Adjective Names

Loving is a lovely virtue name to bestow upon a child, but would likely make a better middle name for a boy. Richard and Mildred Loving were an interracial couple who married in the 60s, spurring a landmark Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage in all states. The story of this remarkable couple was showcased in the 2016 film "Loving".

Remarkable Pettibone was a self-important housekeeper in James Fenimore Cooper's The Pioneers. Such names were not uncommon in early America, with such choices as Remember and Experience showing up in the records along with Puritan virtue names such as Chastity and Patience.

A big name to bestow upon a baby, but in line with word names that are becoming increasingly fashionable, such as Legend, Miracle, and Royal.

Loyal has history as a boy name—most popular in the late 19th century, later falling off the charts in 1948. This was back when loyalty suggested faithfulness to one's country, rather than fidelity to others. Today it would likely be interpreted as the latter.

Modern virtue names are rapidly rising in popularity—could Loyal be the next True?

Tobey Maguire added this name to the pool in 2006 when he used it as the middle name for his daughter Ruby. It's best kept to the middle.

Maybe if you're planning to have only one child -- and iffy even then.

Moroccan is a name newly minted by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for their newborn twin son. Meaning a person who lives in Morocco, Moroccan was used by the couple as a nod to the Moroccan Room in Carey's Manhattan apartment, where Cannon proposed to the singer. Place-name Morocco is another choice for either sex, as is music name Maraca.

Nick Cannon and his partner Brittany named their daughter Powerful Queen in 2020, and time will tell if it will be an influential celebrity baby name. Strong word names are a trend among the stars — 2020 alone saw a Sovereign, Honor, Rumble, Epik, and Win — and the best of them filter out into the mainstream. Powerful certainly has potential, but it might do more for Power, which feels more wearable and name-like.

A handful of baby girls are named Awesome each year, and they better be.

In 2014, six little girls in the US were given the name Starlit. Starlit has a sweeter meaning than the similar Starlet, and a better ring than Starlight.

As Ireland becomes fashionable as a place name, bouncing on and off of the US girls charts thanks to Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin choosing it for their daughter, some parents may start to consider the adjective form Irish.

Too much pressure to put on a child.

Lyric is a name given to over 1000 boys and girls each year in the US. Could the more feminine Lyrical (given to only 20 girls each year) become more popular as parents look to find less common alternatives to this musical name?

A sixties-style name that might work best as a middle.

Many parents are seeking a strong name--well there's no denying that Strong fits that bill.

A word that's been used, very infrequently, as a name for hundreds of years. Interesting sound and meaning.