Truly Unusual Names for girls and boys
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Usable names that most won't have heard of, for parents who want a child that is unique in every way.
- Akasha
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"ether"Description:
This Hindi name for the fifth element, related to the male Akash which means "open sky," was used by Anne Rice in her Vampire Chronicles.
- Amoret
Origin:
Literary nameDescription:
This lovely name from Spenser's The Faerie Queene is borne by a character who represents married love. A related unusual-yet-usable choice: Amabel.
- Arabesque
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"ornate design"Description:
Fanciful, edging toward bizarre.
- Ayat
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"signs"Description:
A Quranic name for girls referring to signs or manifestations of the divine.
- Ayleth
Description:
This medieval sounding name is a modern invention, used in the video game Final Fantasy.
- Babba
- Babochka
- Belden
Origin:
English from FrenchMeaning:
"pretty valley"Description:
Belden is a little-used surname-name that might work in this age of Belles.
- Cedany
Origin:
Old English
- Cyane
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"bright blue enamel"Description:
Cyane is a mythological Sicilian nymph who lived in a pool and whose name is an intriguing twist on the color name trend.
- Damaso
Origin:
Spanish from GreekMeaning:
"to tame"Description:
A Damian relative and the name of an ancient Spanish pope with modern possibilities.
- Darton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"deer town"Description:
Obscure, though legitimate, name that could be used to honor a relative named Barton or Martin.
- Drexel
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"to turn"Description:
Drexel is an occupational surname but the original meaning of what a person who "turned" for a living actually did is unclear: It may mean turning the soil or making hay or spinning cloth or creating decorative objects. With the rise of the similar-sounding Dexter, Drexel might catch on.
- Eldrich
- Favor
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"kindness, benefit"Description:
A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially in the Favour spelling.
- Ghislaine
Origin:
French from GermanMeaning:
"pledge"Description:
Ghislaine still sounds unusual to us, even though in France this name is dated. It can also be spelled Ghislain.
- Golda
Origin:
English, YiddishMeaning:
"gold"Description:
A name with an obvious meaning, for a long time associated with Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Nickname Goldie seems to be catching on in the celebrity community.
- Hathai
Origin:
ThaiMeaning:
"heart"Description:
A rare name in Thailand.
- Hernando
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"adventurer, explorer"Description:
A worldly and attractive choice for a child of any background. Two early New World explorers were Hernandos — de Soto and Cortés.
- Hoku
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"night of the full moon"Description:
Like a large proportion of traditional Hawaiian names, Hoku can be used for both girls and boys.