Unique Names that are still reasonable

  1. Oslo
    • Origin:

      Norwegian place name, Old Norse
    • Meaning:

      "meadow at the foot of a hill"
    • Description:

      Oslo, the capital city of Norway, makes for an intriguing new place name, especially with its bookended O's, as in Otto. One Berry has already used it and we predict others will follow.
  2. Otto
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "wealthy"
    • Description:

      Otto is cool again. Long a quintessential Old Man Name, Otto has been promoted to trending darling of adventurous baby namers.
  3. Ocha
    • Ochre
      • Reno
        • Origin:

          Place-name
        • Description:

          Has a lively and swaggering sound, and also some unfortunate associations with Reno, city of gambling and failed marriages.
      • Ridge
        • Origin:

          English word name
        • Meaning:

          "an elevated body part or structure"
        • Description:

          Ridge may be the quintessential daytime drama name, but it's still better than most. This is one word name rising rapidly through the ranks, reentering the US Top 1000 in 2015 for the first time since 1989.
      • Rocco
        • Origin:

          Italian from German
        • Meaning:

          "rest"
        • Description:

          Madonna did much to polish up the image of this old-neighborhood Italian choice when she picked it for her son with British director Guy Ritchie, and several years later it was also used by Rose Byrne and Bobby Canavale for their son. It now feels much more mainstream than many celebrity baby names, sharing the quirky appeal of some other so-far-out-they're-in baby names as Bruno and Hugo.
      • Rome
        • Origin:

          Place name, Latin, Greek
        • Meaning:

          "to hurry or flow; strength"
        • Description:

          Given that Rome is arguably the most important city in European history, it has been used as a first name remarkably little. However, with Roman in the Top 100 and one-syllable choices in vogue, it was only a matter of time before parents started looking toward the city's name as a potential baby name.
      • Rosalie
        • Shiloh
          • Origin:

            Biblical place-name, Hebrew
          • Meaning:

            "tranquil"
          • Description:

            Cool meets Born Again meets Brad and Angelina, who made Shiloh an instant star when they chose it for their daughter. While Shiloh has risen from obscurity thanks to its celebrity baby use, it hasn't become a star the way brother names Maddox and Pax have. It entered the Top 1000 in 2007, one year after the birth of Ms. Jolie-Pitt.
        • Sepia
          • Stevia
            • Tenn
              • Uriel
                • Origin:

                  Hebrew
                • Meaning:

                  "God is my light"
                • Description:

                  It's the name of an Old Testament archangel that's symbolically given to boys born during Chanukah, but the possibility of unsavory nicknames (urinal?) make the short form Uri a better bet.
              • Vendetta
                • Origin:

                  Word Name
                • Description:

                  A pretty word, but laced with violent imagery.
              • Yvette
                • Origin:

                  French, feminine of Yves
                • Meaning:

                  "yew tree"
                • Description:

                  This French name has the elegance of other '-ette' names such as Colette and is a botanical name without being too obvious about it.
              • Yvonne
                • Origin:

                  French
                • Meaning:

                  "yew wood"
                • Description:

                  Peaking in the 1950s, Yvonne has now dropped out of the Top 1000 in 2003 and doesn't look set to return soon, although its rare Y initial might endear it to some. Yvaine, from Neil Gaiman's Stardust, has more modern appeal.