Boys and Girls Names Not in the top 1000

Real names that are not listed in the top 1000 baby names. These are not different spellings of popular names. Some have long roots and are traditional, unused names while others are exotic or modern names.
  1. Abilene
    • Origin:

      English from Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "grass"
    • Description:

      Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D. Eisenhower spent his boyhood. Abilene is a much more untrodden path to the nickname Abbie/Abbie than the Top 10 Abigail.
  2. Adelia
    • Origin:

      Variation of Adela, German
    • Meaning:

      "noble, nobility"
    • Description:

      The super-success of Adele, both the singer and the name, has brought attention to all her cousins — Adela, Adeline, Adelina — and the lovely Adelia. An undiscovered gem just waiting to be discovered.
  3. Agatha
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "good woman"
    • Description:

      Agatha until recently summoned up visions of martyred saints, mauve silk dresses, and high lace collars, but now that some dauntless excavators have begun to resurrect it, we're sure more will follow their lead. Actor Thomas Gibson used it for his daughter in 2004.
  4. Ambrosia
    • Origin:

      Latin, feminine form of Ambrose
    • Meaning:

      "Immortal"
    • Description:

      Ambrosia combines some of the more whimsical qualities of more popular Aurora and Isabella, with a heavenly meaning.
  5. Ansel
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "with divine protection"
    • Description:

      Ansel, primarily associated with the great western photographer Ansel Adams, famed for his magnificent photographs of the Yosemite Valley, could make a creative artist-hero choice. For Adams it was a family name – he was named after his uncle, Ansel Easton. And, in turn, Adams was the namesake of young heartthrob Ansel Elgort, son of a photographer.
  6. Antonia
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "from Antium"
    • Description:

      Antonia is stronger than most feminized boys’ names, reflecting the pioneer spirit of Willa Cather's classic novel My Antonia. Antonia is hovering near the bottom of the US popularity list, which may be an excellent reason for you to use it.
  7. Arizona
    • Origin:

      Place-name from Papago Indian
    • Meaning:

      "little springs"
    • Description:

      We usually think of place-names as a modern invention, but in fact Arizona ranked on the US Top 1000 from its inception in 1880 until 1911, when it vanished below the surface. It peaked at Number 510 in 1882, before Arizona became a state. One notorious vintage bearer: criminal "Ma" Barker, born Arizona Clark.
  8. Aston
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "eastern settlement"
    • Description:

      Has an upscale aura, perhaps due to the luxury James Bond Aston Martin car.
  9. Astoria
    • Origin:

      Place name
    • Description:

      Long more associated with the New York Waldorf- hotel and the neighborhood in Queens than as a baby name, Astoria is finally beginning to emerge from their shadow and find favor with parents looking to move beyond Brooklyn. The name Astoria is drawn from the surname of titan of industry John Jacob Astor, theorized to mean "hawk."
  10. Atara
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "crown"
    • Description:

      Finally, an attractive, undiscovered Old Testament choice for girls.
  11. AUDRIC / ALDRICH
    • Austen
      • Origin:

        Literary surname and shortened form of Augustine, Latin
      • Meaning:

        "great, magnificent"
      • Description:

        While Austin is a popular boys' name, this spelling, honoring novelist Jane, nudges the name toward gender-neutral, chosen last year for 67 baby boys and 57 girls.
    • Avi
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "father"
      • Description:

        Avi, the short form of many Hebrew names, is often used on its own in Israel. It entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2015.
    • Alyda
      • Ames
        • Anylah, Anila
          • Bernice
            • Origin:

              Greek
            • Meaning:

              "she who brings victory"
            • Description:

              Rarely heard today-- it fell off the list around 1980--Bernice is a biblical name of Greek origin. In the Bible, she is a sister of King Agrippa.
          • Braeda
            • Carys
              • Origin:

                Welsh
              • Meaning:

                "love"
              • Description:

                Familiar in Wales and England, this name was introduced to America when Welsh-born Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas chose it for their daughter in 2003. Light, pretty, and distinctive in appearance, it didn't catch on in the US, where it was only given to 22 girls in 2023.
            • Claudine
              • Origin:

                French feminine variation of Claude
              • Description:

                There are much chicer versions of this name today, such as Claudie, Claudia, or Claude itself. Claudine is a name wobbling on the edge of extinction.