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If you think about it, it really is a tough job to pick a name for that little human being you love the most of all in the whole world. You have to make sure that they won’t hate you for giving them such a stupid name. 🙂 Nomen est omen as they said in ancient Rome: the name is a sign and speaks for itself. If you change it, you might unwillingly also change your destiny.
With Bobcat it was all so easy. With his little sister we kept vetoing each other’s ideas with daddy, pretty much during the whole 9 month. It was a last minute decision and we both compromised. At that time, I decided to make a list with my favourite names, so it might help others.
Funnily enough, I have lots of friends bearing names I really like. So they might find themselves on the list 🙂 However, my principle was, that my children cannot have a first name which they have to share with any family member or our close friends. I didn’t want to name them after someone.
I hope the list can be an inspiration for parents-to-be.
Unusual Girl Names
1. Indigo
English meaning: blue-purple colour; indigo plant or dye
Greek meaning: from India
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: want a neutral name, are artistic or hippie, love the colour, or just really want to piss off the future grand parents
2. Europa
The sixth-closest moon of Jupiter and the sixth-largest moon in the Solar System
Greek meaning: Europa was the mother of King Minos of Crete and for whom the continent Europe was named
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: still devastated after Brexit, big fans of mythology, or just want to show off how well-educated they are
3. Liza
Hebrew meaning: oath of God, or God is satisfaction
Famous bearer: Liza Minelli
Typically for parents who: are looking for a popular name with a twist (when written)
4. June
Latin meaning: young
Roman mythology: Juno was protectress of women and of marriage
Famous bearer: June Carter
Typically for parents who: want a traditional name but not too popular and it sounds artistic
5. Juno
Roman mythology: goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state, also a famous asteroid
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: are looking for a really genderless and cool sounding name, fans of mythology and/or astronomy
6. Paloma
Spanish meaning: dove, the symbol of Peace
Famous bearer: Paloma Picasso, Paloma Faith
Typically for parents who: want a traditional but not English name
7. Anita
Sanskrit meaning: full of grace, mercy
Hebrew meaning: grace or graceful
Famous bearer: Anita Ekberg, Anita Pallenberg, Anita Conti
Typically for parents who: want a Scandi sounding name or hardcore Rolling Stones fans
8. Linda
German meaning: soft, tender
Spanish and Portuguese meaning: beautiful, pretty, cute
Italian meaning: clean
Famous bearer: Linda McCartney, Linda Evangelista, Linda Gray
Typically for parents who: want a beautiful, short and feminine name
9. Fran
Spanish, Catalan and Italian meaning: short form of the English names Frances and Francis
Famous bearer: Fran Drescher
Typically for parents who: are feminists, want a cool and unisex sounding name
10. Margo or Margot
French and Hungarian meaning: pearl
Famous bearer: Margot Fonteyn
Typically for parents who: want a traditional name but with chic French pronunciation
11. Rozi
Swahili, Hungarian and old German meaning: the flower rose
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: are looking for a name with an universal meaning
12. Vera or Verushka
Slavic meaning: faith
Latin meaning: true
Famous bearer: Vera Wang, Vera Williams
Typically for parents who: want a cool, true Slavic sounding, James Bond character-ish name
13. Edie
English meaning: prosperous in war and diminutive of Edith
Famous bearer: Edie Sedgwick
Typically for parents who: like the unisex, sleek and simple sounding name
14. Sonja or Sonia
Greek meaning: wisdom
Hindi meaning: golden
Famous bearer: Sonja Queen of Norway, Sonia Ghandi, Sonia Rykiel
Typically for parents who: like the Slavic/Scandi sounding of it or looking for a feminine and traditional but not too popular name
15. Catalina
Spanish, Portuguese and Greek meaning: pure
Famous bearer: various queens and other royals
Typically for parents who: want a royal and feminine name, but something more special than Katherine (also want to avoid to name their child after any member of the royal family)
16. Bette
French and Greek meaning: my God is plentiful
Famous bearer: Bette Midler, Bette Davies
Typically for parents who: love the golden era of Hollywood kind of feeling related to the name
17. Katja
Germany, Netherlands, Flanders, Scandinavia and Slavic-speaking countries it is a pet form of Katherine
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: want a traditional name with a twist and like the Scandi sounding
18. Agnes
Greek, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese meaning: pure or holy
Famous bearer: Agnes Godard, Agnes Nestor
Typically for parents who: are looking for a Christian name and/or a name having a great historical background
19. Nessa
Irish meaning: Nessa was the mother of Conchobhar (Conor) Mac Nessa, king of Ulster
Russian and Greek meaning: pure
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: are looking for a cool Irish name
20. Fern
English meaning: a green plant that loves shade, fern
Greek meaning: feather
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: want a nature inspired name but bored of pretty flowery names
21. Nico
Italian, Spanish and Greek meaning: victorious people (rare as female name)
Famous bearer: Nico from the Velvet Underground
Typically for parents who: like the idea of a boy’s nick name being used as a girl’s name
22. Jade
English meaning: green coloured gemstone
Famous bearer: Jade Jagger
Typically for parents who: are looking for a beautiful nature inspired (or even associated with the supernatural) name
23. Saffron
English meaning: the spice used in Indian cuisine, also a colour
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: like nature inspired names, but don’t want to go with something too cute
24. Misty
English: a cloud of fine droplets of water that falls near the surface of the earth
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: are looking for a mystical sounding nature inspired, hippie or boho name
25. Ginger
English: pure, also the spice used widely in world cuisine
Famous bearer: Ginger Rogers
Typically for parents who: want a jolly joker name – both somewhat traditional and boho at the same time
Unusual Boy Names
1. Inigo
English and Castilian meaning: my little love
Famous bearer: some ancient knights
Typically for parents who: want a name sound both ancient and hipster
2. Jude
English meaning: form of Judah, a biblical name
Famous bearer: Jude Law
Typically for parents who: are Beatles fans
3. Lou
French meaning: famous warrior
Famous bearer: Lou Reed
Typically for parents who: like hipster, one syllable names
4. Lennon
Irish meaning: from Ó Leannáin
Famous bearer: John Lennon
Typically for parents who: will never get tired of answering the question if the child is named after John Lennon
5. Finn
Irish meaning: white, fair
Famous bearer: various nights
Typically for parents who: want an ancient and short name that’s currently not too popular
6. Orson
English meaning: originally a nickname meaning “bear cub”
Famous bearer: Orson Welles
Typically for parents who: want a name with an intellectual impression
7. Jethro
Hebrew meaning: abundance
Famous bearer: Jethro Tull
Typically for parents who: are rock music and/or agriculture lovers
8. Lucien or Lucian
French meaning: form of Luke: light, illumination
Famous bearer: Lucian Freud
Typically for parents who: never get tired of constantly spelling out the child’s name to others
9. Sidney
English meaning: south of the water
Famous bearer: Sidney Poitier
Typically for parents who: want a posh sounding, art deco era name
10. Serge
Latin meaning: of the protector, shepherd
Famous bearer: Serge Gainsbourg
Typically for parents who: like Russian sounding names or are looking to name the boy after a 60’s French icon
11. Tiger
English meaning: the animal tiger
Famous bearer: Tiger Woods
Typically for parents who: want a powerful name and believe in animal-spirits
12. Hercules
Roman name for the Greek divine hero Heracles, who was the son of Zeus
Famous bearer: Hercule Poirot character of Agatha Christie
Typically for parents who: want a bold name universally associated with strength or just want to show off with their intellectual
13. Indiana
English meaning: India. Unisex name.
Famous bearer: character of Indiana Jones
Typically for parents who: adventurers, cinema lovers or have a special connection to the place
14. Luke
English meaning: form of Latin Lucius – the bright one
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: looking for a cute, almost nick name sounding first name, which people are still going to take seriously
15. Alastair
Scottish meaning: defender of man
Famous bearer: Alastair Cook
Typically for parents who: are looking for a really aristocratic sounding name, cricket lovers, are planning to send the child to boarding school
16. Sascha
In countries of Eastern and Southern Europe used as a diminutive of Aleksander. Also sometimes used as a unisex name.
Famous bearer: no one really, apart from a 90’s DJ
Typically for parents who: love the German spelling of the name, former 90’s ravers or just want a cool and unisex name
17. Wes
English meaning: diminutive of Wesley
Famous bearer: Wes Anderson
Typically for parents who: Wes Anderson hardcores or like Wesley but think that sounds like a C-category movie actor
18. Timothy
Greek meaning: honouring God
Famous bearer: Tim Cook, Timothy Dalton
Typically for parents who: are looking for a nowadays not too popular, but beautiful and timeless name
19. Elton
English meaning: from the name Elli and likely means Ellie’s town
Famous bearer: Elton John, Elton Bennett
Typically for parents who: want an artistic but at the same time posh sounding name
20. Reed
English meaning: initially a surname, refers to a red haired person, Male and female
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: want a hipster name but also want the grandparents to be able to pronounce it
21. Cillian
Irish and English meaning: from the name CillÃn
Famous bearer: Cillian Murphy
Typically for parents who: want a traditional Irish name coming back into fashion again
22. Arbor
Latin meaning: tree
Typically for parents who: want a non-religious name
23. Ari
Hebrew meaning: lion
Greek meaning: superior
Maori meaning: visible, clear
Famous bearer: Aristotle
Typically for parents who: want a simple, yet a meaningful name
24. Creed
English meaning: belief, guiding principle
Famous bearer: no one really
Typically for parents who: want an elegant yet rare name
25. Milan
Slavic meaning: kind, loving, and gracious
Hindi meaning: coming together
Ancient Roman meaning: eager and laborious
In some languages (and in Shakespearian) also refers to the city of Milano
Famous bearer: Milan Kundera
Typically for parents who: are looking for a pretty geographical name which is not so well-known
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[…] your baby was born. Worse, many of these decisions will have a lasting impact. You have to choose names, for example, and where you enrol them in school. As if that wasn’t enough, you also need to […]