unusual names that I love (1)

Agnes

Greek

"pure, virginal"

Agnes is the Latin variation of the name Hagne, which itself derived from the Greek word hagnos , meaning "chaste." In medieval times, St. Agnes was a very popular saint, leading to its popularity as…

Aimee

Variation of Amy, French

"beloved"

Amy was a 1970s favorite, and French spelling Aimee peaked in the same decade. Today, about 1500 baby girls are still named Amy every year in the US, versus about 150 named Aimee. Aimee Teegarden is…

Alaska

Native American

"great land"

State name Alaska stems from an Aleutian word for the land mass itself. The number of baby girls named Alaska has doubled in the past five years, and is sure to continue increasing as more place…

Albany

Scottish place name

Not yet on the place-name map, this name has Shakespearean ties via the Duke Of Albany character in King Lear .

Alba

Latin, Germanic, Spanish , Italian., "white, light; elf; dawn"

"white, light; elf; dawn"

Bright, lively, and multicultural, Alba has the vintage mellowness of Alma but spirited feel of Ebba, Phoebe, and Pippa too. Derived from multiple different sources, a recent year saw it appear as a…

Alijah

Variation of Elijah, Hebrew

"God is Yahweh"

A little bit Aliyah and a little bit Elijah equals an invented name that moves into the girls' column with its choice by Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Bassett for their daughter. While there is good…

Angeline

French variation of Angela

"angel"

With Angelina becoming so popular thanks to Ms. Jolie, this could be a new twist—but everyone will always misunderstand it as Angelina. While it currently ranks at Number 951 in the US, it's Number…

Arizona

Place-name from Papago Indian

"little springs"

We usually think of place-names as a modern invention, but in fact Arizona ranked on the US Top 1000 from its inception in 1880 until 1911, when it vanished below the surface. It peaked at Number 510…

Asia

Place name

This still attractive place name was one of the first to gain popularity, though it now probably owes some of its favor to the similar Aisha. Asia ranked as high as Number 195 on the US baby names…

Auden

English

"old friend"

A softly poetic surname name, associated with poet W.H., Auden is enjoying quiet but marked fashion status. It was chosen for his daughter by Noah Wyle and is definitely one to watch.

Bay

English word, Old English

"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"

One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…

Bryn

Welsh

"hill"

Bryn is an up-and-coming gentle, yet substantial, Welsh name that would also be effective in the middle spot. In Wales it's a traditional boys' name, but it's far more popular for girls now in the…

Cadence

Latin

"rhythm, beat"

The musical word name Cadence, seemed to come out of nowhere to zoom up the charts; it rose over 700 spots between 2002 and 2004, and showed up in the Top 200 in 2007. It's gone down in the popular…

Caelyn

Caelyn is a feminine name that represents a modern variation of traditional Celtic and Welsh names. It relates to names like Caitlin, Kaelyn, and Kaylin, with possible meanings including 'pure' or…