Unknown Gems

Akin to Ada, Adeline, and Adele, Adalie is one of many names to derive from the Old German element adal. Musical and lively, and less popular than its many of its sisters, Adalie was given to around 160 girls in a recent year. An obscure choice until the 2000s, Adalie saw increased usage in the US in 2012, around the time as other Ad- names were beginning to really trend.

Aderyn, like cousin Elowen, may have found her moment: Aderyn makes an original full name that gets you to the cute and trendy nickname Addie. Just remember to put the emphasis on the second syllable.

Common in Sweden, Alric is part of the family of medieval sounding names, like Alaric, Casimir and Leopold that are increasing gaining a fanbase, perhaps as an antidote to the modern inventions that are becoming more prolific.

Gentle but grandiose and beloved by British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose was a fast rising name in 2022. Entering the UK Top 1000 for the first time and proving popular among Nameberry users, its elegance, softness, and vintage style means it fits in with popular Theodore, Sebastian, and Jeremiah.

Melodious and unusual form of a name with an uncountable number of variations. Many will understand it as the more down-to-earth Annalee.

Anwen is one of the simplest and best of the classic Welsh girls' names, more unusual than Bronwen but with the same serene feel.

Conjures up the military image of Fort Benning in Georgia — or the surname of actress Annette.

Brigid is the simpler Irish version of the name of the goddess of fire, which may also be spelled Brighid. Other variations include Bridget, the most usual spelling in the U.S., and the French Brigitte.

Authentic Gaelic name with pronunciation problems in the US. In Scotland Eachann has been anglicized as Hector, not because of its sound, but because the Trojan hero Hector had the reputation as a mighty horseman.

A modern Welsh name that will be misunderstood as Irene.

Ellia is one of the newer entries in the extremely popular El group of names for girls, which includes Ella, Ellie, Elle and so on, as well as L-starting names such as Lillia. Nearly 100 baby girls were named Ellia last year, but we're afraid that the name will not sound as distinctive as it should due to so many other girls with similar names.

With the new trend of boys' names rising on the heels of their popular sisters, the unusual-yet-familiar-feeling Emilian might become better known thanks to its relationship to Emily and Emilia/Amelia. Rather than being two branches of the same tree, Emilian and Emily are actually one tree while Emmett and Emma hang on a whole separate tree. But all have a lot of modern appeal, and Emilian may be a more attractive and intriguing male form than Emil. There was a St. Emilian.

If you're looking for a Welsh name less common than Dylan, Griffin, Evan, or Morgan, you might want to consider this offbeat epithet of the wise wizard Merlin.

Root name Ambrose is an ancient saints' name derived from the Greek ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods that conferred immortality.

Strong and unusual Scandinavian name, but with two possible pitfalls: people might mis-hear it as Aspen, or associate it with sports network ESPN. Variants include Esper and Esben.

Ibsen is a literary hero name possibility, after the great Norwegian dramatist, Henrik I. The name Ib is a short form of Jacob, so you might consider Ibsen as an honorific for or a twin of a Jacob.

This first name of a Norwegian supermodel has no known meaning of its own and is most closely related to Isleen, which is a variation of the Celtic Aislin or Ashling.

An Old World name that might have a chance to rise again with other ancient and worldly forms. Be sure to say yo-HAHN-es.

Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a lot of punch, might suggest -- thanks to its similarity to the word care -- a caring person. Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is a British politician and head of the Labour Party since 2020. Keir Dullea is an American actor who starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name, borne by poet Philip Larkin.