apricotteacup's list "Too Cute to Function" of 5 great name ideas: Champ - Maple!

Too Cute to Function

A list of precious names that are as cute as a newborn baby panda bear.

Though it sounds like a modern invention, Champ actually has a long history as a first name. It hit the Top 1000 several times just before and after the turn of the 20th Century. Champ Bailey was an NFL cornerback for 15 seasons before retiring in 2014. His given name, though, is Roland.

Champ

An old-fashioned nickname in the Bud/Buzz/Biff mold; this one's kind of belligerent. Michelle Hicks and Jonny Lee Miller moved outside the box when they used it for their son--given the safer middle name of Timothy.

Buster

Baloo

Maple is one of those sweet-spot word names that sounds so almost name-like that it doesn't feel outlandish or strange, despite its relative newness as a given name. Just as Juniper is adjacent to June or Pippa, Clover like Chloe or Clara and Ember like Emma or Ebba, Maple is enough like Mabel, Maisie and Mae that it blends in well and has a touch of borrowed vintage charm.
 
Quietly used since the 1890s - yes, really - Maple has been rising up the charts in recent years. A recent year saw it given to nearly 200 girls each year, it ranks similarly to Viola, Shea, and Rue
 Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka named their daughter Maple Sylvie in 2020, which has shone a spotlight on the name, while content creator Kaydee Church chose Maple Lu for her baby born in 2025. 
 
The name appeared very briefly in the US Top 1000 back in 1902 and there's even a poem about a girl called Maple by Robert Frost which dwells on the significance choosing a name for a child. Also associated with strength and endurance, Canada, syrup and pancakes, autumn and shades of red, we predict Maple will continue to rise in coming years.

Too Cute to Function

Champ

Buster

Kix

Baloo

Maple