User-created list
By Happiness_Harper1 · Updated May 2023
Across 4 pages
of 4
Greek place-name
"brotherly love"
Not nearly as popular as neighbors Trenton and Camden, but occasionally used for girls. Shirley Temple played a Philadelphia in the old western movie "Fort Apache."
Ruari is a masculine name of Scottish and Irish Gaelic origin, derived from 'Ruaidhrí' or 'Rúadhraí,' meaning 'red king' or 'red-haired king.' The elements come from 'ruadh' (red) and 'rí' (king).…
Yiddish, variation of Selig
"blessed, happy"
Woody Allen introduced us to the name Zelig as the ever-morphing title character of his 1983 film. Zelig does have an upbeat meaning, and nickname Zelie makes it accessible for a girl, though it's an…
Celtic
"warrior god"
Tew many conflicting word spellings.
Nature name
The nature boy version of the Scandinavian Leif, which actually means "heir". In the creative-naming Phoenix family, Leaf is the former name of the actor we know as Joaquin.
Lisa was so popular for girls in the late sixties and early seventies that according to government statistics some parents chose it for their sons, too. Either that or there were some serious mixups…
Italian variation of Michael
"who is like God?"
One of the few Italian forms less attractive than the original, this time because it will forever be mistaken with the feminine version.
Chinese
"shining bright"
A common Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean unisex name, and the name of a culturally rich Chinese Dynastic period. Yao Ming is the seven and a half foot Shanghai-born basketball star. Trivia tidbit: His…
French
"page, attendant"
Strictly for the girls.
English, Sanskrit
"berry"
More popularly used for girls, this peppy word name has been worn by football player Pepper Johnson (born Thomas and given the childhood nickname for sprinkling pepper on his cereal) and appears in…
English occupational name
"one who plays the pipes or flute"
Piper's rising popularity for girls makes it an unlikely masculine choice.
Botanical name and French
"reddish brown"
Sorrel is a gentle, amber-hued herbal and autumnal name that's used most often to describe the color of a horse. Sorrell is a variant spelling. Both make excellent names for autumn babies and can be…
Color name
Conjures up the rich brown colors of raw and burnt umber, but it may be too close to girls' Amber.
Native American
"yankee"
A fancy TV western name that didn't catch on like fellow cowboys Luke and Josh, but definitely has a certain amount of charm. It is also spelled Yancy, as in the 1950s series Yancy Derringer . It was…
Literary surname
Authors or Francophiles – or both – could consider this zippy name in honor of renowned French writer Émile Zola, author of Germinal , Thérèse Raquin and the infamous open letter J'Accuse...! .
Literary name
The original Zooey, hero of J.D. Salinger's Franny & Zooey , was male, but nowadays the name is more closely associated with actress/singer Zooey Deschanel. With Zoe at number 31 for girls and Zoey…
Diminutive of Clarence
Nowadays, Clare tends to be viewed as a feminine name, but this is a short and sweet Irish-flavored name that could work just as well on a boy. Noted male bearers of the name Clare include Canadian…
Scottish occupational name
"piper"
This musical choice fits right in with all the new hard-working Millers and Gardeners. It's also a Scottish demonym, referring to an inhabitant of the historic Scottish county of Fife.
"joyful"
The meaning of this word flipped from "cheerful" to "homosexual" during the twentieth century, and it's now almost certainly too loaded to sit comfortably as a baby name. Which is a shame as…
