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Unique Celebrity Names

  1. Leighton

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "meadow town"

    • Description:

      One of those names that's suddenly on the map because of a celebrity's influence, Leighton Meester of the TV show Gossip Girl. She pronounces it LAY-ton but some will intuitively say LEE-ton.
  2. Venus

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "love, desire"

    • Description:

      The name of a heavenly planet and the Roman goddess of beauty and love was an intimidating no-no until tennis champ Venus Williams put an athletic, modern spin on it.
  3. Minka

    • Origin:

      Polish diminutive of Mina, short form of Wilhelmina, German

    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"

    • Description:

      In the contemporary US, Minka attracted notice via actress Minka Kelly, who played the gorgeous Lyla on Friday Night Lights.
  4. Sigourney

    • Origin:

      French

    • Meaning:

      "daring king"

    • Description:

      Actress Sigourney -- born Susan -- Weaver made this unusual name (which she found in The Great Gatsby) famous, if not popular.
  5. Sia

    • Origin:

      Old Norse

    • Meaning:

      "Victory"

    • Description:

      Mia, Gia, and now Sia!
  6. Iggy

    • Origin:

      Latin, diminutive of Ignatius

    • Meaning:

      "fiery"

    • Description:

      Iggy is the quintessential pop star name, though it's the nickname Cate Blanchett uses for son Ignatius. Iggy does bring any grander-sounding name down to earth.
  7. Elon

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "oak tree"

    • Description:

      The boys' name Elon is best known today as the name of Elon Musk, eccentric billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX. With Canadian singer Grimes, Elon Musk has a son with an even more unusual name, X Æ A-12.
  8. Solange

    • Origin:

      French

    • Meaning:

      "solemn"

    • Description:

      This is a soft, soignée French girls' namethat has become familiar here via singer Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce.
  9. Rooney

    • Origin:

      English or Gaelic surname

    • Meaning:

      "descendent of the champion"

    • Description:

      Talented actress Rooney Mara (originally born Patricia Rooney) has single-handedly transformed this Gaelic surname into a wearable and elegant girls' name. Often said to mean "red-haired", the original surname, rendered as O' Ruanaidh, actually means "descendent of the champion". Trivia note: the most famous Rooney, Mickey Rooney, was originally born Joseph Yule.
  10. Joaquin

    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Joachim

    • Meaning:

      "God will judge"

    • Description:

      Actor Joaquin Phoenix (brother of River, Rain, Liberty and Summer) highlighted this one, then Kelly Ripa began talking about younger son Joaquin on her daily TV show, and presto—it's now one of the hottest and most appealing multicultural baby boy names.
  11. Tyrese

    • Description:

      Tyrese is a modern name that appears to be a variant or elaboration of names beginning with the element 'Tyr-' or 'Ty-'. It may be connected to the Norse god Tyr, who represented law and heroic glory, though this connection is likely distant in modern usage. More directly, it may have developed as a variation of names like Tyrone (which comes from an Irish place name) with the addition of an '-ese' suffix. The name gained significant popularity in the United States during the 1990s, which coincides with the rise to fame of singer and actor Tyrese Gibson, who likely influenced its increased usage. Tyrese has remained moderately popular since then, particularly in the United States. The name has a contemporary sound while maintaining straightforward pronunciation, contributing to its appeal.

  12. Aretha

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "virtuous"

    • Description:

      There's still only one.
  13. Zendaya

    • Origin:

      Shona

    • Meaning:

      "to give thanks"

    • Description:

      Zendaya has propelled her unusual African name into the spotlight and up the popularity charts. Zendaya is one of the major baby name influencers of our era.
  14. Macaulay

    • Origin:

      Scottish

    • Meaning:

      "son of righteousness"

    • Description:

      Made famous by former child star Macaulay Culkin, one of the more popular Mac names.
  15. Sade

    • Origin:

      Finnish, Nigerian and Yoruba, diminutive of Folashade

    • Meaning:

      "rain; honor bestows a crown"

    • Description:

      The one-named singer clarified the confusing pronunciation on this one (in her case, it's shah-DAY), but a number of parents have looked for more phonetic spellings. The Finnish version means "rain."
  16. Drake

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "dragon; or, male duck"

    • Description:

      A simple one-syllable name that has been on the popularity list since the mid-1980s, Drake is most associated today with the single-named rapper (born Aubrey). The name peaked at Number 197 in 2010 and has since been on a slow decline, but it still can be counted among the stylish contemporary boy names starting with D.
  17. Tilda

    • Origin:

      Estonian, diminutive of Matilda

    • Description:

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

    • Origin:

      Word name or diminutive of Woodrow, English

    • Meaning:

      "row of houses by a wood"

    • Description:

      While Woodrow is too forbidding, its nickname Woody is a bit cartoonish, as in Woody Woodpecker and the animated cowboy character in Toy Story. Woody also has a slang meaning that no teenage boy will thank you for. Woody Allen was born Allen.
  19. Behati

    • Origin:

      Afrikaans version of Beatrice

    • Meaning:

      "blessed; she who brings happiness"

    • Description:

      Namibian supermodel Behati Prinsloo, who has walked the runway for every designer from Prada to Versace to Vera Wang, has introduced us to this Afrikaans version of Beate or Beatrice, a rhythmic twist on an international favorite.
  20. Lake

    • Origin:

      Nature name

    • Description:

      This body of water runs deep; the best of a group of new possibilities that includes Bay, Ocean, River, and the more established Brook. It has received attention via the actress Lake Bell. Lake would make a particularly cool and refreshing middle name, as Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady did for daughter Vivian.