Rodent Names

The name of a genus of flowering plants commonly known as "forget-me-not", deriving from a Greek word meaning "mouse's ear", because of the shape of the plant's leaves. The Spanish form Miosoti is more often seen, though still very rare.

As a name, it's linked to Sir Mulberry Hawk, a character in Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby.

Panya is a multicultural possibility with a sound that's pleasing to the English-speaking ear, though the Swahili translation, which might also be "rat," makes it less than savory as an African name.

Friendly but flimsy.

This rare name received national attention in 2021 when actor Frankie Muniz and his wife Paige named their son Mauz Mosley. The variation they used stems from the Hebrew word Mauzzim, literally translating to "fortresses" (mauz would be the singular, "fortress"). Some versions of the Bible interpret Mauzzim in context as "God's protectors."

As the former stage name of TLC founder Perri Reid and the name of the youngest member of the animated Flintstones clan, it's got some pop culture cache. But it'll be too cutesy by half for most parents.

This name of a renowned Apache leader and mystic would be a difficult choice, since it was used as a rallying cry in so many old westerns and by paratroopers jumping out of their planes in World War II.

Chisholm is a habitational surname — if it's on your family tree, you have ancestors from Chisholme, Scotland, although they were originally of Norman and Saxon descent.

Retro nickname for Charles that has the potential for revival, a la Hal, Ike, and Gus.

The tale-spinning heroine of The Thousand and One Nights, Sheherazade is an extravagantly elaborate name for a little girl. Too extravagantly elaborate? It's lovely and beguiling, and with the rise of such evocative monikers as Persephone and Ophelia, Sheherazade may have a chance in the modern baby name world. Another accepted spelling is Scheherazade. While the origin of this name is Persian, there are also modern Arabic forms of the name.

Pronounced Beecham, but still too fancy and fey. Likewise Beaufort (beautiful fort), Beaufoy (beautiful beech tree), and Beaumont (beautiful mountain).

Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose birth certificates are not filled out on time are given generic placeholders for registration, such as Infant, Unknown, or Baby. But more influential during this decade was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman. It's the origin of the famed line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Although Tamerlaine, especially with the addition of an i, feels more feminine than masculine these days and is occasionally used for girls, the original Tamerlane was a fierce Mongol warrior.

Better saved for a doll.

Form of Swanhild

A once-popular nickname for Albert and Bertram now being polished up by hip Brits, but still hibernating in the Land of Nerd over here.

Mosley has seen a handful of uses — mostly among baby girls — since 2012, the year after Peyton Manning gave it to his daughter. It's much more familiar as a surname, such as that of novelist Walter Mosley.

This traditional Cherokee name could easily be borne by a modern baby girl with connections to the tribe.