350+ Best Unique Baby Names

Ridger isn't particularly common as a surname but we expect it to pick up in popularity as a first name, a la rising names Bridger and Ridge.

Keating is familiar as a surname but unexpected as a first. It boasts the always energetic -ing ending.

Derived from the Roman family name Naevius, which in turn came from the Latin word naevus, referring to a mole. Like many cognomina, Naevius likely originated as a nickname — in this case, for someone with a conspicuous mole.

Gresham is more common as a surname than a first name, where it originally denoted one from the village of Gresham in Norfolk, England. These days, Gresham is also a city in Oregon, neighborhood in Chicago, and country in New South Wales, Australia.

Riviera may work for lovers of River who want something rarer and more elaborate for their little girl. The A ending adds a feminine touch.

Beaming, lustrous word name that comes with the nickname Rae.

Attractive Sanskrit boy name given to 22 American baby boys one recent year.

A common unisex name in Nigeria. Kerry Washington used it as the middle name for her son Caleb.

Mwajuma is the contracted form of Mwanajuma — both of which are traditionally given to girls born on Fridays. Mwajuma first entered the American baby name charts in 2021.

A new crop of gender-neutral English place names have suddenly become trendy — those ending in -ton. Multi-syllabic but not dramatic, these names are rising quickly for girls and boys. Think Charleston, Lexington, and Kensington. Livingston isn't as hot as some of the others, but its time will soon come. For a girl, Livingston boasts the nickname Liv.

Common Sanskrit name for baby girls.

In Japanese, Nozomi is typically written with the kanji for "wish" or "hope."

Common in the Middle East as a given name, surname, and place name.

Nishika has been used sporadically in the US since 1986. It's related to the Sanskrit name Nisha, which peaked in the US in the 1980s. Both have night-related meanings.