Original and straightforward, but with little appeal.

Lothar is cloddish, till you add a dashing io to the end...

Strong African name with a meaning to match.

Old and aristocratic European name that would be tough for an American kid to pull off.

Wheezy short form of lovely name, featured in the movie "Steel Magnolias", spelled as Ouiser. Similar, literary Ouida is less breathy, while Lou, Lulu, Lula, Lissy or Whizz might appeal instead.

Kamau is from the Kikuyu language native to Kenya. It is recognizable as the middle name of comedian W. Kamau Bell.

Derived from the Germanic element badu "battle" combined with Old Norse hildr "battle", this name belonged to a 7th-century English saint who became queen of the Franks after being sold to them as a slave.

Seventies comic-book-heroine-style name.

This name, more often spelled Ottoline, is curiously appealing, in a hoop-skirted, wasp-waisted way; heard more often in novels than real life, though that is showing some signs of change.

Pleasant surname connected to humorist James Thurber, with a sound as happy as a baby's gurgle.

Short form of Harvey, variation of Harve.

An unknown (outside Indonesia) name with an attractive, gentle sound.

Less substantial than many other Latin choices.

Powerful name that could be a strong middle for a boy with Cherokee heritage.

This popular old Swedish name is not one that would appeal to many modern American parents, though shortening it to Nilla helps.

Rhythmic name sometimes associated with calypso singer King Ajamu.

his engaging French saint's name, pronounced like tangy, with a hard 'g,' also has a creative connection to French surrealist painter Yves Tanguy.

This Dutch name derives from the old Germanic name, Farahild. It is quite common in the Netherlands.

An adolescent boy might have problems with the first syllable.

Now that Kimberly is no longer one of the top girl names, Kim or long form Kimball feel more gender neutral.