User-created list
By NeonPink · Updated March 2023
Across 6 pages
of 6
English
"old, wise friend"
This is one surname-name that may swing decidedly to the male side, thanks to highly-visible young actor Alden Ehrenreich.
Short form of Prudence, English virtue name
"caution"
After a long time in limbo, Prudence is now so clunky it'a cool, and it's starting to make a comeback, along with other Puritan virtue names like Mercy, Patience, and Constance. Its short form, Prue,…
Latin
"pig"
Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice , and is now also a Hunger Games name . Another Shakespearean Portia was the…
"citizen of Rome"
Originally a surname deriving from the Roman twin Romulus, this attractive name was introduced to the English-speaking world as a first name by painter Augustus John who used it for his son. Romilly…
English, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, or Korean surname
"roe deer; wise protector; son of Ruadh; red; clearing; ability"
In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion, though elsewhere it might be…
French
"flower"
Fleur is a generic, delicate flower name that emigrated into the English-speaking world when John Galsworthy bestowed it on one of the Forsytes in his celebrated saga. More recently, there was Fleur…
German
"industrious"
Amory is best known for the hero of Fitzgerald's 1920 This Side of Paradise , Princeton student Amory Blaine. Amory is in some danger of being borrowed by the girls, a la Avery. Alternate spellings…
Irish
"descendant of Flannghal"
Long before the vogue of using Irish surnames for girls, writer Flannery O'Connor gave this one some visibility. It has a warm (flannelly) feel and the currently popular three-syllable ee-ending…
English occupational name
"bailiff, sheriff, local official"
Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve could work as a distinctive alternative to Reese. While it is currently more popular for boys, nine girls received the name in…
"dark eyed"
A jaunty offshoot of Sullivan, Sully will be associated by kids with the beloved character in the Pixar animated film Monsters, Inc . Rare for a girl, but with a cool surnamey style and echoes of…
Word name
"ashes, partly burnt coals"
More distinctive than Ella, if you're inspired by Cinderella, a rarer alternative to popular Ember, perhaps, or even a modern spin on Cindy. Cinder is the name given to partially burnt wood or coals…
French occupational surname
"a merchant"
Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.
"over the moon"
Altalune is an invention used by Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson as one of several middle names for their daughter. It's evocative Latin meaning roughly translates to "over the moon." Celebrity baby…
"lovable"
Amabel is an older name than Annabel and a lot more distinctive. Amabel was a very common name in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, then was revived during the nineteenth century British fad for…
Irish Gaelic
"fair lady, white lady"
The traditional Irish girl's name Bevin – an Anglicization of Bébhinn – is rarely heard outside the Emerald Isle, but could make an fresh and fashionable namesake for an Aunt Beverly.
French word name
"Girls Gone Child" blogger Rebecca Woolf made Boheme a first name when she gave it to one of her twin daughters (the other one's name is Reverie). La Boheme -- "The Bohemian" -- is a Puccini opera…
"broad hill"
One of several trendy boys' names now being adopted for girls with feminized spellings.
"rocky water"
One art name that sounds distinctly more masculine. Unless you're a big mobile fan, keep thinking.
