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Montague
Literature, French
"pointy hill"
The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo, Montague has a touch of old-fashioned grandeur about it. With clunky-cute nickname Monty and similar sounds to Montgomery, it has been used as a given name…
Boudicca
Celtic
"victory"
First century queen who led her Brittonic Iceni tribe in revolution against the Romans occupying England. Also found as Boudica, Boadicea (as in bodacious) and in Welsh as Buddug, the historic…
Socrates
Greek
"safe power, healthy and strong, whole and powerful"
Associated with the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates (often spelled Sokratis) is quite common in traditional Greek families, but for others, we think Plato (the name of his pupil) might be easier…
Thor
Norse and Scandinavian
"thunder"
Thor, the powerful name of the Norse god of thunder, strength and rain, would make a bold statement. Long a comic book staple, Thor has now invaded the big screen, and could land on birth…
Gulliver
Irish
"glutton"
Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors…
Shakespeare
English
"brandish spear"
This name will forever be associated with the Bard and would likely prove hard to live up to. It might be cool for a pet though.
Matisse
Art name
The surname of the great artist is pronounced the same way as Mathis, the German and French form of Matthew, so it's not a stretch for use as a first name.
Nemo
Greek
"nobody"
One of the best known early Nemos was the captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea , while the more familiar modern one is the animated little orange fish in the Disney movie. Unusual name…
Gucci
Designer name
Makeup artist to the stars Gucci Westman has made this Italian fashion name a first.
Usher
Yiddish variation of Asher or English surname from French
"blessed; doorkeeper"
Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad. The Yiddish variation of Usher is commonly used in the…
Cinderella
French
"little ash-girl"
One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
Jemima
Hebrew
"dove; daytime"
Jemima, the name of a strong and beautiful Biblical daughter of Job, has long been among the chicest choices of aristocratic Brits, and has since shifted to be used more generally too, replacing…
Ikea
Word name
Ikea is a down-market version of the Chanel/Tiffany/Porsche brand-name-as-first idea.
Sephora
French variation of Tziporah, Hebrew
"bird"
This lovely name is a softened French version of Tziporah, the biblical wife of Moses. Unfortunately, in the US, it's become attached to the cosmetics franchise. The brand Sephora claims to have…
Esau
Hebrew
"hairy"
A once neglected Biblical name, not seen in the US popularity charts since 1902, Esau has been seeing renewed interest in recent years. Appealing perhaps to those looking for alternatives to Elias,…
Draco
Greek from Latin
"dragon"
For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.
Snow white
Literary name
Snow definitely works as a name; White, not so much. And Snow White, please don't. Read more about Snow White and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
Morrissey
Irish
"descendant of Muiris"
When British rocker Steven Patrick Morrissey decided to use his last name alone, it became a viable option for baby namers, a lot cooler than Morris or Maurice, with the nice three-syllable lilt of…
Goliath
Hebrew
"exile"
Not a traditional biblical choice, but the Philistine giant isn't a bad character as such, just a champion fighter who lost to the underdog. He has given his name to everything from insect species to…
Tesla
Slavic
"from Thessaly"
Tesla, the surname of Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla that has more recently been used as the brand name for an electric car, is gaining some use as a first name for girls . Exactly 100 girls were…