Invented Baby Names

Unusual and unfashionable name found in Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby.

Jadine

Streamlined Isabella alternative that may have been inspired by names such as the Nahuatl Isel or Dutch Iselle.

Izela

The name of a regular (if not central) character on Amazon's Catastrophe vaguely recalls Melanie, Melissa and Sandra.

Mallandra

A character name in the Shadow and Bone book series, invented by author Leigh Bardugo. It is intended as a Ravkan form of Malcolm, meaning "disciple of St Columba".

Malyen

Fanciful feminissima name created by L. Frank Baum for a character in The Patchwork Girl of Oz.

Margolette

Only in use in the US since the late 1950s, Marivel may have originated as a creative spin on Marvel, perhaps influenced by Maribel, which has followed the same popularity trajectory (although much higher up the charts).

Marivel

Istredd is the name of sorceress Yennefer's former lover in The Witcher series, created by Polish author 
Andrzej Sapkowski. Some sources theorize that the name is related to the Scandinavian royal name Astrid.

Istredd

This name was created for the character Inojin Yamanaka from Naruto. It is close in sound to the English girl names Imogen and Innogen.

Inojin

Imoen is the name of a character from the video game series Baldur's Gate, although in real life it's apt to be mistaken as a typo for Imogen.

Imoen

Miami-based social media sensation Imaray Ulloa catapulted her previously unique name into the charts in 2021. It was one of the biggest debuts of the year, given to 17 baby girls, though it fell to nine girls the following year.

Imaray

Created by novelist Clive Barker for an entire universe in his book Imajica: strange but magical.

Imajica

Illusia was created in 1944 by the Finnish author Yrjö Kokko for his fairy tale Pessi and Illusia. In the story, Illusia is a rainbow-dwelling fairy who falls in love with an initially-pessimistic troll, appropriately named Pessi. The fairy tale was adapted into a movie in 1984 and is also a ballet in Finland.
 
Illusionist Criss Angel named his daughter Illusia Angelina.

Illusia

Invented in the early 20th century, along with similar names Sanelma and Anelma. Ihanelma was derived from the Finnish word ihana, meaning "lovely" or "sweet."

Ihanelma

Parents outside France may not know this name, but it slipped into the French Top 100 after Insta-celebrity couple Jessica and Thibault Garcia gave it to their son in 2019. It helps that it sounds similar to other currently popular French boy names, like Maël, Malo and Milan. Look out for his little sister Leewane's name in the charts in future years.

Maylone

An unusual nickname for unusual names — Mazikeen, a name invented by Neil Gaiman for his Sandman comics, and Mazarine, a French color name.

Icylinn Goodman is a Gen-Z social media starlet whose previously one-of-a-kind name appeared on the charts in 2021. Ice-themed names have never been cooler (literally) — that year saw the rise of names such as Icelynn, Icy, and Ice itself.

Icylinn

Fanciful name created by L. Frank Baum for a character in his book Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz.

Ianu

The name of an absinthe-imitation, Herbsaint is a liqueur created and produced in New Orleans since the 1930s. It literally translates to "sacred herb," in reference to absinthe woodworm, the one absinthe ingredient it doesn't contain.
 
As far as we can tell, Herbsaint has never been used as a given name for a baby. However, Wes Anderson used it for the character Herbsaint Sazaerac in his 2021 movie The French Dispatch. Sazerac is the company that now owns the Herbsaint brand.

Herbsaint

Hamish spinoff created by author Suzanne Collins for her trilogy The Hunger Games.

Haymitch

Melor is the name of a Breton saint who in legend was also a prince, suggesting he was the son of a Cornish king (Mylor is the Cornish variation of the name). Melor was said to have a foot and hand made of silver,
 In addition, Melor is a historical oddity: a name composed of the initial letters of the words Marx, Engels, Lenin, October, and Revolution., created by Communist parents eager to reject traditional names for their children.

Melor

 are the most creative around. Some parents attempt to come up with a cool name by inventing one of their own. They may alter a too-ordinary name, vary a spelling or pronunciation, or cobble together several euphonic but previously unrelated syllables.

This quest to be unique can sometimes backfire — create too cool of a made-up baby name and it might catch on (we're talking to you, Miley, Meilani, and Maxon).

 include Aubrielle, Brylee, Cason, Dalary, Jaxon, Kyler, Nevaeh, and Oaklynn. Names you may not realize were invented include Elianna, Melba, Tevin, and Yalitza.

 feature on-trend prefixes and suffixes, such as Bray- and Ren-, -ley and -son. The following invented baby names hold some appeal, but fair warning — some of these made-up names have already become mainstream.

Invented and made up modern baby names for girls and boys, including history, origin, and popularity. (Page 48)

Invented Baby Names (with Meanings & Popularity)