Names That Mean Hollow

Cassius, a Shakespearean name rooted in antiquity, is trending in a major way. It's one of a raft of Cas-starting names for both boys and girls, including Caspian, Cassian, and Cassia, that are enjoying a new moiment in the sun.

Rugged but gentle at the same time, Cassian is a saintly and stylish choice that was derived from the name Cassius. Before 2017, it was an obscure choice, given to a tiny handful of boys each year. As of 2023, however, it's become one of the top ten fastest-rising names in the US, more than doubling in usage since 2022 and edging closer towards the Top 500.

According to exclusive Nameberry data, Logan is officially the Number 1 gender-neutral name in the US, but that statistic is somewhat misleading given that nearly 90 percent of the baby Logans born in 2023 were boys.

Holden is a classic case of a name that jumped out of a book and onto birth certificates--though it took quite a while. Parents who loved J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are flocking to the name of its hero, Holden Caulfield -- not coincidentally in tune with the Hudson-Hayden-Colton field of names. (Trivia note: Salinger supposedly came up with the name while looking at a movie poster promoting a film starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield, though other sources say he was named after Salinger's friend Holden Bowler.) Another impetus was provided by a soap opera character introduced in 1985.

With the popular 'ash' sound and a contemporary feel, Cash is a widely used name in the US. Used occasionally before the 2000s, Cash really took off in 2003, following the death of American musical legend, Johnny Cash.

Logan, with its appealing Scottish burr, is a very hot boys' name—it's in the national Top 10 and heading for Number 1 in some states—and can also make a rich and resonant choice for a girl. Jason and Jordan Mewes have a daughter named Logan Lee.

Former teen idol name, now middle-aged. This name has been on a steady decline since the early-1990s.

This name projects a sense of well-being - hale and hearty - is unusual but accessible, with a clear simple sound, and a worthy namesake, Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale, as an added bonus.

A variation of Corey, this spelling has also been on a steady decline since the early-1990s. Its days are likely numbered on the US popularity charts altogether.

Holloway is a habitational surname, meaning if this is a last name on your family tree, your ancestors once lived in an English town by the name. As a first name, it's relatively undiscovered — Holloway charted for the first time in 2020 and appeared again in 2021. It would work on a child of either sex, although the intuitive Holly nickname might keep the distribution skewed toward the feminine.

Literary hero Holden Caulfield of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is now inspiring the names of baby girls. His sister Phoebe’s name would be the more conventional pick, but if girls are being called Hayden and Hudson, Holden is certainly fair game as well.

Cassio is a notable Shakespearean name that's a member of the ever-more-popular Cassius family of names. Cassio was Othello's young, good-looking, and flirtatious lieutenant.

Anglicized spelling of a county in Ireland, sometimes considered a variation of the Breton Kavan or of Kevin. Depending on your viewpoint, may make a fresh Kevin substitute or a choice that will drive you mad explaining that, no, it isn't Kevin.

Kassian may be seen as a Kardashianed spelling of the rising saint's name Cassian, which is a variation of Cassius, but it could also be considered the authentic Greek male form of Kassiani, the name of a female saint revered as a hymnographer. However you spell it, this is an attractive and unusual name virtually unused in the US -- though we predict that will soon change. If you're hunting for unusual yet stylish Greek baby names, variations of this name should be on your short list.

When Kate Hudson named her second son Bingham and announced that she would be calling him Bing, it put this zingy nickname name out on the table. Before that, there was only one, further nicknamed Der Bingle -- and he was really Harry Lillis Crosby.

Cool new surname option and rarer alternative to Halston, which is skewing more and more feminine. Holsten has origins as a surname in German and Dutch. The German form is a variation of Holstein, from the elements holt, meaning "wood," and sete, "tenant." The Dutch Holsten comes from the place name Hoolsteen, composed of the elements hol, meaning "hollow," and steen, "stone."

Bingham is the unusual surname name chosen by Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy for their son. It was Bellamy's mother's maiden name, and the nickname Bing, coincidentally, belongs to almost-stepfather Kurt Russell's dad. We haven't heard Bing since crooner Crosby, but it does have a lot of zing.

The well-known phrase "hale and hearty" gives this name a warm, positive feel. Hale is clean and straightforward but doesn't crack the top 1000 for either gender. For those in search of a namesake, Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale would make a strong one.

A heroine in a Victorian novel written with a quill pen, has an unusual, offbeat charm.

Perhaps if there's a Putnam in your background.