celebs in…
Gilbert
German
"shining pledge"
Considered ultra debonair in the silent-movie era, Gilbert then went through a nerdy phase, a la Gilbert Gottfried. Now though, like Albert and Alfred and Walter and Frank, it could be in for a style…
Aphra
Hebrew, variation of Aphrah
"dust"
Aphra would make an interesting choice-- especially since it's the name of the first professional female writer in English, the seventeenth century's Aphra Behn. Born in 1640, she was a prolific…
Fergus
Scottish and Irish
"man of force"
In Celtic lore, Fergus was the ideal of manly courage, making it a charming, slightly quirky Scottish and Irish favorite. As a name, Fergus forms a link between Ireland and Scotland, as Gaelic…