27 Unique Invented and Word Names

Invented names always start out unique, but some of them catch on over time, especially when similar to already-trendy names or endorsed by celebrity usage. The following unique baby name are both created from words and inventions.
  1. December
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "tenth month"
    • Description:

      Cooler than April, May, or June, but also a tad icy. December gets its name from the number ten as the old Roman calendar only had ten months, and as now, December was the last.
  2. Reverie
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Reverie is a strong-sounding word for an ethereal, dreamlike state -- a perfect contrast and meaning for a word that intends to become a first name. Popular mommy blogger Rebecca Woolf of Girls Gone Child named one of her twin daughters Reverie, setting off a groundswell of interest.
  3. Valley
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "valley"
    • Description:

      A natural phenomenon that makes a stylish baby name. Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry used it for her daughter, twin to Verse.
  4. Fable
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a legendary story of supernatural happenings"
    • Description:

      Fable, like Story, is a word name with real potential, combining enchanted tale-telling with a moral edge. And soundwise, it would fit right in with the likes of Abel and Mabel.
  5. Solstice
    • Origin:

      English from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "when the sun stands still"
    • Description:

      Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021 (and it is occasionally used for boys too).
  6. Tao
    • Origin:

      Spiritual word name
    • Description:

      Tao is the Chinese word for the underlying harmony of the universe, combining both yin and yang. Extreme kayaker Tao Berman made this one of the spiritual names prime for adoption. Tao rhymes with cow.
  7. Whimsy
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "whimsical or fanciful"
    • Description:

      Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers' fictional detective Lord Peter Wimsey, whose middle name was Death?), we see this as more fitting for a middle than a first name.
  8. Poet
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      A recently entered name on the roster, Poet was used for her daughter by Soleil Moon (Punky Brewster) Frye, who obviously appreciates the advantages of an unusual name. This is a possible middle name choice for verse-loving parents who want to skip specifics like Auden or Poe or Keats or Tennyson and go with the generic.
  9. Stellar
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "of the stars"
    • Description:

      This cosmological name is given to a handful of boys and girls each year in the USA. Likely to get confused with Stella or Stellan.
  10. Holiday
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "holy day"
    • Description:

      Free and fun name if you don't want to be pinned down to Noelle, Pasqua, or Valentine.
  11. Nimbus
    • Origin:

      Latin nature name
    • Meaning:

      "dark cloud"
    • Description:

      Nimbus is a word from nature for a type of cloud that has occasionally -- very occasionally -- been used for a human. But it's evocative and upbeat and certainly makes an intriguing and stylish nature name.
  12. Quay
    • Origin:

      French word name
    • Meaning:

      "wharf"
    • Description:

      A name that looks intriguing and masculine on paper, but is, unfortunately, a homonym for a girl's name.
  13. Beacon
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "signal light"
    • Description:

      A word name with an appealing and illuminating meaning.
  14. Flame
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      There are many fire-related names, from Aidan to Fiammetta, but the Flame isn't one that's often found on birth certificates. It's a highly symbolic word: flames can represent faith, passion and cleansing, for example, as well as straightforward heat and light.
  15. Cameo
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      This evocative term for a stone or shell carved in relief could make a striking first name for a girl, though she would have a starring role in her story, rather than a cameo.
  16. Early
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Early is a word-turned-name, pleasantly suggesting the start of a bright new day. Of the new word and day names, Early is one of the best.
  17. Evermore
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "always"
    • Description:

      Inspired by Taylor Swift's 2020 album Evermore, seven sets of parents chose this name for their daughters in 2022. With a poetic meaning of "forever" or "always", this is one that we could see gaining traction outside of the Swiftiverse. Accessible nicknames Ever and Evie are always an option if Evermore feels too bold for everyday use.
  18. Ode
    • Origin:

      Word name or medieval English form of Otto
    • Description:

      Ode could be part of the extended Otto/Otis family, or it might be a literary term, referring to an elaborate lyric poem.
  19. Horizon
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      A name with vision.
  20. Boheme
    • Origin:

      French word name
    • Description:

      "Girls Gone Child" blogger Rebecca Woolf made Boheme a first name when she gave it to one of her twin daughters (the other one's name is Reverie). La Boheme -- "The Bohemian" -- is a Puccini opera that was transmogrified into the modern play Rent. Boheme means a literary or artistic person who lives outside conventional society.