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Calixta
Greek
"most beautiful"
Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate…
Domino
Latin
"lord, master"
Swaggering, cutting-edge choice equally appropriate for both genders. It's also very rare, given in the US in 2015 to only seven baby girls....and no recorded baby boys. Do you want to be the first?
Eleonara
Italian, German, Dutch, and Polish version of Eleanor
"bright, shining one"
The usual form of Eleonara is Eleanora, with each syllable pronounced, but transposing, adding, or subtracting a vowel or syllable here or there works fine and adds to the international, feminine…
Lavender
English color and flower name
"purple flower"
Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names…
Linden
Variation of Lyndon
"linden tree hill"
The graceful, natural image of the verdant shade tree transcends any connection with President Johnson. A sturdy tree that can live for centuries, Linden was actually quite a popular boys' name from…
Adair
Scottish and Irish, Brazilian
"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"
A unisex name with lots of flair and a daring spirit, Adair was first noticed as a girl's name in the 1980's, thanks to the long-running daytime drama Search for Tomorrow , with the character Adair…
Fable
English word name
"a legendary story of supernatural happenings"
Fable, like Story, is a word name with real potential, combining enchanted tale-telling with a moral edge. And soundwise, it would fit right in with the likes of Abel and Mabel.
Ianthe
Greek
"purple flower"
Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the…
Thatcher
English occupational name
"roof thatcher"
Thatcher is an open and friendly freckle-faced surname, fresher sounding than Tyler or Taylor, that dates back to the days of thatched-roof cottages. It is catching on with modern parents—it reached…
Twain
English
"divided in two"
Twain can be thought of as a modernization (and possible namesake) of the dated Wayne, seasoned with the humor of Mark Twain, who adopted it from a river term.
Sparrow
Nature name
"sparrow, a bird"
With related choices such as Lark and Phoenix gaining popularity, why not Sparrow? Though it's usually thought of as a female name, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden chose it for their son.
Alair
Variation of Hilary
"happy, cheerful"
Alair is a lighter, more unusual form of Hilary.
Grey
Color name
The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Grey/Gray is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative—if…
Fitzgerald
Irish and Scottish
"son of Gerald"
Made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald Kennedy; still works best as a middle name.
Adaire
Scottish and Irish, Brazilian
"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"
A spelling variation of Adair, which may, as with Blaire, appeal to those who want to use it for girls. Derived from either Edgar ("wealthy spearman "), Darragh (or place name Adare), relating to oak…
Hawthorne
English
"lives where hawthorn hedges grow"
The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and nature names , for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more…
Babette
French diminutive of Barbara, Greek
"stranger"
A less common relic of the Claudette-Paulette-Annette era. Babette's Feast is a 1987 Danish film based on a Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) story about a cook who wins the lottery and prepares an…
Allifair
Guinivere
Guinivere is a variant spelling of Guinevere, the name of King Arthur's queen in Arthurian legend. Derived from the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, meaning 'white phantom' or 'fair one,' it combines 'gwen'…
Posey
English
"a bunch of flowers"
Posey is fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is only starting to be heard here. A possible alternative to Rosy or short form for Josephine. Posey…