names i've used in writings before

Amelia is one of the hottest girls' names, a successor to the megapopular Emma and Emily. Amelia, which spent several years at Number 1 in England, is now comfortably ensconced in the US Top 10.

Artistic associations with the sculptor who invented the mobile make this one of the more creative surname choices.

Grayson, which you might think of as a Jason-Mason substitute, has been rising through the US Top 1000 since 1984 and has ranked in the Top 100 since 2011.

The letters "ae" are always a little tricky, and the more familiar Kayla has started to fall out of fashion, but there's nothing glaringly wrong with this version.

Landon is a popular surname name; it's been dropping slightly in recent years but has surpassed its once more popular rhyming cousin Brandon. For some it may bring back nostalgic memories of Little House on the Prairie 's understanding Pa, played by Michael Landon.

Oskar is to Oscar as Jakob is to Jacob: more distinctive and continental.

A pretty, rarely used Greek name, Thalassa is the ancient personification of the sea, particularly the Mediterranean, who is sometimes considered the mother of Aphrodite. In 1991, a newly discovered moon of Neptune was dubbed Thalassa.

For a girl, we'd say Val-en-teen, though many would insist on pronouncing it like the holiday.