pt. I

While Clark ranks in the Top 500 for boys, the Clarke spelling leans towards the girls' side. Regardless, the name works well for either sex.

Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list.

The Elissa version of a long-popular name is fading in favor of Alyssa, Eliza and other variants. The legion of other forms and spellings includes Alissa, Allissa, Allyssa, Alyssa, Elissah, Ellisa, Ellissa, Ellyssa, Elys, Elyssa, Elyssia, Ilissa, Ilysa, Ilyssa, Lissa, Lissie, Lissy Lyssa.

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name, borne by poet Philip Larkin.

Lyra is a name with ancient and celestial roots that's finding new popularity thanks to its starring role in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, seen in the movie The Golden Compass. Simple yet unique, Lyra hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual.

Natasha, an appealing, still unusual name, entered the American mainstream post-Cold War but seems to have peaked in the eighties, replaced by the more straightforward Natalie. As is common for Natashas the world over, the Obamas shorten their Natasha's name to Sasha.

Padmé Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, was one of the main characters in the Star Wars prequels, the mother (with Anakin Skywalker) of Luke and Leia. Enough time may have passed for it to be conceivable as a first name IRL.