Celestial and space-age, Halo is a contemporary choice that first appeared in the US stats for boys in 2008. Currently more popular for girls, it is nevertheless on the rise across the board.

Blessing is among the Top 1000 girls' names in the UK and recently joined the ranks in the US as well. With modern spiritual names like Shiloh, Chosen, and Halo trending upwards, Blessing is likely to continue to rise in popularity.

Spiritual word names are becoming more and more popular – think Peace, Bodhi, Zen and Psalm – and Spirit is among the rarer options, given to a couple dozen baby girls each year in the US. It's the name of the horse in the kids' TV show Spirit.

A warm and positive English word name, used by the Puritans for both sexes but now given to only around a dozen baby girls each year.

Transferred from the geographical name, Jerusalem is a sacred city in many religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is given to around a dozen babies of each sex per year in the US.

Jireh is a spiritual name that has been rising significantly for both sexes in recent years, although still remains quite rare. Jehoveh-Jireh was the location of the binding of Isaac, where Jehovah told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering.

In the Bible, Calvary is the hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. This religious significance, along with a pleasant sound, have led some parents to begin using it as a name for their daughters.

A modern word and virtue name which first appeared on the US baby name charts in 2013, when it was given to 6 boys. By 2018, that had doubled to 12 (plus 8 girls), no doubt thanks to the enigmatic Credence Barebone from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise. The Creedence spelling, however, remains more popular, while the simpler Creed is in the Top 700.

Surprisingly, one of the fastest-rising names for girls.

Because that's what your child is—a gift.

This bold musical word name is given to just a handful of baby girls per year in the US, but it has a very contemporary sound. Hallie and Lou/Lulu would make for more mainstream nicknames. Lovers of the music and lyrics of Leonard Cohen might also appreciate the link to one of his most successful hits.

This name boomed in the 1940s and 50s thanks to the glamorous singer Risë (pronounced REE-sa) Stevens, who inherited her name from her Norwegian grandmother. It's rare nowadays, but when used it's more likely to be the uplifting vocabulary word, rhyming with "eyes". The latter was chosen by Nick Cannon and Brittany Bell for their son, born in September 2022.

Could be a sister to Trinity, Genesis, or Heaven.

Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored that could feel rather heavy for a modern boy. Nevertheless, with options such as Sincere, Chosen, Messiah, and Valor on the rise, perhaps in coming years, it might not seem so hefty after all, though for now, we think it would be best reserved for the middle spot.

Chosen is officially a baby name thanks to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who chose (can't resist) the word as the name of his newborn son. While it may inspire bad puns, Chosen is actually a pretty good word name: It's got the two-syllable, n-ending sound that is so fashionable for names, plus a positive, affirming meaning. Chosen is rising on the girls' side too now, given to 74 baby girls in 2022.

Whether you like Cardinal for its connections to the songbird, religious connotations, or even sports ties, this unique new name fits in with today's name landscape. Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden used it for their son, born in 2024, but it could just as easily be used on a daughter — perhaps with the nickname Cardi.

The second book of the Bible provides a dramatic name that's more distinct than Genesis and simpler than Leviticus.

Cruz might be a sister for Concepcion and Corazon, although its masculine side was emphasized when the high profile David Beckhams chose it for their son.

There's something about the K initial that modern parents just can't resist and Kruz is a trendy reboot of the already very cool Cruz. Derived from the Spanish word for "cross", Kruz could be included in the new generation of Christian word names with a twist, joining Kross, Tru, Zyon, and Chozen on future class rosters. Given to around 170 boys in a recent year, the traditional spelling is used nearly six times as often.

Palmer is a Top 300 choice in the US for girls and has more recently been on the rise for boys, but what about the shorter form, Palm? A spiritual name, a word name, and a nature name, it comes from the Latin palma meaning "palm tree" or referring to the palm of the hand.