These 115 unique baby names are bursting with meaning – and totally underrated

If you’re on the hunt for a baby name no one’s ever heard before, you’re not alone – there’s a whole group in the BabyCenter Community dedicated to chatting about unique baby names with zero judgement.

“I prefer unique, but an uncommon traditional name that sounds good wouldn’t automatically be turned away,” says one BabyCenter mom looking for name suggestions in the group.

There’s no shortage of unique name suggestions here – none of the names below have appeared in the top 500 baby names in at least five years, according to BabyCenter data.

40 unique names for boys and girls

Adler

Adler comes from German and means “eagle.”

Amos

Amos is a biblical name rooted in Hebrew, and is thought to mean “to carry” or “borne by God.”

Angus

Angus is the English version of a Scottish and Celtic name meaning “one choice.”

Arlette

Arlette is a Norman French name thought to come from a Germanic word meaning “eagle.”

Beck

Beck has a few meanings: Derived from Old Norse, it means “brook”; as a Jewish surname, it can mean “son of martyrs”; and it can be a variation of the German surname Becker, which means “baker.”

Bowie

Bowie is an Irish and Scottish surname that means “yellow” or “fair-haired,” though there’s also speculation that it could come from an Irish name meaning “victorious.”

Brennan

Brennan comes from a Gaelic word that means “moisture” or “drop.”

Chelsea

Chelsea is a place name, a posh London neighborhood. The name means “chalk wharf” in Old English.

Clarence

Clarence has interesting origins – it comes from the English noble title Duke of Clarence, and is based on the town of Clare in Suffolk, England. The town’s name might come from the Latin word clarus, which means “clear.”

Cosette

Cosette is thought to come from a French word that means “little thing,” and was made famous as the nickname of a character in the novel and musical Les Miserables.

Dane

Dane is an Old English word that means “from Denmark.”

Danica

Danica is a fearless name of Slavic origin. It means “morning star.”

Dexter

Dexter is an English surname originally used by people who dyed fabric for a living.

Dalia

Dalia is a Hebrew name that means “flowering branch.”

Daniya

Daniya is an Arabic name that means “close” or “near.”

Dewey

Dewey means “beloved,” and is the Welsh version of the Hebrew name David.

Eliseo

Eliseo is the Italian and Spanish version of Elisha, a Hebrew name that means “my God is salvation.”

Enya

Enya is the English version of the Irish name Eithne, which means “kernel” or “grain.”

Ephraim

Ephraim is a biblical name that means “fruitful.”

Fennec

Fennec is the name of a big-eared fox native to the Sahara Desert. It comes from an Arabic word for a few different furry animals.

Fern

Fern comes from an ancient word that means “feather,” because of the delicate shape of fern fronds. In some cultures, ferns represent magic and secrecy.

Granger

Granger is an English occupational surname that means “farm bailiff” – someone who oversaw the rent and taxes of a lord’s lands.

Jada

Jada is a variant of Jade, a precious stone significant in many cultures.

Jedidiah

Jedidiah is Hebrew and means “beloved of God” or “God’s friend.”

Jemma

Jemma is a variant spelling of Gemma, an English name meaning “precious stone” or “gem.”

Jinan

Jinan is an Arabic name that means “garden” or “paradise.”

Kojo

Kojo comes from Akan, a language and people group who live in modern-day Ghana. It means “born on a Monday.”

Laith

Laith is an Arabic name meaning “lion” or “brave.”

Mayim

Mayim literally means “water” in Hebrew.

Mihir

Mihir is a Sanskrit-rooted name meaning “sun.”

Nuala

Nuala is a diminutive of the Celtic name Fionnuala, meaning “white-shouldered.”

Osiris

Osiris is an Egyptian god of fertility and resurrection. Its meaning is uncertain.

Phineas

Phineas is a biblical name of disputed origin. It may derive from an Egyptian name meaning “the Nubian.” Nubia is a region along the Nile River, and was home to one of the earliest civilizations of ancient Africa.

Portia

Portia is thought to derive from an ancient Latin family name that meant “pig.” It’s best known as the name of two characters in Shakespeare’s works, one in The Merchant of Venice and another in Julius Caesar.

Ramsey

Ramsey is a geographical English surname meaning “wild garlic island.”

Rivkah

Rivkah is the original Hebrew form of the English name Rebecca, and is thought to mean “to tie” or “bind.”

Samira

Samira is an Arabic name that means “good friend.” Literally translated, it means “companion in night talk” – someone you stay up all night chatting with.

Simeon

Simeon is a variant of the name Simon. It derives from a Hebrew word meaning “hearkening.”

Sloan

Sloan is a Scottish and Irish surname with the strong meaning “to raid.”

Willis

Willis is a variant of William, which is rooted in German and means “resolute protector.”

Want to save your favorite rare gems as you go? The BabyCenter appOpens a new window lets you create your own list, compare meanings, and check real-time popularity trends – so you know exactly how unique your pick really is.

10 rare, unique names

These names are even rarer than others on this list – they haven’t appeared in the top 1,000 most popular baby names in the past five years.

Abilene

Abilene is a biblical name and a location name with Syrian roots. It’s thought to come from a Hebrew word meaning “meadow” or “grassy area.”

Ariadne

Ariadne is a princess from Greek myth best known for helping the hero Theseus escape from the Minotaur. In some versions of the myth, she marries the god Dionysus.

Arrow

Arrow is a word name of possible Old Norse origin. It refers to the feathered projectile that is shot from a bow.

Eulalia

Eulalia means “well-spoken” in Greek.

Galene

Galene is a Greek goddess of calm seas. This name means “tranquility” or “calm weather” in Greek.

Katya

Katya is a short name for Yekaterina, the Russian version of Katherine. It means “pure.”

Kiva

Kiva is an anglicized version of the Irish name Caoimhe, which is pronounced the same way. It means “beautiful.”

Obadiah

Obadiah means “servant of God” in Hebrew.

Talita

Talita is an Aramaic name meaning “little girl.”

Vikas

Vikas means “progress” or “expansion” in Sanskrit.

15 unique, gender-neutral names

These sweet, uncommon names could be given to either a boy or a girl.

Darcy

Darcy has both French and Irish roots. As a French name, it comes from a surname that means “from Arcy,” which refers to a region in northern France. As an Irish name, it’s rooted in the word dorcha, “dark” or “gloomy.”

Farley

Farley is English and Irish, and either means “man of valor” or “fern clearing.”

Fennel

Fennel comes from an Old French word meaning “hay.”

Hollis

Hollis is an English surname for someone who lived near holly trees.

Iman

Iman is a name of Arabic and Swahili heritage. It means “belief” or “faith.”

Lee

Lee is English and means “meadow” or “clearing.”

Leith

Leith is a place name, a port in Edinburgh, with Scottish Gaelic roots meaning “dripping water.”

Monet

Monet is a French surname that comes from the Hebrew name Simon, which means “listen.”

Murphy

Murphy comes from an Irish Gaelic name that means “sea warrior.”

Psalm

Psalm means “sacred poem or song.” It derives from a Greek word that originally meant “to play on a stringed instrument.”

Simran

Simran is a Sanskrit name meaning “remembrance.”

Sufyan

Sufyan comes from an Arabic word that means “slender.”

Sonnet

Sonnet is a form of poetry that stems back to the 13th century. It derives from a word that means “little song” in Italian.

Talon

Talon is a word name meaning “claw on a bird of prey.”

Valor

Valor is a virtue name rooted in the Latin word valere, meaning “to be strong.”

20 cool, unique names

Adina

Adina comes from a Hebrew word that means “delicate” or “slender.”

Ambrose

Ambrose is rooted in a Greek word that means “immortal.”

Arturo

Arturo is the Spanish version of Arthur, a legendary Celtic name with uncertain origins. It could be tied to an Old Welsh word meaning “bear.”

Bruin

Bruin is a Dutch word for the color brown, as well as being a colloquialism for “brown bear.”

Circe

Circe is a beautiful enchantress in the Greek epic Odyssey, famous for turning men into pigs. Her name’s origins aren’t certain, but it may be rooted in a Greek word that means “hawk.”

Coral

Coral comes from Latin and Greek words for the marine invertebrates, though it may be originally rooted in Hebrew and Arabic words for “pebble” or “small stone.”

Ender

Ender is a Turkish name that means “rare.”

Fable

Fable comes from Latin and means “a story with a lesson.”

Fallon

Fallon grew out of an Irish last name meaning “leader.”

Gunnar

Gunnar is the Scandinavian version of Gunther, a German name whose meaning fits its sound – it means “army strife.”

Harriet

Harriet is an English version of the French name Henrietta – the feminine version of Henry. It’s rooted in Germanic and means “ruler of the home.”

Heron

Heron is “a long-necked wading bird,” and its name derives from Old French. In some cultures, herons carry a positive message and are often bringers of good news.

Idris

Idris has roots in two languages: Arabic and Welsh. In Arabic, it’s thought to mean “teacher,” and in Welsh, it means “ardent lord.”

Sable

Sable is an animal name from Old French. Sable also means “black,” in reference to the dark color of a sable’s fur.

Soleil

Soleil is the French word for “sun.”

Soren

Soren is a Scandinavian name with Latin roots meaning “severe” or “serious.”

Tahirah

Tahirah is an Arabic name that means “pure” or “cleansed.”

Thoreau

Thoreau is a French-rooted name with uncertain meaning. It’s a literary name in honor of American author Henry David Thoreau.

Trace

As a nickname for Tracy, Trace refers to Thrace, a province of the Roman Empire. It’s also an English vocabulary word meaning “a mark or line left by something that has passed,” among other things.

Quill

Quill is the English version of an Irish surname meaning “forest.” It’s also an English vocabulary word referring to a writing tool made of a feather.

15 unique names with special meaning

Aislinn

Aislinn derives from Aisling, a Celtic Irish name that means “dream” or “vision.”

Alfie

Alfie is a nickname for the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and carries the unexpected meaning “elf counsel.”

Amoret

Amoret, from the French word amour, means “little love.”

Calista

Calista is a beautiful Greek-rooted name that means “most beautiful.”

Chana

Chana is a Hebrew name that means “favor” or “God has favored me,” and it’s the root of the name Hannah.

Cherish

Cherish is a name with French roots: Cher means “dear.” As an English vocabulary word, it means “to hold dear” and infers “preciousness.”

Clio

Clio is a muse in Greek mythology, the goddess of history. The name derives from a Greek word meaning “to make famous” or “to celebrate.”

Erasmus

Erasmus also derives from Greek and means “beloved.”

Esperanza

Esperanza is a Spanish name meaning “hope.”

Nadine

Nadine also means “hope” – but in Russian. It’s a French version of Nadia, which is a nickname for Nadezhda, a Russian name that means “hope.”

Niall

Niall is an ancient Irish name with uncertain meaning, but modern scholars have connected it to an Old Irish word meaning “champion.”

Ramon

Ramon is the Spanish version of the English name Raymond, which derives from a Germanic name meaning “counseling protector.”

Sincere

Sincere is a virtue name meaning “free from pretense or falsehood.”

Tadeo

Tadeo or Taddeo is a variant of Thaddeus, a name with uncertain origins. It may be derived from an Aramaic word meaning “heart,” or it may be an Aramaic version of the Greek name Theodore, meaning “gift of God.”

Tilly

Tilly may sound sweet and mild, but as a nickname for the German-rooted name Mathilde, it means “mighty in battle.”

15 short, unique names

None of these special names have more than four letters.

Ajax

Ajax is a mythological Greek hero whose name has contested meaning: It could derive from a Greek word meaning “to lament,” or it may derive from the Greek word for “eagle.”

Avi

Avi on its own is a Hindu name meaning “the sun,” and a Hebrew word meaning “father.” As a nickname, it can be short for a number of Hindu names starting with “Avi,” like Avijit, meaning “invincible,” and Avinash, meaning “indestructible.”

Dino

Dino is a nickname-name short for a few Italian names that end in “-dino,” like Bernardino.

Esti

Esti is a nickname for the Hebrew name Esther, and means “star.”

Ever

Ever comes from an Old English word and invokes thoughts of “eternal life.”

Faye

Faye is derived from the Middle English word for fairy.

Ford

Ford comes from Old English and means “shallow stream crossing.”

Gyan

Gyan is a Sanskrit name meaning “knowledge.”

Lael

Lael is a biblical name that means “of God” in Hebrew.

Poe

Poe is a literary-inspired name, referring to author Edgar Allen Poe. It derives from the Middle English word for “peacock.”

Rex

Rex is a royal name that comes from the Latin word for “king.”

Shah

Shah comes from a Persian word that means “king” or “emperor.”

Trip

Trip is a short name for “triple” – referring to third-generation namesakes.

Xyla

Xyla is most likely an invented name inspired by the Greek word xylon, meaning “wood.”

Zoya

Zoya is thought to be the Russian version of Zoe, a Greek name that means “life.”