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A Near Eastern favorite, with an agreeable, evocative sound.

Though never as popular as the name of her Bewitched mother, Samantha, Tabitha has its own quirky, magical charm. The name of a charitable woman who was restored to life …

The Navajo word for "brother" bears resemblance to the biblical place name Shiloh. If you have Navajo heritage, this is one to consider.

Virtually never heard in this country, with a quirky quality.

Not nearly as popular as neighbors Trenton and Camden, but occasionally used for girls. Shirley Temple played a Philadelphia in the old western movie "Fort Apache."

This Nova-offshoot is hot in the Netherlands, where it was recently one of the fastest-rising names of the year. It could eventually see great success in the US …

A Navajo nature name with a cool, fresh sound.

A naval inspired name borne by several Irish kings. It is anglicized as Murdo or Murdoch.

In Nepal, India and Pakistan, Kiran is used for both boys and girls - as can be seen from internationally acclaimed (female) author Kiran Desai and (male) Nepali soccer player Kiran …

Has never left its native milieu.

Johannes never caught on in the US, but popular European short form Hannes may be more accessible.

Gay, nearly giddy, gee-whiz feel; also too reminscent of a gila monster.

Wade has never been outside the US Top 1000 for boys - there's a reason for that. It has a clean spelling, fresh sound and is neither too trendy (unlike …

Sonbol has never made it onto birth records in the US, but it is occasionally used for baby girls in Muslim countries, as the word sonbol is mentioned in the …

Shaquille O'Neal came almost as close as he could to a Junior when he selected this name for his son.

In the Navajo language, sháńdíín is the word for "sunshine". At its peak, the name Shandiin was used for 12 baby girls in 2003 and 2005.

Samiyah hovers near the bottom of the US Top 1000, used expecially by Arab-American and African-American families. Variations include Samiya, Samiah, and Samia.

Pedra has never caught on with anything like the popularity of its male counterpart, Pedro. The Greek Petra sounds a lot cleaner and more refined.

Ancient name, near obsolete now, but could make a good alternative to Owen for the adventurous baby namer. Doctor Who fans will recognize this as part of his companion's …

Noah is nearly a patriarch of popular baby names at this point, going from Old Testament graybeard to Top 10 name in 2009, hitting Number 1 in 2013, and now …

Something slightly negative about that Nil beginning; more positive similar names would be Lilla or Willa, Lucilla or Priscilla. Nilla may also be a short form of the Scandinavian Gunilla.

You may never have known a Nettie personally, but there well might be one hidden in your family history, considering that she was a Top 100 name until 1901 and …

Lilting and nearly unknown here, with the currently popular ella ending, makes a good Marissa alternative. The meaning of Maria is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from …

March has never been popular as a month name, possibly because of its slightly abrupt sound. But with all kinds of month (and season, day, and holiday) names, from January …

An archipelago near the center of the Mediterranean, the name derives from the Greek word for honey. Malta has been heard as a girl’s name in the past and …

Mafalda is nearly unknown in the English-speaking world, despite an appearance in Harry Potter. Indeed, it does have a witchy feel. Matilda itself is preferable, or her French form …

Jessie has never been used as much as Jennie/Jenny, partly because it's a boys’ name as well (spelled Jesse), but it does have a friendly and unpretentious pioneer …

Actress Inde Navarrette can be credited with adding this name, a homonym of Indie or Indy, to the lexicon. Navarrette's birth name is Danielle but her mother nicknamed her …

Denton has never been extremely popular but maintains a steady, modest usage throughout English-speaking countries. The name conveys a sense of reliability and strength, with its strong consonant sounds …

Name hovering near the bottom of the Top 1000 that may move higher with the fashion for two-syllable surnames. You could do worse...but you probably could also do …

Berangere has never seen much usage in the US, but it has an interesting meaning of "bear spear." The name it stems from—Berengaria—was used as a common royal …

Atkinson has never made it onto the American charts, although historical records provide evidence that it has been used as a given name before. Atkin is a Medieval nickname for …

Akatsuki has never been particularly common for boys in Japan, but it was used in Naruto as the name of a criminal organization.

This familiar but never popular Welsh surname name might be a good Sean alternative-- and we're starting to hear some berrybuzz about it. Vaughn is an alternate spelling. There …

Sybilla and its near-identical twin Sibylla are dainty and demure names with a powerful namesake that also happen to be extremely rare -- no baby girls were given either name …

Predominantly used in Nepal and India, Srishti, also spelled Sristi, is a name of Sanskrit origin that relates to creation of different kinds. As a Hindu concept, it refers to …

Scotlyn and her near-identical twin Scotlynn are scooting up the popularity ladder, though still hiding beneath the Top 1000.

Posie and its near-identical twins Posy and Posey are delicate old-fashioned flower names of the type that are stylish today: Think Poppy, Marigold, Clover. Perhaps because it's …

Serene California town near San Francisco that could translate into a girl's name.

Though it has never charted in the United States, this frilly name has the elements some brave, modern namers might find attractive—namely, the initial O and the -ia suffix …

Nizhoni is the Navajo word for "beautiful." It's a rare, elegant, and meaningful option, used as a baby name for around 30 baby girls each year. It's uniquely …

Milou and her near-identical twin Malou are adorable names popular throughout Europe; they're contractions of Marie or Mary and Lou or Louise. The Malou spelling will probably be …

Katerina and its near-identical twin Katarina have a pleasingly lilting European sound, though for some Americans they may be uncomfortably close to Katrina, which will be linked for a …

Freda, along with near-identical twin sisters Frida and Frieda, has not been popular in the US for decades. After the two world wars, German names fell out of favor …

One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

I never really understood why you would want to name your child the same as everyone else anyway

I never was one for those plain-Jane names (my name is Sabriyah, so it makes sense.) I like names with a story behind them, a culture, something interesting. These …

I'll never get to use. Either used by a friend, not good with last name, too trendy or never going to pass DH approval

Unknown was given to nearly 80 American babies in a recent year, but we can only hope they won't stay as such. Like Baby, Babyboy, and Infantmale, Unknown is …

An ancient Roman forename never (yet) used in the modern world.