Plausible word name, denoting strength and stability. 

Anchor

Like River and Lake, a cool, refreshing modern water-related choice. 

A word name with an appealing and illuminating meaning. 

Beacon

Among the coolest of the cool color names, particularly popular with celebs as a unisex middle name. 

Blue

Cerulean is just beginning to be heard as a name. Though Cerulean works as a name for both genders; the fact that it's a majestic light blue makes it particularly appropriate for a boy. 

Cerulean

Clove is a spice name that is a tad more piquant than Saffron or Cinnamon. It might get more attention now as a member of The Hunger Games family of names.

Clove

First used during the Victorian craze for jewel names; it could rise again, along with Ruby and Pearl, though it doesn't have as much luster. 

Coral

Cove is an up-and-coming nature name whose cool sound and peaceful image saw it rising for both sexes... until COVID-19 hit. It remained steady in use for boys in 2021, but actually increased for girls, although it remains a seriously rare and distinctive choice for either gender. 

Cove

For a single-syllable Latino surname, this new popular kid on the block packs a lot of energy and charm and is one of the most stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/496/spanish-names-for-boys">Spanish names for boys</a> in general use today. Victoria and David Beckham named their third son Cruz, following Brooklyn and Romeo, and it was also picked up on by tennis star Lleyton Hewitt for his son. Other parents may prize its Christian associations.
 Cruz is very much a unisex name in the Spanish culture, and is also a common surname, as in Penelope and Celia.

Cruz

Carrack

The beguiling Darya is the name of a character in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. As a Russian name, it's a spelling variation of Daria, while in Iran, it's a girl's name that means "the sea".

Darya

Delphine is a sleek, chic French name with two nature associations — the dolphin and the delphinium, a bluebell-like flower, a well as a link to the ancient city of Delphi, which the Greeks believed to be the womb of the earth. All of these derive from the Greek word delphus "womb". 
 
Delphine was very popular in France from the 1960s to the 1980s, peaking at Number 6 in 1977-78. In the US, its peak came earlier — in 1930, when it reached Number 427. Today, Delphine is absent from the Top 1000 entirely but retains its French flair, making it an even fresher alternative to stylish vintage names like Daphne and Josephine. Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have a daughter named Delphine, which may revive the name among Americans.
 
Balzac used the name in two of his novels, and Madame de Stael wrote the 1802 epistolary Delphine, which helped bring the name into fashion in France. Delphine Seyrig was a renowned French movie actress.
 
The attractive Spanish version is Delfina.

Delphine

Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the revivals of Dorothy and Dorothea.
 She may not look it now, but Doris was considered the paragon of grace when she was part of a group of s-ending names (Phyllis, Frances) fashionable in the 1920s, and it got another shot of life when attached to the perky Doris Day in the fifties. In classical Greek mythology, Doris is the daughter of Oceanus, god of the sea, who gave birth to fifty golden-haired sea nymphs.

Doris

Dune is a name of several layers. It's a modern nature name, like Ocean, Bay and Reef, although rarer, conjuring up images of breezy sand dunes on summer beach days.
 
It's also assocated with Frank Herbert's Dune iconic series of sci-fi novels. The name increased in popularity in 2021, when the most recent movie adaptation was released.

Dune

Dylan still feels poetic and romantic after years of popularity. It still ranks highly on the charts, among the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/d">boy names starting with D</a>, so if you choose it, be aware that yours may not be the only Dylan in his class. 
 <br/
Dylan was derived of the Welsh components dy and llanw, meaning "sea." In Welsh mythology, Dylan was a legendary sea god who prompted all the waters of Britain and Ireland to weep when he died. The name came to prominence via the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, whose name Bob Dylan adopted in tribute.
 >Several celebrities have sons named Dylan, including Welsh-born Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas, Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds and Nadia Comaneci.
 The name Dylan was given to about 500 baby girls last year, but 6700 baby boys so it doesn't quite qualify as unisex. 
 Dillon is another popular spelling, though the Dillon spelling is used only about 5 percent of the time.

Dylan

This unisex Israeli name, which rhymes with ball, is sure to receive more serious international attention now that actress Gal Gadot is the new Wonder Woman.

Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games, it has new force for boys.

Gale

Galiot

We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake. 

Harbor

Heron may feel like a very usable nature name -- the heron is a long-legged wading bird -- but it was also the name of a 1st century Greek inventor and of an Egyptian saint. Highly unusual yet easy to understand and meaningful on several levels, Heron is a fantastic choice.

Heron

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan.
 Ione was one of the fifty sea nymphs — Nereids — in ancient Greek mythology.
 Parents attracted to newer I-names like Isla might want to consider the distinctive Ione. The English pronunciation usually starts with the long I, while in the Latin languages such as Italian it starts with the long E sound.

Ione

Isle

Jack may have fallen from its Number 1 place in England, but in the US it's as popular as it was at its height in the 1920s and 1930s. A durable, cheery, everyman form of John, Jack ranks as one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/j">boy names starting with J</a>. 
Jack is a derivative of John that originated in medieval England. The name went from John to Johnkin to Jankin to Jackin to Jack. The name was so common in the Middle Ages that Jack became a generic term for a man. 
 
Jack is familiar to all from earliest childhood via Jack and Jill, Jack Sprat, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Jack Horner et al. It is still a recent favorite for novel, TV and movie characters. 
 
Jack is at the top of the charts in Ireland and Scotland, and also ranks highly in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
 
The jaunty Scottish version is Jock.

Jack

Kai is an internationally flexible name with many possible origins and meanings, growing in popularity in the US and a diverse range of European countries.
 
In the US, the name Kai is most commonly referred to as being of Hawaiian derivation, meaning "sea." In Europe, Kai is largely considered to have Frisian origin as a diminutive of the name Kaimbe, meaning "warrior", or as a short form of Gerard "brave spear". 
 
Kai is also found as an independent name in African, Chinese, Turkish and Native American cultures. Kai is a strong, evocative multi-cultural name that packs a lot of power in its single syllable. 
 
Famous as the name of the boy enchanted by the fairy-tale Snow Queen, Kai was chosen for her son by actress Jennifer Connelly and as a middle name for son Samuel by Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber. 
 
Kai is popular with Berries as both a first and middle name choice. Perhaps because of its international familiarity, Kai is popular in video games. Its most prominent namesake is Danish-born jazz trombonist Kai Winding.
 
Kai ranks in the US Top 1000 for girls, but is used more than 90 percent of the time for boys. Donald Trump, Jr. has a daughter named Kai Madison and Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik named their daughter Khai in 2020.

Keel

Lainey is one of the many fast-rising nickname names of the last few years, and longer forms like Elaine, Alaina, and Delaney are enjoying their own bouts of popularity. Simple and tailored, but equally sweet Laine is not yet in the Top 1000, but feels stylish today.

Laine

A name that has a bit of a shouldn't-I-be-a-middle-name sound, though still in use as a first for both genders. Lee might be a good choice if you want something that sounds at once traditional yet modern, unisex but not newly-minted. And while it absolutely works as a first name, Lee is still one of the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/480/middle-names-for-boys">middle names for boys</a> as well as one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/top-last-names-in-the-us">most common last names in the US</a>.

Maren is one of the many twenty-first-century takes on Mary--but we find the more classic Marin spelling preferable.  When spelled Maren, the pronunciation seems more clearly to resemble Mary, with the emphasis on the first syllable.  Marin, the spelling also used for the beautiful coastal county north of San Francisco, is often pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, as in Marie.

Maren

Marin is a lovely county north of San Francisco, and a lovely baby name on the rise, one which sounds more refreshing than the more familiar Marina.
 As a place-name, Marin is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable, Ma-RIN, sort of like Marie, though when used as a name, many would say MAR-in, to rhyme with Karen.
 Marin is unisex in several European countries (in Croatia it's currently Number 29 for boys); Maren is an alternate, Scandinavian, spelling. In France a very fashionable alternative for girls is Marine.

Marin

Marine is an extremely popular and fashionable name in France that's virtually unknown here &mdash; and is ready to set sail. Marine feels more contemporary than Marina and less hippie-esque than Oceane, another popular name for girls in France.


Marine

Marlin

Morgan, once split evenly between the sexes, is a strong and attractive Welsh favorite, still a common <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a> in Wales. Morgan is now more often a girls' name in the U.S. – about 2000 girls were given the name in one recent year, vs. 362 boys – though it's one of the most traditional unisex choices. Morgan was actually a Top 200 pick for boys in Victorian Britain!
 Distinguished actor Morgan Freeman is a worthy male namesake.

Morgan

Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard in the British series Doc Martin and Poldark. Morwenna Banks is a British actress.

Morwenna

When R & B singer Nivea made this highly original choice for her daughter's name, she claimed to have thought of it in terms of the color and not the seagoing armed service. You can look at it either way.

Navy

An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice. Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named Nerissa.

Nerissa

Nature names like Ocean and River are flowing back into favor, especially with nature lovers and green-oriented parents. 
 Forest Whitaker, an inspired child namer (his other kids are called Sonnet and True), has a son named Ocean Alexander.
 Variations include Oceanus, the name of the child who was born during the voyage of the Mayflower, and Oceane, a wildly popular girls' name in France.

Ocean

Pearl, like Ruby, has begun to be polished up for a new generation of fashionable children after a century of jewelry box storage. The birthstone for the month of June, Pearl could also make a fresher middle name alternative to the overused Rose. Cool couple Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson named their daughter Pearl Minnie, followed by Jack Osbourne, and several celebs have put it in the middle spot, as in Busy Philipps's Cricket Pearl, Jake Owen's Olive Pearl and Caleb Followill's Dixie Pearl .
After being a Top 25 name in the late nineteenth century, Pearl went into a long slide, but is showing signs of a strong comeback -- it reentered the Top 1000 in 2010.
 In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne, who gives her the name because she is 'her mother's only treasure.'
 Pearl was also the alter ego name of Janis Joplin, tied to singer Pearl Bailey, and---hmm--the birth name of western writer Zane Gray.
 Variations are PERLE and PERLA.

Pearl

Ray, still and forever, is one of the all-time hippest <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys' names</a>, with its jazzy Ray Charles biopic overtones. It's one of the coolest <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a>), but works perfectly fine as a first.
 The list of noteworthy Rays who have brought glory to their nickname name goes on forever—Bradbury, Romano, Milland (born Alfred), Liotta, and Goulding, to name just a few. Ray might still be short for Raymond or a more unusual formal name such as Rainier or Rayford, but it can also stand on its own.

Modern surfer boy. Just don't call him Reefer. 

Reef

Riggs

A sweet Scottish short form of Alexander which is feeling newly appealing now the era of Sandra is far behind us. Sandy would also work well as a nickname for a child with pale red or dark blond hair.

Sandy

Saylor jumped into the Top 1000 in 2013 and is given to three times as many girls as the Sailor version. That may be because Saylor feels more like a name and less like an occupation or a word. Its spelling near-echoes the hugely popular Taylor, plus Saylor is a traditional surname in its own right. Recorded in the medieval times in Germany, it's related to the word seil which means rope and was an occupational name for a ropemaker, which also relates to sailor.

Saylor

The Shirley of the 1950s. Shelley Winters was born a Shirley. 

Shelley

Sure, and we hope he has a good time playing with Buster and Buddy. 

Skipper

As likely to be tied to the detergent as to the rhythms of the ocean. 

Tide

Tiller

ceryle's list "Nautical Baby Names" of 46 great name ideas: Anchor - Tiller!

Nautical Baby Names

Think waves and wind, sails and sand — these names evoke the strength, beauty and wildness of the deep blue sea and those who navigate its waters.