Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful." 
Related names include Asta, a diminutive used throughout Scandinavia, and Astride, the French form. Despite their similarities, Astrid is unrelated to Astra, a Latin name meaning "of the stars."
 
Astrid has never really assimilated into our culture the way Ingrid did, but with the renewed interest in international names, Astrid might be worth consideration by parents with Norse roots. 
 
Astrid is the name of the teenage heroine of Janet Finch's 1999 novel White Oleander and has appeared as a character in How to Train Your Dragon and the TV shows Fringe and Once upon a Time.

Astrid

Atticus, with its trendy Roman feel combined with the upstanding, noble image of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, is a real winner among <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boy names</a>. Atticus entered the US Top 1000 in 2004 and is a firm Nameberry favorite. 
 
The reason for the popularity of Atticus is less its ancient roots than Atticus Finch, the upstanding hero of To Kill A Mockingbird.. In fact so many people have been inspired by the character embodied by Gregory Peck that Atticus Finch was voted the greatest hero of American film by the American Film Institute. Harper Lee's recently-released novel Go Set a Watchman paints Atticus Finch in a less flattering light, though that doesn't seem to have impacted the rising popularity of the name.
 
Atticus derives from the Greek Attikos, meaning "from Attica," the Ancient Greek region that contained Athens. Atticus is a literary name in more ways than one. Before it became synonymous with Atticus Finch, the name Atticus was associated with Titus Pomponius Atticus, a Roman literary figure.
 Daniel Baldwin and Isabella Hoffman were ahead of the curve when they chose Atticus for their son born in 1996; since then Summer Phoenix and Casey Affleck named their little boy Atticus, and Tom Dumont made it the middle name for his son Rio.

Atticus

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). With its distinctive letter 'x', it has an effortlessly cool vibe about it, and is currently growing in popularity.
 
Axel is the 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. More wearable than its derivation, perhaps, Axel is currently ranks in the Top 100 names for boys in the US, the UK, Sweden, France, Spain, and Norway. 
 In the US, it first entered the popularity charts in 1989, one year after the release of one of Guns N' Roses biggest hits, showing just how influential popular culture can can be.
 More recently, Axel was chosen by Will Ferrell for his third son, and also by Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson for their boys, and it's the middle name of Tiger Woods' boy Charlie. Axel Foley was the character played by Eddie Murphy in the Beverly Hills Cop movies and, going further back again, was the name of an important character in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. 
 
A bit like a updated Alex, Axel was given to 4500 babies in the US in 2023, so if it was an undiscovered gem you were after, you could consider Absalom itself, or perhaps another Scandinavian option, such as Anker, Konrad, Torfinn, or Torkell.

Axel

Banks is a topographical surname that refers not to those places where people keep their money but to riverbanks or hillsides, and specifically the people who live and work on them. A name with two very different connotations then, Banks manages to sound smart, preppy, and upwardly-mobile, with a touch of rugged, outdoorsy charm too. 
 
Joining the ranks of plural names and one syllable favorites, Banks entered the US Top 1000 in 2019. It has since risen to be in the Top 400, sharing the lime light with Brooks, Briggs, Beau, and Blake.

Banks

The name of an affluent suburb of Columbus, Ohio and a section of Greater London, Bexley is increasingly being coopted by parents looking for a novel name in the Kinsley/AInsley/Paisley family. Bexley debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2016 and is definitely one of the trendiest <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/b">girl names starting with B</a>. Think of it as a 21st century Becky.

Bexley

Blue suddenly came into the spotlight, as the unusual color name chosen by Beyonce and Jay-Z for their baby girl Blue Ivy. Blue is also a starbaby middle name du jour, used for both sexes in different spellings and forms, from John Travolta and Kelly Preston's Ella Bleu to Alicia Silverstone's Bear Blu. Dave 'The Edge' Evans named his daughter Blue Angel back in 1989.
 Blue is the heroine of the trendy Marisha Pessl novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

Blue

A recent addition to the Most Popular list, Bridger has the trendy two-syllables and 'er' ending, and a historical reference to Jim Bridger, a foremost nineteenth-century frontiersman, explorer, trapper, scout, and teller of tall tales. 
 Bridger might be a nice name for a baby whose heritage bridges two cultures.

Bridger

Bristol Palin, the daughter of former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, grabbed her own share of headlines by having a baby out of wedlock and then appearing on Dancing With The Stars. She single-handedly propelled her distinctive name, inspired by a city in England, into the Top 1000 and up the charts. Bristol's ascent ended a few years back.

Bristol

Brixley

Bryony is an unusually strong plant name --the bryony is a wild climbing vine with green flowers --that caught on in the U.K. before sprouting here. The name of the young character in the Ian McEwan novel Atonement is spelled Briony, which is the variation and Bryony the original.
 Bryony sounds a lot fresher than the now dated Brittany. Pronunciation is like Brian with an ee at the end, though the name bears no relationship to the male Brian or Bryan.

Bryony

This hyper-rhythmic name has two evocative references. In Greek mythology, she was an island nymph, a daughter of Atlas, who delayed Odysseus from returning home. It is also a genre of West Indian music, originating in Trinidad and Tobago and largely popularized in the States by Harry Belafonte. 
 Calypso was the name of Jacques-Yves Cousteau's research ship--and would make a highly dramatic, musical choice.

Calypso

This unisex name, the seventh most popular surname in Scotland, can make a more unusual Cameron alternative. It is represented on the girls' side by TV news correspondent Campbell Brown, for whom it was a family name, Brown was born Alma Dale Campbell, Alma Dale being her grandmother's name,and Campbell her mother's maiden name.
 Authors Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult have both created female characters named Campbell.
 As a surname, Campbell is connected to philosopher-writer Joseph, singer Glen, actress Neve, model Naomi, GB Shaw muse Mrs. Patrick, and Andy Warhol's soup cans.

Campbell

Cassio is a notable Shakespearean name that's a member of the ever-more-popular Cassius family of names.  Cassio was Othello's young, good-looking, and flirtatious lieutenant.

Cassio

A color name, a gemstone name, and an ocean-inspired choice, Coral has a lot going for it with its sharp C sounds yet sweet vintage feel. Unlike Scarlett or Violet, however, it is only quietly used in the US these days, perhaps because of its similarity to more 'dated' Carol.
 
First appearing as a name during the Victorian craze for jewel names, Coral could never the less rise again alongside Ruby, Pearl and Opal — and as an alternative to Cora, Caroline, or Clara.

Coral

Cove is an up-and-coming nature name whose cool sound and peaceful image saw it rising for both sexes until COVID-19 hit. It decreased slightly for boys in 2020 and remained steading in 2021, but it has actually increased for girls, although it remains a seriously rare and distinctive choice.

Cove

A common surname in Scotland, but a starchy first name choice. 

Crawford

With a long and noble history -- Cyprian was one of the great Christian Latin writers -- this could make a highly unusual but meaningful choice. 
 Cyprian has been in use since medieval times, initially made known via the third century lawyer, martyr and bishop of Carthage, St. Cyprian, who wrote widely on theological themes...
There was a noted Nigerian writer named Cyprian Ekwensi, and a character named Cyprian in a Louise Erdrich novel, and in Harry Potter, Cyprian Youdle is a Quidditch referee.

Cyprian

This royal Danish name has long  been used across Scandinavia, Germany and Slavic countries and somewhat in the US around the turn of the last century --it was #622 in 1888. There were two notable silent screen stars named Dagmar, one with Polish, the other with Danish roots.

Dagmar

Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
 Dash can stand on its own—as is evidenced by its entry into the US Top 1000 in 2014—or as a nickname for Dashiell.

Dash

For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis. 

Draco

Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse. Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love.
 In the Greek myth, Echo was a nymph whose unrequited love for Narcissus caused her to fade away until all that was left was the sound of her voice. Obviously, a name with a lot of reverberations.

Echo

Though the tragedies of the Greeks and Eugene O'Neill that used this name are filled with incest and murder, Electra is still a brilliant choice. Isabella Rossellini chose the gentler Italian verson, Elettra, for her now grown daughter.


Electra

Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a> for his fourth child, a baby girl.
 
The Latinized form of the name is Endelienta.

Endellion

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

The more popular Greer spelling might lean feminine, however, Grier sees more even distribution between the sexes. It is given to a small handful of babies each year, but for every one Grier, there are three Greers. 
 
Meening "alert and watchful", it's one of the original androgynous movie star names, precursor to Drew and Glenn and Cameron, borne by Greer Garson. Actress Brooke Shields chose Grier for her second daughter back in 2006, sister to Rowan.

Grier

Forget the furry blue Muppet, forget corpulent President Cleveland (not too difficult), and consider this name anew. We think it's spunky, a little funky, and well worth a second look. 
 President (Stephen) Grover Cleveland is actually a more than respectable namesake. The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, he was well liked and respected. Many children were named in his honor, including the major league Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. Another well known Grover is jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.
 Not surprisingly, Grover was at its most popular as a baby name around the time of Cleveland's presidency;it was Number 20 in 1884 and 1885.

Grover

If you fit this definition, this might be a clever choice, especially as a middle name. 

Haldan

Hart could be the hero of a romantic novel, but on the other hand, it's short, straightforward, and strong sounding. The most famous bearer of the name was tragic poet Hart (born Harold) Crane, but it also has musical cred via Lorenz Hart, of the classic Rodgers & Hart songwriting duo and a literary tie to playwright Moss Hart.
 Hart would make an interesting middle name choice--with heart.

Hart

The great American novelist sets this above many other surnames (and <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>, for that matter), but it's still an imposing and adventurous choice. Do nicknames Hawk or Thorne make it more approachable? How about Hank or Hal instead?

Hawthorne

James for a girl? Believe it or not, this is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/79/boy-names-for-girls">boy names for girls"</a> gaining a lot of attention these days, since Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds shocked the world by choosing it for their eldest daughter in 2014 (after his late father).
 
Since then, it's become something of a celebrity baby middle name du jour, with high-profile parents including Coco Rocha, Kristin Cavallari, Nev Schulman and Brandon Jenner all having daughters with James in the middle spot.

James

We've had Jackson, Jaxcon and Jaxon, and now we have Jaxton.

According to our most recent Playground Analysis, which calculates the popularity of names when all spellings are considered together, Jackson and brothers are the third most popular boys' name. And that's not even throwing Jaxton into the mix.

If you're considering Jaxton, you probably want a name that's a little bit different. But is Jaxton different enough? That's a decision only you can make.

Jaxton

Short, sharp, and cool, Jett is a contemporary choice that connotes both gemstones and jet engines. Rarely used before the 90s, John Travolta, and then George Lucas, helped to put the name on the map by choosing it for their sons. 
 
Jett is a word name with a twist, a bit like Forrest or Merritt and that extra "T" moving it more firmly into name territory. It is associated with the highly, polished black gemstone and the color "jet black", meaning it fits in with the likes of Jasper, Onyx, Scarlett, and Jade. It is also associated with jet engines, jet planes, and speed and it was this connection that likely drew aviation enthusiast Travolta to the name - though it could work for someone wanting to honor their love for travel too.
 
For those wanting a less wordy association, you could link Jett to the surname Jetson, which is a diminutive of Jordan, via the old pet forms Jutt and Jud. 
 
Jett first entered the US Top 1000 in 1999 and climbed steadily until 2009 when it was one of the fastest rising names of the year. Since then it has returned to travelling steadily upwards, and is now in the Top 300. Given to over 1700 babies every year, it is also moving up the charts in the UK.

Jett

Jupiter's partner Juno has entered the mainstream, so it's possible that her divine mate could follow. But not necessarily for boys — Jupiter is currently mostly female in the US, thanks to its similarity to Juniper. Stars including Ed Sheeran and Ashley Tisdale recently welcomed daughters named Jupiter, which could shift the balance even more towards the girls.
 
The name of the supreme Roman deity and the largest planet has until recently had either too hippie or too grandiose a feel for most mortals, but with the rise of sound-alike Juniper and space names such as Orion and Mars, Jupiter may find new favor.
 
Short form Jupe is adorable.
 
More background on that deity: Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods, and god of the sky, the equivalent of Greek Zeus. His name may have originated as a title. It can be interpreted to mean "father of the sky" or "father of the gods" (dyew-peter > iou piter > iuppiter (the form of the name used in Latin) > Jupiter). With Juno and Minerva, he made the Capitoline triad, whose worship was at the very centre of Roman religion.

Jupiter

Killian – aka Cillian – is a spirited yet resonant Gaelic name that was borne by several Irish saints and could make a distinctive replacement for the dated Kelly. Kylian is another spelling that's gaining traction, thanks to French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. Possible downsides: an unsavory first syllable and a connection to the trendy brew. 

Killian

Knox is an old Scottish surname that Brad Pitt (whose great-great-grandfather was named Hal Knox Hillhouse) and Angelina Jolie took out of the back cupboard, dusted off, and elevated to coolness--to the point where it entered the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular baby names</a> list in 2009. Knox now ranks among the most influential <a href="https://nameberry.com/fameberry">celebrity baby names</a>.
 With Knox, the Jolie-Pitts established their own tradition: instead of their sons bearing the same first inital, they share the final letter 'x'--Maddox, Pax and Knox-- as well as a final 'n' for their <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a>. It's celebrity shine has made the formerly obscure Knox one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/473/scottish-names-for-boys">Scottish names for boys</a>. 
 The surname Knox dates back at least to the thirteenth century, and John Knox was the priest who brought about the Reformation in Scotland.

Knox

Kalix

The great African-American Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes put this one on the map, while actor Laurence Fishburne adopted it for his now grown son, born in 1987. Despite these popular associations, the name didn't make it into the US Top 1000 until 2013, and while it has remained in the charts, it has stayed towards the latter end.
 Hughes was born James Mercer Langston Hughes, Langston being his mother's maiden name. The name itself derived from an Old English place name, that could be interpreted to mean "tall man's town", though "long stone" is an equally likely meaning.
 Some similar choices are Lanford, Landon, Langford and Langley, while Kingston and Landon are more familiar options.

Langston

Legend joins cousins Story, Saga and Fable in the baby name pantheon of narrative words. Unlike Story and Fable, however, Legend comes with additional weight, being used for fame ("living legend") and to denote a person who is fantastic "what a legend"). Who can live up to that?
 Legend entered the US Top 1000 in 2010 for the first time, perhaps in connection popular singer John Legend, and is now on the brink of breaking into the Top 100.

Legend

Loki is the shape-shifting, gender-bending god of mischief in Norse mythology.  Taking several animal forms, from a salmon to a seal to a fly, Loki is alternately friend and foe of the gods.

Loki

Maddox, a previously obscure Welsh family name with a powerfully masculine image, suddenly came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie chose it for her son in 2003. By the following year it was in the middle of the Top 1000, and it has risen since.
 It was Maddox who set the precedent for all the boys in the Jolie-Pitt clan to have names ending in 'x'-and helped fuel the spark for all names X. 
 Maddox is related to the traditional Welsh Madoc (pronounced MAH-dog), meaning 'fortunate'; it belonged to a bearer who, according to legend, colonized North America in the twelfth century.
 Maddox is a character in The Vampire Diaries; spelled Madox, it appeared in Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient.

Maddox

An Old Testament name with a Gaelic lilt, Malachi entered the list in 1987.
 In the Bible, Malachi (pronounced with the final syllable as EYE), was the last of the twelve Hebrew prophets, who foretold the coming of Christ. 
 In Anthony Trollope's Phineas Finn, Malachi is the name of the hero's father, and in James Joyce's Ulysses, Malachi Mulligan is a medical student. The lighter-hearted Irish version is usually spelled Malachy.

Malachi

The powerful name of the powerful character played by Russell Crowe in the 2000 film Gladiator first appeared on the popularity charts that same year. Max to the max. One time considered a "too much name" name, Maximus has entered the realm of possibility.
 Maximus was originally a Latin title of honor given to successful military commanders, such as Quintus Fabius Maximus, and then came to be a personal name, borne by several early saints.
 In George Eliot's novel Felix Holt: The Radical, Maximus Debarry is very much an aristocrat. LeBron James used it as the middle name for his son Bryce.

Maximus

Tied to the bluesy southern city and to the world heritage cite in Egypt after which it was named, Memphis is a modern choice with ancient history. Currently significantly more popular for boys in the US, as a place name with sounds reminiscent of Paris, Meredith and Emma, it has plenty of potential as a unisex choice. 
 
Musician-activist Bono chose the name for his daughter back in the 90s, but it failed to catch on, with even his daughter going by her middle name, Eve. It wasn't until 2006 when the name entered the Top 1000 for boys that it began to take off for girls and it has been mostly on the rise since then.
 
Given to around 200 girls in 2023, it is still three times more popular for boys - however, this gap is slowly getting narrower.

Memphis

Combining the mild and the innocent, this sweet and feminine name is worthy of a comeback, in the mode of Madeline and Cecilia. Its original, also attractive form is Melisende, which came from Germany to France and was borne by a daughter of Charlemagne.
 Millicent has been in use since the Middle Ages, and was in the Top 500 in the 1920's. Off the list since the early sixties, it's Number 361 on Nameberry.
 Millicent Hargrave is a character in Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Millicent Henning is found in Henry James's The Princess Casamassima, and she appears not once but twice in Harry Potter; she is is also Barbie's middle name. And of course Milly is one of the cutest of the nostalgic nickname names.

.

Millicent

The family name of Shakespeare's Romeo has an effete, monocled image. 

Montague

Unlike Pearl and Ruby and more like Jasper, this gem name works well as a boys name. With its strong final X, it feels similar to Alex, Phoenix, Jax, and Rex, while the shiny black quality of the stone feels reminiscent of Orion. Chosen by musician Iggy Azalea for her son in 2020, it has accelerated up the charts and now sits just outside the Top 300.
 
Derived from Greek, the word onyx means "claw, talon, or nail" due to its mythological creation story, in which it formed when Cupid trimmed Venus's fingernails. As a gemstone, it is said to protect against nightmares and improve concentration, though it can also be associated with bad luck and sadness. 
 
Nevertheless, with its sharp, fresh sounds and its cool, polished feel, Onyx is currently a fashionable choice given to more than 1000 boys - and an increasing number of girls - each year.

Onyx

Otto is cool again. Long a quintessential Old Man Name, Otto has been promoted to trending darling of adventurous baby namers. 
 Like most <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/160/german-names">German names</a>, Otto fell out of favor during and after the two World Wars – it had been a Top 100 name in the years preceding. Off the Top 1000 from the mid-1970s until 2011, Otto is now headed straight uphill.
 <br/
There were some distinguished Ottos before the imperial image of Prussian Otto von Bismarck colored the name. Otto the Great is generally considered the founder of the Holy Roman Empire and there were several German and Austrian royals with the name. 

 Otto Frank was the father of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who wrote her famous diary during her family's years in hiding from the Nazis during World War II. She was killed in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 and her father Otto typed and edited the diary himself to prepare it for publication. 

 Otto Hightower is a character in the Game of Thrones universe, played by Rhys Ifans in the HBO prequel House of the Dragon.

 Feminine forms of Otto include Ottoline, Ottilie, Odilia and Odette, all fashionable in the UK along with Otto itself.

Otto

This unusual offshoot of Page is one of the undiscovered <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique baby names</a>, with lots of energy and charm. Actress Paget Brewster, star of Criminal Minds, presents another spelling possibility. She comes from a family of unique names--her mother is Hathaway, her father Galen.
 Padget is more off-the-grid than Bridget, more grown up than Gidget.

Padget

Pax, one of the variations of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/411/baby-names-that-mean-peace">names meaning peace</a> that are newly popular in these less-than-peaceful times, got a lot of publicity when chosen by Brad & Angelina for their Vietnamese-born son. Parents attracted to Pax may also want to consider Paz, the unisex Spanish version, or Paxton, a growing-in-popularity surname choice that shares that magical X-factor.

Poppy, unlike most floral names which are sweet and feminine, has a lot of spunk. Long popular throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Poppy is finally starting to rise toward the top in the US, where it entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.

 British TV chef Jamie Oliver used the name for his eldest daughter, Poppy Honey Rosie, as did Anthony Edwards, Jessica Capshaw, and Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. A notable adult Poppy is Australian Without a Trace star Poppy Montgomery (full name Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth – she and her sisters are all named after flowers: Lily, Daisy, Marigold and Rosie).

 Due to the flower's bold crimson color, Poppy makes an especially good choice for a redhead. In the UK, it is a traditional <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/605/names-for-november-babies">name for November babies</a>, due to the flower's association with Remembrance Day (Nov 11), honoring the memory of members of the Armed Forces who have died in the line of duty.

 Other Poppy-like names to consider: Pippa, Piper, Posey and Petal.

Poppy

Both this form and Quentin are authentic modern forms of the Roman family name Quintus. Your choice. In the US, this spelling lags behind Quentin and Quinton.

Quintin

The name of the Japanese god of thunder makes an assertive choice, very much at home in the Western world. Because of the name's similarity to <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular baby names</a> Aiden and Jayden, most people will pronounce it RAY-den, but it's more properly RYE-den.
 
It's popularity in The US and The UK might stem from it being considered a spelling variant of invented name Rayden, a blending of classic Ray with the popular -den suffix. In such case, it could be said to mean "small ray of light", "valley of light", or "little wise one", depending on which etymological roots you choose to follow. 
 
Given to around 750 boys in a recent year, it is joined by Rayden in the US charts.

Raiden

Ryatt — which may be a combination of names like Ryan and Wyatt — gives you the sound of Riot without the violent connotations. Naturally, it's almost twice as popular among baby boys than Riot, even cracking the Top 1000 in 2022.

Ryatt

Rumour

Saint came into the celebrity baby spotlight by way of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's son and joined the Top 1000 on the boys' list in 2018. Saintly could be a way to transition this virtuous title name to the girls' side. 

Saintly

Starlie

An uncommon Irish-accented surname that seems particularly well suited to a girl. Tierney Sutton is a well-known jazz singer. Tierney, in its original Tiarnach form, was the name of several saints. It can also join the ranks of Old Hollywood names, via the haunting actress Gene Tierney. ER actress Maura Tierney is a current surname bearer.

Tierney

For a girl, we'd say Val-en-teen, though many would insist on pronouncing it like the holiday.  

Valentine

While this is usually thought of as a girls' name because of the Bond Girl connection, its sound is masculine and there's no reason it couldn't work for boys.

Vesper

Eighties spin on megapopular Whitney that currently ranks higher than the original. Whitley fell out of the Top 1000 for several decades but resurfaced in 2018.

Whitley

Wolf is a name with a split personality. It can be seen as one of the fierce animal names, like Fox and Bear and Puma, with a touch of the werewolf, or it can be viewed as a quieter, Wolf Blitzer kind of name, fairly common in German (where is pronounced Vulf) and Jewish families, sometimes as a short form of Wolfgang, or even Wolfram or Wolfhart.

 CNN newscaster Blitzer inherited the name from his grandfather. Other Wolfs of note include British screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz, who was instrumental in the early James Bond films, painter Wolf Kahn, and the hero of Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf, Wolf Larsen.

 
Despite all it has going for it, Wolf is relatively rare and has never been given to more than 80 babies in a single year. But now that Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott chose it for their infant son, Wolf is primed to climb the charts.

 Spelling variations Wolfe or Woolf push it into surname territory, while nickname Wolfie definitely domesticates it.

Wolf

Brisk, preppy York is an underused classic with the potential to really shine in the 21st century. It's most familiar as a place name — York is a city in England — and surname. New York City and State were named after the Duke of York.
 
The most notable York in history was an enslaved man who was the only Black member of Lewis and Clark's expedition. York was a key member of the journey, skilled in hunting, medicine, and other survival skills. He was also invaluable in Native American diplomacy. At the end of the expedition, Clark denied York's freedom and instead sold him black into slavery.
 
Despite the sad ending to York's story, he is an American hero with a name worthy of consideration.

York

andimaegold's list "names that make a statement" of 62 great name ideas: Astrid - York!

names that make a statement

This is a list of both masculine and feminine names that stand out. Think of these names as someone doing a double take hearing it.