Are These the Best Baby Names Ever?
Yeah, these are definitely the best baby names ever.
Why? Well, the names on this list rank among the Top 1000 most popular names on Nameberry but are not among the Top 1000 names in the United States. That means they are unique choices in the real world but come with a stylish stamp of approval from our community of Berries.
Some of these names will go on to future mainstream success — the Berries are known for their ahead-of-the-curve taste — but if you use one of the best-ever names for your baby this year, it'll be a guaranteed familiar-yet-unusual, leading edge, compliment-sparking choice.
Consider this your treasure trove of perfect names. Now go explore, below!
The 10 Best Girl Names
The 10 best girl names are the highest-ranking girl names on Nameberry — a metric determined by page views — that rank outside of the US Top 1000. The choices here are beloved by our Berries — Imogen and Cordelia have been topping our charts for over a decade now — but remain rare on American shores.
If you're looking for a unique but exceedingly fashionable name for a daughter, one of these 10 names will be your best bet:
The 10 Best Boy Names
As with the girl names, the 10 best boy names rank highly on our internal charts yet are nowhere to be found on the US popularity list. Some of these choices — including Kit and Lorcan — are top choices abroad but for the most part, these boy names are certified unique (not to mention cool!) no matter where you are in the world.
You can see the full Top 100 Best Names at the end. But first, we're featuring our top picks across 10 popular categories on Nameberry:
The Best Nature Names Ever
Move over, Lily and River! The Berries are looking further afield to fresh florals such as Lilac and Zinnia, animal names like Wolf, and vibrant green-hued choices a la Fern and Moss.
The Best Word Names Ever
Word names are a signature style of the 21st century, but you won't find popular choices like Ember and Crew on our best-ever list. Our favorite word names right now speak to timeless virtues (Blythe, Verity), a sense of adventure (Arrow, Zenith), and the arts (Quill, Story).
The Best Nicknames Ever
We're always in favor of nickname names, whether they stand alone on the birth certificate or are used as diminutives of more formal names. Our top choices right now include vintage nicknames such as Dolly and Bea, Hal and Ike, along with modern favorites like Novie and Romy.
The Best Mythological Names Ever
Since Nameberry's inception, mythological names have gone from almost unthinkable to downright mainstream. The best options today are more unusual than Freya and Atlas, with all the same strength and story.
The Best Vintage Names Ever
At what point is a name no longer vintage? We'd hardly call names like Evelyn and Theodore old-fashioned anymore, given that the current number of children with these names significantly outweighs the adults.
The current class of vintage names on our minds maintains an old-school, clunky-cool flavor. Specific trends to look out for: names with a strong "or" sound, like Dorothea, Leonora, and Orson, and names that end in T, like Ernest and Clement.
The Best Three Letter Names Ever
Clean and compact mini-names like Leo, Mia, and Ava are mainstays of the US Top 20, but forward-thinking Berries are onto fresher, quirkier choices. Think vintage revivals like Ida and Guy, nature-inspired names such as Kit and Sol, and international favorites like Fia and Ori.
The Best Celestial Names Ever
The night sky is a cache of baby name inspiration — just ask all the parents of children named Luna, Aurora, or Orion. Our favorite celestial names include evocative choices like Astra and Storm along with subtler options, a la Cosima and Evren.
The Best Last Names as First Names Ever
Our favorite last names as first names hit all the right style notes for a 2024 baby, yet somehow (and really, how?) remain undiscovered by mainstream America. Whether you prefer Western-style last names (Calloway, Hollis), or surnames with Old Hollywood flair (Greer), there are cool, uncharted options to consider.
The Best Ancient Names Ever
Ancient names have found their footing in recent years, with choices like Amelia, Sebastian, and Atticus reaching international highs. Today's best ancient names hail from the Middle Ages, like Millicent and Isolde, the Bible, such as Ozias and Zipporah, and Ancient Rome and Greece, a la Aelia and Lysander.
The Best Traveling Lite Names Ever
In the years since we pegged traveling lite names as a trend to watch, these multicultural mini-names have taken off within the US. But as choices like Kai and Zuri reach their saturation point, it's time to consider some more uncommon options, like these choices favored by our Berry community:
Top 100 Best Names
Our Top 100 favorite names are the highest ranking names on Nameberry that are outside of the US Top 1000. See them below, listed in order of their current popularity on Nameberry.
- 1Imogen
- 2Cordelia
- 3Elowen
- 4Oona
- 5Ottilie
- 6Romy
- 7Aurelius
- 8Kit
- 9Zephyr
- 10Casimir
- 11Delphine
- 12Emrys
- 13Nyx
- 14Arden
- 15Lysander
- 16Caius
- 17Cosmo
- 18Lorcan
- 19Calypso
- 20Calix
- 21Juno
- 22Ivo
- 23Isolde
- 24Lavinia
- 25Leander
- 26Ozias
- 27Alaric
- 28Beatrix
- 29Percy
- 30Claudia
- 31Novie
- 32Odette
- 33Xanthe
- 34Isadora
- 35Lucius
- 36Nell
- 37Ariadne
- 38Peregrine
- 39Casper
- 40Ash
- 41Cedric
- 42Aoife
- 43Torin
- 44Circe
- 45Ren
- 46Althea
- 47Royal
- 48Romilly
- 49Florian
- 50Elara
- 51Orson
- 52Linus
- 53Asha
- 54Ziggy
- 55Ansel
- 56Mika
- 57Alfie
- 58Rue
- 59Rafferty
- 60Elsbeth
- 61Stellan
- 62Andromeda
- 63Nael
- 64Edmund
- 65Keziah
- 66Inigo
- 67Guinevere
- 68Harriet
- 69Agnes
- 70Roscoe
- 71Aster
- 72Mercer
- 73Rupert
- 74Cressida
- 75Eira
- 76Arwen
- 77Chiara
- 78Alba
- 79Ingrid
- 80Fox
- 81Astra
- 82Cecily
- 83Cormac
- 84Blythe
- 85Gus
- 86Cyra
- 87Seren
- 88Oberon
- 89Cosima
- 90Lazarus
- 91Phineas
- 92Ignatius
- 93Wolf
- 94Ione
- 95Sol
- 96Gaia
- 97Rufus
- 98Darcy
- 99Sybil
- 100Zuko