User-created list
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Across 19 pages
of 19
Alistair
English spelling of Alasdair, Scottish version of Alexander
"defending men"
With many British names invading the Yankee name pool, the sophisticated Alistair could and should be part of the next wave. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016. You have a triple choice with this…
Lucien
French form of Lucian
"light"
Sophisticated Gallic version of Lucian, Lucien may appeal to parents attracted to this meaning over that of Lucas and Luke, which have a different root, and also looking for a more unusual choice.…
Linda
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian
"pretty"
Linda will live forever in baby name history for toppling Mary from its four hundred year reign as Number 1. Queen of Names in 1947, Linda has fallen even further in favor than Mary today. Still,…
Greta
German, diminutive of Margarethe
"pearl"
Greta is an Old World name long tied to the iconic Garbo, but now synonymous with environmental activism. In the early 2000s, Greta was showing signs of a comeback, along with other Old Hollywood…
Emmeline
Old French form of archaic German Amal
"work"
Emmeline is an Emma relative and Emily cousin that is destined for greater use in the wake of the megapopularity of those two names. A recommended Nameberry fave, Emmeline hopped onto the US Top 1000…
Quentin
Latin
"fifth"
Quentin, an offbeat name with lots of character, relates to the Latin for the number five and is by far the subtlest and most usable of the Latin birth-order names, masculine as well as stylish and…
Barbara
Greek
"foreign woman"
Barbara is back and among the fastest-rising names of recent years! Credit goes to 2023's breakout movie Barbie , which gave a new stylish feel to the classic Barbara and set it up to rank alongside…
Alec
Diminutive or Scottish form of Alexander, Greek
"defending men"
Alec, a clipped British short form of Alexander, is less fresh than Alex, but leans more off-beat classic than Xander. Used since at least the 19th-century, Alec became particularly popular in the…
Toby
Diminutive of Tobias, Greek, Hebrew
"God is Good"
Sweet and spirited, kindly and handsome, posh and approachable, Toby is a versatile nickname, popular in the UK as a stand-alone choice, but familiar in the Netherlands and New Zealand too. In the…
Ephraim
Hebrew
"fruitful, fertile, productive"
Ephraim is an Old Testament name we would place high on the list of neglected Biblical possibilities, solid but not solemn. In Genesis, Ephraim is the second son of Joseph, and founder of one of the…
Harold
Scandinavian
"army ruler"
The name of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England before the Norman conquest, and a name that's long been associated with a pipe-smoking, bespectacled grandpa or uncle. After years in style limbo,…
Joe
Diminutive of Joseph
"Jehovah increases"
Joe is still the ultimate good-guy name, not at all diminished by its longevity or popularity or its everyman rep as Regular Joe, Cowboy Joe, G.I. Joe, Joe Exotic, Joe Blow, Joe Millionaire, Average…
Abe
Diminutive of Abraham. Hebrew
"father of multitudes"
Old-time nickname that's following in the fashionable footsteps of cronies Jake and Sam. Abe feels both fresher and cuter -- which is maybe the same thing? -- than those choices right now. You can…
Achille
French variation of Achilles
"thin-lipped"
The French spin on the name of the great Homeric hero with the vulnerable heel seems somewhat more portable into the modern world.
Amyas
Latin
"loved; friend"
Distinctive and contemporary in appearance, Amyas has in fact been used since Renaissance period. More popularly spelled as Amias today, the name likely derives from the Medieval names, Amis and…
Armand
French variation of Herman, German
"soldier"
Since the first production of Camille this has been considered one of the world's most romantic names, though it's one of those French names for boys rarely heard in this country. Actor Armie…
Ashley
English
"dweller near the ash tree meadow"
It may have peaked at #1 for girls in 1991 and 1992 in the US, but Ashley actually has a long history as a male given name, as evidenced by the sensitive Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind . It's…
Auguste
French form of Latin Augustus
"great, magnificent"
French version of August, for both sexes. And for those who feel the spelling of August is too plain.
Austen
Literary surname and shortened form of Augustine, Latin
"great, magnificent"
Parents who love the great English novelist Jane Austen may choose this spelling of the popular name Austin to honor the author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice.
Bartholomew
Aramaic
"son of the furrow"
Bartholomew is an apostle's name that's been out of favor for centuries but might appeal again to the parent in search of an old but rare choice. The challenge could be to avoid the Simpson-ish…