Unusual, Rare, and Unique Baby Names
350+ Best Unique Baby Names
Across 25 pages
of 25
Ogden
English
"from the oak valley"
Rarely used surname, associated with humorous poet Ogden Nash.
Olenna
Literary name or variation of Olena, Ukrainian
"light, shining torch"
Likely inspired by the Ukrainian form of Helen, Olena, George R. R. Martin used this spelling for a character in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. The name first appeared in the US stats in 2017,…
Olivet
Place name
Mount Olivet is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City. It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. Several key events in the life of Jesus, as related in…
Ondine
Latin
"little wave"
Mythological spirit of the waters; spelled Undine, she was an Edith Wharton heroine.
Orlan
Diminutive of Orlando, Italian form of Roland, German
"famous throughout the land"
Orlando is such a romantically attractive name, why stunt it with this relatively flat-footed short form?
Orli
Hebrew
"light"
Cute, nickname-y, and international, à la Romy or Demi. Spelling it Orly turns it into a busy French airport.
Osmond
English
"divine protection"
Once too tightly tied to the aging musical clan featuring Donny and Marie, Osmond may now be able to escape that association and join the cooler group of Os and Oz names, which include Osgood, Ozias,…
Oswin
Old English
"God's friend"
Ancient name, near obsolete now, but could make a good alternative to Owen for the adventurous baby namer. Doctor Who fans will recognize this as part of his companion's name, Clara Oswin Oswald.
Ottavia
Italian, variation of Latin Octavia
"eight"
Softer and more romantic than Octavia, this is a name once used when it wasn't uncommon for families to have eight children. A possible substitute for the epidemically popular Olivia.
Oxford
English place-name
"from the oxen crossing"
High-collared and straightlaced, with the deadly "Ox" nickname.
Park
Word name
A grassy place with trees is a nice image to attach to a name.
Paschal
Paschal is a masculine name derived from the Hebrew word 'pesach' meaning 'Passover.' It entered European languages through Latin 'paschalis,' referring to Easter or the Paschal feast. Historically…
Pasha
Russian, diminutive of Pavel
"small, humble"
Similar in sound to Sasha, Pasha is a Russian diminutive of the name Pavel, itself a form of Paul. Also used as a title for a high ranking officer in the (now historical) Ottoman military, and as the…
Peggy
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men , with intriguing mid-century characters with names…
Percy
French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge
Percy is a traditional boys' name that could be cute and unexpected for a girl – perhaps as a short form for Persephone or Persis. Adventurous and literary Percy could follow in the footsteps of…
Perpetua
Latin
"perpetual"
A 3rd century saint's name sometimes used in Catholic communities, and in Western European countries like Portugal and Italy.
Phaedra
Greek
"bright"
This name of a tragic figure in Greek mythology, the daughter of King Minos, sister of Ariadne and wife of Theseus, has a mysterious and intriguing appeal, and would make a dramatic choice. Phaedra…
Philo
Greek
"loving"
Could Philo be the next Milo? We love the o-ending and sweet meaning of this dynamic and distinctive Greek name, often used in literature, but never particularly popular. The ancient Philo (aka Philo…
Phyllis
Greek
"green bough"
Phyllis has been used by classical poets for the idealized pastoral maiden. A Greek mythological name of a woman who was turned into an almond tree, Phyllis was in the Top 100 from 1916 to 1958,…
Piers
Greek
"rock"
Piers was the first version of Peter to reach the English-speaking world, via the Normans, but it's never made it in the US, despite its large measure of understated panache. This might change due to…