Unusual, Rare, and Unique Baby Names
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Best One-of-a-Kind Names for Boys
Unique names that nobody -- and by nobody, we mean zero people in the US the last year counted -- is using for their baby boys in America include the following fascinating boy names.. On this list are many unusual yet classic boys' names as well as fresh, creative choices. If you are looking for truly unique names for your baby boy, any of these would be excellent choices.
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Best One-of-a-Kind Names for Girls
Unique names that nobody (yes, really!) is using for baby girls in the US include the following, all ranking below the five-baby cutoff necessary to make the Social Security extended list in 2018. Among these truly unique girl names are many classic choices as well as new and unusual name ideas. If you want a truly unique name for your baby girl, any of these are excellent suggestions.
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Cool Boy Names—Rare, Unique and Unusual
Cool boys’ names can have deep roots or be modern inventions but work best when they relate to other stylish names while remaining relatively undiscovered. To make this list, these cool names for boys had to be used for 25 or fewer baby boys, guaranteeing they are considered unique baby names across the US. This list of cool boys’ names features some of our favorite possibilities. For more, take a look at our collections of boys’ names and unusual names.
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Cool Unique Unisex Names
Unisex baby names are both popular and stylish, true, but there are also hundreds of cool names that work equally well for boys and girls. Along with Nico and True, other cool unique unisex names ranking in the US Top 1000 include River, Justice, Bowie, and Scout. Other cool unique baby names used more for both boys and girls include Story, Indigo, and Royal. Here, some of our favorite unique baby names that are gender neutral.
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Invented Baby Names
Some parents attempt to come up with a cool name by inventing one of their own. They may alter a too-ordinary name, vary a spelling or a pronunciation, or cobble together several euphonic but previously unrelated syllables. This quest to be unique can sometimes backfire—create too cool of a made-up baby name and it might catch on (we’re talking to you, Miley, Meilani, and Maxon). The following invented baby names hold some appeal, but fair warning—some of these made-up names have already become mainstream.
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Spiritual Baby Names
Spiritual baby names suggest qualities we'd all like our children to aspire to and fit our new definition of cool. While they seem as if they can work for both genders, most spiritual baby names have been veering toward the feminine side. A few, such as Trinity, Destiny, Sky, and Genesis, are already staples on the girls' popularity lists.
Along with Genesis and Trinity, other spiritual baby names in the US Top 1000 include Bodhi, Eden, Haven, Justice, Mercy, Messiah, Miracle, and Saint. For less common but still stylish spiritual baby names, you might consider Galilee, Honor, Loyal, or Sunday.
Spiritual names deriving from a range of religions and beliefs are, for many parents, a modern substitute for biblical or saints' names. Here, some spiritual names that might be right for your baby. -
Unique Baby Names: Unusual and Rare
Unique baby names are literally one-of-a-kind, but unique names may also mean names that are unusual and rare, with individual flair.
Unique names for babies can be unusual place names, uncommon word names, rare surname names, international names, nature names, or traditional names that come from other cultures or that have been buried in the attic for decades or even centuries, such as Dominica and Osgood.
Along with Dominica and Osgood, other unique names worth considering include Amias, Blythe, Caspian, Gable, Harbor, Lilou, Lumi, and Walden. Names that are unique in the US but common elsewhere include Elodie, Florian, Linnea, and Pim.
Nameberry offers thousands upon thousands of unique, unusual, and rare names: Here are some of the best unique for girls and boys, from A to Z, to get you started.
Want more more more unique names for your baby? Explore all the lists of unique baby names. -
Unique Boy Names: Unusual and Rare
Unique names for boys are more widely used now in than ever before. Fifty years ago, the Top 20 boys' names represented 41% of all male children; by contrast in 2015, the Top 20 boys' names represented only 14% of all baby boys, meaning there are many more rare and unusual boy names in general use. The greater variety of names being used today means that unique boy names are more likely to be accepted at school or in the workplace. There are lots of ways for boys' names to be unique, from spelling to new creations, but here at Nameberry we're often most inspired by those names which are at once unusual and yet filled with history and meaning. Here is a selection of our current favorite rare and unique 2019 names for boys, from A to Z. For even more choices, see our full list of unique baby names.
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Unique Celebrity Baby Names
Unique celebrity baby names might seem like a redundancy: Aren't most celebrity baby names unique? Not really. Celebrities are just like us: they usually name their babies Jack and Emilia and Max and Mia. But sometimes they break the mold. We are bringing you the most notable, rare, attractive, and striking, trying to stay on the near side of crazy but the far side of popular. Unique names given to celebrity babies over the past few years include the following notable choices.
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Unique Girl Names: Unusual and Rare
by Pamela Redmond Unique girl names come in many varieties, from ancient to modern, traditional to invented. The best 2019 unique names for girls are those unusual and rare choices that have deep roots, are attractive, and can fit into contemporary life. By rare, unusual and unique girl names, we mean those used for 25 or fewer baby girls, which makes these names uncommon no matter where you live. Still, some unique names seem more destined than others for future popularity. Unique names with nature ties seem to be especially primed for popularity. Along with Bay and Bee, unique nature names for girls we may see taking off include Fleur, Garnet, Lilac, Marine, Petal, and Solstice. Unique girl names with celebrity ties also have a better-than-average chance of becoming, well, less unique. These include Blue, Banks, Eleven, Tilda, and Winslet. Of course, there are thousands upon thousands of unique names for baby girls. The unique names for girls listed here are some top picks from A to Z to get you started.
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Unique Irish Baby Names
Unique baby names and Irish baby names are two groups with plenty of style power, so what happens when you mix the two? Although Irish baby names have become much more popular in the US in recent years, there are still plenty of unique Irish names waiting to be discovered. We nominate these choices for parents looking for baby names that are both Irish and unique, especially in the US.
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Unique Middle Names for Boys
Unique middle names may be a way to add character and distinction to a son's name, especially if his first name is a more traditional name or a conservative family choice. Unique middle names can include word names, place names, surname names, names of heroes from history or the arts. A select group of unique baby names that work in the middle for boys is here, or you can search further with our master list of more than 900 middle names for boys and girls.
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Unique Middle Names for Girls
Unique middle names for girls appeal to even more conservative parents, who may look for an unusual middle name to set their little Emma or Elizabeth apart. Unique middle names may be unusual first names or can also be nature, word, or surname-names. When sifting through unique name choices for the middle, try to find one with personal meaning. If you want even more to choose from, see our full list of unique baby names or our master list of middle names.
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Unique Names from History
Unique baby names aren't only the new and the invented; there are also many highly unusual names with deep historic roots. Read more about this topic in our overview on unique names of every kind. Here's a selection of the most intriguing, but you'll find many more in our lists of mythological names, biblical names, and names from ancient cultures.
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Unique Nature Names for Babies
Some nature names for babies are mainstream, like Lily and River, but if you're willing to explore nature a bit more adventurously, there are many more wonderful nature names for girls and boys that lie off the beaten track. Unique nature names can come from flowers and trees, birds and animals, the sea and the earth and even the skies. Here, browse some of the most unusual baby names drawn from nature.
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Unique Place Names
Place names are a hot category for baby names right now, with choices like Savannah, Brooklyn, and Austin all making the Top 100. But if you look a bit further down the map, you’ll find plenty of uncharted baby names. These 30 unique place names were given to 25 or fewer babies last year, meaning your child is practically guaranteed to be the only Cyprus or Louisiana in his or her Kindergarten class.
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Unique Unisex Middle Names
Gender neutral baby names are red-hot right now, and the middle spot is the perfect place to venture beyond popular unisex picks like Aubrey and Avery to more unique names. This trend is all about thinking outside the box! From novel nature names like Auburn and Zephyr, to intriguing international gems like Adair and Zennor, here are 50 of the freshest gender neutral middle names right now. Or expand your horizons with our master list of more than 900 prime middle names.
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Unique Vintage Names for Girls
by Pamela Redmond Unique names don't have to be new and invented: They can also be vintage names revived from either the near or distant past. These unique vintage baby names for girls all lie outside the Top 1000 but have deep roots and rich histories. In case you're wondering how unique is unique, these names were given to 250 or fewer girls in the US in 2017. Check current statistics to make sure the name you like hasn't hopped back on the list.
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Unusual Baby Names
Unusual baby names come from a range of categories, from ethnic names to place names to word names to surnames used as first names. The best unusual names are distinctive without being strange, seem unique yet are also easy to understand. Of the thousands of unusual baby names on nameberry, here are some of our favorites.
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Unusual Biblical Baby Names
The Bible is full of names, and many that were once considered unusual—Moses, for example, and Delilah—are now familiar on playgrounds throughout the land. So if you're looking for unique bible baby names, you have to look a lot harder, but they're still there. Instead of Delilah or Moses, you might try Zillah or Moab.
Along with Zillah and Moab, other unusual biblical baby names worth considering include Boaz, Gaius, Jericho, Joah, Keturah, Omri, Tirzah, or Zipporah. Biblical names that are unique in the US but common elsewhere in the world include Boaz, Linus, and Adah.
Here are hundreds of unique biblical baby names for boys and girls from both the Old and New Testaments. For more, check out our lists of Biblical Baby Names and BIblical Place Names -
Wonderful Word Names
Word names -- basically, words used as names -- are a growing class as parents rush to find truly unique baby names for their children. While you'll find word names among nature names and day names and occupational names and color names and spiritual names, most of those collected on this list don't fit neatly into any category. You'll find even more word names in our lists of Nature Names, Place Names, and many other lists in the category Nature, Place, and Word Names. Finally, a word on gender: English words are not gendered and so most of these word names can work for both boys and girls, even if we have only one gender noted here.