Traveling Lite Baby Names

Most American parents would choose to use the more commonly seen variant, AXEL.

Idan is a Hebrew unisex place-name rarely heard in this country.

Pronounced with two syllables, as if spelled Ilsa, Ilse is popular in The Netherlands and may rise here with cousin Elsa.

Elton is an unassuming, lesser-used place name belonging to several towns in the British Isles, the US and Canada, and even a lake in Russia. The singer Elton John gives it a bit of extra pizzazz.

Reef is an uncommon nature name with mainstream potential. Its laidback, beach-y vibe makes it a perfect choice for ocean lovers.

Very much a boy's name in Italy, it's beginning to be seen as a unisex possibility here: actress Jennie Garth used it for her daughter. When spelled Lucca as in the Italian city, it can also be considered one of the place names along with Venezia, Roma, and Milana that make great Italian names for girls.

Stalwart Italian classic, completely at home in this country.

Levin, known in the U.S. mostly as a surname, is a Top 100 boys' name in Germany. There have been saints with variations of this name, whose meaning relates to love.

Tony, as in classy. Or To-nyyy, as yelled out a tenement window.

In Norse mythology, Embla is the equivalent of the Bible's Eve. With a lovely nature meaning, and a soft but distinctive sound, Embla is one of the most popular girl names in Iceland.

Top 10 in Turkey and Top 500 in the Netherlands (which has a high Turkish population), this sleek and pretty name is virtually unknown elsewhere.

Simple and worldly, popular and carrying two positive meanings in two diverse cultures. A winner prime for wider use.

Este -- think Esme with a t -- comes to us via one of the rocking sisters in the musical group Haim. For long best known as the Esther diminutive used by cosmetics queen Estee Lauder, Este is a slimmed-down version that feels chicer for our star-struck times. While mother name Esther has Persian origins and impressive Biblical roots, it's a name used in a wide range of cultures.

Ezri is one of the cool new unisex names starting with E, except as a Biblical name, it's not so new. Used for both genders in Israel, in the US it's currently running five to one in favor of girls, surprisingly. Its deviation from the better known and more traditional Ezra makes it feel like one of the more truly gender neutral names.

A Slavic classic, as common as Jane or Joan here.

A powerful name with diverse origins, Eldar is currently popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina (#45 in 2017). It's also a rare Nordic name meaning "fire warrior", a unisex Hebrew name meaning "God resides", and the name of one of the Elven races in Tolkien's legendarium.

Emir can be a title of honor in Arabic-speaking nations. In Turkey and the Balkan countries, Emir is one of the fairly popular Arabic names for boys.

Shai is a name newly-used in the US for both boys and, slightly less often, girls. Though the correct pronunciation is "shy", many will say shay, which might be all right with you.

This is one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah, deemed by Muhammad to be a recommended name for a male child. In this country, it's been primarily associated with boxing immortal Muhammad Ali, known as "the greatest." But Ali is also one of the most popular unisex names for both boys and girls.

The popularity of Maya clarifies the pronunciation of Raya, which makes that the better spelling of this name.