Black Night And Shadowy Names

The unusual-to-the-English-ear Moritz is a Top 25 name in Austria and a form of Maurice or Morris, which are modern variations of the ancient Roman Maurus. There were several early saints named Maurus and a famous 3rd century Saint Maurice, who was a Roman infantryman who was martyred when he refused to worship Roman gods. The Moritz form also references the posh Swiss ski resort St. Moritz and Justine Moritz is a character from Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein.

Carey is a surname name that works equally well on babies of all genders - Jazz great Carey Bell and motorcross champion Carey Hart are just two examples of how handsome this name can be for a boy.

Literally meaning "beautiful lady" in Italian, Belladonna is the name of a poisonous flower also known as nightshade. This connection gives an otherwise flowery name a darker, more dramatic edge.

In the USA, Maurice was in the Top 200 for most of the 20th century; since 1990, however, it has been on a slow and steady decline. This name has the potential for some old-school cute nicknames such as Mo as well as the more trendy Reece.

Nox was the Roman goddess of the night, equivalent to the Greek Nyx, from which her name was derived. Although identical in sound, Nox is unrelated to the Scottish masculine name Knox.

The Vietnamese name Quynh, pronounced exactly like the Irish gender neutral name Quinn, is a perfect cross-cultural choice with a lovely meaning.

One of three Cherokee names with the same meaning, along with Inali and Enoli, both male names.

Lobbing off the final E makes Melanie more modern.

Lovers of Esme might also like this beautiful Turkish name, with its mysterious meaning. The last syllable sounds like "rye".

A sweet, simple Sanskrit name which would work in many languages and has an sparkling, colorful meaning.

Kerry is the name of one of the most beautiful and lush counties of Ireland was a seventies favorite. Related, updated versions might include Cerys and Keira.

This early Welsh saint's name is unusual and lovely, waiting to be discovered. Saint Arianell was a member of the Welsh royal family who was possessed by a spirit which was exorcised by Saint Dyfrig, who became Arianell's spiritual teacher.

Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men, brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly unisex baby names. Only 14 girls were named Kiernan in the US in a recent year...and three times as many boys. If you want to move beyond Riley and Kennedy to one of the more unusual surname-based Irish names for girls, this may be a good choice.

Dougie is one of those names that spotlights the huge gulf that can exist between US and UK naming trends. In England and Wales, Dougie is a trendy nickname-name, ranking all the way up at Number 315. In the US, on the other hand, Dougie was used for a grand total of zero baby boys last year. Same thing for short form Doug. Only the father name Douglas ranks in the US Top 1000.

Skadi is an anglicized spelling of Skaði, a Scandinavian goddess associated with winter, skiing, bowhunting and mountains. This mythological choice is enjoying the limelight of names like Odin and Thor: it first appeared in the US charts in 2017 and is given to a few more girls each year.

Now that the Irish Ciaran and Ciara -- aka Kieran and Kiera -- are becoming more popular beyond their native shores, the short and strong Ciar might find some favor. As of now, more than 160 baby girls were named Ciara in the US last year, with half that many boys named Ciaran, but so far no baby boys named Ciar, though 17 were called Keir.

Like a large proportion of traditional Hawaiian names, Hoku can be used for both girls and boys.

Variant spelling of Nyx, the name of the Greek goddess of the night. It also coincides with the English word "nix, a corruption of German nichts "nothing".

It may be a longshot – especially since it was given to less than 5 boys in the US in 2021 – but Piran could conceivably be a future Kieran, which is shaping up to being the next Kevin. Piran is the patron saint of miners and of Cornwall.

Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman god Mercury, which derives from the Latin words for trade or wages, is the patron of tradesmen and travelers and the fastest-moving planet in the solar system. Mercury is the planet associated with the sign of Virgo, so this is one of the prime names for Virgo babies.