Wonderful Word Names for Babies

  1. Poesy
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "poetry"
    • Description:

      This old-fashioned word for poetry has some antiquated charm but doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
  2. Aquarius
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "water carrier"
    • Description:

      Astrological name retains a hippielike Age of Aquarius feel.
  3. Freeman
    • Origin:

      Word name or surname name, English
    • Meaning:

      "free man"
    • Description:

      Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.
  4. Aviatrix
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "female aviator"
    • Description:

      Aviator is equally appropriate for a girl, of course, but lovers of Beatrix and Bellatrix might appreciate the spiky sound of this unique occupational name.
  5. Bamboo
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Bamboo is a plant name that you might want to save for the zoo's name-the-panda contest. It was used for a starbaby in 2000, though, the rapper Big Boi.
  6. Affinity
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Sympathetic new twist on a Puritan virtue name.
  7. Bliss
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "intense happiness"
    • Description:

      If you use this for a boy, it had better be a family name, hidden away in the middle.
  8. Fleet
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a group operated under unified control"
    • Description:

      Fleet is one of the uncountable number of new word name possibilities, and a particularly cool choice at that. Connoting speed, Fleet beats Rush any day. Might be short for Fleetwood, but we prefer it on its own.
  9. Sheikh
    • Origin:

      Arabic word name
    • Meaning:

      "leader"
    • Description:

      Sheikh, the Arabic royal title turned name, is among the Top 1000 boys' names in the UK though undiscovered in the US. With the ascendance of such royal names as King and Reign, Sheikh is sure to become more acceptable as a first name, even (dare we say?) chic.
  10. Stonewall
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      Is there any boys' name more loaded than Stonewall? It evokes, in two syllables, both the Stonewall riots of 1969, the foundational moment of the gay rights movement, and Stonewall Jackson, second in fame only to Robert E. Lee among Confederate generals.
  11. Precious
    • Origin:

      Latin word name
    • Meaning:

      "of great worth, expensive"
    • Description:

      Though many might find it too syrupy, hundreds of parents each year choose this name for their daughters to make them feel special. Precious Ramotswe is the engaging African sleuth in the popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
  12. Jazz
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Musical choice that may be a short form of Jasmine or Jazlyn, or might stand on its own like this or as Jaz, the spelling used by tennis duo Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.
  13. Boo
    • Origin:

      Word name or nickname
    • Description:

      Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.
  14. Hanalei
    • Origin:

      Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "crescent bay or garland valley"
    • Description:

      An appealing Hawaiian name which belongs to a town, river and bay on Kauaʻi island in Hawaii. The two possible meanings of the name, "crescent bay" or "garland (lei) valley" both describe the beauty of the place.
  15. Stellar
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "of the stars"
    • Description:

      This cosmological name is given to a handful of boys and girls each year in the USA. Likely to get confused with Stella, but definitely edgier and likely to start a conversation.
  16. Fort
    • Origin:

      French, English
    • Meaning:

      "strong; a protected building, a stronghold"
    • Description:

      A saints name and a word name, this is a modern, original way to convey a powerful meaning, especially in the middle place.
  17. Bonanza
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Wildly optimistic -- and unrealistic -- choice.
  18. Amen
    • Origin:

      Word name or variation of Amon
    • Description:

      Brother for Heaven or Nevaeh.
  19. Rhythm
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      A musical name that is undeniably cool and, well, rhythmic. Its biggest challenge may be the spelling. Well, maybe not the biggest challenge. Save this one for a middle name.
  20. Chrysalis
    • Origin:

      Nature name, English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a quiescent insect pupa, of a butterfly or moth"
    • Description:

      Chrysalis is a girls' baby name derived from the state of a butterfly or moth between larva and adult. A chrysalis is a hard-shelled pupa in which the transition of the butterfly or moth takes place. As a baby name, Chrysalis came to the fore as the rumored name of the baby girl of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, who reportedly love butterflies. Chrysalis does certainly have potential as a new word name or nature name for babies, with the simple familiar nickname Chrys.