Interesting Oddballs

Marion

English and French diminutive of Marie

"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

An underused classic that has proved surprisingly unisex over the last few decades, being given to roughly the same number of baby girls and boys in the US from the 1970s to the 2000s. For a girl,…

Avis

Latin

"bird"

Avis is a bird name that's been in hibernation for awhile, possibly due to the car rental association, but it could make a return on the wings of Ava. Baldwin brother Daniel chose it for his…

Cosette

French literary nickname

"little thing"

Cosette is best known as the heroine of Les Miserables . In the Victor Hugo novel, Cosette was the nickname given to the girl named Euphrasie by her mother. Although Hugo invented the name, some…

Cressida

Greek

"gold"

Cressida is a golden, mythological, and Shakespearean name, much better known in Britain than it is in the US. Given to just 11 American girls in a recent year — though still the highest number on…

Farida

Arabic

"unique, precious pearl"

Farida is a Muslim name more distinctive than the Americanized Farah/Farrah.

Annistyn

Modern variant spelling of Anniston

Amabel

Latin

"lovable"

Amabel is an older name than Annabel and a lot more distinctive. Amabel was a very common name in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, then was revived during the nineteenth century British fad for…

Ludovica

Italian, feminine variation of Ludovic

"famous in war"

This Olde World name with a large measure of European style makes an offbeat possibility for the bold baby namer in search of interesting Italian names for girls . Currently very popular in its…