Jason/Leslie List

  1. Adelaide
    • Origin:

      Variant of Adelheidis, German
    • Meaning:

      "noble, nobility"
    • Description:

      Adelaide is now heading straight uphill on the coattails of such newly popular sisters as Ava, Ada, and Audrey, and in the company of Adeline and Amelia. It was chosen by actress Katherine Heigl for the name of her second daughter.
  2. Darby
    • Origin:

      Irish or Norse
    • Meaning:

      "free from envy, or from the deer estate"
    • Description:

      Once a common boys' name in Ireland (e. g. , Darby O'Gill and the Little People), the dynamic Darby now has a definite unisex feel. Actor Paul Rudd has a young daughter named Darby.
  3. DASHEL
    • Emerson
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Emery"
      • Description:

        The combination of Emily and Emma's popularity -- and the fact that Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher's daughter is named Emerson -- have put this formerly strictly boys’ name, embodying the gravitas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the limelight for girls.
    • Imogen
      • Origin:

        Celtic
      • Meaning:

        "maiden"
      • Description:

        Imogen has long been fashionable in England and is gaining favor in the US among stylish parents. Pronounced the British way — the initial i is short as in Kim, as is the final E as in Ken — Imogen is as pretty and classy as it is distinctive.
    • Jude
      • Origin:

        Latin diminutive of Judah
      • Meaning:

        "praised"
      • Description:

        Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity -- but not TOO much popularity -- for more than a decade now. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song "Hey Jude", double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.
    • Juliet
      • Origin:

        English from Latin
      • Meaning:

        "youthful or sky father"
      • Description:

        One of the most romantic names, the lovely and stylish Juliet seems finally to have shaken off her limiting link to Romeo. In Shakespeare's play, it was Juliet who said "What's in a name?"
    • Luca
      • Origin:

        Italian variation of Luke and Lucas
      • Meaning:

        "man from Lucania"
      • Description:

        The related Lucas and Luke are both hugely popular boy names in the US and internationally, and now Luca has joined them on boys' popularity lists around the world.
    • Lucien
      • Origin:

        French form of Lucian
      • Meaning:

        "light"
      • Description:

        Sophisticated Gallic version of Lucian, Lucien may appeal to parents attracted to this meaning over that of Lucas and Luke, which have a different root, and also looking for a more unusual choice.
    • Luna
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "moon"
      • Description:

        The name of the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna is derived straight from the Latin word for moon, luna. Luna may be the name most likely to surprise someone from an older generation by its Top 10 status in the US and its widespread international popularity.
    • Nixon
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "son of Nicholas"
      • Description:

        A fresher spin on Jaxon, with built-in cool nickname Nix, and a great way to honor an ancestral Nick. But the association with disgraced former president Richard Nixon remains strong, which might explain why this otherwise bang-on-trend surname name has remained under the radar, peaking at #482 in 2017.
    • Nora
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Honora or Eleonora, Latin
      • Meaning:

        "honor or meaning unknown"
      • Description:

        Nora is a lovely, refined name that conjures up images of Belle Epoch ladies in fur-trimmed coats skating in Central Park. Long seen as a quintessentially Irish name though its roots are not in Ireland, Nora is a quietly stylish favorite that's tiptoed to the top of the popularity ladder.
    • Quinn
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"
      • Description:

        Quinn is one of the first popular Irish unisex surnames, a strong and attractive choice on the rise for girls but still popular for boys. Quinn was used for about 3000 baby girls and 700 boys in the US last year.
    • River
      • Origin:

        Nature name
      • Description:

        Most of the notable Rivers have been male, but this nature name certainly flows as well for a girl. The name River is still rising for both genders, with about 3500 baby boys receiving the name last year vs. 1900 baby girls.
    • Ronan
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "little seal"
      • Description:

        Ronan is the compelling legendary name of twelve Irish and Scottish saints that is now drawing some deserved attention; this cousin of the ascending Roman and Rowan was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller in 1998, and more recently by actress Catherine Bell.
    • Silas
      • Origin:

        Aramaic, Latin, Greek
      • Meaning:

        "of the forest; or prayed for"
      • Description:

        Sleek and smart, with a hint of mystique about it, Silas is a recent addition to the US Top 100. Both mythological and Biblical in origin, Silas joins the ranks of Isaiah, Atlas, Elias, and Sebastian: polished and contemporary feeling names with plenty of history.
    • Soren
      • Origin:

        Danish, Norwegian
      • Meaning:

        "stern"
      • Description:

        This gentle Scandinavian name, soft and sensitive, is being discovered in a major way by parents in the US. It's most closely identified with the nineteenth century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, but there have been modern fictional Sorens as well, in The Matrix Reloaded and the book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Charlie and Lola, and Underworld.