Birthday Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Irish
"golden princess"
Orla is an Irish name closely associated with the high king Brian Boru, as it was the name of his sister, daughter and niece. It was very popular in the Middle Ages – the fourth most popular name in…
English; Amharic
"star"
This is a fresh new addition to the botanical list; comedian Gilbert Gottfried made it a real bouquet when he named his daughter Lily Aster. And the name of the little girl on television's Dexter…
English diminutive
Originally a unisex nickname for a redhead -- red hair is called "ginger" in Britain -- or for the name Virginia, Ginger perennially wears pink gingham and spike heels.
Danish and German
"thunder bear"
A familiar name in the Nordic countries that hasn't yet gained popularity in the English speaking world. But it could, now that Old Norse names like Thor and Odin are on the rise. It derives from…
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…
Hebrew
"my sheaf"
Old Testament name of a king of Israel, related to the harvest.
English word name
"month name"
What is so rare as a month named June? October – and November and December – are a lot rarer. Brisk and substantial, they're so much more memorable and modern than April or May. October got its name…
The menu of usable month names seems to expand every, well, month, with such choices as November, October, and January joining more established names like April, May, June and August. Logical…
Irish variation of Raymond
"wise protector"
We love this partly for purely personal reasons, since it is one of our surnames. We used it as the middle name of a son –and it can make a good first choice too. Redmond – also found as Reamann or…
Color name
"rich deep red"
Crimson could be a possible competitor for Scarlett's success, though it's lacking that Johansson charm. Crimson tends to be disproportionately popular in Alabama — the University of Alabama's…
Nature name
"hawk, a bird"
Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname,…
Japanese; Finnish
"born in the autumn; ancestor"
A name known in several cultures, also through animated book character Tiger Aki. Finnish author Aki Ollikainen is another notable bearer.
Latin
"curly-haired"
Crispin, which was introduced into the mainstream by actor Crispin Glover and which means "curly-haired" in Latin, has an image very much like its first syllable: crisp, autumnal, and colorful. St.…
Italian
"brown"
Possibility for a dark-haired babe.
English surname
"granary"
Garner is an unncommon word and surname with some prospect of garnering popularity, especially now that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have given it to son Samuel as his middle name, and Jessica…
"yellow"
She's the bff of Blair, Blake, and Brooke who shop at Bergdorf's, Bonwits and Bendel's.
English word name and nature name
One of the more unusual nature names , Maize is given to a dozen or so boys and girls each year and is almost completely unisex in terms of usage. Disclaimer: potential for "corny" jokes.
Parents are beginning to turn away from springtime months like April and June and are moving toward the cooler and crisper three-syllable September, October, November, and December.
French from Latin
"russet"
Roux is the name of the dashing Johnny Depp character in Chocolat . Roux is French from a Latin word meaning russet or brownish red; it's also a cooking term for a mixture of flour and butter that…
Spice name
"orange-yellow color; a type of crocus"
Spice names are increasingly appealing to the senses of prospective parents; this one, belonging to a precious spice derived from the crocus has a vaguely orange-scented-incense sixties feel. English…
