Easter Names

Chic in the fifties, now kept in the public eye mainly by actress Zellweger. Variations include Rene, Renae, and Renny.

The French-accented Pascal was historically used for sons born at Easter, and can make an interesting choice for a boy with Gallic roots arriving around that holiday.

With a soft sound, a preppy feel, and a unisex style, Palmer is a last name that's been climbing up the charts for girls in the US. Having entered the Top 1000 in 2018, more recent stats place it in the Top 300. More than four times as many girls received the name than boys in 2023, though Palmer is a name on the rise all round.

Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.

Once the most popular month names, April has been overtaken by June (for girls) and August (for boys), as well as the charmingly old-fashioned May. Literary reference: the heroine of the book and movie Revolutionary Road, and there have been Aprils on Parks and Recreation, Glee, and The Vampire Diaries. Trivia note: comedian Ralphie May named his daughter April June May.

Ivory was last popular a hundred years ago. In 2013, it finally began to regain some momentum in the female rankings, reentering the Top 1000.

Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more closely with France. Anatole Kuragin is a dashing, roguish prince in Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Cerelia is a melodic and unusual choice, perfect for a child born in April or May. Another version is Cerella.

Most familiar to American ears as the Russian variation of George. Not recommended for a daughter.

Lilou is a charming, rarely heard import. Occitan is a language spoken in Provence, in the south of France, in which the suffix "ou" denotes a pet form — thus, Lilou as a short form of Liliane or its Occitan form Liliana or Liliano. Its popularity in France--where it's currently Number 12--can be traced to the 1997 film The Fifth Element.

Roxy, also spelled Roxie, is one of those high-stepping showgal names with plenty of moxie, among the many sassy nickname names on the U.K. popularity list--currently Number 398.

Willoughby is an energetic last-name-first route to the popular short form Will, livelier than any of the two-syllable options. It could be picked up by parents attracted to the Willow sound for girls.

Sounds a bit like Harley pronounced with a cockney accent.

Susanna is an old and under-appreciated name, perhaps because of the recent overpopularity of Susan, that is certainly due for a comeback.

Ki was introduced internationally by Korean archer and gold medalist Ki Bo-Bae. Among girl names, Ki is simple yet truly unique: There were baby girls named Kia, Aki, and Kiki born in the US last year, but none named Ki. Ki is also the name of the Sumerian earth goddess.

Though there were two apostles named Judas, everyone remembers the one who betrayed Jesus, and the name has been permanently shunned.

Tamar is a rich, strong Old Testament name sometimes given to girls born on the holiday of Sukkoth, as palm branches were used to make the roof of the sukkah. In the Bible, there are several Tamars, including a daughter of King David and also Absalom's daughter, who is praised for her 'fair countenance'.

Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree.

This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin is a character in the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend.

Arlen is a surname long used as a first name: It ranked on the US Top 1000 from the late 1920s until the late 1960s. Originally, Arlen was a variation of Harlan which came from Harland, a place-name which means "hare land" – a place with lots of rabbits. The name today is occasionally used for both genders, boys twice as often as girls. That may increase with the fashion for two-syllable n-ending boys' names.