Unusual Baby Names

Musa

Arabic, Turkish, and Persian form of Moses, Egyptian

"delivered from the water"

With its gentle but solid sounds, Musa is a name that feels both dignified and energetic. The Arabic, Turkish, and Persian form of Moses, Musa is popular internationally, from The Netherlands to…

Idris

Welsh; Arabic

"ardent lord; studious, interpreter"

A name that crosses cultures, Idris was virtually unknown in the US before the emergence of the charismatic actor Idris Elba, first on The Wire and then for depicting Nelson Mandela. Since then, the…

Ozias

Greek, Hebrew

"my strength is God"

A cool Biblical option that entered the US Top 1000 for the first time ever in 2024, Ozias gets extra points for its user-friendly nicknames Oz and Ozzie or Ozzy. Given to around 280 boys in 2024, it…

Campbell

Scottish

"crooked mouth"

The seventh most common surname in Scotland, for a time associated only with soup company and the Andy Warhol's iconic painting, Campbell is once again being considered as an accessible but rarer…

Evren

Turkish

"universe"

A modern-sounding unisex name which belongs to a dragon in Turkish mythology, Evren has huge potential to rise more globally, thanks to its accessible sound and its wide-reaching meaning "universe".…

Abner

Hebrew

"father of light."

This once neglected Biblical name is back on the scene, ready to shake off both its association with the long running satirical comic strip, L'il Abner and its historical Puritan image. The name…

Alistair

English spelling of Alasdair, Scottish version of Alexander

"defending men"

With many British names invading the Yankee name pool, the sophisticated Alistair could and should be part of the next wave. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016. You have a triple choice with this…

Nael

Diminutive of Nathanael or Gwenael, French, Breton, Arabic

"gift of God; generous; attainer, winner"

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 100 name in…

Lev

Hebrew, Russian

"heart; lion"

This concise one-syllable name, has two possible derivations and two positive meanings associated with it. In Hebrew, it means "heart", while in Russian it means "lion". So strong and simple Lev has…

Blaise

French

"to lisp, stammer"

As modern as it sounds, Blaise is an ancient Christian martyr name. In Arthurian legend, Blaise is the name of Merlin the Magician's secretary. Its relation to the word and name Blaze gives it a…

Ralph

English from German

"wolf-counsel"

Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus…

West

Word name

West is the most fashionable of what you might call the direction names, with North and East (or Easton and Easter) coming up behind, and South not yet on the map. Country singer Randy Houser named…

Cormac

Irish

"charioteer"

Both offbeat and upbeat, this evocative traditional Irish name that runs through Celtic mythology is known here via award-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy (born Charles). The author's adopted name is…