Nameberry's Favorite Unique Names

An attractive Irish surname that is used more often among girls — likely due to the feminine associations with Kerry.

Embroidered lace hankie of a name, used in a Thomas Hardy novel. That literary cred lends some gravitas.

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.

Maisel is a German-Jewish surname, brought into the spotlight as that of Miriam Maisel, aka The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The TV show, which premiered in 2017, has led to small numbers of girls given the name in recent years. It feels like a blend of stylish vintage names Maisie and Hazel.

This attractive multicultural name is found in India and Finland, where it is also a word meaning "frost."

This simple and pretty name means "goddess" in Brazilian Portuguese, and was given to a few dozen girls in 2022.

This cognate of Jerome (of all things), familiar via the Dutch painter of fantastical scenes, H. Bosch, would appeal only to the most audacious, intrepid, attention-seeking baby namer. It is, however, still used in Germany, especially in Catholic Bavaria and in the north German Rhineland.

Originally used as a diminutive of Marguerite, this French term of endearment is super-rare as a given name in France, but could make for a sweet alternative to Mia in English-speaking countries. A variation is Mietta.

As an Arabic name, the normal transcription is Na'ima, with an apostrophe. It was a Top 200 name in France in the 1970s and '80s, and ranked in the US Top 1000 from 2005 to 2008.

An Anglicized form of Medb borrowed by both Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley for the of queen of the fairies. Perfect if you want something both adventurous and simple - though you could use it as a nickname for Mabel, Mirabel, Mabli, or Amabel too.

Better to stick with the Neil spelling in the US, where the word "nil" also means "zero." But this is a Top Ten name in Catalonia.

Levander combines the poetic qualities of Leander with the might Evander, and then adds in a dash of Lavender too. Sometimes used as a surname, it could be a sound-alike to the Italian Levante, a twist on the Leo variant, Levan, or a play on the aforementioned Greek Leander.

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.

A name made up of opposites that blend seamlessly into one. Evoking ideas of astrology, tarot cards, graphic tees, and holiday resorts, Soluna fits in with Top 1000 options like Marisol, Solveig, Stella, Solana and Luna.

While this may be the Dutch version of Cooper, English-speaking parents are likely to choose this with reference to the Kuiper Belt, a band of small space rocks near Neptune thought to be where many comets come from. With Kai or Ky as potential cool nicknames, this is one underused name with a lot to offer.

In Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, the friend who persuades Romeo to go to the party where he meets Juliet. Alas.

The son of Lancelot and Elaine in Arthurian legend, Galahad is the purest and most chivalrous of the Knights of the Round Table, and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail. The derivation of his name is unclear. It may come from Welsh Gwalchafed (hawk of summer) or "gwalch" + "cad" (hawk of battle), or it may be an anglicization of the place name Gilead in Palestine. Certainly a bold and brave choice for a baby boy!

Gwyniveth feels as if it could have stepped out of Arthurian, however, it is in fact a compound name, combining the Welsh element gwyn with Iveth, a French variation of Yvette.

Adds some thorns to the smooth texture of Lily.

Deriving from the Sanskrit Mithra, Mitra is the Hindu god of the sun and of friendship. This transcription is unisex in Hindi, while in Persian, it is the feminine form.