Unusual Names

Clio is the name of the ancient Greek mythological muse of history and heroic poetry, one that is rich with modern charm and would make an intriguing choice, especially thanks to its dynamic o-ending.

Onyx is a fresh and trending gemstone name for boys, currently in the US Top 500, having climbed the charts rapidly since 2018. Now, an increasing number of girls are receiving the name, with a recent count revealing nearly 200 baby girls were called Onyx in 2023.

When R & B singer Nivea made this highly original choice for her daughter's name back in 2005, she claimed to have thought of it in terms of the color and not the seagoing armed service. As a word with multiple meanings, however, it could easily work as a nod to a naval officer in the family or to someone who enjoys sailing.

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.

Lucienne is a soft and ultra-sophisticated French-accented option in the Lucy family, one that could provide a fresh alternative to such fatigued Gallic choices as Danielle and Michelle.

In Greek mytholgy, Antigone was the noble and courageous daughter of Oedipus, who acts as his guide after he blinds himself. Antigone is also the eponymous heroine of a play by Jean Anouilh.

There are many variations of this name, with or without the initial T and the final h, with one p or two. In the Bible she was the wife of Moses.

Petal is the soft and sweet-smelling name of a character in the novel and film, The Shipping News. With the rise of such flower names as Poppy and Posy, we believe Petal — down-to-earth yet romantic — has its own appealingly distinctive style.

Curiously appealing, in a hoop-skirted, wasp-waisted way, Ottoline has recently entered the realm of modern possibility, especially since Sienna Miller chose it as the middle name of her daughter Marlowe.

The name of the brave, resourceful hero of Homer's epic saga has almost always been considered too weighty for a child to bear, but at this point, some brave, resourceful parents out there might be willing to take it on.

Popular in the 1930s in France, this is a diminutive of Lucy (or Lucie).