A soft and lovely Hebrew name with an equally lovely meaning.  Variations include Ahavah, Ahaba, Ahabah, Ahuva and Ahuvah.

Ahava

The unique O-ending makes this name memorable, especially for someone with ties to Texas.

Alamo

Almondine

This name is a classic example of an underused golden oldie that ticks so many boxes - unusual yet traditional, heaps of cute nicknames, a statement name that exudes retro cool. Aloysius is the Latin form of many more common names like Louis, Luis, Luigi and the uncommon but symphonically familiar Ludwig. Aloysius is familiar to Catholic name seekers as the name of the saint who died treating those afflicted by a pandemic, and is therefore a symbol of selfless caring - a worthy namesake in these somewhat egocentric times. Aloysius was historically common in Ireland, and is occasionally passed down in Irish families today. The feminine form is Aloysia.

Aloysius

While Barthelemy does not garner much attention these days, it has a storied history in French-speaking countries. Notable bearers include geologist and explorer Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond, philosopher Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire, and historian and writer Jean-Barthélemy Hauréau, to name a few.

Barthelemy

Bearnas

With its slightly cocky feel, this well-used surname is not often heard as a first. 

Brewster

A bright and appealing Spanish name traditionally given to honor the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.

Candelaria

Latinized form of the Brythonic name Caratacos, with an extra C added in the middle. This spelling appears in the lyrics of "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General" (Pirates Of Penzance, 1879), as well as in the novel and musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Caractacus

Cashmere is soft, luxurious -- and way out of the ordinary. One of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique names</a> found in The Hunger Games series.

Cashmere

A short, snappy name of Choctaw origin, with a charming meaning,  Chito might also be used in Georgian where it means "bird", and as a Filipino and Spanish short form and pet name. 

Chito

A subtle nature name which would nevertheless make for a bold choice, saint’s name Corbinian derives from Latin corvus ("crow; raven").
It’s a traditional yet rare choice in parts of southern Germany, where it’s usually spelt Korbinian.

Corbinian

Digby is a place-name in Lincolnshire turned surname turned quirky first name that is starting to get some attention. 
 Diggory is a similar name found in both Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit and Hardy's Return of the Native.

Digby

One of the oft-mocked Zappa kid names; it supposedly was a nickname his father had for his wife's pinkie toe. 

Dweezil

Elfie

The name of a mythically handsome youth – loved by Selene, the moon, who bore him fifty daughters.

Endymion

Fabrizio

This is an ancient saints' name well used in Ireland but a rarity here and unlikely to ever reach the popularity of other Finn-ish names. St. Finbarr (the more common spelling) is the patron saint of Cork and in Irish folklore, Finbarr was king of the fairies.


Finbar

Graziella, an Italian form of Grace, is another Latin version that adds spice. Consider Graziella as a distinctive alternative to either Grace or Gabriella.

Graziella

Attractive English surname that sounds right at home with the other androgynous surname names that are currently on-trend. Greenlee Smythe is a character on the soap opera All My Children

Greenlee

Georgious

Hurricane is a storm, but it's also an <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/519/american-baby-names">American name</a>, thanks to rising tennis star Hurricane Black -- whose sister's name is Tornado. There's no reason this tempestuous choice can't work for boys too, inasfar as the name can work for any child. As a name, Hurricane is definitely original and attention-getting, but is it a name you'd want to carry around for life?

Hurricane

In Greek mythology, Hyperion is one of the twelve Titans: children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). Hyperion presides over heavenly light, and is the father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn). 
The name, with its sci-fi appeal, has been well-used in popular culture: from John Keats' poem of the same name to Harry Potter (it’s the middle name of Draco Malfoy’s son, Scorpius). 
Hyperion is also a publishing house, a Classical music label and one of the 53 moons of Saturn.

Hyperion

Word name Love was a newcomer to the US Top 1000 in 2022, and was among the fastest rising names of the year. Lovelyn adds a bonus trendy -lyn ending, which may appeal to parents as feeling more name-like.
 
The name saw a spike of popularity in Germany back in 2013 when Lovelyn Chinwe Enebechi 
Germany's Next Top Model and she may continue to draw attention to the name as she documents her life on social media. 
 
The name could be seen as an elaborated for, of Love or a variation of Lovely, or alternatively, as a compound name, meaning "love lake" or "beautiful love" depending on which meaning of Lynn you opt for. 
 
Given to nearly 60 girls in a recent year, it is five times more popular than a decade ago. Combined with alternative spelling Lovelynn, it was given to more than 100 babies.

Lovelyn

Actor Mahershala Ali single-handedly put this Biblical name on the map. If you think it's difficult to pronounce and spell, consider that it's short for Maher-shalal-hash-baz, the longest name in the Bible which Ali actually used in its entirety as his stage name until 2010.

Mahershala

Most famously, the name of a 1920s alley cat. 

Mehitabel

Even in the Hispanic community, very religious and old-fashioned.

Milagros

Supermodel Helena Christensen named her son in honor of jazz great Charles Mingus, opening up a whole category of jazzy possibilities: Kenton, Calloway, Ellington, Gillespie, Mulligan, Tatum, and Thelonius.


Mingus

Mistral

Nefertari Meritmut was the first and favorite wife of pharoah Ramesses II "the Great". She was highly educated and undertook important diplomatic work on behalf of her husband, corresponding with other prominent figures and even making speeches.

Nefertari

Osiris is the name of Egyptian mythology god-king who died and was reborn every year. Emerging from centuries of obscurity, Osiris has several ingredients for success in the modern world: Roots in ancient myth, an uplifting meaning, an s ending and the cute nickname Os or Oz.  

Osiris

Percy Bysshe Shelley got the name for one of his most famous poems -- a sonnet about the insignificance of man's labors in the vastness of time -- from the Greek name for Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. 

Ozymandias has seldom been used as a first name for baby boys, and it's not hard to see why. Five ponderous syllables are a lot to bear. But literary names and ancient names are both hot categories, and Oz is quickly becoming trendy, so we can easily imagine some parents gravitating toward this impressive-sounding name. TV fans may recognize Ozymandias as the title of the third-to-last episode of "Breaking Bad," which many consider the best of the entire series.

Ozymandias

An interesting figure from Greek mythology -- an Amazon queen who fought for Troy in the Trojan War -- but no figure could be interesting enough to make that five-syllable mouthful usable today. Stick with Penelope or, if that's too popular for your taste, try Thessaly.

Penthesilea

Peregrine is considered to be an elegantly aristocratic name in England, but has never made it to the U.S., where it has been seen as extravagantly eccentric. In the new naming climate, though, it's not beyond consideration &mdash; in fact it's already been chosen by at least one Berry.
 The meaning of Peregrine, which was borne by several early saints, relates to the transitory nature of life on earth, having nothing to do with the peregrine falcon. In literature, it is best known from the central character of Tobias Smollett's novel Peregrine Pickle.
 Historically, Peregrine was the name chosen for the first English child born in the New World &mdash; actually on the Mayflower when it was docked in Provincetown.
 And there's always the Mad Men-era nickname Perry to make Peregrine more user-friendly.

Peregrine

A 3rd century saint's name sometimes used in Catholic communities, and in Western European countries like Portugal and Italy. 

Perpetua

Petronilla is an ancient saint's name that relates to the Roman family name Petronius, thought to mean yokel or woodpecker, though some connect it with Petra or Peter, meaning stone.  With the resurgence of so many ancient Roman names, the elaborate and pretty Petronilla or its French form Petronille seem more usable these days than they have in centuries.

Petronilla

Radmilla

He was the original Roman, Remus's twin and a founder of Rome. But parents attracted to this name are advised to read the legend first. Romulus does have some less than savory characteristics, including killing his twin brother and making Rome in his own image, and is later deified as Quinnius. Romy and Quinn might make good <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/twin-names-the-ultimate-guide">twin names</a>.

Romulus

Soul fans may wish to use this unusual name as a reference to singer Jimmy Ruffin and his younger brother David, one of the lead members of The Temptations.

Ruffin

British-sounding literary surname choice. 

Ruskin

Scheherazade -- or Sheherazade --is a legendary Persian queen immortalized as the narrator of all one thousand stories in the One Thousand and One Nights. Her story is even more remarkable than the tales she tells.
Each day the king marries a new woman and then beheads her in the morning. Scheherazade volunteers to marry the King. She relates a gripping story and times it so that as dawn approaches, the King is left with a cliffhanger. Eager to hear the end of the story, the King spares her life. The next night, Scheherazade finishes the tale and begins a new one, again ending the night with a cliffhanger. And so on. After 1001 nights (and 1000 stories) Scheherazade tells the King she has no more stories. However, by this time the King has fallen in love with Scheherazade and makes her his Queen.
 Scheherazade is a long and weighty name, but on the right girl or woman it would be an unusual and wonderful choice. Another spelling is Sheherazade.

Scheherazade

A strong, meaningful name, associated with a famous Cherokee linguistic scholar; also suggests the magnificent California sequoia redwood trees. 

Sequoyah

This strong Spanish name that refers to the Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Solitude) has been made accessible by broadcaster Soledad O'Brien -- who shows how well it combines with an Anglo surname. Her birth name was Maria de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien.
 Ava Gardner portrayed a character named Soledad in the film The Angel Wore Red.

Soledad

Over-the-top glitzy. Sparkle debuted in 1976 and peaked in 1979 when it was given to 124 baby girls. 

Sparkle

Another entry in the fruit name category, this one borne by writer Strawberry Saroyan, granddaughter of William, so named by her hippie parents.  While fruit names may become more familiar, they'll never pass without comment -- but maybe that's what you're looking for.

Strawberry

Skander

This intriguing name of an ancient Etruscan queen renowned for her prophetic powers was long associated with the prima ballerina Tanaquil LeClerq. 

Tanaquil

Theopolis

The name of one of the Furies in Greek mythology, a goddess who avenged crimes of murder. She
is described as wearing a dripping blood-red robe, with a serpent coiled around her waist.

Tisiphone

Tornado first meant thunderstorm and only later came to mean whirlwind, the common modern meaning.  More recently, Tornado is the first name of a tennis-playing teen whose sister is called the equally attention-getting Hurricane.  Both names work for either gender, if you think you can withstand the storm jokes.

Tornado

Many old-school girl names are feminine forms of male names. This one gets an exotic twist from being the female version not of Basil but the form used very commonly in Greece, Vasilios. This uncommon name would make an interesting and rare V-starting choice.

Vasiliki

This French place name, which may derive from a word meaning "plowed land", is occasionally used for girls. It is best-known for two things: the grand Palace of Versailles, the historic seat of the French royal family; and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War.

Versailles

A new entry is the fashionable new occupational name category -- and a jolly job it must be -- with the added attraction of relating to the great early 20th century American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler, of "Whistler's Mother" fame.

Whistler

A common surname often used as a first among the Amish.

Willis

Watsonia

Zealous and noble, an unusual and strong choice -- and if the original is too much of a mouthful, you can always call him Zen. 

Zenobios

Kristian's list "Crazy Crazy Names" of 56 great name ideas: Ahava - Zenobios!