| OBERON, AUBERON: used by Shakespeare in 'a Midsummer Night's Dream,' as the consort to Titania, queen of the Fairies. |
| OCEAN: A lovely nature name that could be used for a girl or a boy. |
| OCÉANE: /o see AHN/ French for (you guessed it!) 'ocean', this lovely name is currently very popular in Québèc. |
| OCTAVIA: With the popularity of Olivia, Octavia should fit right in! |
| OCTAVIAN/ OCTAVIUS: meaning 'eighth,' this Latin name was often used for the 8th son. Today it makes a serious, eccentric, but still accessible name |
| ODALISCA: I saw this lovely name somewhere recently-- it's a modern Spanish form of Odalis, which comes from a germanic word meaning 'wealth.' |
| ODD: this Norwegian derivative of Odin would definitely stand out in a crowd! |
| ODESSA: Ukranian city on the coast of the Black Sea. |
| OFRA: little used Old Testament name meaning 'fawn.' A man's name in the Bible, but would sound lovely on a little girl |
| OLIENA- the name of a town in Sardinia, this would make a nifty exotic name for a person. |
| OLIVE: Olivia is way too common these days. How about something more unusual? |
| OLIVER: A nice, unusual classic that's ripe for the picking. |
| OLWEN: In Welsh mythology, Olwen had the powers for flowers to spring up wherever she walked. Her name means 'blessed; holy footprint.' |
| OMAR: Arabic for 'flourishing,' a nice, masculine name. |
| OMEGA: the last letter of the Greek alphabet, this pops up as a name every now and then. |
| ONYX/ ONIX: for either gender, this black gem makes a cool, exotic name. Oni or Nix/Nixi are nifty nicknames. |
| ONZIA: /OHN zee ah/ in Lugbara (Uganda), this girls' name means 'bad.' |
| OPAL: another lovely jewel name ready for a comeback. |
| ORAZIO: /or OT zee o/- the Italian form of Horatio, this would make an unusual, cultured choice. |
| ORCHID: why not go with something more exotic and rare than a Rose or a Lily? |
| ORFEA- This feminine form of Orpheus is used in Czech. The names may stem from a Greek root meaning 'darkness of the night.' This pretty name makes a nice choice of an O name for those sick of Olivia. |
| ORIANE/ORIANA: meaning 'gold,' this delicate Latin name would fit right in with all the Briannas and Savannahs out there. |
| ORIEL: used for girls in the middle ages, Oriel is a lovely feminine unusual name, |
| ORION: a well known constellation, Orion was named after a mythological Greek hunter. It might make a good alternative to Ryan these days. |
| ORKO: before it was the name of He-Man's minion, Orko was the name of a Basque thunder god. |
| ORLA: this name meaning 'golden princess' is fairly common in Ireland, though it is unheard of in the USA. |
| OSANNA/OVSANNA: these two Armenian girls' names come from the Hebrew 'hosannah' (rejoice!). They would make beautiful modern choices. |
| O'SHEA: Ice Cube's real name is O'Shea Jackson. O'Shea is just an awesome-sounding name. |
| OTTILIE- popular in the late 1800s to early 1900s, this quirky name has all but vanished. German form of Odilia, this name possibly means 'fatherland.' |
| OTTO: short, spunky and a palindrome to boot! Old fashioned to the point of almost being cutting-edge... |
| OVIYAN: in Tamil, this boys' name means 'painter.' |
| OZIAS: A cool biblical name, also found as Uzziah, meaning 'God is my power.' |
| OZIEL: more popular in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking households, this Old Testament name is ready to crossover into the mainstream. Who wouldn't want to be called Ozzie? |
| OZZIE: Why the heck not? I like names with z's. |
| PALOMA: Spanish for 'dove,' Pablo Picasso named his daughter this. A feminine name with a lovely sound. |
| PANTALEÓN: A little Pantaleón would definitely not have to worry about sharing his name with anyone else in his school (unless he managed to travel back to medieval Spain)... |
| PATIENCE: tired of Faith and Hope? Maybe you don't have enough Patience! A lovely virtue name that's ready for a comeback. |
| PEARL: This old-fashioned gem name is ready for a comeback. |
| PERCIVAL/PARSIFAL: a lovely sounding medieval Arthurian name. |
| PERDITA: Shakespeare invented this based on the Latin word for 'lost' for his play 'A Winter's Tale.' |
| PEREGRINE: an eccentric name today, it was not uncommon among early Christians up through the middle ages. |
| PERSEPHONE: a mythological name which flows musically |
| PERSIS: This exotic name has a lot of class. |
| PETUNIA: Lily and Rose are popular these days, why not use something a little different? |
| PHAEDRA: a beautful name from Greek mythology. Fits right in with the Phoebes and Daphnes of the world. |
| PHILO: This cool boys' name is derived from the Greek word meaning 'to love.' |
| PHILOMELA: means 'lover of music' in Greek. Why not? -ella names are all the rage now! |
| PHINEAS: the Puritans were into bringing the names of obscure biblical figures into popular use. Phineas is no exception. Stemming from an ancient Egyptian name meaning "Nubian," this uncommon name is ready for a comeback. Already Finn and Finn- names are growing in popularity (i.e., Finlay, Finnegan), why not Phineas? |
| PHOEBE: A classic Greek name. Also a kind of bird. |
| PIERS: also Pearce, Pierce. This form of Peter was used as a first name throughout the middle ages. With surnamey-names being popular these days, it may be ripe for re-discovery! |
| PIPER: Unusual & pretty, without being overly feminine. Sounds strong. |
| PIPRA: this feminine name means 'peppery' in Esperanto. How many people can say they have an Esperanto name? Definitely unusual! |
| POLLY: This name, originally a short form of Mary, would make a nice, more unusual alternative to Molly. |
| POLONA: This pretty name is a Slovene short form of Apolonija. |
| POPPY: Rose and Lily are getting a bit stale. This beautiful flower name is a nice alternative. |
| PORFIRIO: this name, used most often by Italian and Spanish speakers has the unusual meaning of 'purple dye.' |
| POSY: a word for 'flower' that was once used as a pet form of Josephine, this is a cute name that would fit right in with all the other flower names out there. |
| PRIMAVERA: Spanish for 'spring,' this name would fit right in with the Summers and Autumns of the world. |
| PRISCA: you're probably more familiar with the diminutive form, Priscilla, due to the minor biblical figure which inspired the name's usage in English. However, Prisca came first. In Latin, it means "ancient." |
| PRIYA/PRIYANKA: two Sanskrit names coming from the word meaning 'beloved/dear.' |
| PROTASIUS: the name of a 3rd century saint. His name hasn't been used in centuries, perhaps it's time to rediscover it? |
| PRUDENCE: so old-fashioned it will sound cutting-edge in a few years. Pru and Rudi make cute nicknames. |
| PRYDERI: /prih DER ee/ this legendary medieval boys' name means 'caring for' in Welsh. |
| QAYYAMA/KAYAMA/KA'YAMA - a beautiful sounding Arabic name that has the offbeat meaning of 'tent-maker.' |
| Q'RANA: /ka RAW na/ beautiful feminine take on the Arabic man's name Q'ran (Koran). |
| QUENTIN: Q names are so rare. This one sounds very distinguished. |
| QUINBY: an Engish surname that would make a nice modern-sounding name for a girl or a boy. |
| QUINCY: an offbeat surname-name that could be used for boys or girls. It has the fun pet form Quin. |
| QUINN: a nice unisex surname name. |
| QUINTANUS/ QUINTUS: Latin for 'fifth,' this name was often given to the fifth-born son. |
| QUINTILLIANA: meaning 'fifth' in Latin, why not? Quin makes a cute pet form. Also Tilly. |
| RABIA: /RAH bee ah/ Sometimes spelled RABIYA, this lovely Arabic name means 'springtime.' |
| RADZA/ RAZA/ RIDA: meaning 'contentment; satisfaction' in Arabic, this was the name of a 9th century imam. |
| RAELYN: A modern, spunky name. |
| RAFAEL/Raphael: a little more unusual than Gabriel, Rafe makes a nice nickname. |
| RAISA: /rah EE sa/ - a lovely name that can mean 'relaxed' in Greek (via Russian) or 'leader, chief' in Arabic. |
| RAISA: /rah EE sa/ this beautiful Russian name has the nice nickname Raya. It was the name of the former USSR premier Gorbachev's wife. |
| RANGER: cowboy-ish names are still 'in' these days (Ryder, Dakota etc.)- why not Ranger? |
| RAQUEL: This Spanish name is much more unusual than its English form, Rachel. |
| RAVEENA: in Punjabi, this name means 'beauty of the sun.' |
| RAZ: this Aramaic name was used for both girls and boys. It means 'secret.' |
| RAZIA: /RAH zee a/ this pretty name has disputed meaning & origins-- it may be Afghani, Arabic, Hebrew or Persian according to various websites. Whatever it is, it's still very pretty! |
| REMIEL: a cool rare biblical angel name-- it means 'mercy of God' in Hebrew. |
| RENATA: pronounced /reh NAH ta/, this name means 're-born' in Latin. |
| RETHA, THERA, HEART: anagrams of 'earth', one of these would be the perfect name for a budding environmentalist. |
| REUBEN/ RUBEN: Popular among the Puritans, this biblical name meaning 'behold, a son!' has enjoyed quiet use for several centuries, never becoming popular enough to ever sound out of date. It is more frequently found in Spanish speaking populations as Ruben, and among Jewish people as Reuven. |
| REUBEN: A Biblical name, Reuben is Hebrew for 'behold, a son.' It is a strong, uncommon name. |
| RHIANYDD: /rhee AN ith/ (the 'th' being vocative, like in 'this' and 'that', not like in 'three' or 'thing.'). This lovely Welsh name means 'maiden.' |
| RHYVERYS- the keeper of King Arthur's hounds according to one legend. |
| RIDGE: one of those no-nonsense cowboy-type names. |
| RIDLEY: meaning 'red meadow,' this would make a nice choice for a girl or a boy. |
| RILIAN: a name from the <I>Chronicles Narnia</I> books. |
| RIONA: The Irish form of Regina, a nice underused name. Pronounced REE-uh-na (like Rina with an extra syllable) |
| RIVKA: The Hebrew form of Rebecca, this would make a refreshing alternative. |
| ROCKER: in medieval England, a rocker was a person who made distaffs or spun wool. Today the name has different connotations, but would still work for the daring parent! |
| ROHAN: in Sanskrit, this name means 'ascending.' |
| ROIMATA: in Maori, this lovely girls' name means 'tear drop'. |
| ROLAND: A name in medieval ballads, ready for a comeback. |
| ROMAN: Popular in the former Soviet republics, this name is almost unheard of in the English-speaking world. |
| ROMANE /ro MAHN/- this lovely feminine form of Roman is currently fairly popular in France. |
| ROMY: It could be short for Rosemary, Romana or any number of things. It could also be used on its own for a girl or a boy. Whatever the use, it's a cute, peppy name that is substantial enough to work on an adult as well. |
| RONAN: This is an Irish name meaning 'seal.' It is the name of an Irish saint. Although it is fairly common on the Emerald Isle, it is pretty rare in North America. |
| ROPAFADZO : in the Shona language (spoken in Zimbabwe and Zambia), this girls' name means 'a blessing from god.' |
| RORY: this is an anglicization of Ruai(dh)rí/Ruairidh, which, the former being Irish and the latter being Scottish Gaelic means 'red [haired] king.' This is a spunky, though fairly uncommon name in the USA. |
| ROSALEEN: Dark Rosaleen was the anglicization of choice for 'Roisín Dubh', a Gaelic poem in the 'aisling' tradition, which portrays Ireland as a beautiful woman in peril. Roisín /RO sheen/ is the equivalent of Rosie in Irish. |
| ROSALIA: Pronounced /rosa-LEE-a/ This beautiful name was used by an Italian saint. |
| ROSALIE: Rose is becoming fairly common these days. Rosalie would be a nice, old-fashioned alternative. |
| ROSALINE: Used not once, but twice by Shakespeare, this lovely name has fallen pretty much into complete obscurity, the names Rosalind and Roslyn being more favored forms. Its popularity, like all the Ros- names, stems from the similarity to the rose flower. However, it is most likely derived from 'hros,' the Anglo-Saxon word for 'horse' (hence why it's pronounced ROHZ a line, rather than ROSE a line). |
| ROSAMUND: This old-fashioned Shakespearean name is ready for a comeback. |
| ROSCOE: from an English surname coming from words meaning 'deer' and 'forest,' this spunky name has never been very popular. Maybe it's time to change that? |
| ROSEMARY: a quiet, gentle name of yesteryear. This 'granny name' may become the next Emma or Hannah. Just you wait!' |
| ROSHANA/ ROXANA: Two English forms of the same Persian name, which was borne by the wife of Alexander the Great. Roxanne is a French variant, but a Roshana wouldn't have everyone telling her to not 'put on the red light' throughout life! |
| ROSS: Short, sweet, and relatively uncommon, this name is ready for more widespread discovery. |
| ROWAN: the name of a tree; this lovely nature name is used for boys albeit rarely. Rowan would fit right in along side other nature names that have been cropping up, like Sequoia and Willow, as well as all the popular names ending in -an (Aidan, Jayden, Ethan, Ryan etc.). |
| ROY: short, sweet, the all-American cowboy name. Fits in with all the Jacks and Jakes out there. |
| RUDY: this is a cute, spunky name for either gender. On the <i>Cosby Show</i> in the 80s, little Rudy's name was short for Ruth. |
| RUFUS: originally a nickname for someone who had red hair, this has been used as a permanent English first name for a couple of centuries now. |
| RUPERT: this Dutch form of Robert was brought to England in the 17th century. It has never been terribly popular in the USA, but maybe it's time for that to change! |
| RUPINDER: in Sanskrit, this girls' name means 'an Indra [Hindu god of the sky and rain] of beauty,' implying a paragon of beauty. |
| RUTH: Popular among Puritans and everyone else throughout the early part of the 20th century, this lovely no-nonsense biblical name is ready for a comeback. |
| RYU: a Japanese boys' name meaning 'dragon.' |
| SABIAN: possibly a form of Xavier or a masculine form of Sabine, Sabian is an unusual, modern-sounding choice. |
| SABRA: a lovely Hebrew name. A good alternative to Sara(h) |
| SABRIYA: a beautiful Arabic name meaning 'patience; endurance.' |
| SAKURA: a lovely Japanese name meaning 'cherry blossom' |
| SALLY: originally a nickname for Sarah, Sally has been used on its own for decades. Popular in the 40s, this name may sound either old and dowdy or spunky and cutting-edge depending on whom you talk to! |
| SALMA: a beautiful Arabic name meaning 'peaceful; pacifist.'' |
| SANSA - an African instrument of metal tongues that you pluck with the fingers, causing sounds to resonate in the hollow chamber (usually a wooden box or gourd). Kind of a cool sounding name for the world music enthusiast! |
| SANTXA- pronounced /SAHNT sha/, this lovely Basque girls' name is actually easier to pronounce than it looks. |
| SAORLA: an pretty, unusual Irish name pronounced /SAYR la/. It means 'noble queen' in Irish Gaelic. |
| SARIN: this pretty Armenian name means 'rose of the mountain.' |
| SARKIS: a nice Armenian name. Also means 'rainbow' in Persian. |
| SARO: as a man's name it's Armenian for 'cypress tree.' The girls' name comes from Sarah, and is heard in the American folk song 'Pretty Saro.' |
| SATYA: a Sanskrit concept that loosely means the actions or wisdom you take in order to attain the Ultimate Truth. Pretty heavy, but a lovely name for the right truth-seeking person. |
| SATYA: means 'true, the truth' in Sanskrit. |
| SAVION: this name has a smooth, yet energetic feel to it, thanks to dancer Savion Glover. |
| SCIPIO: one for the history buffs, a Roman name that doesn't end in '-us'! |
| SCOTTI: I met a little girl named Scotti the other day, which was her mom's maiden name. I thought it sounded kind of cute. |
| SEAMLAS /SHAHM las/ this is an Irish Gaelic word meaning 'hare-lip.' OK, it's not actually a name, but it's a cool sounding, esoteric word. I always wanted to call a Celtic music band this. |
| SEANAS: pronounced /SHAHN is/, this Irish Gaelic word means 'slaughterhouse.' OK, it's not exactly a name, but it's a nice enough sounding word... |
| SEASON: for those who can't decide on naming a child Summer or Autumn! |
| SELAH: a biblical word indicating perhaps a musical interlude in a sung psalm. This would make a nice alternative to Sarah. |
| SELBY- place names are fairly popular now. This one is from England and may mean 'sallow.' |
| SELMA: It has a sweet, lispy, silvery sound. Civil Rights marches in Selma, Alabama led to the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s. Selma was also the name of the castle in MacPherson's Ossianic poems. |
| SEMELE: (rhymes with Emily)- In Greek mythology, she was the mother of the god Dionysus. |
| SENKA: a lovely name meaning 'shadow' in Serbian. |
| SERENATA- this is a type of vocal piece popularized in the Baroque era. It is usually on the subject of love. It might make a pretty, obscure name! |
| SERIK /SER eek/: this unusual name means 'supporting' in Kazhak. It could be a nice alternative to Erik/Derek… |
| SEVAN/SIVAN/SEVANA: a popular name in Armenia for both men and women-- named for Armenia's largest lake. |
| SEVDA: this girls' name means 'love' in Turkish. |
| SEVERIN: an unusual name with a classic, somewhat dramatic feel. |
| SHAHLA: means 'Beautiful eyes' -Afghani |
| SHANTI: A beautiful Sanskrit name meaning 'peace; tranquility.' |
| SHELLA: a name I came across recently that I thought was interesting. I guess this person's parents couldn't decide between Sheila and Shelley! |
| SHIFRA: this lovely Hebrew name is derived from the word meaning 'beauty; grace.' |
| SîAN: Pronounced /SHAN/, this pretty name is a Welsh form of Jane. |
| SIBÉAL- pronounced /shih BALE/, this is a medieval Irish form of Isabel. |
| SIBYL, SIBYLLA: old-fashioned names are coming back in style. This could be the next Hannah/Isabella! |
| SIGANANDA: this was the name of a king of a South African tribe. |
| SILAS: A boys' name that doesn't end in -on, this biblical name could work well on a boy or an adult. |
| SIMONE: This exotic French name is a feminine form of Simon. |
| SIRENA: /see RAY na/ Latin for 'siren,' the mythological creatures who lure sailors to their death with their beautiful voices. Also Spanish for 'mermaid.' |
| SIRÈNE: /see REN/ it means 'mermaid' in French. It's a lovely sounding word, though it's not techically a name. Why couldn't it be, though? Stranger words have become names! |
| SITA: The name of the Hindu goddess of the harvest, this beautiful name means 'furrow.' |
| SITKA: a town in Alaska that would make a lovely name. |
| SIYU- Chinese names are different, because depending on which characters you use to spell them, they may mean different things. One purported meaning of this boys' name I found is 'thinking of the world.' |
| SKYLARK: For the daring nature lover, this bird name gives the more common nickname Sky(e).. |
| SNEH: in Sanskrit, this girls' name can mean either 'viscous' or 'affection.' |
| SNOTRA: maybe not the most melodious sounding name out there, but this name of a Norse goddess of wisdom means 'clever.' |
| SOBIRANA: a lovely name used in the medieval Occitan region of france. The English cognate is 'sovereign.' |
| SOL: Latin for 'sun,' this short and sweet name has a nice natural feel without being too out-there. |
| SOLANA: although this means 'sun-room' in Spanish, it is also a Latin word for 'sunshine.' A pretty, unusual nature name. |
| SONYA: a beautiful, classic feminine name. |
| SORAYA: this beautiful name was used by the wife of the Shah of Persia. |
| SOREN: most often associated with the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, Soren is a nice, unusual choice in the USA. |
| SORIN: this boys' name means 'sun' in Romanian |
| SORINA: in Romanian, this lovely girls' name means 'sun' |
| SORLEY: Following on the heels of Mackenzie and Cameron, this Scottish surname, this would be nice on either a boy or a girl. |
| SORREL: a beautiful botanical name. |
| SOSI: an Armenian name, coming from the plane tree, which is sacred in Armenia. |
| SPARROW: Robin and Mavis are people's names as well as kinds of birds, why not Sparrow? |
| SPIKE: at least one boy every year gets named Spike. For real. Hey, why not? |
| SPURIUS: In Roman times this name was given to illegitimate children, as it means 'born out of wedlock.' |
| ST. JOHN/SINJIN: Sure, a kid named Sinjin might take a couple of beatings on the playground, but I bet when he's an adult, everyone would want him to be their lawyer or doctor! |
| STELIAN: this Romanian boys' name comes from a Greek name meaning 'pillar.' |
| STELLA: -Ella names are in (Gabriella, Isabella), Stella, meaning 'star' in Latin is ripe for discovery as well. |
| STEREN: a lovely name meaning 'star' in Cornish. |
| STEWART, STUART: a serious, classic name. Ready for a comeback. |
| STOJAN: /STO yon/ this Slavic name means 'stand,' and is used for boys in Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovakia. |
| SUPARMAN: this super Indonesian man's name is derived from a Sanskrit root meaning 'good; fortunate.' |
| SUSANNAH: Although a child with this name may get sick of hearing 'oh, Susannah, don't you cry for me' all the time, this beautiful classic name is ready for a comeback. |
| SVIN: an unusual Armenian boys' name meaning 'bayonet.' |
| SYLVIAN/SILVIAN, SYLVAN, SYLVAIN: all from the same root meaning 'forest,' this trio of names would make a distinctive offbeat choice. |
| SYLVIE: a soft, beautiful French form of Sylvia, a Roman mythological name. |
| TABOR: a surname coming from the medieval word for someone who player the tabor, a type of drum. With all the occupational surnames as first names these days (Parker, Harper, Hunter), why not? It would fit right in with all the Taylors and Tylers! |
| TACITA: A Latin name meaning 'silence.' |
| TAD: don't like nicknames? This is a nice, short nickname-free one. |
| TALITHA: in the Christian Bible, Jesus says talitha cumi, which means 'little girl, arise' in Aramaic. Meaning 'little girl,' this is sometimes used as a girls' name. |
| TANA- the name of the longest river in Kenya, this woud make a pretty name. |
| TANITH: the name of a Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, and the night sky. Her name means 'serpent lady.' Other variations are TANIS (Greek) and TANIT. |
| TARAS /tah RAHS/: an unusual Russian name coming from the ancient Greek place name Taras, who was named after the eponymous son of the god Poseidon. |
| TARKA: not just for otters, this name is as unusual as Tarquin but somehow less pretentious! |
| TARRANT: A nice English surname that could be used as a first name. |
| TATIA (TAY sha): in Roman times, she was the daughter of the king of the Sabine peoples. |
| TAURICA (TOR ik a): an ancient name for the Crimean peninsula, this would make a lovely modern-sounding girls' name. You could use the spelling Torica, Torika etc. |
| TELOTTSEY: I found this name of a woman in my family tree-- I can't find any meaning or origin for it, but it sounds kind of cool! |
| TELYN- in Welsh, this pretty girls' name means 'harp.' |
| TEMPERANCE: not as common as Faith or Grace, but not as out-there as Faint-not, Discretion, or Kill-Sin; Temperance is a nice unusual Puritan virtue name. |
| TERAH: the name Abraham's father in the Old Testament, this name may mean 'ibex' in Hebrew. |
| TERTIA/ TERTIUS: these Latin names (the first for girls, the second the masculine form) means 'third,' and was often given to the third child in Roman times. |
| TESMOND: according to this book, it means 'protector from evil,' which is a cool meaning. |
| THALIA: The ancient Greek muse of comedy and playful, idyllic poetry |
| THANEY: also recorded as Thenaw, Thenog, Taneu, Tannoc & Theneva this is said to be the name of the mother of St. Kentigern. |
| THATCHER: another occupational surname in the same vein as Taylor and Tyler, Thatcher is a more unique choice, and would be adorable on a child, conservative or not. |
| THELONIUS: it's unique and just plain cool |
| THEMIS: /TEM is/ in Greek mythology, she was justice, often shown holding scales and blindfolded. Her name means 'divine law.' |
| THEODEN: the king of Rohan in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It sounds almost like a 'normal' name-- people may not give a Theoden funny looks, like they would had he been named Aragorn or Gandolf or something. |
| THOR: This strong Scandinavian name would make an original, unusual choice. |
| THURSTAN: meaning 'Thor's stone,' this medieval name survives only in the surname form, THURSTON. |
| TIELMAN/ TYLMAN: the first name of the Flemish Renaissance composer Susato, it doesn't sound too out of place today. |
| TIHANA- in Serbian and Croatian, this pretty girls' name means 'quiet.' |
| TIHANA: this is a lovely Croatian name meaning 'quiet.'; |
| TILLY: either short for Matilda or on its own, this cute nickname would fit right in with all the Lilys and Billys out there. |
| T'KEYAH: there were three T'keyahs born in England in 2011, which is cool considering it's the name of the American actress/writer/director T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh. However, there were none born in the USA. We should change that! |
| TOIRDHEALBHACH: Ok, we don't expect anyone to actually use this name, but we think it's really cool. It's Irish and is pronounced /TUR uh lukh/. It is anglicized Turlough, and means 'abettor'. |
| TOLA: as a girls' name, this means 'October' in Khmer. As a boys' name, it's a rare Irish saint's name meaning 'abundance; flood.' |
| TOLA: the name of an ancient Irish saint, would make an unusual but nice choice. |
| TOMI: a nice Japanese boys' name meaning 'prosperous.' |
| TOMIKA: Also found as Tamika, this beautiful exotic name has a multitude of great nicknames, as well as being pretty and not too unwieldy on its own. |
| TORETH: I'll admit that I never saw this name before it came in a spam email the other day. I think it's kind of an nice name~! It's kind of like 'Doris' with a lisp... |
| TORQUIL: want a Scottish name that you can bet no other kid in the daycare has? Torquil is it! |
| TORSTEN: an old Norse name meaning 'Thor's stone.' This would make an unusual but still somewhat modern-sounding choice. |
| TOVIA: a modern Hebrew name meaning 'good.' It's a feminine form of Tobias. |
| TOVIA: The lovely biblical name is the Hebrew version of Tobias. |
| TREEMONISHA: the name of an opera (and the heroine of the opera) by African-American composer Scott Joplin. |
| TRISTRAM: an older form of the name Tristan, this name is unusual, and has a literary flair. |
| TRIXIE: why not? This spunky pet form of BEATRIX has a lot of life. |
| TROAS- the name of a city in ancient Asia Minor, this would make a nice, unusual name. |
| TROND: a no-nonsense name used in Viking times. Nobody would dare pick on a Trond. |
| TRUE: A spunky, unusual modern virtue name. For the really daring, use it as a nickname for Truly (could be an alternative to Julie) |
| TRURO: the name of the main city in Cornwall in England-- would fit right in with all the other place names out there: London, Austin, Dallas, Paris etc. |
| TSIGE: the name of half the Ethiopian girls I know. Pronounced /TZIG ay/ |
| TUDY or TUDOC: the name of a 6th century saint from Brittany, little is known about him or his name. |
| TULLIA: this pretty Roman name's meaning is unknown, but it would make an unusual alternative to Julia. |
| TULLIO: a Roman name with an unknown meaning, this -o ending name has a lot of energy. An English form is TULLY, also kind of nifty. |
| TVRTKO- who couldn't love this? It has 6 letters and only one vowel-- at the end! It's a Croatian boys' name meaning 'hard.' |
| TXARAN- this funky Basque boys' name is pronounced /TSHA rahn/ and means 'blackthorn.' |
| ULYSSES: serious, classical, no-nonsense. A Ulysses would command respect before anyone even met him! |
| UNA: meaning, possibly 'lamb' in Irish Gaelic, this offbeat-sounding name is pretty and easy to spell as well! |
| UNITY: an underused virtue name that would fit right in with all the Graces, Hopes and Faiths out there. |
| VACLAV - pronounced /VOTS lahv/ in Czech, this name means 'more glory.' The English form, coming from the older Slavic form Veseslav, is Wenceslaus. |
| VALERA: another form of Valerie, this form sounds more up-to-date. |
| VALERIAN: The name of a flowering plant that makes a lovely human name as well. |
| VALLEY: nature names are cool now, why not this one? We use Brook, Glen and Cliff! Valley sounds like Allie, Sally and Hallie; it's practically a name already! |
| VAN: short & energetic, this name brings to mind Van Morrison. |
| VARICK: more unusual than Eric, but with a similar sound. |
| VASHTI: This lovely name is biblical; probably of Persian origin. |
| VERA: In Russian, this name means 'faith.' In English-speaking countries, it owes its popularity to the fact that it's also Latin for 'true.' Especially pretty when pronounced the Russian way (VAIRA - rhymes with Sarah), rather than like Veera. |
| VERIDIANA/VIRIDIANA: a beautiful Italian name meaning 'green.' It was the name of a medieval saint. |
| VERITY: Latin for 'truth,' this is a lovely virtue name. |
| VERLIE: a French place name that has been occasionally used as a name. It's short, sweet and old-fashioned sounding. |
| VERO/VERAZ: both of these are names used in Spanish meaning 'truthful.' |
| VESNA- This pretty girls' name means 'messenger' and comes from the Slavic deity of springtime. |
| VESPERA: In Esperanto, this name means 'of the evening.' |
| VESSELA: Pronounced /VESS uh la/ this name means 'happy' in Bulgarian. |
| VESTA: the Roman goddess of the hearth. In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins kept watch over an eternal fire in her temple. |
| VIOLA: a pretty spring flower. |
| VIORICA: This pretty girls' name is the Romanian name for the Bluebell flower. |
| VISNJA: a pretty Croatian girls' name meaning 'cherry.' |
| VUK- this short and sweet Serbian boys' name means 'wolf.' |
| WALDO: middle name of Ralph Waldo Emerson--despite 'Where's Waldo,' this name is rife with geek chic. |
| WALLIS: the lady love of Prince Edward in the 30's. A nice modern-sounding girls' name. |
| WELBY/WILBY: surname-names are popular for children these days. Welby is a nice-sounding name that would fit in with all the Taylors and Nolans, but is still unusual. |
| WENONAH: This legendary Lakota princess's name means 'first born.' |
| WILBUR: who could forget the loveable pig in 'Charlotte's Web'? Wil is a good, solid nickname. |
| WILKIE: an English surname that would make a cute first name. |
| WILLA: A soft, pretty, old-fashioned literery name that conjures up images of willow trees. |
| WILLEM: the Dutch form of William, picked as a stage name by actor William Dafoe after the Dutch artist Willem deKooning. It has a nice sound. |
| WILLODEEN: also spelled Willowdean, Wyladean, Willadene and Willidene, this name was given to 139 girls in 1930. An offbeat, retro choice for the 21st century child! |
| WILMER/ WILMAR: looking for a long form of Will without using William or Wilbur? Here's your name! |
| WINSOME: a vocabulary word meaning 'pleasant; cheerful' that was occasionally used as a name. |
| WINTER: Summer and Autumn are already pretty common as names. Why not add this season? |
| WISDOM : a virtue that everyone needs. |
| WISTERIA: the name of this purple trailing flower was occasionally used as a name in the Victorian era. Less common than Lily, Rose, or Heather, Wisteria sounds more… mysterious or something. |
| WOLFRAM: This is a strong germanic name. 'Wolfie' is a very cute nickname. |
| WREN: short, sweet, nature-oriented… an all-around nice name. |
| WULFRIC: an Old English name meaning 'wolf strength.' Maybe spell it WOLFRIC to make it look more modern? Either way, an unusual, cool-sounding name! |
| WYLIE: With the popularty of Riley/Reilly, why not Wylie/Wiley? |
| XAN: a cool, modern-sounding short form of Alexander/Alexandra. |
| XANDRA: a funky form of the now-popular Alexandra. |
| XANTHUS: This name is serious-sounding, yet something about the X makes it fun. |
| XARA: a funky spelling of the already-funky name Zara. |
| XAVIA: a cool, modern-sounding feminine form of Xavier. |
| XENIA: a Greek name meaning 'hospitality.' It's the name of several places in the USA, and is very unusual as a first name. |
| XENO: The name of a Roman emporer, this name makes a fun-yet-exotic modern-sounding name. |
| XENOS: This energetic X name comes from the word meaning 'stranger; foreigner' in Greek. |
| XERXES: the name of a legendary Persian ruler, how many people can say they have 2 X's in their name? |
| XIA: in Chinese, this word is used to denote the pinkish glow of the clouds at dawn and dusk and is used for girls. It is also used in compound names such as Mingxia and Xiafei. |
| XIAOLI: /ZHOW LEE/ /SHEEOW LEE/ Chinese names can have various meanings, based upon which characters are used to spell them. One of the meanings of this lovely name is 'morning jasmine.' |
| XIOMARA: a Mexican form of a Germanic name, this name is gaining popularity in Spanish-speaking communities. |
| XOCHITL: /SO cheel/ this is a very funky Aztec name that is fairly popular in Mexico for girls. I think it's a kind of flower. |
| XOCOYA: /sho koy ah/ not actually a name, but it sounds nice. It means 'sour' in Nahuatl. |
| YAEL: /yah EL/- a pretty Hebrew girls' name meaning 'mountain goat.' It is also found as Jael. |
| YANTO: in Javanese, this name means 'male.' |
| YDA: according to one book I have, 'YDA is a 'literary' variant of IDA, and should not be encouraged.' I have no idea what this means, but I think it's kind of funny. |
| YDELLY- ok, this isn't actually a name, it's an adjective in Middle English. It means 'in idleness' or 'in vain.' I think it looks cool and hey, how many people these days speak Middle English anymore? |
| YELENA: /yeh LAY na/ - this Russian form of Helen is beautiful and slightly exotic-sounding to English-speaking ears. |
| YERED: the Hebrew form of Jared, this is more unusual. |
| YESMINA: derived from the word Jasmine, this is a more exotic sounding than other variants Yasmin or Jazlyn. |
| YONCA: this pretty Turkish girls' name means 'clover.' |
| YORICK: Shakespearean quotes aside, this form of York is a pleasant-sounding, unusual name. |
| YSANNE: /ee ZANN/, /ee SAHN/ - this soft, lovely name is actually a modern coinage, though it looks older. |
| YUHINA: this is the name of several varieties of bird found in Southeast Asia. I don't think it's used as a name, but you could always start a trend! |
| YUSRA: this lovely Arabic girls' name means 'prosperity; to become rich or lucky.' |
| YUVAL: fairly common for both boys and girls in Israel, this name was used in the Old Testament as the inventor of musical instruments. The English form is the very rare JUBAL. |
| ZABANA: the original Taina (Native American) word from which we get the English word 'savanna.' I think it's kind of funky sounding, with a natural twist. |
| ZABEL: This is a very old Armenian form of Isabel. |
| ZABEL: tired of Isabel(la) yet? This lovely Armenian form is unusual and has the zippy Z in the beginning. |
| ZAFARANI- in Swahili, this pretty name means 'saffron.' |
| ZAFIRA: meaning 'sapphire,' this beautiful name has an exotic quality |
| ZAHIRA: A beautiful Arabic name meaning, 'shining; radiant; blossoming.' |
| ZAKIYAH: Means 'pure' in both Arabic and Hebrew. |
| ZAL: Zal was the father of Rostam--the hero of an old Persian epic story in the 'Book of Kings', written by Ferdowsi. The name is pronounced /ZAWL/ (like Paul). |
| ZAMORA: this is the name of a city in Spain that has a ton of history. Though it's also a fairly common Spanish surname, it makes a lovely first name as well. |
| ZANAZAN or ZANI: this different girls' name means 'different' in Armenian |
| ZANETA: a nice, unusual Z name. |
| ZANNAH or ZANNA: this modern diminutive of Susannah would make a zippy alternative to the over-popular Hannah. |
| ZAPRAN/ZAFRAN- this Pashto boys' name means 'having gold stigmas' (of a flower). It may come from the same Persion root from where we get the word 'saffron.' |
| ZARED: a spinky Hebrew name, a nice alternative to Jared. |
| ZAREH: an Armenian form of a name meaning 'weeping, pain' in Persian and Kurdish. Definitely different. |
| ZARINA: This lovely Arabic name means 'golden. |
| ZAVEN: a cool Persian boys' name meaning 'helper.' |
| ZAYEV: Meaning 'wolf' in Hebrew, this unusual Z name would sound right at home amongst the Zacks and Zoes out there. |
| ZEDEKIAH: A good Old Testament name, and who wouldn't want to be called Zed? |
| ZELEIA: /zeh LYE a/ - a mythological Greek place name. |
| ZELEK: I actually found this name on a gravestone from the 1840s. I think it's nifty. It's a biblical name meaning 'cleft; fissure.' |
| ZÉLIE: /zay LEE/ - a cool French alternative to the Kaylee/Shaylee continuum. |
| ZENO: several philosophers have had this name, along with a saint and a computer language. With a long history like that, why isn't this cool Z name more popular? |
| ZEORA: who wouldn't want to be named after the genus of lichens? |
| ZEPHYR: Greek, means 'the west wind.' Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind. |
| ZERU: this funky Z name means 'sky' in Basque. |
| ZERUAH: a minor female character in the bible whose name means 'stricken' or 'leprous.' Nobody else on the block could say they have THAT meaning for their name! |
| ZETH: This was the name of the founder of the Communist Party in Sweden (Zeth Höglund). I think it's a nifty name. |
| ZEV: This zippy Hebrew name has a lot of pizzazz |
| ZIA: Scott O'Dell wrote a book called 'Zia' that I liked a lot as a kid. I just heard this name recently in a movie for a male character, though. I think it's a cool name for either gender. |
| ZIAR- this Pashto boys' name has a great sound, and means 'laborious.' |
| ZIGOR: in Basque, this boys' name means 'punishment.' |
| ZILLAH: this lovely Old Testament name means 'shadow.' |
| ZILPAH: a beautiful and underused Old Testament name. |
| ZIMRI: this is a rare Old Testament name that means either 'my music' or 'my praise' in Hebrew. |
| ZIMRIA, ZIMRIAH: a lovely Hebrew name meaning 'song.' |
| ZIONNAH: there was one baby named this in Québèc in 2006, so it's not terribly common! It has a lovely sound, though, and would fit right in with all the Ariana/Briana/Leannas of the world. |
| ZIVAN: there aren't enough Z names out there. This is a nice Slavic choice. |
| ZLATA: Meaning 'gold' in Slavic, this name is used for both girls and boys. |
| ZOLTAN: /ZOLE tun/ a nice, underused Z name from Hungary. Would make a zippy, unusual choice. |
| ZORA: Exotic, easy to spell, and definitely unusual; this name has literary overtones with the author Zora Neale Hurston. |
| ZORAN: This man's name is Slavic for 'dawn.' |
| ZORI: Corey, Rory, Tori, Dory etc. are names. Why not Zori? |
| ZORION: means 'happiness' in Basque. This nifty Z name is used for both girls and boys. |
| ZOTHECULA- ok, not actually a name, it's a Latin word meaning 'little alcove.' Why not, especially if you are a Bauhaus (the band) fan? |
| ZOYA: this Russian and Yiddish version is much funkier than its Greek counterpart, Zoe. |
| ZURI: 'beautiful' in Arabic. |
| ZURIEL: minor male biblical character whose name may mean 'god is a rock.' Z names are always nifty. |
| ZURIÑE: this pretty girls' name means 'white' in Basque. |
| ZUSA: this spunky girls' name means 'sweet' in Yiddish. |
| ZVI/ TZVI: meaning 'deer' in Hebrew, this name is found often in Israel. How many names can you say start with 'Zv'? |
