Nameberry's Favorite Unique Names

By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026

Names110

Pages6

Total Names110

Across 6 pages

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About this list

Nameberry's editors, writers, regulars, and visitors have so many favorite unique names that any list is certain to miss thousands of wonderful suggestions.

These are drawn from the answer to a forum question we asked recently, asking people to nominate their favorite unique names for the list on our home page.

The berries came up with magnificent ideas of unique, uncommon, and unusual names for babies. From wild word names to ancient names, from unisex choices to literary options, you can view them all below.

The names

Showing 1–20 of 110

Eider
Animal name or Basque
"beautiful"
An eider is a sea duck whose feathers make ultra-soft eiderdown. Eider is also one of the fastest-rising boys' names that's still under the radar, increasing more than a thousand places in popularity…
Jules
French form of Julius, Latin
"youthful; soft, downy; sky father"
Though Jules hasn't been on the US popularity list in fifty years, it remains a hit in its native France where it's currently in the Top 10 — and has been in the Top 500 nearly every year since the…
Scout
Word name
Chosen for their daughter by Bruce and Demi (inspired by the To Kill a Mockingbird character), and for her son by Tai Babilonia, an interesting choice for either sex, with overtones of a "good scout"…
Cecily
Feminine variation of Cecil
"blind"
Cecily is as dainty as a lace handkerchief. Cecily has a wide assortment of namesakes. One Cecily was the mother of King Richard III, whose beauty gained her the title "the Rose of Raby," Cecily…
Wynn
Welsh
"fair, blessed"
Wynn or Wyn is a Welsh male name deriving from the very productive gwyn element, which forms part of all Welsh names ending -wyn or -wen, as well as the Gwen names and the Irish Fin- names. Wynn is a…
Eira
Welsh
"snow"
This Welsh nature name that can be pronounced exactly like the male Ira. Or, to avoid confusion, you could just name her Snow.
Amaria
Igbo, English, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek
"grace; beloved, bitter; to thrive and live long; Yahweh has said; to sparkle"
Amaria is one of those rare names that sounds like a familiar and well-known choice. Part of this is done to its similarity to the likes of Amara, Amelia, Maria, and Aria, but another factor is it…
Oslo
Norwegian place name, Old Norse
"meadow at the foot of a hill"
Oslo, the capital city of Norway, makes for an intriguing new place name, especially with its bookended O's, as in Otto and leads to cool nickname Ozzie. One Berry has already used it and we predict…
Annabeth
Combination of Anna and Beth
This is a long-recognized smoosh name merging Anna with the short form of Elizabeth, and is one of the prettiest combo names, a possible alternative to Annabel. Annabeth Chase is one of the main…
Nava
Hebrew, Spanish
"beautiful; from Navarre or Nava"
Short, sweet, and sparky, Nava has been slowly climbing up the US popularity charts in recent years, owing perhaps to its similarity to Nova, Ava, Navy, and Nevaeh. Used quietly but consistently from…
Merlin
Welsh
"sea fortress"
This name of the famous fifth-century sorcerer and mentor of King Arthur may or may not be a bit wizardy for a real-life modern child. Its most noted modern bearer: football star turned actor Merlin…
Eviana
Elaboration of Eva
"life"
A fresh feeling elaboration of Eva or Eve, in the style of Liliana or Eliana. It could be considered a compound name too, blending Eve and Ana, giving it the meaning "life and grace" or "graceful…
Mercer
French occupational name
"a merchant"
Mercer is an attractive possibility which is an occupational name that doesn't sound like one. Mercer and its cool, sophisticated short form Merce project a super creative image via their artistic…
Odelia
Hebrew, German
"I will praise the Lord or wealth"
Pretty Hebrew name that would create a strong but feminine impression, as well as a variant of the Germanic name Odilia or Ottilie.
Moon
Word name
At one time, Moon might have felt like a celebrity-only option, memorably chosen by Frank Zappa for his daughter Moon Unit. Now, with Sunny, Goldie, Wren, Star, Storm, Ocean, Onyx, and Scout in the…
Artemio
Spanish variation of Artemis
Artemio gives energy to this august Greek mythological 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…
Arianne
French, from Latin Ariadne
"very holy one"
Soft and delicate French name rarely heard here.
Tennyson
English
"son of Dennis"
Few people would have considered the surname of this famous Victorian poet as a first name until Russell Crowe chose it for his son in 2006. But, as a rhythmic three-syllable patronymic, Tennyson has…
Poet
Word name
Poet is a new entry in both the trendy word and occupational categories as well as a member of the growing group of gender neutral names . A handful of baby boys received the name in the US last…

Nameberry's Favorite Unique Names

About this list

The names

Eider

Jules

Scout

Cecily

Wynn

Eira

Amaria

Oslo

Annabeth

Nava

Merlin

Eviana

Mercer

Odelia

Moon

Artemio

Elva

Arianne

Tennyson

Poet