My favorite B Names

[UNIQUE/UNCOMMON NAMES]
  1. Bain
    • Origin:

      Gaelic or Sindarin
    • Meaning:

      "white, fair"
    • Description:

      Derived from the Scottish Gaelic bàn, meaning "white, fair". It's also a name in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Elvish language, in which it means "beautiful".
  2. Barrett
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "bear strength"
    • Description:

      Barrett is one of many surname names that are up and coming for boys in recent years. Barrett joints Bennett, Beckett, and others in the trend of "-tt" ending boy names taking over the charts.
  3. Beck
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "small stream"
    • Description:

      The popular single-named alternative singer (born Bek) has given this cool nature-meets-surname name a new lease of life. Another notable bearer is Beck Weathers, a Texan pathologist who survived the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, which was covered in the book and film Into Thin Air.
  4. Bellamy
    • Origin:

      English and Irish from French
    • Meaning:

      "fine friend"
    • Description:

      Bellamy is a surname name with an admirable meaning and upbeat rhythm, similar to jovial choices like Rafferty, Barnaby and Willoughby.
  5. Bennett
    • Origin:

      English, medieval form of Benedict
    • Meaning:

      "blessed"
    • Description:

      Bennett is Ben with a bow tie, kind of a cross between Benjamin and Beckett. It's been trending up on the popularity charts in recent years, and its choice by The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Jane Krakowski could shoot it even higher.
  6. Blaise
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "to lisp, stammer"
    • Description:

      As modern as it sounds, Blaise is an ancient Christian martyr name. In Arthurian legend, Blaise is the name of Merlin the Magician's secretary. Its relation to the word and name Blaze gives it a fiery feel. Amanda Beard named her baby boy Blaise Ray.
  7. Blakesley
    • Origin:

      English place-name and surname
    • Meaning:

      "dark wolf's wood or clearing"
    • Description:

      Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter. Blakesley joins other -ley ending names -- Hadley, Finley -- as one of the most popular forms of unisex names with a girlish spin.
  8. Bradley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "broad clearing"
    • Description:

      Fading boys' name making fresh start for girls, aided by -ley ending.
  9. Brantley
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "sword, fiery torch"
    • Description:

      Brantley is one of several English surnames that was new to the tops in 2009. A possible-probable inspiration is the country rock singer Brantley Gilbert.
  10. Braxton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "Brock's settlement"
    • Description:

      Braxton entered the popularity ranks in 1985 and has been climbing steadily ever since. It has gained from the all-powerful X-factor, and perhaps also from the reality TV show, Braxton Family Values, featuring singer Toni and her sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar. Though it might sound new, there was a prominent Confederate Civil War general named Braxton Bragg.
  11. Braylee
    • Origin:

      Modern invented name
    • Description:

      Combines the prefix of Brayden and the trendy -lee suffix, and has the marks of the popular Bailey.
  12. Braylin
    • Origin:

      American invented name
    • Description:

      An invented name that feels like a mix between Brayden and Raelynn.
  13. Breaker
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      One of the aggressive new boys' names, ala Tracker and Heller, that have become fashionable among parents who are courting trouble.
  14. Breck
    • Origin:

      Scottish
    • Meaning:

      "speckled"
    • Description:

      Sudsy name that could be a new character on "Days of Our Lives."
  15. Breckin
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Breccan, Irish
    • Meaning:

      "freckled, speckled"
    • Description:

      Breccan may be the original saints' name, but in the modern U.S., the spelling Brecken is the most popular form, followed by Breckin. A winner by any spelling.
  16. Brent
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "dweller near the burnt land"
    • Description:

      One of several blunt B names just this side of the gender divide. While its short and to-the-point sound may feel modern, it has been declining steadily since the 1980s.
  17. Briar
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "a thorny patch"
    • Description:

      Fairy-tale memories of Sleeping Beauty inspire some parents—such as Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen—to call their daughters Briar Rose. But Briar plus a different middle name might work even better. It's one of the newly popular nature-word names, charting in the US for the first time in 2015 for both genders.
  18. Bridger
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "lives near the bridge"
    • Description:

      A recent addition to the Most Popular list, Bridger has the trendy two-syllables and 'er' ending, and a historical reference to Jim Bridger, a foremost nineteenth-century frontiersman, explorer, trapper, scout, and teller of tall tales.
  19. Briony
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Bryony
    • Meaning:

      "to sprout"
    • Description:

      Briony may be the variation and Bryony the original, but many parents will see this as the more authentic-feeling version of this attractive botanical name. Still unusual in the U.S., Briony is in the British Top 100 and may appeal to parents as a fresh spin on Briana or Brittany or an honorific for a Brian, though it bears no relationship to the male name.
  20. Britton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from Britain"
    • Description:

      Britton, technically a spelling variation of Britain, is much more popular that the original place name for both boys and girls. There are about three baby girls named Britton for every four boys, making it a truly nonbinary choice.