Unique Celebrity Names

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.

Kiefer is a strong occupational surname associated with "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, but one that could well join the other 'er' surnames currently in favor. Keifer is a German surname transferred to first name use, derived from two old Germanic words, kien and forhe, both of which mean "pine tree."

Name of World War II hero that sounds feminine today. Worth update of Holly, Hallie, or cousins.

This somewhat boisterous Celtic name would be at home in a noisy pub or out walking on the moors. In Scotland, it was originally a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.

High-profile First Daughter Trump bears a nickname for her mother's name, Ivana. But though quite common in Slavic countries, and despite its international appeal, Ivanka is likely to remain a Singe-Celebrity name in the US — the Oprah of the political world — for the foreseeable future. Ivanka's larger impact on names may be inspiring parents to name their daughters after their moms.

Queen has seen a revival in recent times, reaching its record high in 2018 with 280 births — it has remained steady since then. Previously, Queen saw a peak in the 1920s, but its origins go back even further than that. Queen was a noted name among enslaved people in America, along with other royal choices such as Duke, Squire, and Prince.

Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey Deschanel.

There's still only one.

Many will associate Rihanna with the Barbados-born singer, known mononymously by her middle name. During her early years of fame, when "Umbrella" was on the radio and "Take a Bow" was playing through the iPod Shuffle, the name shot up the charts in the US, UK, France, and Puerto Rico. Though the name did fall out of the charts as rapidly as it entered and while some parents might feel it is way too tied to the mid-2000s, Rihanna was given to 165 babies in 2023.

There's only one. Okay, two.

Todrick, an invented name that combines Todd with -rick ending names such as Frederick, is heavily associated with performer Todrick Hall. Hall initially became recognized for his success on American Idol, and since then has become a YouTube star and judge on RuPaul's Drag Race.

Up-and-coming actress Beanie Feldstein is attracting attention toward her unusual — but rather cute — nickname. She was born Elizabeth Greer Feldstein but nicknamed "Elizabeanie" by her childhood nanny. It was later simplified to Beanie by her older brothers.

Yes, it's a word name, but Busy is also a rare pet form of Elizabeth. And yes, actress Busy Philipps was christened Elizabeth--she was given the nickname because she was such an active child. She must have been happy with the name, because she also gave her daughters adorable unique baby names, Birdie and Cricket.

This spelling of Frida or Frieda ranked as high as #141 back in the late 19th century. Its most famous bearers, with different spellings, are Indian actress Frieda Pinto, who starred in Slumdog Millionnaire, and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

The newest surname names move beyond the Waspy, and this is an excellent example, associated these days with gossip blogger Perez (born Mario) Hilton.

One of the more prominent by-products of reality TV, via Disney.

Normani is a name made famous by the person it was invented for, singer Normani, whose birth name is Normani Kordei Hamilton. An unlikely combination of the operatic grandma name Norma and the designer surname Armani, Normani was given to more than 50 baby girls in the US last year.

One Fergie was an aberration. But two women with that nickname -- the duchess and the Black Eyed Pea -- might make a trend.

Vogue has been in rare use as a personal name, mostly since the last century. It doesn’t show up in current US data, but has been rising in the UK since 2013, influenced by Irish model Vogue Williams, whose grandmother suggested her name after an encounter with someone named Vogue.

Long considered Mr. Hall's exclusive property, it's now ready to be adopted by others.