User-created list
Whimsy / cool names
Single page list
The names
Levi
Hebrew
"joined, attached"
Levi, lighter and more energetic than most biblical names, with its up vowel ending, combines Old Testament gravitas with the casual flair associated with Levi Strauss jeans. Now it's being…
Luca
Italian variation of Luke and Lucas
"man from Lucania"
The related Lucas and Luke are both hugely popular boy names in the US and internationally, and now Luca has joined them on boys' popularity lists around the world. That's an astonishing success…
Maverick
American
"independent, nonconformist"
It's ironic that the name Maverick is not such a maverick anymore. Heard first in a 1950s James Garner western TV series, and then as the Tom Cruise character in Top Gun , Maverick symbolizes an…
Milo
Latin and Old German
"soldier or merciful"
Milo is most commonly considered to be Germanic name derived from the Latin word miles , meaning "soldier." However, there is evidence to suggest it also may have independently spawned from the…
Malachi
Hebrew
"my messenger"
An Old Testament name with a Gaelic lilt, Malachi entered the list in 1987. In the Bible, Malachi (pronounced with the final syllable as EYE), was the last of the twelve Hebrew prophets, who foretold…
Dahlia
Flower name, from Swedish surname
"Dahl's flower"
One of the flower names, used occasionally in Britain (where it's pronounced DAY-lee-a). It seems to have recovered from what was perceived as a slightly affected la-di-dah air. The flower was named…
Kairo
Spelling variation of place-name Cairo, Arabic
"the conqueror"
Contemporary Kairo fits in with the modern trend of substituting a C for a K initial, and in this case, it works to get you more easily to the cool nickname Kai. In fact, parents in the US and the UK…
Finny
Halcyon
Greek
"kingfisher bird"
Heaven, Peace, Serenity: parents seem especially attracted to word names that signal paradise, but Halcyon sounds quite feminine, and might conjure up the sleeping pill Halcion.
Malachite
Gemstone name
There aren't many gemstone names that are firmly masculine but Malachite is one of these. The gemstone is a rich green colour and is often used for decorative sculptures. The name is thought to…
Mordecai
Hebrew
"follower of Marduk"
Mordecai, although it has a noble heritage, has never caught on in this country, because of its rather weighty image. Nevertheless, with parents searching for rarer Biblical names that work as…
Sequoia
Native American, Cherokee
"sparrow"
This name of a giant tree, itself named for a nineteenth-century Cherokee who invented a way to write his tribe's language, makes a strong, stately statement.
Tully
Irish, Scottish
"flood; quiet; hill"
Tully is an Irish surname just waiting to be adapted as a first. Cute and lively, and reminiscent of Tilly or Tali, it's got a long history and a range of possible meanings, depending on which root…
Kempsey
Tully
Irish, Scottish
"flood, peaceful; hill"
Tully is a relaxed, rarely used Irish surname possibility which might provide an alternative to Tommy, Eli, or Troy. It has a long history of usage and a number of meanings, depending on which root…
Haakon
Norse
"chosen son"
An ancient name that's been used by the Norwegian royal family; still popular there but not likely to appeal to many American parents.
Kerys
Kerys is a feminine name of Welsh origin, believed to be a modern variation of Carys, which means 'love' or 'beloved' in Welsh. This contemporary spelling gives the traditional name a distinctive…
Myrcella
Variant of Marcella
One of the many faux-Medieval names invented by George R.R. Martin for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, the source of HBO's Game of Thrones . Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of…
Dimitri
Russian from Greek Demetrius
"follower of Demeter"
Dimitri is a Slavic variation of the Russian Dmitriy, a name that comes from the Greek Demetrius. Demetrius was derived from Demeter, the name of the Greek goddess of fertility and farming. Among the…
Jora
Hebrew
"autumn rain"
Unique possibility for a girl born between September and November.