Celebrity Names · Name Image
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 13 pages
of 13
Finnish, from Hebrew
"who is like God?"
Cute Finnish version of Michael.
English occupational name
"guard, watchman"
Until recently Ward was, like Wally, a Cleaver name, but today's parents are seeing it as a cooler nickname for Edward than Eddie, and are also beginning to use it on its own.
Arabic
"well developed, handsome"
No longer a one-person name, as a number of parents have been inspired by basketball great Shaquille O'Neal to adopt it for their own future athletes.
Irish
"proud, haughty"
Spunky Irish surname that still has a pugnacious feel from its lingering association with one of boxing's greatest champs, Jack Dempsey. Many people may associate it more with Patrick Dempsey these…
West African
A form of Ahmad popular in Western Africa. It ranked in the French Top 500 for much of the 1980s.
Feminine variation of Cornelius, Latin
"horn"
In ancient Rome, Cornelia was considered the paragon of womanly virtue, making it a handsome name with an excellent pedigree. It's rare today, so if you want a name no one else is using, somewhat…
Slavic
"to fight"
Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential. For a long time the name has been associated with…
French or German surname
"throw away; foundling; jet"
Jeter, which of course is used as a first name only because of Yankee star Derek, rhymes with Peter and may be derived from the French surname Jette, which was often bestowed on foundlings because it…
Norse
"church settlement"
Attractive British place-name with a sense of humor. Fun fact: John Wayne played five characters with the first or second name of Kirby.
Latin
"of the sea"
Maris is an unusual and appealing name that has never appeared in the U.S. Top 1000, overshadowed by its twentieth century elaboration, Marisa/Marissa. It derives from the phrase "Stella Maris," star…
Swedish and Danish
"to take, capture"
One of the top baby names in Sweden , Tage is virtually unknown outside Scandinavia. Many English speakers would rhyme it with stage, but the correct pronunciation is two syllables with a hard G:…
Italian, Latin
"of the forest"
Silvana is a feminine form of the Ancient Roman Silvanus, sharing the same woodsy meaning. A mix of elegance and energy, Silvana may appeal to those who enjoy Sylvie, Sylvia, Savannah, and Solana.
Word name
Branch is an attractive name with associations both with trees and with branching out into brave new worlds. Baseball's Branch (born Wesley, with Branch as his middle name) Rickey broke the color…
Russian from Greek Demetrius
Worldly, artistic and attractive Slavic version of the name of the Greek god of fertility and farming.
"youth"
Logan came from nowhere in the past few decades to break the Top 25, and Hogan is a good bet to follow, now that "Hogan's Heroes" has faded from memory.
English
"white haired or blond"
Kenyon is a very engaging British surname name, the middle y giving it a kind of southwestern canyonesque undertone. Though Kenyon appears in English records as far back as the fourteenth century and…
"animal name"
Other wild animals like Fox, Wolf and Bear are catching on as baby names, and Tiger is a rarer option with several famous namesakes, including golf champ Tiger Woods, who was born Eldrick. Other…
"integrity"
Verena is pleasant but old-fashioned. Whether that's the outdated kind of old-fashioned or the so-out-it's-in-again kind is your call. St. Verena was a third century nurse; Verena Tarrant is a…
"ridge farm"
Rigby is a rather stiff British surname, which might call to mind the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or, from the recent past, Cathy Rigby, the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics…
Apolo is a masculine name that serves as a variant spelling of Apollo, the Greek god of light, music, healing, and prophecy. This simplified spelling is particularly common in Spanish and…
