This female form of the ancient Latin Aelian has an appealing sound, though kids might have a hard time handling that initial "ae" spelling. Just remember that the "ae" is pronounced "ee" (think Aesop's fables).The Annals of Aeliana is a children's fantasy series by Ryan Watters. 

The meaning is uncertain but is thought to derive from the Greek helios, which means sun.

Aeliana

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.

Akira

This form of Alannah was derived directly from the Gaelic term a leanbh, meaning "child." Though not as popular as the more traditional Alana spelling, it has consistently charted in the US since 2007. Alannah Myles is popularizing this spelling of Alana.

Alannah

Sounds like a princess -- or an enticingly evil witch -- in a fairy tale. 

Allura

Altalune is an invention used by Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson as one of several <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a> for their daughter, its Latin meaning roughly translated as "over the moon." Celebrity baby Altalune will be called the more familiar Luna for short.

Altalune

Alura has an entirely different root from the similar Allura and shares the fairy tale tinge. It could be a great choice for a wise baby girl.

Alura

Amarantha is a rare botanical name whose mythical equivalent was believed to be immortal.  The Italian and Spanish form is the somewhat-more-acccessible Amaranta.

Amarantha

As flower names become more unique, so can gem names move beyond Ruby and Pearl to names like Topaz, Sapphire, and Peridot. Amethyst, the purple birthstone for February, has never been in the Top 1000, but could have some appeal, joining similarly-hued Violet and Lilac, all of which make great <a href="https://nameberry.com//list/614/names-for-aquarius-babies">names for Aquarius babies</a> or <a href="https://list/630/70-lovely-names-for-february-babies">names for February babies</a>.
 In the M.M. Kaye children's novel The Ordinary Princess, the protagonist is Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne of Phantasmorani — Amy for short — who has been given the "gift" of ordinariness.

Amethyst

Angel is one of those names that has a very different trajectory for girls and boys. As a female name, it was most popular in the US from the 1970s until the turn of this century, almost breaking into the Top 100 at its peak in 2001 but then beginning a long slide down the list.
This may be partly because other forms of Angel -- Angela, Angie, Angelica, Angelina -- have dropped from favor too. Or it may be because of the crossover popularity of Angel for boys, partially inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
As a boys' name, Angel entered the Top 100 in 1997 and remains there today.
Spice Girl Melanie Brown named her daughter Angel Iris.

Angel

The gorgeous Angelina Jolie has promoted the star power of her name and changed Angelina's image from delicate to intense, from older Italian mama to stylish multi-cultural child. Kids might relate to the dancing mouse in the series of charming children's books, Angelina Ballerina, or to the Harry Potter character, Angelina Johnson Weasley, a member of Dumbledore's army.
 
A notable namesake is Angelina Grimke, an important American abolitionist and suffragist.

Angelina

Angelyn

The Roman goddess Annona personified Rome's grain supply. Her name is derived from the Latin word annōna, meaning "corn" or "grain," which ultimately originated from annus, "year."

Annona

Annora is a noble name, a distinctive twist on its most essential form: Honor. Other variations to explore include Honora and Nora. 

Annora

A lively, affectionate Russian pet name that is never given as a full name in its homeland, but has found some popularity in upper-crusty British society. It's also a surprising cultural crossover name due to its resemblance to the Indian name Anushka. British-Indian musician and composer Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi, is a famous bearer.

Anoushka

Arabella, lovely and elegant, has long been well used in Britain and finally made it onto the American list in 2005. Its meaning may also be interpreted as "beautiful," thanks to -bella.
 
Arabella was used as a given name beginning in the 12th century with the birth of Arabella de Leuchars, granddaughter of William the Lion, King of Scotland. It is derived from the Latin orabilis, from which Arabella gets its meaning. Some scholars tie Arabella to Amabel, claiming that the former developed as a variation of the latter in Scotland, much like the name Annabel. 
 
Arabella has been a great favorite in English novels, dating as far back as Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and also appeared in The Vicar of Wakefield, Dickens's Pickwick Papers, George Eliot's Felix Holt and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure, and more recently in Harry Potter.
 Arabella is the title of a lyric comic opera by Richard Strauss, and was chosen for their daughters by Ivanka Trump and Dr. Oz. A real life heroine is Arabella Mansfield (born Belle Aurelia), the first American woman to become a lawyer.
 Though off its 2017 peak, Arabella is a sophisticated choice especially recommended for parents who love the super-popular Isabella but want something more distinctive.

Arabella

Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
 
The light and airy Aria entered the list in 2000 and now ranks among the Top 25 girl names in the US. In Italian, Aria's literal meaning is air, while in Hebrew it's a form of Ari meaning lion. An Aria is a musical term denoting a kind of song or melody, often in an opera.
Aria is a Top 100 name throughout the English-speaking world and also ranks highly in France and several European countries -- though notably not in Italy or Israel. In Persian, Aria is a male name, and in Indian it is considered unisex. 
Aria is also an improbably cool saint's name. Saint Aria (or Arria) of Rome was an early Christian martyr.

Aria

Soft and delicate French name rarely heard here.

Arianne

Quirky cool Arlo is now well and truly back. Last year it broke into the US Top 200 boy names and consistently ranks among the most popular boy names on Nameberry. 
 Arlo is even more popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Arlo is also one of the top baby names among Nameberry's visitors from leading US cities.

 
Once strongly associated with shaggy singer Arlo Guthrie, Arlo has an animated and cheery feel, thanks to its upbeat o ending. It was chosen by Toni Colette for her son in 2011, which brought the name back into the spotlight. Previously, Arlo was in regular use in the first half of the twentieth century—it was Number 667 in 1915, for example, but it had dropped off the charts in 1944.
 Arlo has many possible derivations along with its Irish and English roots. It may be a shortened form of the Italian name Carlo or the Spanish Carlos, and in Basque-speaking regions it is the word for area. In English, Arlo was used as a place name, Arlo Hill, by Edmund Spenser in his epic poem The Faerie Queene and is thought to derive from the Celtic word Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands."

 A growing number of girls are also named Arlo in the US each year, with a handful more babies of both sexes receiving the Arlow and Arlowe spellings, which take this name more into smart surname territory.

Arlo

A pretty, dainty name for one of the little characters in the children's book series The Borrowers. It was the basis for a later Studio Ghible animated film, The Secret World of Arrietty. While the connection to Harriet is tenuous, you might want to consider Arrietty as an honorific for an ancestral Harriet, Harry, or even Henry or Henrietta.

Arrietty

Although usually spelled without the final 'e', this version commemorates tennis immortal Arthur Ashe. Seth Meyers' son Ashe was given his wife's maiden name.

Ashe

Asher—an excellent, soft and sensitive Old Testament choice—is a <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">baby boy name</a> on the rise, and is a Nameberry biblical favorite. 
 
Asher's ascent is especially amazing given that the took a century-long hiatus from the Top 1000, from the 1890s until it reappeared in the 1990s. Asher has been in the US Top 100 for more than a decade now.
 
In the Bible, Asher was one of Jacob's twelve sons who gave their names to the tribes of Israel. Asher is derived from the Hebrew word osher, which means "happiness." Rabbinical scholars claim that the Asherites lived up to this meaning, as they had the most oil, wisdom, and male children compared to the other tribes.
 
The novel My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, often taught in schools, is the story of a New York Hasidic Jewish boy with artistic aspirations.
 
Oh—and another plus for Asher: the handsome diminutive Ash.

Asher

Hot star Ashton Kutcher is pushing this unisex choice toward the boys' camp, but its variation Ashtyn is on the rise. 

Ashton

Astraea -- also found as Astraia -- is the Greek goddess of justice and innocence who became the constellation Virgo.  A more unusual form of the many star-related names, from Astra to Esther to Estelle to Stella, all on the rise. Astraea was the daughter of Astraeus, the god of the dusk, and Eos, the goddess of the dawn.

Astraea

Atlas is one of those names that was previously thought too powerful for a baby boy, who would have to be strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders. Now Atlas has joined the pantheon of Greek and Roman god and goddess names in the realm of possibility, along with Mars, Zeus and Apollo.

 Atlas was one of the fast-rising names on the list in recent years in the USA, jumping from oblivion in 2012 into the Top 500 in 2015, and climbing several hundred places higher since then. Anne Heche was one of the first to make this audacious choice, but several celebrity parents have followed suit.

 As well as the mythological connection, Atlas is a cool geographical word name – perfect for the child of parents who love traveling or who hail from different parts of the globe.

Atlas

Aura has an otherworldly, slightly New Age-y glow, but is beginning to sound more more like a legitimate name. In Greek and Roman mythology, Aura was the Titan of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of early morning. But at odds with her peaceful, well, aura, the mythological Aura is a tragic figure, ultimately transformed into a fountain by Zeus.
 At the end of the nineteenth century, Aura was not that unusual: she reached Number 511 on the Social Security list in 1882. Princess Aura was a character in the old comic strip Flash Gordon.
 Aura is currently popular in some areas of Central America. And for the first time since 1901, Aura has joined the US Top 1000 for girls in 2023.

Aura

Avalon, an island paradise of Celtic myth and Arthurian legend--it was where King Arthur was taken to recover from his wounds-- and also the colorful capital of the California island of Catalina-- makes a heavenly first name. Actress Rena Sofer and British musician Julian Cope used it for their daughters.
 Avalon manages to blend the appeal of Ava and Evelyn, while sounding more interesting and unique.

Avalon

That i adds some extra spunk to mega popular Avery. It also adds some pronunciation confusion (as it could be pronounced AV-er-ee or AV-er-eye). We suggest sticking with the original Avery.

Averi

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery. 

Avery is actually an extremely popular name, ranking in the Top 100 for 20 years now, with a long way to go before it falls off. A good comparison from the past might be Amy, which ranked on the Top 100 for four decades.

Choosing a more unusual spelling of a popular name might not make the name as unique as you hope.

Averie

Avery is a hugely popular name in the US, especially for girls. But while nearly four times as many girls as boys are named Avery today Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls while it continues to strengthen for boys.

Unlike many gender-neutral surname-y names popular today, Avery began life as a first name and later became a patronymic last name. It originated in the Middle Ages as a Norman-French pronunciation variation of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and the Ancient Germanic name Alberich. The elements aelf, meaning "elf" and ric, meaning "ruler" give Avery its meaning. 
 
Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn may have started it all when they chose it for their daughter in 2005, just as they did with daughters Finley and Emery. Amy Locane used the name in 2009 and now Dr. Phil has a granddaughter named Avery.
 
On 30 Rock, Elizabeth Banks had an extended cameo playing Alec Baldwin's glamorous fiancée, Avery Jessup.

Avery

Aviva is vivacious and memorable, a fresh spin on the Vivian and Vivienne names that have been getting more popular since Angelina and Brad chose one for their twin daughter. Another A-beginning palindrome name: Aziza. 

Aviva

Azra is a perennial favorite <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/485/arabic-names-for-girls">Arabic name for girls</a> in Turkey, Bosnia and Croatia. In the West, Azra could become a fresher take on Virginia or a more feminine spin on Ezra.

Azra

Everything ella, from Ella to Bella to Arabella, is red hot right now. Bella is one of the most, well, beautiful <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/b">girl names starting with B</a>. It carried a hint of a nice Old World grandmotherly veneer, until it became attached to Twilight's Bella Swan. 
Bella derived as a diminutive of Isabella and other names with the suffix -bella, such as Anabella and Arabella, but has a meaning all its own: beautiful.That's because Bella is related to the word for "beautiful" in languages including Spanish, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Greek. Belle means "beautiful" in French.
 
If you're thinking of naming your daughter Bella, be aware that there are a lot of little girls whose proper names are Isabella, Arabella etc. who are called Bella, so you may hear the name more frequently than you'd guess judging by popularity statistics.
 In pre-Twilight literature, Bella Wilfer is the central character in Charles Dickens's Our Mutual Friend.
 Mark Ruffalo, Billy Bob Thornton, David Boreanaz and Eddie Murphy are all dads to Bellas. A strong feminist namesake is Bella Abzug. One current Bella is child star turned pop star Bella Thorne, born Annabella.
 Bella was in use as far back as the thirteenth century, then disappeared until the eighteenth when it became fashionable. 
 Today, Bella is among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names/dogs">most popular dog names</a>.

Bella

Blythe originated as a nickname for an upbeat person, coming from the Old English word bliðe, meaning "merry" or "cheerful." Today the homophone blithe shares the same meaning. Blythe was eventually adapted to a surname before it became a feminine given name.
 
Blythe embodies a cheerful, carefree spirit and could be the next Blair/Blaine/Blake/Brett/Britt, with the advantage that it's clearly pink. It joins other other light-hearted names for girls: Felicity, Hilary.
 Blythe is the middle name of Drew Barrymore—in her case a surname from her rich theatrical history.
 The title of the memorable Noel Coward play Blithe Spirit is taken from Shelley's poetic line, "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit"—a nice tribute to a baby Blythe.

Blythe

Fairy-tale memories of Sleeping Beauty inspire some parents—such as Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen—to call their daughters Briar Rose. But Briar plus a different middle name might work even better. It's one of the newly popular nature-word names, charting in the US for the first time in 2015 for both genders.
 While there are about four girls named Briar to every three boys, the name is on the rise for both genders. It could make for an interesting choice to honor a Brian.

Briar

Extreme makeover: Brooklyn has gone from jokey Borough Boy name in the 1990s to a leading <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/b">girls' name starting with B</a>. The status of New York's Brooklyn as hipster heaven is ironic as few bona fide Brooklyn hipsters would choose this name.
 Brooklyn first came into widespread public view via the first Beckham boy born in 1999, though it had already entered the lower ranks of the girls' list in 1990, rising to the double digits in 2005, as more and more parents began to see it less as a NYC place name by separating it into its highly name-y syllables – brook and lyn.

Theoretically unisex, Brooklyn is now 98 percent female, while variations Brooklynn and Brooklynne are all girl.

Brooklyn

Cadenza takes the popular CADENCE and gives it a more operatic flourish.

Cadenza

Caedmon

Caius is classical and serious but also has a simple, joyful quality. There was a third century pope named Caius, as well as an early Christian writer, several Shakespearean characters, and a Twilight vampire. We would pronounce the name to rhyme with eye-us though at Cambridge University in England, where it's the name of a college, it's pronounced keys. 
 Nickname Cai is a definite asset.

Caius

Calix is once-obscure name that is starting to see some use in the US, where 62 baby boys were named Calix in 2022. An indirect influence is the actress Calista Flockhart, who introduced Americans to the female version of this attractive Greek name to prominence.
 
Calix derives from the Latin word for chalice, calyx, which in turn came from the Ancient Greek word kálux, meaning "husk" or "pod." It is also considered a diminutive of Calixtus, a variation of the Late Roman name Callistus meaning "most beautiful." Calyx can also be spelled Calyx, as in the funnel or chalice-shaped part of a flower.

Calix

Canyon is a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique baby name</a> evocative of natural splendor and the old Steve Canyon comic-strip heroism, making it an intriguing new word-name possibility. 
 Similar but less word-like: Kenyon.

Canyon

Courtland

Courtland, with its added U, is an English form of the Dutch habitational surname Cortlandt. Cortlandt was a village near modern-day Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands. Its name was derived from the Dutch elements cort, meaning "short" or "narrow," and landt, "land."

The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.

Dandelion

A simple one-syllable name that has been on the popularity list since the mid-1980s, Drake is most associated today with the single-named rapper (born Aubrey). The name peaked at Number 197 in 2010 and has since been on a slow decline, but it still can be counted among the stylish contemporary <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/d">boy names starting with D</a>.

Drake

Eden is an attractive, serene name with obvious intimations of Paradise, one of several place names drawn from the Bible by the Puritans in the seventeenth century.
 Eden entered the Top 1000 in 1989, and got a real bump in visibility when Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross used it for one of her twin girls. There have been also Edens on the old soap opera Santa Barbara and the shows Heroes and Extras.
 Pronounced ED-en, Eden is also a Hebrew name for boys, though as EE-den it's gaining ground in the US for boys, now given to one boy for every four girls.

Eden

A major figure in the Old Testament, Enoch was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah whose Book of Enoch provides a focal point for ancient Jewish mysticism. Another Enoch was the son of Cain. "Enoch Arden" is a famous poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. On the negative side, British politician Enoch Powell gave the infamously racist Rivers of Blood anti-immigration speech, taking the name out of consideration for many parents in the UK.

Enoch

Evangeline is a romantic old name enjoying a major comeback, thanks to its religious overtones, Eva's popularity, and the star of the TV megahit Lost, Evangeline Lilly. Evangelia and Evangelina — two variants of Evangeline — are sure to tag along for the ride.

 Evangeline was introduced to the English-speaking world by Longfellow in his hugely popular eponymous narrative poem, and can also be found in Uncle Tom's Cabin (it was Little Eva's full name), as well as two novels by Evelyn Waugh. More recently, there were Evangelines in the films Nanny McPhee and Disney's The Princess and the Frog.

Evangeline

Long heard as a last name, as in venerable poet Robert, U.K. talk show host David, British actress Sadie and old Jack Frost, Frost has suddenly entered the scene as a possible first, along with other seasonal weather names like Winter and Snow.
 Some forward-thinking parents are beginning to warm to the icy simplicity of Frost, placing it among the most fitting <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/89/winter-baby-names">names for winter babies</a>.

Frost

The name of the Greek mythological earth goddess and universal mother; actress Emma Thompson stated that she was attracted by its ecological element, so other "green" parents may want to follow her lead.
 
Gaia is also an unrelated Latin name, the feminine form of Gaius. This is thought to come from gaudere, "rejoice".

Gaia

Galena is the feminine of the Galen, which means calm. Galena is also a mineral-related name, a type of lead.

Galena

Ghislaine still sounds unusual to us, even though in France this name is dated. It can also be spelled Ghislain.
 
In the US, it is best known through association to Ghislaine Maxwell, the French-British socialite indicted in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Ghislaine

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen undoubtedly gave this name a boost. The French pronunciation (jiz-ELLE) gives it a more graceful, balletic, gazellelike feel. 
 In the 2007 film Enchanted, Giselle is the name of the ingenuous princess, portrayed by Amy Adams, living in the fantasy animated kingdom of Andalasia. Read more about Giselle and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Giselle

This name is a combination of the traditional Grace and popular suffix -lyn. Both Gracelyn and spelling variation Gracelynn work as alternatives to the highly popular Brooklyn.

Gracelyn

Grayson, which you might think of as a Jason-Mason substitute, has been rising through the US Top 1000 since 1984 and has ranked in the Top 100 since 2011. 

That makes Grayson a modern classic boys' name, with both a sober buttoned-up feel as well as an unconventional masculine vibe. Grayson might plausibly be a banker or an artist, and its resemblance to its female counterpart Grace gives it a feminist gloss.
 
Grayson's biggest problem, if you consider it one, is its persistent, widespread popularity. The Greyson spelling also ranks highly in the US and throughout the English-speaking world, and a wide range of alternative spellings including Gracen, Gracyn, and Greysun have sprung up for baby girls and boys.
 
Last year, about 11,000 baby boys in the US were named Grayson and Greyson alone, as many s were named William or Henry, making it a solidly Top 10 name.

Grayson

A pretty and substantial German smoosh name, a combination of Hanne and Eleonore. Most popular in Germany from the 1930s to the 1950s. Former German Chancellors Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt both had wives named Hannelore.

Hannelore

Harleigh

Harrison, a name made viable by Harrison Ford, is increasingly popular with parents who want an H name that's more formal than Harry or Hank but doesn't veer into the stiff Huntington-Harrington territory. 
 As a surname, Harrison has both Beatle and presidential connections. Harrison was the surname of two presidents, William Henry Harrison, who died 31 days after taking office, and Benjamin Harrison, whose election in 1888 sparked Harrison's peak as a first name.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, aka Prince Harry and Meghan, used Harrison as a patronymic middle name for their son, Prince Archie.

Harrison

Among the children named Heaven are the daughters of TV personality Brooke Burke and rap singer Lil' Mo, who also has a daughter named God'iss Love. Some parents have taken to using Nevaeh instead—Heaven spelled backwards. 

Heaven

Holden is a classic case of a name that jumped out of a book and onto birth certificates--though it took quite a while. Parents who loved J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are flocking to the name of its hero, Holden Caulfield -- not coincidentally in tune with the Hudson-Hayden-Colton field of names. (Trivia note: Salinger supposedly came up with the name while looking at a movie poster promoting a film starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield, though other sources say he was named after Salinger's friend Holden Bowler.) Another impetus was provided by a soap opera character introduced in 1985.
 Among the celebs who have chosen Holden are Brendan Fraser and Mira Sorvino.
 In Australia, only a car-lover would choose this name, which is inextricably linked with the car-brand.

Holden

A term of endearment turned cute British celebrity baby name, used by actress Kate Winslet, chef Jamie Oliver, and TV presenter Fearne Cotton, among others. Honey was given to only 40 girls in the US in 2017, but it's relatively popular across the pond, where it ranks in the current Top 500 baby names for girls.

Honey

Hudson has risen quickly up the charts over the past 30 years, getting a lot of its style value from New York's Hudson River. That makes it a nature name and a place name that's also got the fashion gloss of New York City.
 The Hudson River was named for 17th century British explorer Henry Hudson, who also gave him name to Canada's Hudson Bay. Hudson has long been a prominent surname. Along with Henry, there was also heartthrob Rock, director Hugh, the musical Hudson brothers, and Kate Hudson today. 
 As a first name, Hudson has been given to several celebrity children, including the sons of Robert Herjavec, Marcia Gay Harden, Gena Lee Nolan, and Drew Lachey.
 Hudson literally means 'son of Hudd', which was a nickname for both Hugh and Richard in the Middle Ages. Streamlined spelling Hud was the name of the macho title character of an iconic Paul Newman film; John Mellencamp has a son named Hud.
 James Barbour pulled a gender switch when he named his daughter Hudson in 2008.
 Along with its popularity in the US, Hudson also ranks in the Top 100 in other English-speaking countries. Its popularity has not, however, extended to other European countries, many of which have laws against using surnames as first names.

Hudson

Huxley is definitely rising as a surname name, with its X that makes almost any name cooler. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015. The modern nicknames Hux and Huck certainly don't hurt.
 Huxley honors writer Aldous, author of Brave New World, and other members of his distinguished family.

Huxley

Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin put Ireland on the map when they chose it as a first for their daughter, saying that geographic names were a family tradition. And it seems they were a bit ahead of the curve (or trendsetting)—Ireland has been among the fastest-rising names of recent years. Other Irish place names include Shannon, Kerry, Galway, and Dublin.

Ireland

A name used in the Caribbean, taken from the Rastafarian term that translates best to "positive and powerful."  Rastas often greet each other by saying, "Are you feeling Irie today?"

Irie

This first name of a Norwegian supermodel has no known meaning of its own and is most closely related to Isleen, which is a variation of the Celtic Aislin or Ashling.

Iselin

Isis has gone from magical, feminist name on the rise to the forbidden list because of the extremist terror group called ISIS, an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Unsurprisingly, Isis was one of the fastest-falling names in 2014, dropping 130 ranks to reach #706.
 Before the rise of the political group, Isis was best known as the name of the supreme Egyptian goddess of the moon, sky, magic, motherhood and fertility, revived by feminists and others willing to cross into arcane territory. And with the mini-craze for names that start with Is- -- Isabella, Isla -- it was not so surprising that Isis was joining the I crowd.
 The ancient Isis, wife of Osiris (who happened to be her brother), was worshiped beyond Egypt into the Greco-Roman world. According to myth, the Nile river floods every year because of Isis's tears of sorrow for the death of Osiris.
 In popular culture, Isis has been a character on Stargate and Battleship Galactica, an opera, the title of a Bob Dylan song and the name of several rock bands.
 The Isis is the name given to part of the River Thames.

Isis

Jackson is one of those names that's much more popular than you think, coming in near the top of our annual Playground Analysis, which ranks names by grouping all their spellings together. There were nearly 17,000 baby boys named Jackson -- along Jaxon, Jaxson, Jaxxon, Jaxen, Jaxyn, Jaxsen, and Jaxsyn -- which counted together makes it the Number 3 boys' name.
 
Jackson in this spelling is now slightly more popular than father name John, from which it's derived, though slightly less popular than Jack, which it's often shortened to.
 
With its gentleman cowboy feel, Jackson is now popular throughout the English-speaking world, though it fails to achieve the true international popularity of other top boys' names such as Lucas, Leo, and even Liam. 
 
It's been chosen over the years by several celebrities for their sons, including Spike Lee, Poppy Montgomery, Carson Daly, Maria Bello, Natalie Maines, Scott Wolf, Maya Rudolph, Katey Sagal, and Charlize Theron, though its heyday as a celebrity baby name was at least a decade ago.
 One of the most common surnames in America, it's got a presidential ring via Andrew Jackson and an artistic one through Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock.

Jackson

Jaclyn

Both an independent name and an alternate spelling of Jada. 

Jaeda

Jaelyn is a name popular in many spellings and variations, including Jaelynn, Jaylin, and Jalen, and used for girls as well as boys.

Jaelyn

Juno is hot, June is showing signs of a comeback along with other month and day names, whereas Junia, the name of the the first century Christian referred to by the apostle Paul as an apostle (and who may have been male), is yet to be discovered.


Junia

The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
 Kaia's star has been floating upwards for the past few decades, along with Kai's. And it still has some distance to go, though we don't anticipate it making the Top 10.
 
Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, is now a supermodel in her own right.

Kaia

Kennedi is a spelling variation of Kennedy. Kennedi has been on an upward trend since she entered the Top 1000 in 1998. If you're going to go with this trendy Presidential name, we prefer Kennedy. 


Kennedi

This attractive surname name still projects that Kennedy family charisma. While it didn't come into widespread use until long after the deaths of martyred heroes President John F. or Senator Robert Kennedy, Kennedy is now one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">popular unisex names</a> for girls as well as the top <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/k">girls' name starting with K</a>. This is one name that manages to sound trendy and classic at the same time.

Kennedy

Khloe's a variation of the popular Chloe, thanks to reality star Karshadian of the K-named family. Khloe jumped a whopping 101 places into 2009's Top 100 and peaked at 42 in 2010 but has declined in popularity in recent years.

Khloe

Kingsley is a sophisticated Harry Potter name that entered the US Top 1000 in 2013.
 Writer Kingsley Amis is its most famous bearer. Cousin Kingston is also rising in popularity, thanks to Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale's little boy.

Kingsley

Chosen for their first son by musical couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, this Jamaican place and elegant British surname also boasts the more regal yet user-friendly short form, King. 
 Kingston offers clear evidence of the starbaby effect: it arrived on the popularity list in 2006, the year little Kingston Rossdale was born, and has risen since.

Kingston

Popular pop name, inspired by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was at its height in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s; often cited as a Noongar name meaning "boomerang". 

 Kylie has also been used as a feminine form of the Scottish name Kyle. The youngest Kardashian sister, Kylie Jenner, is undoubtedly keeping its style going.

Kylie

Lachlan is as Scottish as haggis and tartan plaid kilts—a favorite used throughout England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand—and just beginning to be noticed in the US: it reached the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013. An ancient name, Lachlan was originally used to describe the Viking invaders of Scotland, those from the land of the lochs.
 Americans and Australians tend to pronounce the first syllable of the name like Lock, but the genuine Scottish pronunciation sounds more like Lack.
 In Ireland, the name was Anglicized as Laughlin; in Scotland the pet forms are Lach, Lachie, or Lockie.
 Lachlan has been a top name in Australia for at least a decade. It has been in the headlines recently via the eldest son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
 Somewhat surprisingly, Lachlan has US presidential cred, as the son of tenth president John Tyler, whose other children included Lyon, Letitia, Tazewell, and Pearl.

Lachlan

Upside: it has an interesting ancient look and feel, related to the Roman family name Laelius of uncertain meaning.  There is also a type of orchid called the Laelia.  Downside: possible confusion with all those Laylas, Lailas, etc. out there.

Laelia

Evocative modern unisex choice brought into the spotlight by actress Lake Bell. 

Lake

Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.
 'The Lark' was used as a nickname for Cosette in Les Miserables; Lark Voorhees was a star of Saved by the Bell, and Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany used Lark as the middle name of their daughter Agnes.
 
The expression "happy as a lark" gives this songbird name a cheery image, as well as a 'lark' being a synonym for a merry time..
 Larkin is a pretty extension, as is Skylark, which is rich in cultural associations: there's the Percy Bysshe Shelley ode To a Skylark and the jazz classic Skylark written by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael..

Lark

Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold. 

 The flower's name derives from Latin lividus "bluish", influenced by lavō "wash" due to use of lavender in washing clothes. It has long been used in traditional medicine and in cooking for its sweet fragrance and soothing properties. But it also has a long history as a name, going back to the eighteenth century, when it was also used for boys. 

 Famous fictional namesakes include Lavender Brown, a witch character in the Harry Potter saga, and the eponymous heroine's best friend in Roald Dahl's Matilda.

Lavender

Appealing way, à la Dawson, to honor an ancestral Lawrence. Lawson is also an English pop rock band.

Lawson has history or use that dates far back, but it fell off of the charts in 1950. The name resurfaced in 2001 and has been climbing since. Lawson has that surname feel and -son suffix that parents are loving in recent years.

Lawson

A "modernization" of Leonora that has suddenly come back on the radar along with the many other Leo names--both male and female. With literary cred via a famous eponymous poem by Edgar Allan Poe (and also in his even more famous The Raven,) Lenore was steadily in the top half of the popularity list until the mid-fifties, falling off in 1973. Cameron Diaz played a Lenore in The Green Hornet.

Lenore

Leocadia marries a mix of sounds: the strength of a lion, with a rhythmic Latin ending. 
 St. Leocadia was an early martyred Spanish saint, and "La Leocadia" is a famous Goya painting of Leocadia Weiss, the artist's maid and caretaker.

Leocadia

A Top 100 name from 1896 to 1921, Leona reached as high as Number 72.
Since then, Leona had seemed to be one of the most unfashionable of the pride of lion names, but singer Leona Lewis has done a lot to rejuvenate it.

Leona returned to the Top 1000 in 2009 after decades of being away. 
 A somewhat more sophisticated option is the French Leontine.

Leona

Lilith is derived from the Akkadian word lilitu meaning "of the night." In Jewish folklore she is portrayed as Adam's rejected first wife, who was turned into a night demon for refusing to obey him. Lilith is unrelated to most other Lil- names, with the exception of Lilita, which is the Latvian variation.
 
In spite of its gently pleasant sound, Lilith had for the most part been rarely heard outside of reruns of Cheers and Frasier until its recent rise up the charts. It entered the Top 1000 in 2010 and has risen in recent years.
 Lilith's demonic aura has followed her through popular culture in various fantasy novels including George MacDonald's 1895 Lilith, comics such as Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, TV shows like True Blood, comics, anime, and numerous video games.
 But that could be changing, in part due to Lilith Fair, the all-female traveling music festival organised by Canadian singer Sarah McLaughlin, which has raised millions for women's charities. Lilith may also ride the coat-tails of the resurgence in (non-related) Lily names.

Lilith

Though this name of a sturdy tree that can live for centuries was quite popular for boys in the first half of the twentieth century, at this point in time we can see Linden as a fresh-sounding possibility for a little girl named to honor an Aunt Linda. 

Early pagans and Christians embraced the Linden as a holy tree, thought to aid healing and often planted near churches. The Linden is the mythological symbol of truth, peace, and justice; court cases and marriage ceremonies were often held beneath Linden trees. The Linden tree is associated with the goddess Freya.


Linden

The graceful, natural image of the verdant shade tree transcends any connection with President Johnson.
 A sturdy tree that can live for centuries, Linden was actually quite a popular boys' name from the 1930s to the 1960s--as was the presidential spelling Lyndon--but has now become unisex.

Linwood

Lotus is one of the most languorous of the flower names, with intriguing significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, symbolizing purity, grace and spiritual growth — not to mention a familiar yoga position.
 In ancient Greece, the lotus was a legendary plant, whose fruit was eaten by the mythical lotus eaters, causing them to go into a state of hypnotic forgetfulness.
 Lotus Flower is a Chinese character in the 1931 Pulitzer Prize-winning Pearl S. Buck novel, The Good Earth.
Rain Pryor, daughter of comedian Richard, named her daughter Lotus Marie.

Lotus

This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides, originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in the League of Legends games. Luz is the Spanish version.

Maddox, a previously obscure Welsh family name with a powerfully masculine image, suddenly came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie chose it for her son in 2003. By the following year it was in the middle of the Top 1000, and it has risen since.
 It was Maddox who set the precedent for all the boys in the Jolie-Pitt clan to have names ending in 'x'-and helped fuel the spark for all names X. 
 Maddox is related to the traditional Welsh Madoc (pronounced MAH-dog), meaning 'fortunate'; it belonged to a bearer who, according to legend, colonized North America in the twelfth century.
 Maddox is a character in The Vampire Diaries; spelled Madox, it appeared in Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient.

Maddox

The French Miley?  This trendy choice from Brittany, which is pronounced either as Miley or May-lee, is related to the traditional (male) saint's name Mael, traditionally feminized as Maelle.

Maelie

Another feminine form of the old saint's name Mael. Spelled Maëlys, it is a very popular name in France today.

Maelys

Though it sounds like a variation of the Irish Maeve, Maeva actually hails from Tahiti, and is currently enjoying a wave of popularity in France, where it ranks in the Top 100, possibly via popular French folk singer and actress Maeva Meline.

Maeva

Balancing femininity, vintage charm, and fantasy nerdiness, Marceline is one to watch. Marceline the Vampire Queen from the 2010-2018 animated TV series Adventure Time brought her elaborate French name back into public consciousness. It re-entered the Top 1000 in 2020, after an 86 year hiatus, and rose into the 700s in 2021. Nicknames Marcie and Marcy are rising in popularity as well. Marceline may appeal to parents who like frilly, traditional, and sophisticated names such as Josephine and Genevieve.

Marceline

Marius, frequently heard in Germany and France, is a slightly fusty yet accessible name that has (Les Mis) to Anne Rice. With the rise in interest in such Latin names as Maximus and Atticus, Marius might start attracting more attention.
Mario, the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese version of Marius, is much more widely used.

Marius

The surname of the great artist is pronounced the same way as Mathis, the German and French form of Matthew, so it's not a stretch for use as a first name.

Matisse

AtlasOfClouds's list "babby names" of 127 great name ideas: Aeliana - Zofia!

babby names

How is babby formed. How is babby formed. How girl get pregnant. Anyways I have to keep trying to meet the minimum word requirement