User-created list
By vintageluvs · Updated May 2023
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Mythological name
Another name for Jupiter, king of the Roman gods, this jovial name is eminently ready for modern use. Feminine variations include Jovita and Jovie.
English
"peacock"
Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe. As a first name, it's radically underused, given last year in the US to only five…
Hebrew
"father of peace"
Absalom, because of its biblical and literary associations, just might appeal to the daring namegiver. In the Old Testament, Absalom was the handsome, favored but rebellious son of King David. In…
Greek, variation of Alexandra,
"defending men"
Alexandrina is the most elaborate and unusual of the Alex- girls's names.The real first name of Queen Victoria, who was given it in honor of her godfather, Alexander I of Russia (her childhood…
Surname name
One of these forgotten Victorian surname names, like Spurgeon and Elwood, that almost feels so far out it could come back in. The key word there being "almost."
Greek
"beloved, desired"
Erasmus has long retained the image of the bearded and bespectacled Dutch philosopher, but could be one that the audacious baby namer just might dare to dust off. The fourth century Saint Erasmus was…
"the glory is gone"
Ichabod, an eccentric Old Testament name, is forever tied to the character of Ichabod Crane -- and worse, the teasing possibilities of "icky bod." Even its original meaning is a negative. Skip…
Japeth is a masculine name that appears to be a variant spelling of Japheth, who in biblical tradition was one of Noah's three sons in the Book of Genesis. The name is of Hebrew origin and is thought…
Celtic and Cornish
"flame, fire"
Haco was a mythical Cornish leader who lost his beautiful princess bride by unwittingly promising her to a musician whose songs he admired: a romantic legend to back up a very unusual choice.
Scottish
"son of Donald"
Between "Old MacDonald" and Big Mac allusions, this would be a risky choice.
Dutch from Hebrew
"city of the king; king of light"
The least used of the Three Wise Men's names, but a strong option for bold namers to consider. The exact origins of Melchior are unknown, but it is speculated that it derived from either the Hebrew…
French form of Millicent, German
"strong in work"
This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized…
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
Irish surname
If you love the venerable Southwestern painter but feel Georgia's gotten too overheated, you might want to go all the way to this Irish surname in the fashionable O' family.
"practical"
Praxis makes perfect? Though this mythological name sounds boyish, it's a female name, an equivalent for Aphrodite.
"queen's settlement"
Quirky and cute.
Variation of Quenby, English
Virtually never heard in this country, with a quirky quality.
Latin
"the seventh son"
Septimus is one of the more dashing of the birth-order Latin number names that were revived by the Victorians. So even if you don't anticipate son number 7, you might be bold enough to consider this…
"seer, oracle"
This elongated form of Sibyl is dainty and delicate -- dare we even say demure? It's got deep history, a powerful namesake, and it's extremely rare -- zero baby girls were named Sibylla or Sybilla or…
Tadzio is a masculine name that gained literary fame through Thomas Mann's novella 'Death in Venice.' It's the Polish diminutive form of Tadeusz, which derives from the Aramaic name Thaddeus, meaning…
