Kindercore Names

Not long ago, Peppa may have been at risk for confusion with the name Pepper. But thanks to the British children's TV series Peppa Pig, Peppa is now a household name. If your household contains preschoolers, that is.

Its jaunty o-ending makes this name more appealing than most of its Germanic brothers, and we hope we're beyond the constant response to his name being "Where's Waldo?" The weighty reputation of writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson adds a measure of backbone to the name.

Brother for Biff and Bud. McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.

Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".

We can't pretend that this name is not indelibly linked to the Disney's eponymous character, at least in the USA; but it's not a negative connotation and may appeal to you. Bosnian variation Aldin may be more wearable in the US, though.

Binx is a popular name among black cats thanks to the character Thackery Binx in the cult classic Hocus Pocus. It makes a one-of-a-kind, spirited name for a boy. If it's too bold for the birth certificate, try Binx as a nickname for a B name like Benedict or Baxter.

Has become a byword in English for an overly optimistic person, thanks to the eponymous children's book heroine.

Despite the presidential pedigree, it's still hard to shake the image of the cartoon cat (named after his creator Jim Davis's grandfather). However, there are other Garfields, such as Barbadian cricket player Sir Garfield Sobers, who carries it with gravitas.

All varieties of Hob are antiquated nicknames for Robert, though this one is saddled with the "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon association.

Despite the voluptuous doll's various career choices, from astronaut to doctor, her name still remains a euphemism for "bimbo".

The adorable and iconic bunny character Miffy was created in 1955 by Dutch artist Dick Bruna. Her Dutch name is Nijntje, a contraction of the Dutch word for "little bunny", konijntje.

It's most commonly associated with the French elephant, but Babar ironically means "tiger."

Vanellope is a Disney creation, given to the protagonist of "Wreck it Ralph" and now a character on Sugar Rush. She is energetic, tomboyish and very sassy. Read more about Vanellope and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

Charles Schulz adopted Schroeder as a first name for his piano-playing character in the "Peanuts" comic strip. It's a popular German surname derived from Schröder, denoting a tailor or porter or wine or beer.

Rudyard Kipling created the name Bagheera for the black panther character in his classic collection The Jungle Book. It was derived from the Hindi word bagh, meaning "tiger."

With the jaunty rhythm of other Irish surnames like Finnegan and Sullivan, plus the possibility for cool nickname Gil, this seems like a good candidate for the first name slot. It was the name of the main character in the TV show Gilligan's Island.