Wonderful Word Names for Babies

A big, bold, ultra-rare virtue name. Could it follow in the footsteps of Justice and Liberty?

Rein, along with Reign, have taken over from Rain as a trendy word name. Should you rein it in or let it rein? Okay, bad puns we know, but that's the downside of word names. This is a true unisex name, given to 15 girls and 12 boys in the US in one recent year.

Doctor is an honorific used as a name, somewhat like names such as Bishop, King, and Princess. Banned in New Zealand, Doctor can lead to the kind of confusion you may feel would be only positive for your child -- a bona fide Doctor before he even gets to kindergarten. At its zenith in 1884, Doctor was used for 12 boys, but last year it didn't even clear the five-baby minimum to make it onto the Social Security extended list.

Once you get past thinking of it as a red-painted building where they keep cows and hay, has a nice plainspoken country-like feel and may make a cooler diminutive than the still-purple Barney.

Similar in look to Reverie, Revere is far-less dreamy. Connoting both the meaning (to admire or esteem) and the US Revoluntionary War patriot, Revere could make an interesting choice for a boy or a girl, and will likely appeal especially to those with Massachusetts connections.

The name of the teenaged son on the dear departed television show "Huff."

One of the new literalist religious names, like Blessing, Heavenly and Neveah. More male than female, but essentially unisex.

It's a beautiful burnished metal -- but also slang for policeman.

Although still small in numbers, children named Legendary have increased dramatically over the years. It's one of the ultimate aspirational word names. Nick Cannon and Bre Tiesi used it for their son in 2022.

Another one of those word names, like Cachet, with a pretty sound and a silly meaning: chambray is a fabric.

All-inclusive word name.

A name best for pets.

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.

Beware: extremely high pressure, high-expectation name.

Might have a shot as a name, à la Genesis and Destiny, if it weren't for yet another perfume connection.

A very distinctive musical choice, but be aware that many people will think you've named your child Oprah.

Pistol is one of the new names that entered the lexicon in the US in 2013, when it was given to nine babies of each gender. Call it an equal-opportunity badass baby name with an unfortunately violent image.

Until now, most girls called Shell used it as a nickname for Shelley or Michelle. Today's Shell is much more likely to be a nature name, cool and beachy, fit for all genders.

Ikea is a down-market version of the Chanel/Tiffany/Porsche brand-name-as-first idea.

A handful of baby girls were named Poem in the US in the most recent year, along with Poet and Poetry. But of course, these word names can work for boys too.