Orchid is a hothouse bloom that has not been plucked by many modern baby namers — yet. In the language of flowers, orchids symbolize love, beauty, and sophistication.

This super-charged variation of Jett is on the rise -- along with the unlikely newcomer Jetson.

Like River and Lake, a cool, refreshing modern water-related choice. This name is also associated with bay leaves, the bay laurel, the contemporary term of endearment, "bae", and the Old English word beġ meaning "berry"

This charming spelling of Lillie had its heyday in the late 1800s and ranked in the Top 100 until the end of the 1920s. It dropped off the Top 1000 completely in the 1980s and 1990s but is now back in play.

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 daughter. Many have called it ridiculous, but we have to admit, we find it appealing enough to list as one of our top cute baby names. Rocker Bob Geldof named one of his daughters Peaches; Banana Yoshimoto is a hipster writer. Another choice in this genre is the luscious Plum, though for different reasons, neither Prune nor Cherry will fly.

Flash Gordon makes this a superhero name, but Flash might just appeal to modern parents looking for one of the new active boys' names, ala Ace and Breaker and Ranger. We'd recommend something more pulled-together as a proper name with Flash as a nickname or middle name.

Y-ending color adjectives like Tawny and Rusty are nowhere near as stylish as the more sophisticated Lilacs and Violets.

Cabot is an attractive English surname associated with the daring early Italian-born British explorer known as John Cabot; his birth name was Giovanni Caboto.

Cyan is a highly unusual blue-green color name, a classmate of Celadon and Cerulean. It does come with the homey nickname Cy.

Tuneful variation on the Claire names.

A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan. Another bearer is Fuchsia Voremberg, a member of the BBC Show, Antiques Roadshow who specializes in diaries and manuscripts.

Really offbeat, upbeat multi-cultural name with light sound and meaning. Valo might make a more unique spin on Milo.

Sweet but sharp, Lemon was given to a surprising 50 girls back in 2021, while in a more recent year, it was given to just shy of 30. Some parents may find it summery and refreshing, while others may feel it leaves a sour taste in the mouth; either way, Lemon sounds similar enough to on-trend choices like Lennon, Clementine, and Leni that it does have the potential to be used more often.

Derived from Persian zarin "golden", Zarina is a strong and sparkling name used in multiple languages, including Kazakh, Urdu and Malay. It was the name of an ancient Scythian queen, and also sounds very close to the Russian tsarina or czarina – the pre-revolutionary term for an empress of Russia.

Lion is a masculine name taken straight from the name of the animal, associating it with strength, courage, and nobility across many cultures. With Germanic, French, and English language roots, Lion functions both as a standalone name and as a shortened form of names like Lionel.

Radical Bradley. Radley is also the surname of one of the heroes of To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo Radley is a reclusive and mentally challenged neighbor who saves the Finch children.

Viridis is a medieval Italian name which is also the Latin word for green. This name is a beautiful option for parents looking for an unusual name that conveys freshness, youth, springtime and nature.

While Vanilla might be too bland, the French version is more flavorful.

As likely to be tied to the detergent as to the rhythms of the ocean.

Peach is one of those names that, a generation ago, would have been placed in the wacky celebrity baby name category. But now with the proliferation of word, nature, and yes, food names, Peach sounds adorably baby-ready.