O D D - S I G H T I N G S

There is a whole new species of bird names open to the baby namer, from the light and feminine Lark to the sleek and powerful Falcon.

Fenix is a spelling variation of the place name and mythological name Phoenix, possibly inspired by the Romani form, Fennix, or the Spanish Fénix. Derived from Greek and meaning "dark red", the phoenix is an immortal bird that, having lived for a number of centuries, would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes.

It may sound sweet smelling, but remember, it was the name of the little skunk in Bambi. Better to pick a single bloom from the bouquet, like Violet or Lily or Daisy.

A sixties-style name that might work best as a middle.

Spacey.

Hallow is a word meaning sacred or holy. As the root word for Halloween (orginally All Hallows' Eve), this name might be an evocative choice for a baby born on or near October 31st. It could work well for either a boy or a girl and offers the nicknames Hal and Halley.

Halo is a glowing word name that's both cosmic and spiritual, and with its shiny imagery and bright sounds, it was one of the fasted rising names in 2023.

Harvest has been occasionally used as a name since the eighteenth century, originally as evenly unisex, but in the US data for last year was starting to lean more female, given to 29 girls and 11 boys. Harvest can be seen as pleasantly archaic, rich and ripe, fitting in with popular baby names like Harper and Harry, and is also a fresh take on names like Autumn and August and one of the best names for autumn babies.

A fresher, less preppy alternative to Thatcher — one without Prime Minister associations.

Heiress has been recorded as a baby name since 2004, but the male version, Heir, took longer to catch up. It debuted in 2019 with just five uses but appears to be rising quickly. One factor that will likely help its case: star power. Nick Cannon named one of his twin sons, born in 2021, Zillion Heir (that's right, Zillionaire), drawing attention to this new addition to the class of money-related names. In 2022, it was chosen by parents for 13 baby boys.

Sean and Robin Wright Penn chose this name for their son to honor their friend Dennis Hopper; others might associate it with the painter Edward. Couldn't be more spirited.