I would never name a child....

Olive

English, from Latin, nature name

"olive tree"

Though greatly overshadowed by the trendy Olivia, Olive has a quiet, subtle appeal of its own -- and is now enjoying a remarkable comeback. Olive is one of only four girl names starting with O on the…

Martha

Aramaic

"lady"

The name of our first First Lady still has something of a prim and proper image, academic and efficient. That quiet, traditional, and tasteful gestalt is exactly what makes Martha appealing to some…

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…

Sharon

Hebrew

"a plain"

This Old Testament place name was in the Top 10 fifty years ago, but now Sharon, along with sound-alike Karen, have fallen out of favor.

Sincerity

Word name

"sincerity, truth"

A Puritan-virtue type name that could possibly work for a modern baby with its rhythmic four-syllable sound and admirable meaning.

Sorcha

Irish

"bright, shining"

A popular Irish name virtually unknown here, but one that feels like it could follow in the footsteps of Siobhan and Saoirse. It's pronounced SOR-ka, but with a little hiccup between the ' r ' and…

Mignon

French

"delicate, dainty"

Charming French endearment, first used as a name by Goethe, that now makes an appealing choice -- though the proper feminine form is Mignonne. Note, though, that this is not actually used as a name…

Feodora

Ukrainian; Russian, from Greek

"gift of God"

Feodora is an interesting choice for the intrepid name-giver, especially with the dynamic nickname Feo.

Cocoa

Color and food name

Do everyone a favor and spell it Coco, an up-and-coming choice.