Cool Baby Names That Start With I

Ing was a powerful Norse god whose name inspired several modern variations -- though Inga has become a caricatured Scandinavian choice.

Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin put Ireland on the map when they chose it as a first for their daughter, saying that geographic names were a family tradition. And it seems they were a bit ahead of the curve (or trendsetting)—Ireland has been among the fastest-rising names of recent years. Other Irish place names include Shannon, Kerry, Galway, and Dublin.

Rhythmic Welsh nickname name, derived from the Welsh royal name Iorwerth, which has sometimes been anglicized as Edward.

Commonly heard in its native country, and might get a boost here too, now that Alanis Morrissette has used it for her son Ever's middle name.

An undiscovered surname possibility with upscale overtones, could be enlivened with nickname Ingo.

Spanish rendition of Ishmael high on the Latino hit parade.

Son of Irving.

Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the legends, Iara seduces men to the river to accompany her in her immortal life.

The rise of the the various Isabel names may give a boost to this variation, which has a sunny, springtime feel.

Three syllables in only four letters is quite a feat, but that's exactly what you get with Ilia, a more delicate version of Iliana.

Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello, was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.

A Top 200 choice in the US from the late 1880s to the early 1930s, Irma has nevertheless fallen out of favor with modern parents, and doesn't look set for the sort of comeback that some of her vintage sisters have enjoyed in recent years. The devastating hurricane which hit the Caribbean Islands and the south-east coast of the US in 2017 has no doubt dealt its chances of revival a further blow.

Ilona has never been used much in the U.S. and is not a likely candidate for success.

Idra is one of the less obvious botanical names. In ancient times, a fig tree was a symbol of learning, peace, and prosperity.

One of the best-known African names in the Western World because of the Somali-born model and wife of the late David Bowie.

The Arabic name Idrissa is related to the more common form Idris, which is the name of a Quranic prophet usually equated with the biblical Enoch). Idrissa is more commonly seen in North and Western Africa. Idrissa Gueye, the Senegalese footballer who plays for Aston Villa in the UK, is probably the most famous person with this name.

Frequently cited as an example of cruel baby naming, à la Ima Hogg.

Musical association with Igor Stravinsky, but also Dr. Frankenstein's right-hand man.

The Indre is a river in France. Spelled Indra, it's the name of a powerful deity worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains — roughly the South Asian equivalent of the Greek Zeus or Norse Odin. But either Indra or Indre might make a simple, captivating, attractive name for a modern little girl.