Wonderful Word Names for Babies

Name that makes a strong philosophical statement -- but might ironically be a lot for a child to carry.

A bold word name choice for the intrepid baby namer who hopes her son will face the world with a sense of discovery.

Kicker could be a great name for a cheeky kid, along the lines of Cricker, Striker or Becker. In literature the term Kicker is used to describe the twist or turn in a story.

The part of the ship that gives it stability. A short, sweet, Old Englishy type name that has gone almost completely unused so far.

An admirable quality to impart; Pleasant was used by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend and in modern times is known via American Girl dolls creator Pleasant Rowland.

Along the same lines as Fable or Madrigal, Parable is a cute choice for literary families. It might also be considered as a pseudo-biblical name, given the fame of the Biblical parables.

Actress Shannyn Sossamon used this as the middle name for her son Audio; one of the most do-not-try-this-at-home combos we've heard.

Royal names are on the rise. Along with names such as King, Prince, and Royal, why not Palace? Why not indeed.

Modern virtue name, playing on the word "tough".

Upstanding to a fault.

North and West are easier on the ear, but this works fine if it has some significance for your family. Could be lengthened to Easton.

While nature names, even those of fierce animals and mountain peaks, are used for children these days, architectural features like this somehow seem a bit cold.

In 2014, six little girls in the US were given the name Starlit. Starlit has a sweeter meaning than the similar Starlet, and a better ring than Starlight.

In the Plymouth Colony of the seventeenth century, Thankful was the third most popular of the abstract word names. It disappeared after 1700 and has virtually no chance of returning.

Royalty is a super-hot name for girls, but there's no reason it can't be used for boys too. In fact it is, but only about 5 percent of the time, making it one of those unisex names whose usage is tipped so far toward one gender that it isn't truly unisex. But still, English words are usually not intrinsically gendered so Royalty is perfectly appropriate for boys as well as girls and is one of the fastest-rising unisex names.

Maybe if you're planning to have only one child -- and iffy even then.

Loyal has history as a boy name—most popular in the late 19th century, later falling off the charts in 1948. This was back when loyalty suggested faithfulness to one's country, rather than fidelity to others. Today it would likely be interpreted as the latter.

Modern virtue names are rapidly rising in popularity—could Loyal be the next True?

Why beat around the bush with a name like Elvis or Axl when you can come right out and name your baby Rocker? Your grandma will be scandalized, but teenage Rocker will kiss your feet.

Baby name as political statement.