Awesome Names

Attractive Spanish name heard in the movie Spanglish. Roll that final r. Or say it the French way: Fleur.

Singer Wainwright is the third in his family to carry this unusual name.

In the Bible, Joram and "all his chariots" pass over Zair.

Has the offbeat quality and macho feel -- like Stone and Flint -- that appeals to increasing numbers of modern parents.

Hyde, of course, is most familiar as a surname -- as in Mr. Hyde, evil alter ego of Dr. Jeckyll. Unless Hyde is a family name or you have some other excellent reason for using it, we think you could do better.

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.

Though little used as a first name, Loa will be familiar to many from the name of Hawaii's most famous volcano, Mauna Loa, on the Big Island.

One of the more unusual nature names, Maize is given to a dozen or so boys and girls each year and is almost completely unisex in terms of usage. It could also be short for Maisie/Maizie. Disclaimer: potential for "corny" jokes.

Worthy sibling for Oak, Elm, Juniper, and Spruce.

A trendy sounding choice--if we had to give it a meaning would be either "three cities" or "town with trees," but since it's a modern invention, you'd have to pick it for its current feel alone. Another option: TRENTON, a real place name.

A cool, engaging surname, Keaton might feel like a fresh spin on Katelyn, Keeley or Katherine. While it is used ten times more often for boys, 27 girls were still given the name in a recent year.

Not quite a nature name and not quite a surname — whatever Laken is or isn't, we know it's definitely a name to watch.

Feels as if it's missing a syllable.

As a nickname for one of the longer Z-starting choices, maybe, but not as a name unto itself.

It's a futuristic name in Solaris, but it is also related to Rhea, the name of Zeus's mother and wife of Cronus.

Eliot is the sleekest spelling of the original, very occasionally used for girls, perhaps to honor novelist George Eliot.

A winning last-name-first Celtic choice, Flynn is still mostly used for boys, such as the son of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr. Though Flynn is definitely one of the Irish surname names, from Quinn to Flannery to Makenna, that makes one of the trendy boy names for girls".

A name that is rarely heard and might be worth considering as a way of zipping up a namesake Sandra. It has long been associated with iconoclastic British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.

Sibel is a feminine name with multiple cultural roots. In Turkish, where it enjoys significant popularity, the name is pronounced 'See-bel' and means 'ear of wheat' or 'spike of grain', symbolizing abundance and fertility. The name also has connections to the Greek 'Sibyl', meaning 'prophetess' or 'oracle', referring to female seers in ancient Greece and Rome. This dual heritage gives Sibel rich cultural significance. The name is widely used in Turkey and among Turkish diaspora communities. Outside of Turkish communities, the name remains relatively uncommon, giving it a distinctive quality. Sibel has a concise, elegant sound that works well across different languages, contributing to its international appeal while maintaining its cultural connections.

Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.