Offbeat Baby Names

Actress Tilda Swinton injected this dated nickname name with some modern charm.

Old saints' and popes' name that went to France in the 1920s with the Russian Ballets Russes; in its Russian form, Sergei, it retains an artistic, almost effete air.

This Westernized form of the name of an ancient Mongol warrior, remembered primarily today through the works of Christopher Marlowe and Edgar Allan Poe, runs the risk of sounding pompous and pretentious.

Jacoby, a surname spin on Jacob shot up the charts in the middle of the 2000's, thanks largely to the popularity of Jacoby Ellsbury, the first Native American of Navajo descent in the Major Leagues, but has been dropping steadily since it peaked at Number 423 in 2008.

Attractive ancient name borne by several saints but sullied by association with yeast infection.

A Latin clan name that may rise again along with other things Roman.

Traditionally a male name, Leith now can make a highly unusual, strong but soft, and intriguing girls' possibility.

A rarely-used name even in its native Cornwall, Jory nevertheless feels very wearable, thanks to its similarity to familiar picks like Rory, Corey and Joey. Jory Cassel is a minor character in the first season of Game of Thrones.

A lot of parents claim to want a name that's different, but if you really do, Aquilina, modern-feeling but based on an ancient favorite, would be one good choice.

Has lots of energy, perhaps due to its association with top tap dancer Savion Glover.

Jessamy and big sister Jessamine are all but unknown in the U.S., but make distinctive alternatives to overexposed Jessica, Jessie, and Jasmine.

Fielding isn't an occupational name, exactly, though it does relate to someone who works in or lives in a Field. Although there have been a handful of people, real and fictional, with the first name Fielding, the most famous Fielding is eighteenth century writer Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones.

You can't get more Italian than this name of the daddy of legendary twins Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. A noted bearer is acclaimed Italian journalist and novel and short story writer Italo Calvino, author of Invisible Cities and . Trivia tidbit: Calvino was actually one of his middle names.

A feminine multicultural nickname name perfectly able to stand on its own.

Macallister as a first name is attracting new attention as the name chosen by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and venture capitalist Zack Bogue for their young son. Macallister is usually heard as a patronymic surname, meaning son of Alasdair or Alistair or any one of the spellings of the Scottish form of Alexander. Like all other names of this type, Macallister leads to the cute short form Mac.

Hodge is a medieval English nickname for Roger, which was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Roger isn't ready for a comeback yet, but we'd love to see the resurgence of Hodge, which never was a common choice in the US.

The name of the famous British man of letters might just appeal to some English majors as a more interesting alternative to Zachary. An appropriate playmate for Russell Crowe's boy Tennyson.

Feather, though it was used for a character in a Walter Mosley novel, seems too light and fluttery for a real-life girl.