sunkernplus's list of names

Jonah, the name of the Old Testament prophet who was swallowed by the whale, only to emerge unharmed three days later, is increasingly appreciated by parents looking for a biblical name less common than Jacob or Joshua, yet not too obscure. Plus, Jonah comes with a ready-made nursery-decorating motif.

Jonas has a slightly more grandfatherly image than the English version of his name, but that only adds to its retro appeal. And though it may lag behind Jonah in this country, Jonas is riding a huge wave of popularity in Europe, where it ranks highly in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Norway.

Jonquil is an unusual flower name that is less outlandish than Daffodil and less common than Daisy. It just might appeal to parents seeking a singular botanical option.

Unlike most flower names, Jonquil wasn't introduced until the 1940s, and saw some usage in the U.K. during the forties and fifties.

Move over Brandy and Sherry, Julep is an alcohol-inspired name that certainly feels unique today, despite sharing similar sounds to popular Juliet and Juliana.

Juna, a variation of the newly stylish month name June, goddess name Juno, or literary Djuna, is among the fresher-feeling girl names starting with J. While Juna has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, it's a popular choice in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

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.

Juniper is a fresh-feeling nature name -- it's a small evergreen shrub -- with lots of energy. A new favorite of fashionable parents, Juniper joins such other tree and shrub names as Hazel, Acacia, and Willow.

Although popular in the Muslim community as representing one of the 99 qualities of God listed in the Quran, this could be confused with the female Camille. It's also common in the West Slavic countries.

Cornish cognate of the Welsh Celyn.

A subtle Cornish fruit name meaning "cherry." Keresen has only been in use as a name in recent years, following the Cornish trend of adopting names from the dictionary.

Both Kerezen and Keresen are modern Cornish word names meaning "cherry." Despite similar appearances, Kerezen is unrelated to Kerensa, another Cornish name meaning "love."

Kew is an offbeat name of a saint from Cornwall with boyish appeal.

Kia is a sweet, simple name that is now, unfortunately, associated with a Korean car label. Better today: Nia, Thea, or Keira.

Knox is an old Scottish surname that Brad Pitt (whose great-great-grandfather was named Hal Knox Hillhouse) and Angelina Jolie took out of the back cupboard, dusted off, and elevated to coolness--to the point where it entered the popular baby names list in 2009. Knox now ranks among the most influential celebrity baby names.

This variation of Corey has a Kardashian-style spelling update -- which might be why it's experiencing a boost in popularity of late. Kori is also a Kikuyu name meaning lamb, one of the many names from that African culture with animal meanings, and a short form of Koral, the Hebrew form of Coral.

Corey was always the most popular form of this Irish name, with Cory (as in New Jersey Senator Booker) in second place and Kory riding caboose. Kory et al were in the first wave of unisex names that began to be used in the late 1960s and 1970s, fading now as fresher names such as Rory or Rowan rise.

Kory was always the least-used version of this name, which was always used less often for girls than for boys. As Corey and Cory, the name still hangs on in the boys' Top 1000, but Kory dropped off the boys' list in 2003 and the C spellings faded for girls in the mid-90s. Ironically, the classic girls' name Cora, derived from the Greek Kore, is rising quickly in popularity, now in the Top 100 in the US and a favorite of Nameberry visitors. We foresee this name making the Top 10 in the coming decade, so Cory and Kory may find a new life as short forms for newly popular Greek baby namesCora and sisters.