Weirdest Names 2023 Revised

  1. Angus
    • Origin:

      Anglicized form of Aonghus, Aonghas, Gaelic
    • Meaning:

      "one strength"
    • Description:

      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 Oenghus has important historical overtones in Scotland, and the Gaelic form Aonghas is associated with two distinguished modern poets. In Irish folklore, Angus Og is a chieftain-lord who used his magical powers for the pleasure and prosperity of mankind--and in Irish myth, Aonghus was the god of love and youth.
  2. Bertha
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "bright, glorious"
    • Description:

      Ever since the enormous German cannon was dubbed by Allied soldiers "Big Bertha" in World War I, this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to imagine now, Bertha was a Top 100 name until the 1930s, and in the 1880s was the seventh most popular name in the land--the equal of Joseph.
  3. Bogart
    • Origin:

      Dutch surname
    • Meaning:

      "orchard"
    • Description:

      What it really means: you're a "Casablanca" fan.
  4. Bruce
    • Origin:

      Scottish and English from French
    • Meaning:

      "from the brushwood thicket"
    • Description:

      Bruce is a Norman place name made famous by the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who won Scotland's independence from England in the fourteenth century. It's perennially popular in Scotland, but has been rarely used here for a generation -- though the impact of Bruces Lee, Springsteen, Dern and Willis, as well as Batman's Bruce Wayne -- still lingers. At one time Bruce was so widespread in Australia, it became a nickname for any Ozzie man. An interesting alternative is Brix, the Normandy place name where the Bruce family originated.
  5. Bogger
    • Dawn
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "dawn, sunrise"
      • Description:

        Dawn's heyday in the US, Canada and the UK came in the 1960s and 70s. It peaked at #14 in the US in 1971, but has since sunk from sight to be eclipsed by other names with the same meaning, such as Aurora, Roxana or Zariah.
    • Dick
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Richard
      • Meaning:

        "dominant ruler"
      • Description:

        Dick was a once-common short form of Richard; replaced by Rick or Richie, and finally by the full name itself. Rude meaning -- make that two rude meanings -- pretty much knocks this one out of consideration.
    • Derfla
      • Derpina
        • Diddley
          • Dumple
            • Elmo
              • Origin:

                Italian from German
              • Meaning:

                "protector"
              • Description:

                Elmo, like fellow Sesame Street characters Kermit and Grover, has a hard time being taken seriously. (It isn't easy being red either.)
            • Ferguson
              • Origin:

                Scottish surname
              • Meaning:

                "son of Fergus"
              • Description:

                This would make an interesting name for a boy, if it weren't for the fact that the two most well known Fergies are female.
            • Fifi
              • Origin:

                French diminutive of Josephine, Hebrew
              • Meaning:

                "Jehovah increases"
              • Description:

                Fifi is a perfect name -- for a French poodle. But Fifi may seem more child-friendly as names like Coco and Lulu rise. Fifi in its fluffiness also balances the seriousness of such full names as Josephine or Federica.
            • Fiddlestick
              • Fufu
                • Gert
                  • Origin:

                    Short form of Gertrude, German
                  • Meaning:

                    "strength of a spear"
                  • Description:

                    Gert is an old school nickname for one of the oldest school names, Gertrude. Only the most adventurous, so-far-out-it's-in baby namers will choose Gertrude or Gert today, but it's definitely geek chic.
                • Garfunkel
                  • Germ
                    • Girdle