350+ Best Unique Baby Names

A name with a lot of historical cred — Bayan was the name of two Mongol generals during the Yuan Dynasty and a number of other military rulers.

Rarely used surname, associated with humorous poet Ogden Nash.

Macallister as a first name is attracting new attention as the name chosen by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and venture capitalist Zack Bogue for their young son. Macallister is usually heard as a patronymic surname, meaning son of Alasdair or Alistair or any one of the spellings of the Scottish form of Alexander. Like all other names of this type, Macallister leads to the cute short form Mac.

Often heard in India, this is the name of the Hindu goddess of abundance, beauty, and prosperity, the embodiment of grace and charm --lucky omens indeed. The goddess Lakshmi is worshiped daily in Hindu homes, and has festivals held in her honor.

Ovidio Crespo is a Cuban musician known mononymously as Ovi. His name is related to Ovid, the English name of Ancient Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso, who wrote the Metamorphoses.

A familiar and usable last name turned first. Or you could look at it as a homophone of the verb howl, which gives it a wilder feel.

Samina is a little-known name in the US, given to only a handful of baby girls each year, that is prime for wider use. It's attractive, easy to spell and pronounce, and makes a perfect alternative to the waning Samantha. The only problem may be confusion over pronunciation. Native Arabic speakers may pronounce it with equal emphasis on all syllables, but English speakers will say sa-MEE-na (correct) or sa-MY-na (not, but be prepared for a lifetime of corrections).

Guthrie, one of the most attractive Scottish names that's also a surname, has a particularly romantic, windswept aura, with a touch of the buckaroo thrown in.

Haskell has two separate forms of origin, the first being from the Ancient Norse given name Ásketill. The Normans converted Ásketill to Aschetil, then the English transformed Aschetil into Haskell, which was originally only used as a surname. Haskell is also considered a variant of Haskel, a Yiddish given name derived from Ezekiel.

Lupine (spelled Lupin outside of North America) is a flower related to sweetpeas. It was given its wolfish meaning because the plant was said to deplete the soil. Comedian Jenny Slate used it as a middle name for her daughter Ida in 2020.

The Kiowa People are an Indigenous American tribe of the Great Plains. The exact derivation of their name has been lost, but most scholars agree it means "principal people." The Kiowa People have used different names for themselves over the years, including Kútjàu or Kwu-da, meaning "emerging" or "coming out rapidly," and Kom-pa-bianta, meaning "people with the large tipi flaps."

William was such a popular name, thanks to the Conquerer, in early England that it gave rise to a range of nicknames, including the distinctly Scottish Wilkie. Heard mostly as a surname these days, it's the middle name of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's son James and the first name of writer Collins. While Wilkie could make an adorable short form for a little boy, we'd recommend a more substantial full name such as, well, William.

In German, the word eisen means "iron." It was adapted as a surname for Ashkenazi Jews — many of which were ornamental and had no ties to one's family history. Metals such as gold (Gold), silver (Zilver or Silver), copper (Kupfer or Copper), and iron (Eisen) were common elements in ornamental surnames. Eisen was also seen as a habitational surname for someone from Eisenstadt, Austria.

Brenner is an occupational surname for both a charcoal burner and a distiller of spirits. One of the least used of occupational surnames, it has that 'er' ending that definitely adds to its stylishness; a possible successor to Brendan. 

Francie is one of the most neglected nicknames for Frances, despite having more style value than Franny and Fanny and being more unique than Frankie. We'd love to see it get more use, whether as a Frances short form or as an independent name.

The iconic Gone With the Wind star Clark's surname was brought into the first-name mix when Weeds' Kevin Nealon picked it for his son. Gable makes a strong and unusual possibility, a rhyming cousin to Abel and Mabel.

Sanem debuted on the US charts in 2021 thanks to the Turkish soap opera Erkenci Kus, which was broadcast on Spanish television stations in the US the year before. The TV show follows a woman named Sanem, whose parents force her to choose between an arranged marriage or landing a good job.

The surname Bennington denoted someone from one of three towns name Ben(n)ington in England, all meaning "town by the Beane river." The river name Beane was derived from Beonna, an Old English given name.

Shortening Francisco somehow makes it sound even cooler. Cisco is also the name of a digital security company.

An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.