Unisex ish or just sharp

Arlen

English surname

"hare land"

Arlen might be thought of as an update on the midcentury Arlene or as a unisex surname-name. Arlen was given to 22 girls in the US last year vs 57 boys and those numbers may grow with the fashion for…

Averill

English

"boar battle"

One of the rare English surname names originally derived from a female given name: Eoforhild (Everild), meaning "boar battle". Also spelled Averill, it's an extremely rare choice today, but shares…

Brontë

Greek

"thunder"

Bronte is the lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name; a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. An extra element of Bronte's appeal: the…

Eir

Norse

"peacefulness, mercy"

So airy, it's almost not there.

Eos

Greek; Welsh

"dawn; nightingale"

Eos -- that's pronounced with a short e like eros without the r -- is the Greek Titan of the dawn. Any ancient name with a sleek modern feel has definite revival possibilities. Eos could be an…

Linden

English tree name

"tree of the genus Tilla"

Though this name of a sturdy tree that can live for centuries was quite popular for boys in the first half of the twentieth century, at this point in time we can see Linden as a fresh-sounding…

Mar

Latin

"sea"

The Spanish and Portuguese word for "sea" is a Top 100 name in Spain. In America, it's sometimes used as a nickname for names like Martina and Marina, but it could also plausibly stand on its own.

Mirage

French

"optical illusion"

An attractive optical illusion where heat causes light to reflect in the air as if off a body of water. It was used as a character name in the 2004 animated film The Incredibles .

Romilly

English

"citizen of Rome"

Originally a surname deriving from the Roman twin Romulus, this attractive name was introduced to the English-speaking world as a first name by painter Augustus John who used it for his son. Romilly…

Schuyler

Dutch

"scholar"

Originally a Dutch surname, imported by the early Dutch colonists, has been all but overpowered by the phonetic spellings in the US -- Skyler for boys and Skylar for girls. With the…

Seabrooke

Variation of Seabrook, English surname

"trickling stream"

A way to feminize Seabrook, if you want a name that is gender-neutral in sound but not appearance.

Vale

Geographical name

Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie put this name of a geographical feature on the baby name map when she chose it for her newborn daughter, Vale Guthrie Feldman. Vale might be considered part nature…

Veryan

Cornish place name

"accompany, bring together"

The name of a beautiful village on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, Veryan actually derives from a series of misunderstandings: Sen Veryan ("Saint Veryan") is a Cornish corruption of Severian,…