Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 16 pages
of 16
Cori is a versatile name used for both girls and boys, though more commonly feminine. It emerged as a shortened form of names like Corinne, Corinna, or Cora for girls, and Cornelius or Corwin for…
Italian, English, Greek
"order, beauty, universe"
With a touch of celestial power, a hint of clunky charm, and the totally cool -o ending, Cosmo may well be finally shaking itself free of both the Seinfeld association (which made it a punchline of a…
Latin
"love, desire"
The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it. Associated with the Greek…
Word name
Most parents today would prefer the softer-sell Stella. But Star has symbolic power related to Christmas, so this could make one of the perfect names for December babies .
English, Scottish surname
"ridge enclosure"
A natural successor to Hunter, Hudson, and Huxley, Hutton is an unexpected yet on-trend unisex name. Associated with Scottish geologist James Hutton, and as a first name with designer Hutton…
"godfather"
Jupiter may be known as the father of all the gods, but it's baby girls who have claimed his name for their own. Mythological and celestial baby names are hot across the board, so Jupiter was bound…
Diminutive of Eugene, Greek
"wellborn, noble"
Like Ray, a formerly funky nickname name that is newly cool. Comedian Amy Schumer used it for her son. While technically Gene is short for Eugene, it can certainly be used on its own as an honor name…
Greek mythology name
"advising like a man"
One of the stellar unique baby names from mythology, Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of Cassiopeia who, like her mother, literally became a star--the constellation that bears her name.The…
Greek
"fourth letter; island formed at the mouth of a river"
Delta is an unusual vintage option, blending the sounds of Della and Etta. The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet and a geographical term, used to describe an island formed at the mouth of a river,…
"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…
German
"respected friend"
One of the many names with a strong "er" sound, like Bertram and Ernest, that was huge in the 1920s and is languishing in style limbo now. One famous bearer is the physicist Erwin Schrödinger, as in…
"evening star"
This Latin word used for evening spiritual services was introduced to baby namers by the Eva Greene character Vesper Lynd in the modern James Bond film Casino Royale in 2006, based on the Ian Fleming…
Variation of Elian, Elyan, or Elio, Albanian, Hebrew, Greek, "Yahweh is God; pledged to God; highest; sun"
"Yahweh is God; pledged to God; highest; sun"
Cool and edgy but with a gentle sound, Elion is likely a variation of Elyan, Elian, or Elias. Chosen for just 15 boys in 2023, it more than quadrupled in use in 2024 when it was given to 70 babies.…
Like Silver, a shimmering metallic color name, that may lean too dazzling for some, but more grounded for others, thanks to its similarity of Alden, Auden, Elden and Gordon. Given to 100 babies in a…
"stars"
A starry-eyed, intergalactic name, far rarer than Stella or Esther. It's attached both to a comic book character and to Princess Astra on "Doctor Who".
Feminine variation of Henry, German
"estate ruler"
Despite a return to such feminizations of male names as Josephine, Clementine, and Theodora, starchy Henrietta has not made it into that group. Still, if you look hard enough, you'll see that…
Although this is traditionally seen as a female name, via the classical mythological nymph who pined away for Narcissus until all that remained of her was a disembodied voice — it can also be used…
Numerical word name
Seinfeld's George threatened to name his future child Seven, and then singer Erykah Badu actually did it.
English
"a reddish brown mineral"
More unique than Cooper, and a favorite among pet parents. Copper was the loveable bloodhound from Disney's Fox and the Hound. Keep in mind that Copper is also slang for a policeman.
Invented name
Culmination of two trends: names bookended by As and Nova names, seen in names like Novalee, Novalyn, and Zanova. In statistics, ANOVA stands for analysis of variance.
