Nameberry's Favorite Names
Updated Thu Jun 20 2024
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Nameberry's favorite names are the highest-ranking names in the Nameberry Top 1000 that rank outside the US Top 1000.
These names get the most views on the site by our beloved Berries, a true indication of their style.
Nameberry's favorite girl names include hidden gems like Verity and Vesper, Lavinia and Lark, while the list of Nameberry's favorite boy names features Bram and Bowie, Orson and Ozias.
Our favorite names listed here are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Isolde
Origin:
Welsh, GermanMeaning:
"ice ruler"Description:
Sleek, sharp, and soulful, Isolde is the German form of Iseult, the fabled lover of Tristan in the Arthurian romances. First appearing in the 12th-century, the name was fairly popular in the form of Iseult, Yseut, Yseult, and Ysolt, however, it wasn't until the 19th-century that this form began to catch on, after the composer Richard Wagner used it for his 1865 opera (and for his own daughter!)
- Leopold
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"brave people"Description:
An aristocratic and stately Germanic route to the popular Leo, Leopold is a royal name: Queen Victoria used it to honor a favorite uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium. These days, this royal tie may be seen as a drawback to the name, owing to the cruelty of King Leopold II's rule over the Congo, though it remains popular in Austria, Poland, and France (as Léopold).
- Elowen
Origin:
CornishMeaning:
"elm"Description:
A beautiful modern Cornish nature name that is rapidly picking up steam in the States: even spawning variant spellings like Elowyn and Elowynn. In its native region, it wasn't widely used as a name before the twentieth century, when the Cornish language was revived. A fresh and magical member of the fashionable El- family of names, it has a pleasant, evocative sound.
- Wilbur
Origin:
English, GermanMeaning:
"wild boar"Description:
Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last truly popular more than a century ago. A recent year saw it given to 42 boys.
- Llewellyn
Origin:
Welsh, variation of LlywelynMeaning:
"leader's image"Description:
Llewellyn/Llywelyn is a common patriotic first name in Wales, with its distinctive Welsh double LL's; in the U.S. Llewellyn would make a daring choice, though with the chance that some might find the ellen sound slightly feminine.
- Finnick
Origin:
Literary inventionDescription:
Finnick has risen to prominence as a first name via The Hunger Games, in which Finnick Odair was a winner of the games. A wearable literary creation, Finnick was given to 136 boys in the US in a recent year.
- Bartholomew
Origin:
AramaicMeaning:
"son of the furrow"Description:
Bartholomew is an apostle's name that's been out of favor for centuries but might appeal again to the parent in search of an old but rare choice. The challenge could be to avoid the Simpson-ish nickname. That character, by the way, has the full name of Bartholomew JoJo Simpson, and creator Matt Groening came up with Bart as an--uh oh--anagram for brat. Two old alternate nicknames are Barty and Tolly.
- Imogen
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"maiden"Description:
Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.
- Casper
Origin:
Dutch form of Jasper, PersianMeaning:
"bringer of treasure"Description:
This ancient name, also spelled Caspar, is finally shedding its ghostly image and moving into the 21st century. Popular in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where it's sometimes shortened to Cas, Casper could ride the style coattails of cousin Jasper.
- Romy
Origin:
Diminutive of Rosemary, Roma, Romana, Romilly etc.Description:
Austrian actress Romy Schneider seemed to be the singular bearer of this international nickname name until it found new style currency in the past decade, entering the US Top 1000 for the first time ever in 2024.
- Kit
Origin:
English, diminutive of ChristopherMeaning:
"bearer of Christ"Description:
Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son back in the 2000s, while actor Kit Connor of Heartstopper fame may have introduced it to a wider audience.
- Cordelia
Origin:
Latin; CelticMeaning:
"heart; daughter of the sea"Description:
Cordelia is exactly the kind of old-fashioned, grown-up name for girls that many parents are seeking for their daughters today. The name of King Lear's one sympathetic daughter, Cordelia has both style and substance along with its Shakespearean pedigree.
- Blythe
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"happy, carefree"Description:
Blythe is Nameberry gem — one of those names that visitors to the site are often searching for, despite the fact it's never ranked in the US charts as a given name.
- Nael
Origin:
Diminutive of Nathanael or Gwenael, French, ArabicMeaning:
"gift of God; generous; attainer, winner"Description:
Nael - or Naël as it is often spelled - originated as a French diminutive of names ending in -nael, though in recent years, it has risen up the charts as a standalone choice. A Top 20 name in France, it is also popular in Belgium and Switzerland, where it fits in beside Léo, Sacha, Lou, Noé, and Ben.
- Luxury
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"extravagance, opulence"Description:
A particularly opulent way to get to the nickname Lux (or Luxe).
- Ottilie
Origin:
German, FrenchMeaning:
"prosperous in battle"Description:
Ottilie is trending in the UK, where the pronounced T helps the name sound pretty and delicate, rather like Amelie and Elodie. Ottilie is less popular in the US, where many Americans pronounce it as a near-homonym for "oddly".
- Arwen
Origin:
Literature, Sindarin, WelshMeaning:
"noble maiden; fair, blessed"Description:
Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of the fastest rising names, more than doubling in use from the previous year.
- Odette
Origin:
French, from GermanMeaning:
"wealthy"Description:
Odette is the good swan in Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, a role for which Natalie Portman won an Oscar ---and it would make a particularly sophisticated yet upbeat choice. In fact, it charted in the US charts in 2025 for the first time since 1905!
- Zephyr
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"west wind"Description:
If you're looking for a name that's light and breezy, this could be it. A name from mythology: Zephyrus/Zephyr was the Greek god of the west wind, and with its similarity in sound to the likes of Stefan or Seth, its zippy Z initial and cool Y, it is primed to rise up the US charts.
- Stellan
Origin:
Swedish, meaning unknown, possibly "calm"Meaning:
"calm"Description:
Stellan is a strong, attractive, Scandinavian possible up-and-comer, known through actor Stellan Skarsgard, and his namesake, the son of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. Its trendy 'an' ending and the similarity in sound to the popular Kellen/Kellan make it all the more accessible.
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