User-created list
By Toast · Updated May 2023
Across 5 pages
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Arabic variation of Jasmine
"jasmine flower"
Any of the Y forms, which also include Yasmeen, Yasmin, and Yasmina, make this name more unusual and distinctive.
Hawaiian
"joy, happiness"
Kalea is a Top 100 name for girls in Hawaii, that may also be spelled as Kale'a. Sources differ on the meaning of the name, but the most authoritative land on "joy or happiness", with other…
Irish, Hebrew
"stately, gift"
A variant spelling of either Irish Shea or Hebrew Shai, Shay feels at once vintage and modern.
Pop culture, Greek
"guest, hospitality"
Likely a variation of the Greek name Xenia, Xena is associated with the the TV Warrior Princess, played by Lucy Lawless back in the 90s. Also used as a diminutive form of Alexina or Zenobia, the name…
Danish variation of Katherine, Japanese
"pure; lotus flower"
Karen, a once sweet Danish import, was so popular during the baby boom (Karen was Number 3 in 1960) that it's become a mem in recent years, representing a hostile white woman—one who usually wants to…
Diminutive of Victoria, English, Japanese
"victory; bird"
A more modern nickname for Victoria than Vicky, Tori is used fairly frequently on its own, kept in the public eye by singer Tori Amos and actress Tori Spelling. Still, it's far from fashionable,…
Irish variation of Catherine
"pure"
An Irish and Welsh form of Catherine, Caitlin was a boom name of the eighties, rocketing from obscurity (Americans first heard it via the wife of doomed poet Dylan Thomas) to the height of popularity…
English
"steep-sided valley"
Like Marvin and Melvin, Sheldon has been perceived as about as far out as you can get, though there are very pretty towns in Devon and Derbyshire that inspired it. Sheldon Lee Cooper is the lead nerd…
Japanese
"cherry blossom"
Lovely Japanese name that would certainly be appreciated in Europe and the U.S. It was rarely used in Japan until the 1990s, and draws its current popularity from the fact that it is deeply connected…
Sanskrit, Hebrew
"light, peace, nation"
Uma is a sweet, strong name for a Hindu goddess... and a Hollywood one. But as popular as Uma Thurman is, other parents have not yet picked up on her name, making it a rarity. Uma is one of the more…
Diminutive of Jeffrey, Jefferson
"pledge of peace"
The ultimate dad name.
Welsh
"lake"
Traditionally used for boys before the 20th-century, Lynn was solidly used as a masculine name in the US, right up until the 70s when it fell out of favor. Prior to that, however, it had already…
Nature name
Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games , it has new force for boys.
Diminutive of Charles
So far out it's almost ready to be let back in.
English diminutive of Catherine, Greek
One of the most popular nicknames of the fifties and sixties — and who could forget the romantic heroine of "Wuthering Heights"? — now largely ignored in favor of Cate or Kate.
English, diminutive of Robert
"bright fame"
Rob has claimed Bob's turf.
Armenian
"cross, sign, mark"
A gentle name well used in Armenian families, unfamiliar here.
Chinese, Arabic, Burmese, Korean, English
"forest; jade, green gem; soft, tender; clear, bright; neighbor; pretty, lake"
Concise, multicultural, and well travelled, Lin is a deceptively simple looking choice with its roots in a variety of languages. As a Chinese name, it is a unisex option, pronounced as LEEN, and…
Feminine form of Cyrus, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek
"young; sun; lord"
A slight and simple feminine form of Cyrus, a masculine name of Greek and Persian origin meaning "young", "lord", or "sun". Used in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, it would be pronounced as…
