Unique Names Ive Met

Kayson is one of several variations of the boys' name Cason, a favorite of the 2010s when it appeared in many different forms, from the Casen to Kaisen to Cayson. Likely inspired by the popular Mason and Jason, the name is also a place name and surname, derived from the English town Cawston .

Kendra was once seen as a feminization of Kenneth -- but it's now firmly established as a standalone. American parents can't seem to make up their mind about it though: it was one of 2013's fastest-rising names, entering the Top 200 for the first time since 2000, but then it tumbled again.

Kiki is one of the Coco-Gigi-Fifi-Lulu bohemian-type French nickname names from the turn of the last century, which have endless energy and sparkle. Artist Kiki Smith is its most well-known contemporary representative, and Kiki was the inspiring heroine of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Kiki can be a nickname for any name beginning with the K sound, from Katherine to Christina to Kayla.

Now that Kimberly is no longer one of the top girl names, Kim or long form Kimball feel more gender neutral.

Far more friendly and open than similar one-syllable names like Kent, Kurt, and Karl, it's been associated for more than half a century with actor Kirk Douglas, whose birth name was Issur Danielovitch Demsky.

With Crew having entered the Top 1000 in 2010, it was only a matter of time before variants started popping up.

Kyrie elieson is one of the oldest religious refrains, meaning Lord, have mercy. As a first name, though, Kyrie is less a name of God and more a nickname-name that might be short for Kyra or a diminutive that stands on its own, a la Kylie. The best-known Kyrie is the male basketball player Kyrie Irving, who pronounces the first syllable to rhyme with my rather than fear. He has inspired more than 1000 baby boys to be given this name one recent year in the US, while it was given to 178 baby girls. Impressive numbers.

A unique combination of a surname feel and dainty femininity. It's currently associated with actress Lacey Chambert.

While Larkin takes this name from girlish bird to boyish surname, there are actually more female Larkins these days than male, and it's a name that works as well for either gender.