To honor an ancestral Peter.

Possible (and offbeat) middle name twist when honoring a familial John.

The name of the great French novelist, author of the timeless The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, would make a surprising middle name choice.

A distinct variant of the classic Paul, used commonly in many South Slavic countries as well as Georgia.

Common surname rarely used as a first.

An interesting and unusual choice, with a choral feel.

Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose birth certificates are not filled out on time are given generic placeholders for registration, such as Infant, Unknown, or Baby. But more influential during this decade was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman. It's the origin of the famed line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Loman is one of those rare names that is at once simple and very unusual, with fewer than five baby boys given the name in the US in the most recent year.

Reinette was the childhood nickname of Madame La Pompadour, perhaps a cute short form for Regina or Reina but hardly worthy of the full name on the birth certificate today.

Somewhat reminiscent of the better known Beccan, this is an Irish saints' name – there were no fewer than five St. Bercans, as well as a noted manuscript artist called Bercanus. In Ireland, it is sometime shortened to Barry.

Branigan, also spelled Branagan or Brannigan, is an Irish name full of energy and cheer. It was the title of a 1975 John Wayne movie, and Zapp Brannigan is the antihero of the animated sitcom "Futurama." Branigan fans might also want to consider such related Irish names as Brennan and Breccan, Rafferty and Finnegan.

A possible addition to the Ava / Ada / Adah collection, with a Jewish twist.

This form of Talitha is primarily used in Brazil, where it was consistently in the girls' Top 100 between the years 1980 and 2000. With its cute, sunny sound and the cool nickname Tali, Talita is an attractive choice that would translate well internationally.

Orsola is chic in Italy in a way that Ursula is not in the U.S. And English speakers will inevitably hear this chic, sleek name as Ursula, condemned to purgatory as the name of the hideous sea-witch who terrorized Disney's Little Mermaid.

This Dutch girls' name meaning little flower is one of the more common Dutch-origin names used in the Netherlands today.

Juliet sound-alike Joliet actually derives from the name Jolie, and was historically a term of endearment, later a surname. It's an attractive alternative to Juliet names and could work to honor a Joe or Joseph in your life.

A distinguished sounding place and surname borne by religious leader Brigham Young, second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fiametta is the pseudonym Italian Renaissance writer Bocaccio gave to his muse in his writing; her real name was most likely Maria d'Aquino. It was also the title of a ballet in the 19th century. This is one of the unusual but not inaccessible Italian names for girls; you can make it even more user-friendly with the cute nicknames Fia or Etta.

Charming Gallic name uncommon in France, and unknown in this country, with literary credibility as the title of a Charlotte Brontë novel.