Wonderful Word Names for Babies

  1. Sly
    • Origin:

      English word name, diminutive of Sylvester
    • Description:

      A bit too cunning.
  2. Sunshine
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee.
  3. Powers
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      The singular version sounds more contemporary.
  4. Dancer
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "someone who dances"
    • Description:

      A word name that's appealing when applied to a person boogying or doing ballet; a different story in the context of Santa's reindeer.
  5. Alchemy
    • Origin:

      Latin word name
    • Meaning:

      "a medieval chemical science"
    • Description:

      One of the most extreme of the new word names, recommended only to the most mystical-minded parents. Actor Lance Henriksen spelled his daughter's name Alchamy.
  6. Sesame
    • Origin:

      Food name and word name
    • Description:

      Poppy is the most widely-used seed name, opening the door for Sesame. While Sesame has a pretty sound, it is not often used as a name -- fewer than five baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021. In kids' minds, this might be overly associated with Sesame Street.
  7. Hunt
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Blunt. Stick to Hunter.
  8. Flame
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      There are many fire-related names, from Aidan to Fiammetta, but the Flame isn't one that's often found on birth certificates. It's a highly symbolic word: flames can represent faith, passion and cleansing, for example, as well as straightforward heat and light.
  9. Moroccan
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Moroccan is a name newly minted by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for their newborn twin son. Meaning a person who lives in Morocco, Moroccan was used by the couple as a nod to the Moroccan Room in Carey's Manhattan apartment, where Cannon proposed to the singer. Place-name Morocco is another choice for either sex, as is music name Maraca.
  10. February
    • Origin:

      Word name or Latin
    • Meaning:

      "purification feast"
    • Description:

      If January, April and August are useable and fashionable, why not February? February as a word derives from the Latin februa, which was the name of a purification feast coming at the end of winter, to prepare for the coming spring.
  11. 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.
  12. Hazy
    • Origin:

      Diminutive form of Hazel, English word name
    • Meaning:

      "the hazelnut tree; foggy, misty atmosphere"
    • Description:

      Weather inspired choices from Sunny to Stormi are currently in vogue, and Hazy could be a contender to replace 70s star Misty. Referring to fog and dry, dusty air, "haze" is an atmospheric phenomenon in which the visibility of the sky is obscured, in turn evoking imagery of hazy, summer days. Alternatively, it might be used a diminutive of popular Hazel, inspired by the likes of Daisy and Maisie.
  13. Love
    • Origin:

      English word name or Swedish variation of Louis
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      In the Anglophone world, Love is more likely to be perceived and pronounced as an English word name than the Swedish form of Louis, which is pronounced LOO-veh.
  14. Nacho
    • Origin:

      Word name or short form of Ignacio
    • Description:

      Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.
  15. Axe
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Axe, spelled like this, is used for a handful of baby boys in the US each year. You can see it as one of the new weapon names, along with Dagger and Beretta, or as an abbreviation of the very popular Axel.
  16. Polo
    • Origin:

      Tibetan
    • Meaning:

      "brave wanderer"
    • Description:

      If Portia can become Porsche, then Apollo can morph into Polo -- the imprint of designer Ralph Lauren.
  17. Cayenne
    • Origin:

      Word name, English from Tupi
    • Meaning:

      "pepper"
    • Description:

      Spicy.
  18. Smoke
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      " a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted from a burning substance"
    • Description:

      Word name with an air of mystery and edginess. Influencers Julia and Hunt Havens named their son Smoke Hemmingway in 2023.
  19. Drum
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Cool, musical modern choice, especially as a middle name.
  20. Divine
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Divine seems more proper a name with the rise of Heaven and its turned-around twin Nevaeh. Though superlative names like Divine -- Unique, say, or Precious -- sometimes seems as if they're trying to hard and protesting too much.

The Nameberry App Is Live

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Find your perfect baby name together in our iPhone app, now available on the App Store.
  • Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
  • Names you match on are saved to your shared list
  • Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
  • Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
  • Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
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