Wonderful Word Names for Babies

Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top.

We've got Saint, we've got King, we've got Prince Duke Bishop Deacon and Messiah. So why not Sir? The name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's newborn son, Sir is an honorific and a word name that fits right in with current trends. And it does guarantee your son will be addressed with respect, at least nominally.

Plausible word name, denoting strength and stability.

Divine seems more proper a name with the rise of Heaven and its turned-around twin Nevaeh. Though superlative names like Divine -- Unique, say, or Precious -- sometimes seems as if they're trying to hard and protesting too much.

Knowledge is a word name that's on an upward trend for boys, in 2021 hovering just below the Top 1000 in the US. And if Maverick, Legend, and Justice can be popular baby names, why not Knowledge? It's an important quality for any child to possess, via their name as well as their brain.

Ballad could be the masculine answer to Aria. An obvious and cute nickname is Lad or Laddie.

Beware: Flame is the kind of name used by women named Fran when engaging in endeavors they'd just as soon their parents weren't aware of.

This evocative term for a stone or shell carved in relief could make a striking first name for a girl, though she would have a starring role in her story, rather than a cameo.

Revere is a word name (meaning to admire or esteem) whose meaning alone has enough to recommend it. In the USA, however, Revere attracts further connotation as the surname of Paul Revere, one of the celebrated patriots of the American Revolution.

"Rose" names are big right now, as are spiritual names, so this rare option could fit the bill for Catholic parents looking for an overtly religious choice. The Rosary is a form of prayer in the Catholic Church, using a string of beads also called a rosary.

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

Toni Morrison, a master of character naming, coined this one for the best friend of hero Milkman Dead in Song of Solomon. Definitely a cool choice, with a twang.

Heavenly, the word that's become a name, has been flirting with the bottom of the Top 1000 for a handful of years now. Heaven and cousins like Nevaeh have been well-used so adding the popular -ly suffix, ala Everly, seems like a natural progression.

A patriotic spin on Armie, with roughly the same meaning whether you consider it a variation or a totally separate word name.

Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.

An intriguing but challenging choice, because of possible confusion with all the Terry-type names.

This cute-as-a-button name conjures playful lion and bear cubs rolling around in long grass. If cute baby names are what you're after, Cub should be on your list.

Yes, nature lovers are starting to name their children after all forms of life, including fish, but consider carefully before you cast your line into these tease-infested waters.

This recently coined respelling of Cole darkens its image.

Fey, for middle name purposes, could be thought of as a fey spelling of Fay. These days, however, Fey would be considered by most people to be honoring comedian Tina.