Nameberry's Favorite Unique Names
- Newt
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"a small salamander"Description:
Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.
- Ashwin
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"ash friend"Description:
A cultural crossover with multiple roots. Ashwin is an English surname from the Anglo-Saxon male name Æscwine, meaning "ash tree + friend". It's also a popular Hindi name: in Hindu mythology, the Ashvins or Ashwini are twin Hindu gods of the sunrise and sunset. Either way, it has a soft, strong sound and great nickname potential in Ash or Win
- Katara
Origin:
Fictional nameMeaning:
"droplet"Description:
A prominent character name from the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, derived from an Arabic word meaning "(water) droplet" — Katara belongs to a water tribe.
- Lovella
Origin:
Feminine of LovellMeaning:
"wolf"Description:
Lovella is most likely a feminine variation on Lovell, a surname. While it feels one of the invented-yet-antiquated girls' names, has the obvious attraction of containing the word "love" within it, as well as the opportunity to use "Ella" as nickname.
- Kestrel
Origin:
Bird nameDescription:
With the likes of Wren and Lark highly fashionable right now, Kestrel could make for a fun — and fierce — alternative for either gender.
- Endellion
Origin:
Cornish place and saint's nameDescription:
Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the middle names for his fourth child (a daughter).
- Cherith
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"Winter stream"Description:
One of the rarer names to come from the Bible, Cherith has a fresh and modern sound despite its ancient roots. Cherith was the name of the stream that kept Elijah alive during the three years' drought which he announced to King Ahab. In English, Cherith pleasingly reminds one of the word cherish which is another plus to this underused girls' name.
- Sunshine
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee.
- Tekoa
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"stockade or horn trumpet"Description:
Both a place name and a masculine given name in the Old Testament.
- Crusoe
Origin:
Literary surnameDescription:
Crusoe, as in castaway hero Robinson, is a literary invention by author Daniel Defoe. The character says his name is an Anglicization of the German Kreutznaer, which may be a place name or mean a crossing of the river Nahe. Short form Cru was given to nearly 50 boys in a recent year.
- Alcott
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller at the old cottage"Description:
Alcott evokes shades of nineteenth-century New England, and memories of the author of the books Little Women and Little Men. Louisa May Alcott was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, noted educator, writer and philosopher, and colleague of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
- Ylva
Origin:
Feminine variation of Ulf, ScandinavianMeaning:
"wolf"Description:
Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up in the US anytime soon. At last count, it was only given to five American baby girls.
- Tarka
Origin:
Literary nameMeaning:
"wandering as water"Description:
The name of the (male) otter protagonist of Henry Williamson’s 1927 novel Tarka the Otter.
- Callaia
Origin:
English, GreekMeaning:
"beauty"Description:
A spin on Calia or Calla, with a lot of fashionable sounds.
- Asterion
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"little star"Description:
In Greek mythology Asterion is the name of the Minotaur — also called the Minoan Bull — who lived in the Labyrinth in Crete. Asterion was the child of Poseidon and the queen of Crete.
- Kirsi
Origin:
Hindi, Finnish diminutive of Kirstina and KirstenMeaning:
"amaranth blossoms; Christian, frost"Description:
This attractive multicultural name is found in India and Finland, where it is also a word meaning "frost."
- Lilivere
Origin:
Invented name, combination of Lili and GuinevereMeaning:
"lily + white shadow, white wave"Description:
This romantic, ethereal name sounds straight out of Arthurian legend but is in fact a modern hybrid of Guinevere and Lili.
- Zuleika
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"fair, brilliant beauty"Description:
Zuleika is a high-wire act of a name that might appeal to the intrepid baby namer, Like most 'Z'-starting girls' names, it projects a cool, strong aura, as exemplified by the character in Max Beerbohm's satirical 1910 novel, Zuleika Dobson, a heroine so gorgeous that the entire student body of Oxford University committed collective suicide at the sight of her.
- Vrai
Origin:
French word nameMeaning:
"true"Description:
A happy combination of several desirable genres: it's a word name, it has a foreign accent, and it has a highly virtuous meaning. And few other parents will be bold enough to choose it.
- Collier
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"coal miner"Description:
This occupational surname could find new life with those wishing to honor someone in their heritage who was connected to the tough-as-nails breed that was the pre-modern coal miner. Coll and Collie are some sweet nickname options to tone down the formality of this name.