This popular Japanese name has many various meanings (bright, clear, autumn), depending on the combination of kanji used to spell it. The final element is the character ko, meaning "child", which features in many Japanese <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">feminine names</a>. Akiko is one of the best unique <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/351/names-for-autumn-babies">names for autumn babies</a>.

Akiko

With many British names invading the Yankee name pool, the sophisticated Alistair could and should be part of the next wave. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016. You have a triple choice with this name--the British spell it Alistair or Alastair, while the Scots prefer Alasdair--but they're all suave Gaelic versions of Alexander. Adopted by the lowland Scots by the seventeenth century, the name didn't become popular outside Scotland and Ireland until the twentieth century.
 Both Andrew Lloyd-Weber and Rod Stewart chose the Alastair spelling for their sons' names.

Alistair

Annushka

Anouk, made famous by French actress Anouk Aimée, is a singular name with a lovely sound and a Bohemian feel. Anouk Aimée was born as Francoise, but adopted the first name of the character she played in her debut film.
 Anouk, which is quite popular in The Netherlands, was the name of the young daughter in the French film Chocolat. (some other interesting character names in that movie are Vianne, Roux and Dedou.) The Belgian supermodel spells her name Anouck Lepére.
 Anouk is one of the most appealing of the An-starting names.

Anouk

This Scandinavian name was made famous in English-speaking countries as the name of the dog in the "Thin Man" series.  Danish actress Asta Nielsen was another famous bearer. Asta can be considered as a short form of Astrid or Augusta.

Asta

One of the first generation of cool surname names, now largely used for girls in the US, but still popular for boys in its native Scotland. A prominent association for Brits is former prime minister Tony Blair, who was leader at the time of the Iraq War.

Blair

Originally a form of the saint's name Blaise, though now more likely to be a hot word name used for both sexes, though heavily weighted toward the boys. It has been in the boys' Top 1000 since the year 2000.
 br>On the pop culture side of things, Blaze Bayley is a singer and musician who has been connected to the bands Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden.

Blaze

Blythe originated as a nickname for an upbeat person, coming from the Old English word bliðe, meaning "merry" or "cheerful." Today the homophone blithe shares the same meaning. Blythe was eventually adapted to a surname before it became a feminine given name.
 
Blythe embodies a cheerful, carefree spirit and could be the next Blair/Blaine/Blake/Brett/Britt, with the advantage that it's clearly pink. It joins other other light-hearted names for girls: Felicity, Hilary.
 Blythe is the middle name of Drew Barrymore—in her case a surname from her rich theatrical history.
 The title of the memorable Noel Coward play Blithe Spirit is taken from Shelley's poetic line, "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit"—a nice tribute to a baby Blythe.

Blythe

Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential.
 For a long time the name has been associated with Boris Karloff, famed for playing Frankenstein's monster; he was William Henry Pratt before taking on the more captivating stage name of Boris — and the Karloff fear factor may have kept some parents away.
 A Russian saint's name, Boris has other more benign and inspiring namesakes like German-born tennis champ Boris Becker and writer Boris Pasternak, author of Dr. Zhivago, as well as the early Tsar Boris Gudonov, son-in-law of Ivan the Terrible, the subject of the Moussorgsky opera.
 Boris Trigorin is a main character in the Chekhov play The Seagull.

Boris

Darius is a historic name via Emperor Darius the Great, a key figure in ancient Persian history, and several other Persian kings. His name today has an appealingly artistic image, which might well be found on a concert program or gallery announcement. 
 Among its cultural inspirations is composer Darius Milhaud. Journalist Christiane Amanpour, who was raised in Tehran, named her son Darius.

Darius

A fresh and pretty Japanese name which would be an unusual route to the popular Emmy/Emi nickname. In Japanese, this name can be formed from a variety of different kanji combinations with different meanings, but "laughing child" and "beautiful child" are two appealing possibilities.

Emiko

Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.

Hana

Hideo

Heba

Though some might find it a bit heavy-booted, Ivan is one of the few Russian boys' names to become fully accepted into the American naming pool.
Ivan is, of course, ubiquitous in Russian culture. There is one of the brothers in The Brothers Karamazov, the protagonists of Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and the title character in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Real life Ivans include writer Turgnenev, biologist Pavlov, tennis player Lendl, and rulers Ivan the Great and --oops--Ivan the Terrible. Vanya is his warm and appealing nickname.

Ivan

Iphogenia

Kanani

Lyudmila

Lin-lin

The original oddball celebrity baby name, via Frank Zappa's daughter Moon Unit, who claims she's always liked it. 

Moon

Nikita

Paget

One of the most familiar — if not stereotypical — Gallic names. Pierre was a Top 5 name in France from the 19th century through 1940 and is now on a steady decline in its native land. In the US, Pierre was most common in the 1980s but it has never cracked the Top 300.
 
Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr welcomed a son named Pierre in 2024, which may boost its profile.

Pierre

Quiana might be thought of as the first synthetic name. Quiana was popular in the 1970s and 80s, along with the same-named form of polyester. 

Quiana

A pan-European short form often used as a name in its own right, Rina is sister to names like Mina and Lena, popular at the end of the 19th century and showing their pretty if slight faces again.  In the Netherlands, Rina itself is sometimes shortened to Rineke, as Tina may become Tineke.

Rina

Sholto is a traditional Scottish first name, especially within the Douglas clan. It's an Anglicized form of Sìoltach, meaning "sower".

Sholto

As a Japanese name, Suki has the sweet meaning "loved one". It's also an English diminutive of Susanna, making it a creative and modern way to honor a Susan in your life.

Suki

Skarpheithen

Romantic name used throughout Europe, though sure to lead to pronunciation problems here. Though it's never been too widely used in the US, it's quite popular in Switzerland, France, Austria, and Romania.

Valentin

Venyamin

Viji

Wilhelmina might once have been condemned as a clunky relic best left in the past, but a steadily increasing number of parents are dusting it off for their 21st century babies. A reasonably popular choice in the 19th century, but out of favor by the 1950s, in the last decade, the number of babies called Wilhelmina has doubled, with 140 girls receiving the name in 2023. 
 
A Dutch and German feminization of William, via Wilhelm, Wilhelmina is historically associated with Queen Wilhelmina who reigned in the Netherlands for most of the early 20th century, becoming a heroic figure during the two World Wars. The name got an infusion of glamour via Wilhelmina Cooper, the Dutch-born model who established the Wilhelmina Model Agency in 1967 — though the stylish association did little to save the name from going out of fashion.
 
The mid-2000s marked a turning point for Wilhelmina when the dynamic Vanessa Williams character from Ugly Betty gave the name a new edge, and it got a further boost in 2012, when singer musician Taylor Hanson chose it for his daughter.
 
More recently, the growing popularity of subscription newsletter Dracula Daily might have given the name increased exposure via the character Wilhelmina 'Mina' Harker. Increased interest around the vampire novel might have helped people see the name in a new light — while equally lending it some witchy, Gothic vibes.
 
While Willa is currently the more popular feminine form of William, ranking in the US Top 500, Wilhelmina is a more daring possibility that comes with a plethora of nicknames to lighten it, including: Mina, Minna, Minnie, Minka, Billie, Willa, Winnie, and Win.

Wilhelmina

Xaawo

Remember Zuzu, the adorable little girl you watch every Christmas in "It's a Wonderful Life"?  Here's a direct path to that nickname, a lot more zesty than the more familiar Susannah.

Zuzanna

ClockRock's list "Absolutley Random names from around the world" of 34 great name ideas: Akiko - Zuzanna!

Absolutley Random names from around the world

Please read it.........I kind of like all of them, some of them are the names of my friends or my enemies.