Black Night And Shadowy Names

This familiar Irish surname, best known as the name of the mononamed Welsh female singer, is extremely rare as a first name in the US but could make an original Irish choice.

Sullivan has made itself into a first name and O'Sullivan may well follow suit.

An androgynous alternative to Hazel, an American favorite that continues to rise.

The Olympic gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee was named after her mother's favorite Thai actress.

An upbeat and accessible form of Maurice.

Related to the Indian word and currency "rupee', Rupa derives its meaning from the ancient Sanskrit language, and can mean both silver and beautiful. Rupa also has strong historical and literary associations (as Rupa Bhawani was a noted 16th Century poetess and mystic) from Kashmir.

The Basque name, meaning shadow, has the virtue of having both an interesting meaning and an obvious pronunciation.

Famous violinist-conductor Pinchas Zuckerman is the most famous modern bearer; the biblical Pinchas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron -- both preferable name choices.

Otieno is more commonly seen as a surname among the Luo people of Kenya and Eastern Africa. The surname was derived from the given name — Atieno is the feminine version.

An unusual, haunting name, a distant cousin to the more popular Amber and Ember.

Blaque is a clever -- or should we say qlever -- spelling variation of either the androgynous surname-name Blake, as in Gossip Girl Lively, or Black, as in the color name. Either way, we prefer the original. Blaque -- an acronym for believing life achieving quest unity everything -- was also a late 90s R & B group and some people may choose the name Blaque to symbolize those qualities.

Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter. Blakesley joins other -ley ending names -- Hadley, Finley -- as one of the most popular forms of unisex names with a girlish spin.

This nouveau spelling of Blakeley was one of the fastest-rising girl names outside of the Top 1000 in 2019, but hasn't grown in popularity since then. It is given to around 110 girls each year in the US.

Doon is a rare masculine name with multiple potential origins. It may derive from the Scottish Gaelic 'dùn' meaning 'fort' or 'hill,' or possibly from Irish place names. The name could also be connected to the River Doon in Scotland, made famous in Robert Burns' poem 'The Banks o' Doon.' With its short, strong sound, Doon has a distinctive quality that's easy to pronounce and remember. Despite these appealing characteristics, it remains quite uncommon in most naming records. The name has literary connections through John Gregory Dunne's novel 'True Confessions,' which features a character named Doon. Its rarity gives it a unique appeal for parents seeking an uncommon name with natural or geographical associations.

Shyam is one of the alternate names of Hindu God Krishna.

Another name for the element Mercury. Quicksilver is also the alter-ego of X-Men and Avengers character Pietro Maximoff.

A shimmery ancient Roman name that could still shine today. VARIATION: ARGENTA

An alternative spelling, found in some sources, of Arianrhod. This version lacks the fashionable "Aria" sound that is part of Arianrhod's appeal.

The th sound both softens and complicates this Melanie relative.

Compact, to-the-point surname name. Bear in mind the stock-market association - it may be a bit much with the last name Jones.