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Wonderful Word Names for Babies

  1. Magic
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      A name that's appeared out of thin air, in the same vein as such mystical favorites as Destiny and Nevaeh.
  2. Arabesque
    • Origin:

      French word name
    • Meaning:

      "ballet position; ornate design"
    • Description:

      Fanciful, edging toward bizarre.
  3. Harbor
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake.
  4. Bamboo
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Bamboo is a plant name that you might want to save for the zoo's name-the-panda contest. It was used for a starbaby in 2000, though, the rapper Big Boi.
  5. Paradox
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      A paradox is a statement that while seeming true contradicts itself. With the less-than-pleasant "Doxy" as an obvious nickname, Paradox is perhaps a better name for a cat than a baby.
  6. Doc
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      A boy with this name is certain to be bombarded with "What's up, doc?" every day of his life. Even Doctor would be preferable.
  7. Christian
    • Origin:

      Greek from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "follower of Christ"
    • Description:

      Long used as a masculine name, when you think about it there is no reason this word name can't be used on a daughter as well as a son. Only about 1 percent of the baby Christians born today are girls, but the name is not unknown for baby girls.
  8. Thankful
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "conscious of benefit received"
    • Description:

      In the Plymouth Colony of the seventeenth century, Thankful was the third most popular of the abstract word names. It disappeared after 1700 and has virtually no chance of returning.
  9. Legacy
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "the long-lasting impact of particular events that took place in the past"
    • Description:

      One of the boastful, ultra-modern word names soaring in popularity right now. Though it's a bit more popular for girls than boys -- the "cy" ending reads a little feminine -- it's solidly unisex, with over 100 baby boys being named Legacy in 2017. This is one of the many uplifting words that make unique unisex names.
  10. Kaydence
    • Origin:

      Variation of Cadence, word name
    • Description:

      We'd prefer to stick with the more-familiar Cadence and avoid the overly trendy Kay- prefix.
  11. Marquis
    • Origin:

      English rank of nobleman between duke and count
    • Description:

      There are ordinary folk named Prince, Earl, and Duke, so why not this rank of nobility as well? Many spellings compete, the most common being Marquis, Marquise, and Marquez. Rapper 50 Cent chose the Marquise version for his son; David Caruso chose Marquez.
  12. Judge
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Eighties star Judge Reinhold (born Edward Jr. , he was given this nickname at the age of two weeks) made this possible, but it could cause a lot of confusion.
  13. Arc
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      Refers, in literal terms, to a curved line -- as in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famed "arc of justice." Could also be used as a reference to Joan of Arc -- Arc being, there, derived from her father's name, rather than a place -- or, conceivably, to Noah's Ark.
  14. Cotton
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      A name heard in Puritan times -- Cotton Mather was a minister involved in the Salem witchcraft trials -- which really deserves modern consideration as it blends nature and softness into a really trendy and wearable masculine name.
  15. Rebel
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "rebel"
    • Description:

      Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is a hilarious Australian actress who puts a female spin on this contemporary badass baby name. Still, we think this name is truly gender neutral – though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest girls' names starting with the letter R.
  16. Day
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "the time of light between one night and the next"
    • Description:

      Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.
  17. Epiphany
    • Origin:

      Word name, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "manifestation, striking appearance"
    • Description:

      Spiritual in multiple senses of the word, Epiphany has been given to a handful of girls since the late 1980s, peaking in 1988 when it was given to 55 babies, following the release of the movie Angel Heart in 1987, which featured a character of the name, played by Lisa Bonet.
  18. Bohemia
    • Origin:

      Spanish place name, English word name
    • Meaning:

      "Boii home"
    • Description:

      More a concept than a place — or a name.
  19. Coal
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      This recently coined respelling of Cole darkens its image.
  20. Lullaby
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for children"
    • Description:

      This unusual word name means a song sung to put infants to sleep, from the components lull as in calm and by as in goodbye. While it's not on record as being used for any actual babies in the US, it's a rhythmic choice and one of those unique baby names with more mainstream nicknames such a Lula and Bee.

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