Cool Baby Names for Girls and Boys

Sparingly used since the 2000s, Zealand shot of the charts in 2021 after YouTube family The Labrants gave it to their son the previous year. By 2022, it had quadrupled in popularity since 2020, and while a recent count has shown a slight decline in use, around 100 boys and 10 girls were given the name.

This sleek Italian name was raised from the dead by Mexican Mozart in the Jungle star Gael Garcia Bernal, who chose it for his son (he also has a daughter named Libertad). For athletic inspiration, Lazaro Alvarez, boxing for Cuba, is the three-time world champion lightweight boxer. Lazarus and root name Eleazar are both also destined for comebacks.

A name that looks intriguing and masculine on paper, but is, unfortunately, a homonym for a girl's name.

An attractive North Carolina unisex place name, Raleigh's soft sound is particularly appropriate for a girl.

If you like the idea of Tadhg but don't feel like the spelling works where you are, Teague might work as an alternative. It could also fit the bill if you're seeking a unique single-syllable first or middle name for your son.

Historically, Sire was a formal term for addressing male royalty, particularly a king. Sire can also mean "father" as both a noun and a verb.

Possibly a derivative variation of Yara, a popular name in Spanish-speaking countries meaning butterfly, Yareli was given to more than 400 baby girls in the US last year.

This bold choice soared in popularity from 2008 to 2013, and now seems to have plateaued. But watch out—the character Major Major Major Major in the classic absurdist novel Catch-22 had a terrible time.

Calm, straightforward, patrician sounding: Pace is one new-style name that's well-grounded.

Grey is the more common spelling in Britain and Australia. This color name has a softness and ambiguity which makes it equally lovely for a boy or a girl.

Zoe is one of those popular names that's inspired many spelling variations, and Xoe is one of the new ones. A simple name sure to attract a lot of attention.

Might suggest speed, excitement, even danger, were it not for its best-known bearer, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.

This regal Spanish name combines several of today's top trends: names that end in S, last names that can also be first names, royal-sounding names, and unisex options. It has a long history of use in Spain as both a surname and a given name.

This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal, played on screen by Cate Blanchett.

Gatlin has risen into the Top 1000 in recent years on the strength of its association with the Olympic champion sprinter Justin Galtin as well as the Gatlin Brothers of Nashville fame. The name has the same root as gadabout, thus the meaning related to wandering.

Politics aside, the Cuban capital is one of the most rhythmic of place-names. The question is: can politics be put aside?

Zakai bears a lot of resemblance to the ancient Hebrew name Zaccai, but many modern parents are using it as an elaboration of the popular name Kai, blending it with Zack.

Captivating and appealing name — a maile is a vine used to make leis — getting noticed via writer Maile Meloy. Many pronounce it ala Miley, as in Cyrus, though native Hawaiian speakers say the correct pronunciation is more like MY-lay or MY-leh.

Kaiser, Rex, Kingsley, and Prince have become increasingly popular in recent years and Pharaoh is one of the more unexpected members of this regal family of names. Used as the title of ancient Egyptian rulers, it was also given to more than 200 babies in 2019.

Short and curt.