Unique Celebrity Baby Names
- Java
Origin:
Anglicization of Indonesian Jawa; place nameDescription:
A name with something for everyone: for romantics, it's a beautiful Indonesian island; for teckies, it's a computer programming language.
- Bronx
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
Rockers Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz put a new baby name on the map when they chose this downscale New York borough name for their son. The Bronx, the place, was named for early Dutch settler Jonas Bronck. Might Bronx become the next Brooklyn? We'd be surprised if it did.
- Alabama
Origin:
Place-name; ChoctawMeaning:
"vegetation gatherers"Description:
Alabama is a hot southern place-name, picking up from Georgia and Savannah. This is not a geographical name come lately, though--there have been girls named Alabama dating back well over a century.
- Mosley
Origin:
English place name and surnameMeaning:
"peat bog, mouse clearing"Description:
Mosley, former best known as the surname of author Walter, has been put in play as a first name for girls by football great Peyton Manning, who used the name for his twin daughter, sister of Marshall. Alternate spellings are Moseley and Mosely and the first syllable rhymes with Rose.
- Fordham
Origin:
English surname and place-nameMeaning:
"meadow by a stream"Description:
English surname most notably used by Ashley Hebert for her son in 2014.
- Cree
Origin:
Native AmericanDescription:
This Native American tribe name is an attractive option for a boy or a girl. Tia Mowry used it for her son in 2011.
- Doone
Origin:
Scottish surnameMeaning:
"hill, mountain"Description:
Evocative of the sand dunes at the beach, Doone is a relatively rare surname found in Scotland, Ireland and England. It was recently used with this spelling by Olympic medalist Amanda Beard; photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired, yes, by walks along the sand dunes during her pregnancy.
- Dezi
Origin:
Short form of Desiderio, SpanishMeaning:
"desired one"Description:
A Desi variation that moves the name away from Lucy -- though it's just as dizzy. TV star Jaime Pressly used it for her son.
- Bardot
Origin:
French surnameDescription:
Bardot joined the first and last names of other glamour girl icons such as (Jean) Harlow when David Boreanaz chose the surname of '50s French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot for his daughter. Bardot debuted in the US charts in 2022.
- Ivey
Origin:
Surname name, variation of IvyMeaning:
"son of Ive; person from Ivoy; ivy plant"Description:
Ivey can be considered an alternate spelling of the botanical name Ivy, but it also has separate origins as a surname. For the Anglo-Saxon Ivey line, Ivey means "son of Ive," while for the English-Norman Iveys, it means "person from Ivoy," a commune in the Cher department of France.
- Maxima
Origin:
Latin, feminine variation of MaximusDescription:
Max names were one of the hottest trends for boys in the mid-2010s, and are still very popular. The girl versions haven't seen so much love, unfortunately. (Or fortunately, if you love them and want them to stay rare!) Maxima got some attention in 2015 when Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan used it for their daughter, but few parents have copied them.
- Sundance
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"sun dance"Description:
Long synonymous with the American outlaw Harry Longabaugh, aka The Sundance Kid, who got his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was incarcerated as a teenager. The place name Sundance was taken from the sun dance ceremony practiced by local Native American tribes.
- Thunder
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash"Description:
This booming word name has been used every year since 1988, yet at most was given to 30 baby boys in a single year. But with names like Thunder, all it takes is one celebrity to bring it to the mainstream, and Usain Bolt could be the guy. He welcomed a son named Thunder (yes, Thunder Bolt) in 2021, twin to Saint Leo and brother to Olympia Lightning.
- Marvel
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century, when Marva was also in style.
- Louetta
Origin:
American invented nameDescription:
Antique girl names like Louise, Louisa, Loretta, and Etta are all on the rise, and Louetta is a hidden gem among them. Rumer Willis recently revived this vintage compound name for her daughter, Louetta Isley Thomas Willis. Louetta, a combination of Lou and Etta, was used consistently from the 1910s-1960s' but has never been given to more than 50 baby girls in a single year.
- Makani
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"wind"Description:
The sources that do list this name give it as a boys' name, but Woody Harrelson chose it for his daughter, and it does have a feminine lilt.
- Kulture
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group"Description:
Rappers Cardi B and Offset gave the truly unique word name Kulture to their daughter in 2018. Its message is more inclusive and artistic than such elevated celebrity baby names as Saint, Reign, and Sir. Kulture may refer to a creative culture or a social culture. The baby's middle name is Kiari, which is dad Offset's birth name.
Kulture is one of the most unique celebrity baby names of recent years.
- Sir
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
We've got Saint, we've got King, we've got Prince Duke Bishop Deacon and Messiah. So why not Sir? The name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's newborn son, Sir is an honorific and a word name that fits right in with current trends. And it does guarantee your son will be addressed with respect, at least nominally.
- Giulietta
- Bingham
Origin:
British surnameMeaning:
"homestead at a hollow"Description:
Bingham is the unusual surname name chosen by Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy for their son. It was Bellamy's mother's maiden name, and the nickname Bing, coincidentally, belongs to almost-stepfather Kurt Russell's dad. We haven't heard Bing since crooner Crosby, but it does have a lot of zing.