Unique Celebrity Baby Names

North's image and gender status was irrevocably changed when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their newborn daughter.  But why not?  West is firmly established as a name, Easton is coming up strong, and North has a nice solid sound as well -- certainly as appropriate for either gender.  South, though, not so much.

North

This sizzling nickname Zuzu is heard every Christmas as the name of Jimmy Stewart's little girl in "It's a Wonderful Life," but we love it all year round as a lively alternative to double names like Gigi and Bibi.
"Top Chef" 's Tania Peterson named her daughter Zuzu Audrey.

Zuzu

Dusty first became popular as a girl's name thanks to singer Dusty Springfield - born Mary. She used her childhood nickname professionally, and many parents embraced Dusty as a name for their daughters, especially in the 1970s.

Singer Adam Levine and model Behati Prinsloo chose this distinctive name for their daughter in 2016, which might prompt a new generation of parents to consider the name.

Dusty

Gio is a cute, more androgynous variation of Gia that could work well as a nickname for names such as Giovanna, Giordana, or Giorgia. It was chosen by Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo for their daughter in 2018. 

Giovanna is of course the Italian feminine form of John, so Gio could be a very dashing way to honor a familial John.

Pronounced "TAHL-a-mee," this was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals and several Greco-Egyptian rulers, as well as the name of a famous Greek astronomer. Actress Gretchen Mol brought it into modern times when she chose it for her baby.

Ptolemy

Jonelle is a feminine name that emerged as a blend of John (Hebrew for 'God is gracious') and the feminine suffix -elle, creating a distinctive female variant of this traditionally male name. It gained modest popularity in the United States during the 1950s through 1970s, reflecting the trend of creating feminine versions of masculine names during that era. Jonelle has a melodic quality with its soft ending while maintaining a certain strength from its root name. Though never extremely common, it appeals to parents seeking a name that balances familiarity with uniqueness. The name has occasionally appeared in popular culture, helping maintain its recognition without becoming overused.

Jonelle

Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son.  But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which gives the name a more devilish twist.  While there's nothing intrinsically male or female about Sabbath as a first name, it squeaked onto the Social Security roster for five boys in 2012, but was not recorded for girls.  Sabbath comes from the word for "day of rest" in many ancient cultures.


Sabbath

In Nabokov's notorious novel, Lolita is the pet name given by the pedophilic narrator, Humbert Humbert, to his victim: a young girl called Dolores and nicknamed Lola or Lo by her mother. Still, it seems that a few parents are prepared to look past this problematic association, seeing this as a offbeat option for those who defy convention. We would recommend thinking seriously about the background of this name before bestowing it on your daughter.

Lolita

Nick Cannon put this baby name on the map in 2021 when he welcomed a son by the name Zillion Heir (Zillionaire, get it?) — twin to Zion Mixolydian. Zillion is a new addition to the growing trend of numerical -illion names — Million, Billion, Trillion, and even Amillion currently chart for boys.
 
As a word, Zillion has only existed since 1942, when it was used in Billboard Magazine. Unlike the aforementioned -illion names, it has no real numerical value. Zillion is used in a colloquial sense to refer to extremely large numbers, similar to "jillion" or "gazillion," both of which may attract parents now that Zillion has opened the doors.

Zillion

Although usually spelled without the final 'e', this version commemorates tennis immortal Arthur Ashe. Seth Meyers' son Ashe was given his wife's maiden name.

Ashe

One of those ultimate cool-girl names, played by Keira Knightley in a movie about a supermodel-turned-bounty hunter, but kids might associate it with the game. High profile British designer India Hicks used it for her daughter. As a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a>it's still very rare, used in 2015 in the US for only seven baby girls.

Domino

Aalam is surely the first name in many books, introduced to the US by DJ Khaled, who chose it for his son in 2020.

Aalam

Bingham is the unusual surname name chosen by Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy for their son. It was Bellamy's mother's maiden name, and the nickname Bing, coincidentally, belongs to almost-stepfather Kurt Russell's dad. We haven't heard Bing since crooner Crosby, but it does have a lot of zing.
 Ryan Bingham was the name of the George Clooney character in Up in the Air.

Bingham

This upbeat, friendly surname name has appeared on television's Battlestar Galactica a handful of cartoons, and on a literary note, a character in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Sports fans might think of Boomer Esiason, the NFL quarterback turned color commentator. He's not the only athlete to answer to the upbeat nickname.
 
But the reason the name makes the Nameberry database is Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, who chose the name for his son in 2016.
 
Boomer may have had a chance at mainstream baby name success, but it became a popular term for people of the Baby Boomer generation in the late 2010s. If you use the name for your child, expect a lot of "OK Boomer" jokes.

Boomer

Fianna, a virtually unknown Irish name in the US, combines the best elements of Fiona and Brianna. In Irish and Scottish mythology, the Fianna were independent bands of warriors. It has ranked in Northern Ireland's Top 100 for girls several times over the past decade. The name also has potential political connotations: Fianna Fáil is a conservative Irish republican political party.

Fianna

Naples-born Enrico Caruso was one of the greatest opera singers of all time. Recordings of his powerful singing voice are still in circulation today, nearly 100 years after his death. Increasingly, though, the name Caruso is associated not with the Italian tenor but with Rick Caruso, owner of a major chain of malls.

Caruso

Leonore is a melodic variation of the wide range of names related to Eleanor and, via a different root, Leonie that are so stylish throughout Europe right now and bound for greater visibility in the U.S. The name of one of the little princesses of Sweden, Leonore carries the gravity of Eleanor with more quirky charm. 
The only downside: Spelling and pronunciation confusion given so many similar variations, from Lenora to Leonie to Eleanora and onward.

Leonore

Woodsy names are fashionable for boys, as are surnames and occupational names, so Forester scores on all three. It can also be spelled Forrester.

Forester

Antique girl names like Louise, Louisa, Loretta, and Etta are all on the rise, and Louetta is a hidden gem among them. Rumer Willis revived this vintage compound name for her daughter, Louetta Isley Thomas Willis in 2023.
 
Louetta, an elaborate diminutive of Lou or Louise, was used consistently from the 1910s-1960s' but has never been given to more than 50 baby girls in a single year. In fact, between 1979 and 2019, it didn't appear in the US stats at all and a recent year saw it given to just 7 babies while similar Luetta was chosen for 5.

Louetta

Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls, who, like many parents, will call the boy the much more manageable Huck. It was also the name of a child on TV's West Wing,

Huckleberry

Unique celebrity baby names might seem like a redundancy: Aren't most celebrity baby names unique?

Not really, but we may most attention to the rare, uncommon, unusual, and unique celebrity baby names, forgetting all the celebrities who named their babies Adelaide or Luna or Alexander -- just like us!

, when they do exist, often get REALLY unique, as in names no one has ever heard before. The most outrageous celebrity baby name in recent years is still Elon Musk and Grimes' not only unique but unpronounceable X Æ A-Xii.

Other uncommon names chose by celebrities recently include Christina Ricci's Cleopatra, Cardi B. and Offset's Kulture, and of course Usain Bolt's twin sons Saint and Thunder. That's right, Thunder Bolt.

There's also a girl named George and a boy named Laurie. Several celebrity babies were given nonbinary names such as Bowie, River, and Phoenix. And 

 are in some cases even more outrageous than their first names: Muse, Warrior, and of course Mixolydian.

rare, unusual, and uncommon celebrity baby names

, trying to stay on the near side of crazy but the far side of popular. Unique names given to celebrity babies over the past few years include the following notable choices.

Unique Celebrity Baby Names with rare, uncommon, and unusual names of celebrities' children, including origins, meanings, and popularity. (Page 13)