​
​
Advanced Search

Unique Word Names for Babies

Emma Waterhouse
By Emma Waterhouse
Updated Fri Feb 02 2024
Unique Word Names for Babies

Our favorite unique word names for babies include those that are used in very small numbers, like Samurai and Solstice, as well as those that have never appeared on the US baby names list at all, like Epoch and Everglade. None of the 200 original word names in this list has ever been given to more than 15 babies in any given year.

Along with Solstice and Everglade, other unique nature names for babies that make this list include Acre and Apricity, Fennel and Freesia, Pinto and Pipistrelle. Unique geographical names we think have great baby name potential include Bayou, Islet and Caldera. And rare modern virtue names like Kindred, Parity and Zeal set the right tone for the 2020s and beyond.

If you love word baby names but want to look beyond the obvious Rue and Rose, this list of uncommon and unconventional word name ideas compiled by our wonderful Berry community is for you! Names are ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

RELATED:

Unique Names

Word Names

  1. Luxury

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "extravagance, opulence"

    • Description:

      A particularly opulent way to get to the nickname Lux (or Luxe).
  2. Nightingale

    • Origin:

      Bird name from German

    • Meaning:

      "night singer"

    • Description:

      Charming nature name made even more appealing by the connection to iconic nurse and statistician Florence Nightingale.
  3. Sonder

    • Origin:

      Invented name

    • Meaning:

      "the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own"

    • Description:

      A neologism coined for the 2012 Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, which aims to come up with new terms for emotions that currently lack words
  4. Apricity

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "the warmth of the sun in winter"

    • Description:

      Part-April, part-Felicity, but with the wonderfully whimsical feel of Serendipity. Apricity debuted in the US charts for the first time in 2022.
  5. Akita

    • Origin:

      Japanese place name

    • Meaning:

      "field of rice"

    • Description:

      Also a dog breed
  6. Selkie

    • Origin:

      Scottish

    • Meaning:

      "seal folk"

    • Description:

      A mystical name with a watery feel to it, selkies are mythical creatures that resemble seals in the water but assume human form on land. Appearing in Scottish folklore, their name comes from the word selch meaning "gray seal".
  7. Isle

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "small island"

    • Description:

      Isla is a contemporary gem, so why not Isle? As an English word name, it takes you straight to the literal definition — a small island — which could have an appealing, aspirational ring to it, for those wanting to raise independent children.
  8. 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.
  9. 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 was last on the charts for boys in 2018, when six baby boys got the name.
  10. Freesia

    • Origin:

      Flower name, from German surname

    • Meaning:

      "Freese's flower"

    • Description:

      A rare, free-feeling flower name for the parent who wants to move far, far beyond Rose and Daisy. Named for German physician Friedrich Freese.
  11. Vespertine

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "of the evening"

    • Description:

      An elaborate form of the stylish Vesper, taken from the Latin vespertinus meaning "evening". It may work for those who want to step away from the religious connotations of Vespers.
  12. Minnow

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "small fish"

    • Description:

      This adorable fish name debuted on the baby name charts in 2020, inspired by a young girl character in the Netflix movie Love and Monsters. Minnow resembles well-established girl names Minnie, Willow, and Marlowe.
  13. Rooster

    • Origin:

      English animal name

    • Meaning:

      "roosting bird"

    • Description:

      A new addition to the menagerie of animal baby names — Rooster was given to five baby boys in 2019, but did not return to the charts in the following year. The word has American origins — the Puritans used it as an alternative to "cock," which developed its euphemistic meaning around the 1770s. Rooster comes from the verb "to roost," as the birds are known to do.
  14. Serendipity

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "unexpected good fortune"

    • Description:

      A unique virtue name with a sound as happy and lively as its meaning.
  15. Caraway

    • Origin:

      Nature name

    • Description:

      An edible plant used in seed and spice form.
  16. Sonata

    • Origin:

      Music name

    • Description:

      Undiscovered musical form melodious enough to be a hit on the name charts.
  17. Fennel

    • Origin:

      Vegetable and herb name

    • Description:

      In the garden of herb names, Rosemary and Basil are perennials and Sage is a new upshoot, but Fennel is a real rarity. The aniseed-tasting plant, used to add flavor to dishes around the world, gets its name from the Latin word feniculum, meaning "little hay".
  18. Valiant

    • Origin:

      English word name from Latin

    • Meaning:

      "brave"

    • Description:

      While still very rare, the name Valiant was given to six baby boys in the US last year. And it's an inspiring choice.
  19. Locket

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "ornamental case worn round the neck"

    • Description:

      Worn round the neck and close to the heart, lockets are often used to hold small items of sentimental value, like a photo, a lock of hair, or a letter. Used as a surname, but rarely as a given name, Locket could have potential given its similarity in sound or letters to Lottie, Laurel, and Scarlett — and because of its sentimental meaning.
  20. Ochre

    • Origin:

      Greek, English

    • Meaning:

      "pale yellow"

    • Description:

      Ochre is an exceedingly rare name, found only a few times since the nineteenth century, and not showing up in any current data. Yet it means much the same thing as popular Sienna (another clay coloured with iron oxide) and sounds similar to fashionable Oakley. A strong earthy nature name that is both unusual and evocative.