930+ Invented Baby Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

Spelling variation of Ryland

An explosive name brought to public attention by Olympic skateboarder Bombette Martin. Her name was inspired by her dad's boxing nickname, Bomber.

A modern combination of the cool Cy- beginning and -aire ending sounds, given to 22 baby boys in 2022. May also be a creative spelling of Sire.

Rudyard Kipling created the name Bagheera for the black panther character in his classic collection The Jungle Book. It was derived from the Hindi word bagh, meaning "tiger."

Princess Ozma was the leading character of L. Frank Baum's book Ozma of Oz.

This variation of the English word "blessing" is on the rise, while the original Blessing actually fell in use in 2022. This may soon become a Journee/Journey type of situation, where the misspelled version becomes more popular than the original. The name Blessyn was given to 149 baby girls in 2022, and Blessing to 236.

This effort to update Sheryl combines Sher- with the familiar -lyn ending. Sherlyn was given to 145 baby girls in 2022, and seems to be on the rise.

Sha name, by way of Janice.

Unusual and unfashionable name found in Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby.

A possible, and not too successful, attempt to individualize Jocelyn or formalize Jacey.

Name invented for the video game and anime series Angels of Death. Kazarion debuted on the charts in 2021 when it was used for five baby boys.

A stylish smoosh of Evelyn and Juliette, also a variation of the invented name Evolet.

Variation of Kathryn.

Westlynn and even more so Westlyn are among the hottest new names for baby girls, rising hundreds of percentage points in use every year. Over 50 baby girls were named Westlynn in 2017, and more than 100 were called Westlyn. The attractive unisex nickname is West.

This Dana-Donna variation has started to carve out its own place on popularity lists; an interesting alternative to Daniella as a namesake for a relative named Daniel.

No longer a forbidden choice, Messiah has risen up the US popularity charts in recent years, and as a result, some parents have been seeking alternative spelling options. Masiah is one such choice, though it may also link more closely with the Arabic word for Christ, almasih. Given to around 80 boys each year, it is considerably less popular than Messiah, which was chosen for 1909 boys in 2023.

Parents seem to have decided that this spelling of popular boys' name Mason belongs to the girls -- perhaps because of its proximity to fashionable Maisie. It grew significantly in popularity throughout the 2010s.

Shakespeare invented the names Salerio, Solanio, and Salarino for his play The Merchant of Venice. The names are puns on salario, the Italian word for "salary," as each character shows great concern with money.