Bengal Cat Names

Thebe is the name of more than one daughter of Zeus, according to some myths, and is also the name of a moon of Jupiter. Thebe rhymes with Phoebe and may appeal to lovers of that name.

A fun, unexpected way to honor your home state or a Mary in your life. As geographical girl names such as Ireland, Scotland, and Oakland slowly rise up the charts, Maryland could be a future favorite.

The sources that do list this name give it as a boys' name, but Woody Harrelson chose it for his daughter, and it does have a feminine lilt.

Unique possibility for a girl born between September and November.

Pretty, zippy and almost unknown, this Italian name would suit a third child.

Also spelled Torill, Torril and Torrill, this refined variation is derived from the Old Norse name Þórhildr and its more modern Norwegian form, Torhild. Stylish in Norway in the 50s and 60s, this name could now make a strong, distinctive, and appealing choice to those outside its native country, especially to those interested in Norse Mythology.

Hot star Ashton Kutcher is pushing this unisex choice toward the boys' camp, but its variation Ashtyn is on the rise.

The Frenchified color name Bleu is notable in baby-naming history as the then-outrageous middle name of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's daughter Ella, born in 2000. Perhaps because blue is traditionally a color for boys, there are twice as many baby boys named Bleu as there are girls

Brisa is commonly used in Latino families, all but unheard of in others.

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.

Asterope is an undiscovered name that has three wonderful nature connotations: 1) (from its meaning) lighting; 2) it is a type of butterfly 3) it is the name of an asteroid. Asterope is a great name for those looking for something similar to Penelope or Aster, but even more unusual.

Stormi is like Sunni, with angst. If naming your child Storm or Stormy is asking for trouble, naming her Stormi -- as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott did -- is asking for trouble of several different kinds. But we're sure she'll be adorable and as celebrity baby names go, this one is nearly normal.

A male name in Wales, Gwyn has been mostly feminine in the US thanks to its resemblance to the more familiar Gwen. It derives from the same Celtic root as the popular Finn family of names.

Unusual and rhythmic, Macaria is the feminine form of the ancient Greek Makarios or the Latinized Macarius. It could be an unexpected way to get to cool nickname Mac, without using Mackenzie, Mackinley, and similar.

One of the best known early Nemos was the captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, while the more familiar modern one is the animated little orange fish in the Disney movie. Unusual name well worth considering. By the way, there is also a Shakespearean Nemo and one in Dickens's Bleak House. An enchanting early comic strip by Winsor McCay was called Little Nemo.

Multicultural name often heard in the Near East. Also spelled Neema and Nimah.

Bente, pronounced ben-tah, is a popular girls' name in both The Netherlands and Denmark though largely unknown in the English-speaking world. It suffers by being a near-homonym of the English word bent, not the best dictionary equivalent for a first name. Still, if you're looking for a girls' name that equates to Ben or Benjamin or Benedict, this may be one of your best bets.

Striking and glamorous, though perhaps just plain Zara is intriguing enough.

A cool and breezy nature name with a stylish sound, used by Volkswagen for one of its cars.

One of the boys' names that sounds fresher today for a girl. Second-best-spelling for boys, Neal, may work even better for girls.