The lovely Sereia is the Portuguese word for mermaid but can also be used as a name. English speakers may shy away from the name because of pronunciation questions and indeed, any little Sereia growing up in London or Chicago will encounter many questions and mispronunciations. But it's not difficult to say once you know it and Sereia pay countervailing dividends with its beauty.

To the non-Scandinavian ear, a cute and unusual nickname name, used by Finnish supermodel Suvi Koponen. It has a zippy, yet sunny feel to it, and could make an interesting alternative to Susie.

Lupin is an unusual flower name with roots in Old French, from the Latin lupinus, meaning "pertaining to the wolf". In the literary world, it's the surname of Remus Lupin, a popular character in the Harry Potter franchise and a werewolf.

Lengthy, romantic Alessandro gives us the friendly and casual nickname Sandro, which works just as well as an independent name. It’s a popular international name, having ranked in Italy, France, Portugal, and Switzerland in recent years.

One of the rarest of the floral names, though not without some teasing potential. Peony is a historical 1948 novel by Pearl S. Buck.

Sky is an ambigender nature name that was first legitimized as the character of Sky Masterson in the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls, played in the film version by Marlon Brando. It's a name we appreciate for its clear, wide-open feel, less hippyish than others like Rainbow and Starlight, and makes an appealing middle name possibility.

Tempest is one of those names that could go either way. Cool, evocative modern word name? Or asking for trouble? Your call, but if you decide the former image is dominant, be warned that some people will see it as the latter.

This name made famous in the New Testament has gone from crusty grandma to sleek and chic in recent years, or is it months? The name's image is perhaps helped by the fact that Mary Magdalene was one of the most intriguing women inthe Bible, both a saint and a sinner.

Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.

British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The French equivalent, Prune, is very fashionable there but would not fly with English speakers.

An ancient Roman clan name, Flavia is one choice that's unusual but historic. Now a Top 60 name in Italy, Flavia has been a rarity in the US, but with the upswing in F names for girls, this could change. Seen more in literature than real life, Flavia was used as far back as an1580 romance, then in a William Dean Howells novel and as a Princess in The Prisoner of Zenda. Although the original pronunciation is FLAH-via, Flavie (as in flavor) could make a cute nickname.

Marin is a lovely county north of San Francisco, pronounced with the accent on the second syllable.

A fragrant floral name that would be great as a middle name. Bloom is the name of the character in TV's Winx Club who, Harry Potter-style, gets sent to fairy college. Also a surname —such as actor Orlando Bloom.

Evocative modern unisex choice brought into the spotlight by actress Lake Bell.

Petal is the soft and sweet-smelling name of a character in the novel and film, The Shipping News. With the rise of such flower names as Poppy and Posy, we believe Petal — down-to-earth yet romantic — has its own appealingly distinctive style.

Less common than other virtue names, Liberty is nonetheless a name with a long American heritage.

A spiritual word name used by actor Zoe Saldana for her son as well as more recently Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott for their late son. Zen has been trending in recent years along with other spiritual names such as Bodhi and Zion, and recently entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2022.

Unlike the other fruit names that are just coming onto the baby name menu, Peaches is an old-timey nickname previously reserved for spangled showgirls, and now would be considered an outrageous -- verging on hip -- choice. Or perhaps it was, until 2023, when it entered the UK Top 1000, not sounding too out of place beside other 2023 favorites, Honey, Blossom, Sage, Halo, and Dolly.

If you like names that are not really names -- some say, the wave of the future -- Harbor has an attractive sound as well as an appealing meaning and image.

With related choices such as Lark and Phoenix gaining popularity, why not Sparrow? Though it's usually thought of as a female name, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden chose it for their son.