User-created list
By steerthestars · Updated November 2022
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Modern invented name
Nevaeh: an already bold word name with the unusual twist of being spelled backwards; a nightmare for those who love traditional, classic names; a divisive option on name forums across the internet;…
Meaning unknown
When the King was alive, and for years afterwards, few people (except Declan McManus who became Elvis Costello) dared use his singular name, but now it's very much up for grabs. The name Elvis is…
Variation of Brittany, English
"from Briton"
This abbreviated spelling, which also relates to Whitney, quickly took on a life of its own, thanks to the megafame of Britney Spears, but it's already beginning to burn out.
Arabic
"small, handsome one"
One spelling of a well-used Arabic name. Hussein ibn Ali was a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. It gained in popularity in the USA during the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama.
Greek
"good victory"
Eunice is a New Testament name of the mother of Timothy, long associated with one of the Kennedy sisters, the founder of the Special Olympics. As high as Number 106 in the early 1900s, it lasted on…
Spanish, diminutive of Lola and Dolores, Spanish
"lady of sorrows"
In Nabokov's notorious novel, Lolita is the pet name given by the pedophilic narrator, Humbert Humbert, to his victim: a young girl called Dolores and nicknamed Lola or Lo by her mother. Still, it…
French
"joyful"
The meaning of this word flipped from "cheerful" to "homosexual" during the twentieth century, and it's now almost certainly too loaded to sit comfortably as a baby name. Which is a shame as…
Nickname name
Old-school nickname ala Spike and Babe that's favored by some hipster parents.
Latin
"yellow, tawny, gleaming"
Derived from the Latin fulvus this name has been poetically associated with shades of gold, bronze, and yellow, along with the color of a lion's fur and an eagle's feathers. It was borne by the wife…
German
"noble wolf"
World War II stamped a permanent verboten on Adolph.
Diminutive of Richard
"dominant ruler"
Dick was a once-common short form of Richard; replaced by Rick or Richie, and finally by the full name itself. Rude meaning -- make that two rude meanings -- pretty much knocks this one out of…
Virtue name, English from Latin
"chastity, pure"
One of the original so-weird-it's-cruel celebrity baby names doesn't sound quite so impossible with the resurgence of virtue names. But be charitable and choose Charity instead.
Anglicized variation of Chaim
"life"
Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original…
Hebrew
"my delight is in her"
This is a streamlined spelling of the biblical Hephzibah. Hephzibah is an Old Testament name that came into use in the 17th century, but is not often used today. It does have less formal nicknames…
Semon is a masculine name with multiple possible origins. It may function as a rare variant of Simon, which derives from the Hebrew name Shimon, meaning "he has heard" or "listening." Alternatively,…
Crystalee is a contemporary feminine name that combines the classic name Crystal with a melodic 'lee' ending. Crystal derives from the Greek word 'krystallos,' meaning 'ice' or 'clear ice,'…