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Interesting or unusual food names
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The names
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…
Clementine
French feminine version of Clement, Latin
"mild, merciful"
Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list. A female variation of the more-unusual Clement, Clementine's meaning…
Reese
Spelling variation of Rhys
An Anglicized spelling of the Welsh Rhys, this traditional boys' name got a big boost for girls in the early 2000s, thanks to the high-profile Ms. Witherspoon (who was actually born Laura Jeanne…
Acai
Brazilian Portuguese fruit and tree name
Fad fruit name or a trendy syllable smash? We aren't certain, but we have noticed a number of babies name Acai on the US charts. Spelled Açai, with a cedilla, it's the name of a Brazilian palm that…
Almond
English word name or variation of Almund or Aleman, German
"almond; noble strength; German"
Almond may seem like a hippy modern name, but its use for American boys goes right back to the mid-nineteenth century. In these cases, it was either a variation of Almund, meaning "noble strength,"…
Angus
Anglicized form of Aonghus, Aonghas, Gaelic
"one strength"
Angus is a traditional yet stylish choice in the UK, especially in Scotland. And it's a cool choice for US parents too, particularly those whose roots go back to Glasgow. The ancient Celtic form…
Barley
English
"grower or seller of barley"
A bit too bad-boy (think bars, beer, Harley) for us, as well as being the name of a grain.
Bean
English word name
"an immature bean pod used as a vegetable"
The unisex word name Bean, distant cousin of the infamous Apple, was used for the name of a child of mysterious gender in Louise Penny's novel "A Rule Against Murder." While we can imagine Bean as a…
Berry
Nature name
If not for Motown founder Berry Gordy, this name would now be totally in the girl group.
Bran
Diminutive of Brandon
"broom-covered hill"
A little heavy on the fiber content; we prefer Bram. But Bran is also the Celtic god of the underworld, whose symbol is the raven. It's probably not a coincidence that George R.R. Martin chose this…
Chip
Pet name for Charles
Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.
Cheddar
Churro
Dill
Diminutive of Dillon, Irish
"loyal"
Diminutive of Dillon
Fennel
Vegetable and herb name
In the garden of herb names, Rosemary and Basil are perennials and Sage is a new upshoot, but Fennel is a real rarity. The aniseed-tasting plant, used to add flavor to dishes around the world, gets…
Ham
Hebrew
"hot, warm"
Along with Shem and Japheth, a son of Noah with a name that's almost never used -- for more obvious reasons than those of his brothers.
Heinz
German diminutive of Heinrich
Heinz has become a cartoonish German name, prone to ketchup teasing.
Herb
Herb is a masculine name that originated as a shortened form of Herbert, which comes from Germanic elements 'hari' meaning 'army' and 'beraht' meaning 'bright.' Primarily used in English-speaking…
Huckleberry
Word name and literary name
Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs.…
Kale
Modern invented name
Whether you think of it as Cale with a K, or a pet form of Kalen or Kaleb, this is just the kind of short, synthetic name finding a lot of favor now, but remember -- it's also the name of a vegetable.
