User-created list
By turnip · Updated May 2023
Across 8 pages
of 8
African word name from Swahili
"journey"
In Africa, Safari is often used a name for a baby born during a journey. Americans and more likely to think of riding in Jeeps, taking photos of giraffes, lions, and the like. Nevertheless, Safari is…
English word name
"a fabric characterized by a short soft dense warp pile"
Velvet is a name that couldn't possibly be softer or more luxuriant. Many people have fond memories of it via the character of Velvet Brown, played by the young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet ,…
Nature name
Nickname name from the era of Father Knows Best , though we can see it making something of a comeback, a la Clover and Pippa. Cricket has new potential especially since it has recently been chosen by…
"holy day"
A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting…
Word name
Bright and glowing name, perfect for a baby who arrived on a sunny day.
Latin
"traveler, pilgrim"
Peregrine is considered to be an elegantly aristocratic name in England, but has never made it to the US, where it has been seen as extravagantly eccentric. In the new naming climate, though, it's…
"the time at which something is most powerful or successful; the point in the celestial sphere directly above an observer"
A tip-top word name—literally, Zenith means the top or apex. Zen makes a cute nickname.
English nature name
"apple"
When people talk about unique baby names, Apple is often one of the first examples they mention. Apple made international headlines when Gwyneth Paltrow chose this wholesome fruit name for her…
Smoky variation of Hayes.
North's image and gender status was irrevocably changed when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their newborn daughter. But why not? West is firmly established as a name,…
English from Latin
"when the sun stands still"
Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother . But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls…
Botanical name and French
"reddish brown"
A fragrant herbal and color name that could make a sensitive, distinctive choice.
Would make an unexpected middle name for a baby born at dusk.
Short form of Dorotea or Mattea
"gift of God"
As Theo and Thea get more popular, so do Teo and Tea, short forms of the Latinate variations of Theodore and Matthew -- which include Dorotea and Mattea. But like Theo and Thea, Tea can stand…
Name of the licorice plant, this spice comes in the shape of a star, giving this name an extra level of sweetness.
Spanish word name
Rugged nature name with possibilities...but more for boys.
English
"flower"
Florence, Flora, and a whole plethora of botanical names are in style at the moment, but simple Flower remains rare. Perhaps it's the association with the little skunk in Bambi, or because it rhymes…
English month name from Latin
"doorway"
Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name. The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann…
Persian place name
Now deeply associated with the gemstone Lapis Lazuli, Lazuli is derived from one of the places where the stone was first mined. The word Lazuli is the root for words like azure. Lapis Lazuli is a…
"midday / pinnacle"
In geography, a meridian is a line drawn around the curve of the Earth between the North and South Poles. The term comes from Latin meridianus, meaning "pertaining to midday", and the association…
