Names from 2050

This Old Testament name feels feminine to a modern English speaker, thought the Biblical Jarah was male. In the most recent year counted, there were seven girls and five boys given the name. With the rise of Biblical boys' names that end in vowel sounds like Noah and Ezra, Jarah may have new possibilities for boys. An alternate spelling is Jarrah, which is also a distinct Arabic name. Jared and Jareth are unrelated but similar-sounding Biblical choices for boys.

Though this feels like a modern invention, Jay has been in use for centuries. Early Jays often were named in honor of founding father John Jay, whose surname derived from the jaybird. A popular mid-century choice, Jay was in the Top 100 from 1956 to 1970. In the last couple of decades he was replaced by such more elaborate forms as Jayden, Jaylen, and Jayce. But Jay could make a comeback in tandem with cousins May, Kay, Fay, and Ray.

This super-charged variation of Jett is on the rise -- along with the unlikely newcomer Jetson.

Juniper is a nature name that we really like. While it's trendiest for girls -- about 2500 baby girls were named Juniper in 2022 versus 34 baby boys -- the most notable Juniper in history was the saint Brother Juniper, a follower of Saint Francis renowned for his generosity. Blessed Junipero Serra, who founded the first of the California Missions, took his name from the earlier Saint Juniper.

Kadida is an Anglicized form of the Arabic name Khadija, wife of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Kady, though it has an authentic Irish meaning, may also be a variation of Katy short form of Kadence, or combination of initials K. and D. Though Kady is more distinctive, everyone will just hear it as Katy.

Manly almost to the point of macho.

One of the few K names that sounds middle-aged.

Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt.

The discoverer of this lovely bright blue gemstone named it after his daughter Larissa and the sea (mar), hence Larimar. Despite the feminine origins, the harder -mar ending makes this work for boys too, similar to Delmar and Elmer.