unique band and artists names

  1. Rhapsody
    • Origin:

      French, musical term
    • Description:

      Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.
  2. Rigby
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "ridge farm"
    • Description:

      Rigby is a rather stiff British surname, which might call to mind the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or, from the recent past, Cathy Rigby, the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics competition. The problem with Rigby may be its similarity to the word "rigid."
  3. Ringo
    • Origin:

      English nickname
    • Description:

      The most outlandish Beatles-inspired name, if Lennon or McCartney are too tame for you. Ringo Starr is the stage name of drummer Richard Starkey, taken from his nickname Ringo (because he wore lots of rings) and the first part of his surname. A bold rock-n-roll inspired choice!
  4. Sabbath
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a day of religious observance and abstinence from work"
    • Description:

      Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son. But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which gives the name a more devilish twist. While there's nothing intrinsically male or female about Sabbath as a first name, it squeaked onto the Social Security roster for five boys in 2012, but was not recorded for girls. Sabbath comes from the word for "day of rest" in many ancient cultures.
  5. Santana
    • Origin:

      Spanish, condensed form of Santa Ana
    • Description:

      Santana was most recently heard on a female character on hit television show Glee. Nonetheless, this name ranks higher for boys, which can be credited to Grammy Award-winning musician Carlos Santana.
  6. Santana
    • Origin:

      Spanish, condensed form of Santa Ana
    • Description:

      Santana is a saintly name...or Latin rock band. While traditionally masculine, character Santana Lopez on the show Glee showed the name's potential for a girl as well. Sound-wise, it feels like Savannah with a twist.
  7. Slash
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "slash"
    • Description:

      Slash is here because model Amber Rose and Def Jam Records exec Alexander AE Edwards named their baby boy Slash Electric Alexander. Is it cool? Or is it violent and terrifying? Or is it both? We're going to go with Door Number 2 and place it in the same category as names like Dagger and Pistol, but we are not models or record execs.
  8. Starr
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Star, word name
    • Description:

      Starr today is more fashionably the plain-spoken Star or the more obscured Stella, Esther, or Estella.
  9. Strawberry
    • Origin:

      Fruit name
    • Description:

      Another entry in the fruit name category, this one borne by writer Strawberry Saroyan, granddaughter of William, so named by her hippie parents. While fruit names may become more familiar, they'll never pass without comment -- but maybe that's what you're looking for.
  10. Styx
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "the hateful"
    • Description:

      In Greek mythology, the river Styx separates the Earth and the Underworld, named for the goddess who gave it its power. Today Styx is also associated with the 1970s rock band of the same name.
  11. Summer
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      The temperature is definitely rising for this popular seasonal name, which began being used in the seventies, and has been heard consistently ever since.
  12. Sunshine
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee.
  13. Sinatra
    • Stardust
      • Tangerine
        • Origin:

          Word name
        • Description:

          We've had Apples, Plums, Peaches, Cherries, and Berries added to the fruit basket: you could be the first to pick a Tangerine.
      • Valerie
        • Origin:

          French variation of Valeria
        • Meaning:

          "strength, health"
        • Description:

          The name of a martyred medieval saint, Valerie has been on the popularity list since its earliest publication in 1880. Though it peaked in the 1960s, remaining in the Top 100 until 1988, it still doesn't sound terminally dated; the association with the word valor gives it a sense of boldness and makes it one of the special group of girl names that mean strong.
      • Whitney
        • Origin:

          English surname
        • Meaning:

          "white island"
        • Description:

          Yesterday's sensation that rose with the popularity of Whitney Houston. Whitney may have lost some of its style value, but it still sounds like one of the quintessential English names for girls. Today, you might want to shorten it to cool nickname Whit.
      • Woodstock
        • Yesterday
          • Zeppelin
            • Origin:

              German word name from Slavic
            • Meaning:

              "zeppelin; flail"
            • Description:

              In a baby name landscape where word names and names that start with Z are infinitely cool, there are few options for parents who want to combine trends. Zeppelin is one of the best names at the intersection of these two styles, and it's rising alongside the likes of Zen, Zephyr, and Zenith.