Names for Sci-Fi Characters

Ada is one of the classic baby names for girls that is suddenly super stylish again. A favorite at the end of the nineteenth century, Ada is an alternative to the over-popular Ava. Ada is also part of the trend toward simple, old-fashioned names beginning with a vowel, like Ivy and Ella.

Adira is one of those rare names that's both little-used and simple, and crosses languages easily. Pronounced ah-DEER-ah, Adira is given to only a handful of girls in the US each year and could make a worthy substitute for such overexposed favorites as Ava and Ariana.

Adler is a German-Jewish surname that is beginning to be used occasionally as a first and is among the stylish new German names for boys. Among the distinguished bearers of Adler as a last name are Freud colleague Alfred Adler, actress and influential acting teacher Stella Adler and Guns N' Roses drummer Steve Adler.

Alexa was a steadily popular modern classic until Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa was released in 2013. It remains relatively well used in the US despite this, though its standing keeps dropping for obvious reasons. Too bad, because it's a strong and pretty name (which is probably why Amazon used it.)

Alexis, a one-time exclusively-boys’ name, was more popular than its sister Alexandra for quite a while, but in recent years Alexandra has overtaken it once again. Alexis was a Top 20 girls’ name from 1994-2010 but has experienced a decline in popularity in recent years, though now it's one of the top unisex names.

Alma is a somewhat solemn, soulful name that had a burst of popularity a century ago, then faded into the flowered wallpaper, and is now finding its footing once more.

A common Middle Eastern name, the general title for an elevated official. Amir has rising in use since the late 70s, and is now in the Top 200. The feminine variation Amira is also on the rise. Amir is in the Top 100 in France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Belgium. The widespread popularity of the name Amir around the world has led to a large number of notable Amirs in history and present. The name Amir was chosen for his son by actor Omar Epps. Amir is also the name of the young narrator and protagonist in the award-winning novel Kite Runner.

Arya was derived from an Indo-Iranian word meaning "Aryan" or "noble." It is a masculine given name in Iran, Indonesia, Bali, and Sanskrit-speaking regions of India. In Hindu- and English-speaking parts of the world, Arya is more often a feminine name, the latter influenced by the similar Italian name Aria, meaning "air" or "song."

Divorces Aspen from its nature and ski resort associations. Aspyn first broke into the Top 1000 in 2020.

The name of the Aster flower, named by the English, was derived from the Greek word for star. Like many floral names, Aster is much more popular among baby girls.

Finally, an attractive, undiscovered Old Testament choice for girls.

French Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne has put the spotlight on her name.

A classic in its native Scandinavia, Axel has a cool rock 'n' roll flavor in the US, thanks to Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose (born William). Axel is a popular Scandinavian form of the Biblical Absalom, who was a son of King David, and is the name of the title character of William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom.

Aya, barely more than a breath, is an international favorite, with origins in several languages and cultures. Popular throughout Europe, It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2012.

Azari is a rising unisex name (although currently more popular among girls) invented as a variation of Azariah. With its I-ending and prominent Z, we see Azari going places — this is one to watch, especially with Azariah, Azaire, and Azair rising on the boys' side. The name Azari was given to 161 baby girls in 2022, compared to only 85 in 2021.

Bea is a former old lady name that's cute again as a short form -- and is now beginning to stand on its own. Bee is a variation that, like Bea, can work as a diminutive for any name that starts with the letter B, or in the middle. Bea actually stood alone on the popularity lists for four years at the beginning of the twentieth century--and it could happen again.

The popular single-named alternative singer (born Bek) has given this cool nature-meets-surname name a new lease of life. Another notable bearer is Beck Weathers, a Texan pathologist who survived the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, which was covered in the book and film Into Thin Air.

Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.