930+ Invented Baby Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.

Can be shortened to Nova. Appeared on the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.

With the sprightly "Ren" and "Wren" currently in fashion, and "ley" a productive suffix to create new names, this combination was inevitable, and is chirpy and appealing. Renley has been on the US charts for girls since 2012, and for boys since 2013. It probably got a boost from the Game of Thrones character Renly Baratheon, albeit with a slightly different spelling.

Take modern virtue Brave, add the trendy -n ending, and voilà! A cool new word-meets-surname name which feels bang on trend right now.

Rhaegar Targaryen is one of the most glamorous, noble characters in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series... even though he's been dead over a decade when the books begin. The reader first learns about him through Robert and Ned, both enemies, who paint a distorted picture of this striking man.

Familiar due to the English musician Siouxsie Sioux, singer of the 1970s-80s rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Apart from its complicated look, the inclusion of the Native American tribe name Sioux in this name feels inappropriate by today's standards. Stick with Susie or Suzie.

Itzayana, one of the fastest-rising girls' names of 2016, feels like a distant cousin of the ultra-popular Isabella.

Like its cousin Braden, Braydon has been falling in popularity in recent years, perhaps signaling a weakening of the 'aden'-name epidemic. There are thousands of young Bradens and Braydons out there, including the son of Melissa Joan Hart.

Similar to Kinsley, this modern choice has become much more popular in recent years; it first entered the Top 1000 in 2011. Part of its appeal might be that it sounds reminiscent of the overly-popular McKenzie.

Kaylin is a variation of Kayla and Katelyn that had several years of chart climbing before reaching a peak of Number 372 in 2009. Cailin and Kailyn are two other spellings.

Avaline emerged as a full-fledged name when Cameron Diaz used it as the name of her wine brand. Only a dozen or two baby girls are given the name each year in the US, a surprise given the dramatically increased popularity of Adeline and Evelyn, which have spawned an abundant number of variations.

Samuel Beckett, inspired by the French surname Godeau, created the name Godot for his play, Waiting for Godot.

Americans tend to pronounce Godot with the emphasis on the second syllable, but Beckett has said this is incorrect. The correct pronunciation is GOD-oh, with the first syllable stressed.

Caylee was the third fastest-rising name in 2009 and peaked then at Number 263, but has since dropped in the charts, perhaps due to the Caylee Anthony association.

Capitola owes its position on the US Top 1000 to the 1859 novel The Hidden Hand, also known as Capitola the Madcap. It was written by E. D. E. N. Southworth — the initials stand for Eliza Dorothy Emma Nevitte — and serialized first in the 1860s, then in 1883, and was published as a book in 1888.

One part fantastical literary invention and one part Ancient Greek, Atreyus is a new and rising name for boys. It's could be viewed as a combination of Atreus, an Ancient Greek name, and Atreyu, created by German author Michael Ende for his novel The Neverending Story.

Davion has only ranked in the US Top 1000 since the early 1990s, and its alternate spelling Davian is a more recent entry, first entering the charts in 2004. Their apparent connection to more common names Dave and Damian presumably provided the avenue for their success; however, both names are trending downward with no expected resurgence in the coming years.

Talisa is a recent addition to the Tali family, brought to light by actress Talisa Soto.

Saylah is a name manufactured from elements of Sailor (or Saylor) and Kaylah (or Kayla) to make one of those unique baby names that's not quite genuine. Still, it has a pretty sound and is superior to such inventions as, say, Scarla.

This spelling variation of Cason isn't quite as widely used as the original.

Cormoran first popped up as the name of a Cornish giant in the 18th century fairy tale Jack the Giant Killer, which drew on ancient British folklore. Today, though, it is more familiar as the name of the protagonist of J.K. Rowling's detective novel The Cuckoo's Calling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Its proximity to Cormorant, a family of seagoing birds, gives it extra appeal to nature lovers.