Cool Baby Names for Girls and Boys

Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorn? Add an E to give it a surnamey spin.

Brewer is a surname turned first name that comes from the occupational name for someone who brews beer. Definitely a cool guy name.

Halen is a cool surname name that will be especially appealing to fans of Van Halen.

Holston is a uniquely Southern place name — that of a river, lake, and mountain in Tennessee, as well as a town in Virginia. Holston was first used for the river, previously called the Cherokee River. It was adapted from the surname of pioneer Stephen Holstein, who resided alongside the river. Holstein was the name of a Saxon tribe and is now a region in Germany.

This rare but meaningful name is bestowed upon the children of Boston Red Sox fans in honor of their home ballpark, Fenway Park. Fenway Park is the oldest in the MLB. It was named after the neighborhood in which it is located, Fenway-Kenmore.

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope.

Hendrix is an improbably trendy first name rising in honor of guitar great Jimi.

Knight (as opposed to Night) is a name clad in shiny armor. This high-ranking word name was introduced by singers Kelis and Nas. Knight might join brothers King, Royal, and Noble in a new definition of royal baby names.

The feminine version of the newly-stylish Roman -- and the longer form of the also-newly-stylish Romy -- would make a girls' choice that achieves that near-impossible balance of being both original and fashionable. This variation is far superior to Romaine, which is too lettuce-y.

With Brooklyn, Trenton, and Camden on the rise, Harlem is one to watch out for. It has lingered down the lower end of the US Top 1000 since 2018 but has been trending upwards. It's already been picked by one celebrity, and it certainly has a stronger historical and cultural identity -- and it could work as an alternative to Harvey or Harley.

With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big Band Era clarinetist/bandleader and one-time Ava Gardner husband Artie Shaw.

Tied to the bluesy southern city and to the world heritage cite in Egypt after which it was named, Memphis is a modern choice with ancient history. Currently significantly more popular for boys in the US, as a place name with sounds reminiscent of Paris, Meredith and Emma, it has plenty of potential as a unisex choice.

Charleston is one of those baby names that may become more popular thanks to its nickname Charlie, now used about equally for boys and girls. If you want to call your daughter Charlie but believe she needs a more formal name, you might try Charleston instead of Charlotte. And Charleston is a lovely city in South Carolina.

Santana was most recently heard on a female character on hit television show Glee. Nonetheless, this name ranks higher for boys, which can be credited to Grammy Award-winning musician Carlos Santana.

Ellington's popularity may be inspired by jazz great Duke, but the name is used slightly more often for girls today, perhaps because of its trendy El- beginning. Like a host of other El- names, from the familiar Ella to Eleanor to the more niche Elodie and Elula, Ellington carries the popular Ellie nickname.

We've got Saint, we've got King, we've got Prince Duke Bishop Deacon and Messiah. So why not Sir? The name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's newborn son, Sir is an honorific and a word name that fits right in with current trends. And it does guarantee your son will be addressed with respect, at least nominally.

Names that have not historically been names are not intrinsically gendered, so though we originally pinned Arrow as a boys' name, both starbaby Arrows that have been born recently have been girls. And with Arrow given to 60 girls in the US in 2015 and 94 boys, we call that a pretty decidedly gender neutral name. With its forward-moving, true-landing imagery, Arrow is one of the new inspirational names.

Passé pasha image.

An addition to the trend for royal names, Kingdom could also have religious significance for those who want it.