Unique Baby Names That End in I
There are plenty of unique names that end in i along with popular i-ending names such as Naomi and Levi. Along with Naomi and Levi, other baby names that end in I in the US Top 1000 include Ari, Bodhi, Giovanni, Kai, Kali, Lorelei, Remi, and Zuri. Unisex names ending in I are trendy right now, including Amari, Azari, Camari, and Sakari.
Today's unique baby names ending in the letter i are a far cry from the Teri and Lori generation of the ‘60s and ‘70s as well as from today's popular Naomi and Levi. Biblical and Hawaiian I-ending baby names now reign supreme, but the unique names ending in I come from a range of cultures.
There are literally hundreds of intriguing I-ending international names out there, just waiting to be discovered. From sweet Scandinavian Astri to handsome Hebrew Zimri, here's a selection of trending unique baby boy and girl names ending in the letter I, ordered by current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Lumi
Origin:
FinnishMeaning:
"snow"Description:
Lumi may be a rare girls' name in the USA and England, but it comes in the Top 50 in Finland, where it means snow. Given the popularity of Winter, Holly, Ivy and many other wintery-christmassy names, we think that short and spunky Lumi definitely has potential for greater usage outside its home country as one of the more unusual names for Christmas babies.
- Suki
Origin:
Japanese or EnglishMeaning:
"loved one; lily"Description:
As a Japanese name, Suki has the sweet meaning "loved one". It's also an English diminutive of Susanna, making it a creative and modern way to honor a Susan in your life.
- Rumi
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"beauty, flow, lapis lazuli"Description:
Rumi is a Japanese girls' name that sounds like a couple of other choices more familiar in the West -- Rumer and Remi -- that is achieving notice because of its choice by two celebrities, including Beyonce and Jay-Z.
- Mordecai
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"follower of Marduk"Description:
Mordecai, although it has a noble heritage, has never caught on in this country, because of its rather weighty image.
- Nikolai
Origin:
Russian variation of NicholasMeaning:
"people of victory"Description:
Russian forms, like Russian supermodels, are hot these days. This is a strong, worldly way to make Nicholas new; it was chosen for his son by Barry Bonds, Jr. Nikolai also comes with several attractive nickname options, including approachable Nik, spunky Niko, or even hip Kai. A traditional nickname for Nikolai in Russia is Kolya.
- Kenai
Origin:
Native American place nameMeaning:
"flat lands"Description:
The name of the protagonist of Disney’s Brother Bear also has a geographical connection: the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.
- Xavi
Origin:
Catalan diminutive of Xavier, Basque or ArabicMeaning:
"new house or bright"Description:
This nickname was given often enough as a standalone to land it in the Top 1000 from 2010—2013.
- Capri
Origin:
Italian from Greek or LatinMeaning:
"wild boar; goats"Description:
Chosen by the late Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa for their youngest daughter, there is renewed interest in Italian isola name Capri.
- Ravi
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"conferring"Description:
A title of the Hindu sun god, made cross-culturally famous by sitar player Ravi Shankar.
- Nori
Origin:
Japanese, English short form or Eleanor, Leonora, Nora, Honora, or North, form of Nor or Nuri, Arabic, Turkish,"ceremonial rites, doctrine, seaweed; unknown, honor, north; my light"Meaning:
"ceremonial rites, doctrine, seaweed; unknown, honor, north; my light"Description:
Nori is one of those names with several origins that would have no trouble assimilating into a variety of cultures. It might also be associated with the dried seaweed used to wrap sushi or with the nickname Kim Kardashian and Kanye West use for their daughter North.
- Teleri
Origin:
WelshMeaning:
"your mayfly"Description:
The name of a maiden of King Arthur's court in some accounts. It is a contraction of Welsh "ty" (thy) + Eleri.
- Esai
Origin:
Spanish from HebrewMeaning:
"gift"Description:
This Hebrew-Latin name, which bristles with electricity, is associated with Esai Morales, who is a junior, carrying on his father's name.
- Zimri
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my music, my praise"Description:
This unusual and spunky biblical name was one of the Kings of Israel as well as one of Judah's grandsons and has a wonderful meaning. We'd like to see Zimri being used more, and we think it has potential — "traveling lite" names, or 2 syllable names ending in -i, such as Zuri, Ezri, and Rafi are red-hot right now.
- Kenji
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"second son"Description:
One of several Japanese names that refer to a child's place in the family birth order. Kenji has attracted notice in the US as the name of The Food Lab chef, James Kenji López-Alt, know simply as Kenji.
- Araceli
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"altar of the sky"Description:
Once-obscure Spanish name inching back up into the US Top 1000 girl names after a short break. Araceli Segarra is a noted mountain climber.
- Eleni
Origin:
Greek variation of HelenDescription:
A common choice in Greece, Eleni is starting to rise in the US thanks to its bouncy rhythm and trendy I ending.
- Sarai
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"princess"Description:
Sharp but sweet, ancient but with a contemporary sound, Sarai has been rising steadily up the US charts since the 90s and now sits comfortably in the Top 1000. In the Old Testament, God changed Sarai's name to Sara, so this would make a clever and legitimate honor name for an ancestral Sarah.
- Benji
Origin:
Diminutive of BenjaminDescription:
Benji is undeniably cute, much in the way of a — yes, an adorable movie mutt. Ben is the handsome traditional short form of Benjamin, but Benji makes a more unexpected nickname
- Uri
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"my flame, my light"Description:
This short but strong name, commonly heard in Israel, has a lot of crossover potential, and is among the most usable on the minuscule menu of U names.
- Bambi
Origin:
Diminutive of Bambina, ItalianMeaning:
"child; baby girl"Description:
Although Disney's cute deer was a male, Bambi has always been used for girls. It first appeared on the charts in 1943, the year after the Disney movie was released. Bambi featured in the Top 1000 from 1954-1964 — a decade where girl names ending in I, like Lori and Teri, were big — and again from 1977-1982.