Which unusual baby names today are most likely to be the hit names of the future?
We looked at Nameberry’s statistics for the past month versus the same period a year ago and put together this list of 60 names – 25 for girls, 25 for boys, and 10 unisex – that are attracting the most fresh attention among our visitors.
This is the most unique group of hot names we’ve discovered yet, with baby namers showing a strong appetite for the exotic, the unfamiliar, and the adventurous.
Not to say these names are invented. For the most part, they’re names with deep roots though perhaps not among the established lexicon of English first names.
Number 1 girls’ name Kerani, for instance, is of Hindi origin, while top boys’ name McEnroe is a surname turned one of the hottest Scottish names for boys.
Nile, most popular on the unisex list, is the name of a river, and river-related names Galilee and Rio also appear. Other unusual word names finding new popularity include Taffeta, Tiara, Anemone, Puma, and Revel.
Celebrity names attracting fresh attention are Petula, Stockard, Soleil, Carew, Lebron, Zayn, Kiernan, and Rebel. And ancient names being rediscovered include Pallas and Philo.
If these names sound seem too outlandish to ever be widely used, consider that a generation ago, such Top 50 baby names as Harper and Aiden were virtually unheard-of.
If you’re looking for a highly unusual name with a lot of style power right now, this list deserves your close attention.
Petula
Taffeta
Stockard
Mardi
Gabi
Fiammetta
Samiya
Azami
Sai
Yadira
Zaina
Imani
Nava
Nazia
Adah
Lumi
Abelia
Soleil
Pallas
Tiara
Anemone
Antonella
Milla
Calpurnia
Belisario
Arnau
Carew
Elio
Maguire
Kylo
Misael
Desi
Lior
Zevi
Sinjin
Brogan
Lebron
Hayes
Alessio
Warrick
Garrick
Aurelio
Zayn
Sajan
Rio
Raoul
Cillian
Philo
unisex
Nile
Fire
Shalom
Puma
Revel
Kodiak
Ezri
Kiernan
Rebel
Galilee