Aquarius Names

A place name from Venezuela believed to come from an indigenous word for wind, this can make an innovative choice for a child of either sex.

There are many in Japan, but for most Americans there's only one Yoko.

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.

A sweet and intuitive Finnish word name. The double U's up the quirkiness.

Orchid is a hothouse bloom that has not been plucked by many modern baby namers — yet. In the language of flowers, orchids symbolize love, beauty, and sophistication.

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.

Unusual and simple: a winning combination. But it was the name of a fifteen-thousand-ton monster in a midcentury "Godzilla" movie.

This name is a great option for people looking for a name that is unique (literally), imbued with history and international. Closely connected to Pakistan's first female Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, Benazir is used in Pakistan, Bangladesh and some parts of India, as well as by migrant communities in America and Europe. Miss Netherlands, Benazir Charles, is another notable bearer of this lovely name.

If Erykah Badu can name her son Seven, why can't you name your daughter (or son) this? Eleven has recently gotten a lot of attention via the character on the TV show Stranger Things.

The iconic Gone With the Wind star Clark's surname was brought into the first-name mix when Weeds' Kevin Nealon picked it for his son. Gable makes a strong and unusual possibility, a rhyming cousin to Abel and Mabel.

Shakespeare's Tempest has kept the name Prospero alive.

Nahla is a lovely name chosen by Halle Berry for her daughter. Not to be confused with the Disneyfied Nala.

Bardo has a poetic beginning and upbeat ending, with roots in several diverse cultures. It may be most familiar today via George Saunders' novel Lincoln in the Bardo, which refers to the Tibetan Buddhist state of suspension between one life and the next, resembling the Christian idea of Limbo. Bardo is also an ancient saint's name: Saint Bardo was the eleventh century bishop of Mainz, in Germany. Actress Sandra Bullock chose Bardo as her son's middle.

This name of the patron saint of Naples would make an apt choice for a New Year's baby, or one with Neapolitan roots.

Turquoise is similar in hue to Aqua, which is one of the cool new color names on the palette. Other blue-hued options: Cerulean, Cyan, Indigo, or Blue itself.

A unisex Chinese name with a range of meanings, depending on the characters used. As a Chinese male name, "mountain mist" is one of the main reasons. In Vietnamese, it means "orchid".

Has joined Chanel and Armani on the fashionista hit parade of names. The meaning of Dior is uncertain but it may be "gold".

An incredibly poetic name that could be worn well in many cultures.

New Zealand writer Ngaio (born Edith Ngaio) Marsh is the best-known bearer of this Maori nature name, properly pronounced ng (like the end of sing) -EYE-oh. It is the name of a tree indigenous to New Zealand, also called the Mousehole Tree.