Wonderful Word Names for Babies

Epic feels like it could be the boys' version of Saga. Epic poetry tells some of our most celebrated stories - from Beowulf and the Odyssey, to the Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost. Despite being short, Epic is a lot of name, so it might be a choice for an adventurous middle name.

Why did 5 sets of parents chose to name their sons Dock in 2016? We may never know.

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.

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.

If Story and Poet and Sonnet can be names that work as well for girls as for boys, why not Ode?

Ambitious geographical name.

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

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.

Like Silver, Golden is a shimmering metallic color name, almost too dazzling for an ordinary girl.

Eternal--or eternally pretentious?

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

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.

The Puritans used it as a virtue name -- but today it would just be considered weird: silence is no longer golden.

Wisdom is a rare modern virtue name that might increase in use as this whole category becomes more mainstream. Wisdom is one of the gender-neutral names now on the table for both boys and girls.

A musical name without much rhythm or harmony.

A new name with the potential for spanning across a far-reaching future. Bridges and Bridger are other possiblities.

A new name with the potential for spanning across a far-reaching future. Bridges and Bridger are other possiblities.

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.

Winner is an uplifting word name that can work for girls or boys. It was recently chosen by rapper Nya Lee for her daughter.

All names connected with royalty have become increasingly popular in recent years, and King variation Kyng is no exception. Some parents may feel that the Kyng spelling makes it more of a name and less of a royal title, but both names sound the same and have identical meanings, so why endlessly complicate spelling and pronunciation?