100+ Unique Baby Names

Adventurous parents-to-be who are interested in an unexpected and out of the ordinary baby names have a lot of choices these days, as unusual and surprising baby names are all the rage. Move over Anne and Michael, unique baby names like Alma and Magnus are here to stay. Whether you’re seeking a baby name that stands out from the rest of the playground crowd or one that reflects your child’s individuality, we’ve got a variety of unique baby names to help you in your search. Read on for 100+ best unique baby girl names and unique baby boy names.

Unique baby names that start with A

Adelia

If you love Ava and Abigail, this vintage name is more distinctive.

Auden

In Old English, this name means “old friend”.

Alma

This soulful name of Latin origin means “nurturing”.

Abra

Love magic? This name is for you. It’s also the feminine version of Abraham.

Amara

A multicultural name with various meanings, among them “immortal” and “peaceful”.

Angelica

Fans of Broadway’s Hamilton will love this name, which means “angel” or “angelic” and is of Italian, Polish, Russian origin.

Ansel

From the photographer Ansel Adams to actor Ansel Elgort, this creative name is a sure bet.

Arden

Of English origin meaning “Valley of the Eagle”, we love the unisex appeal of this name.

Artemis

A fighter and Greek goddess of the hunt, but whose name has a strong unisex feel.

Asa

A cross-cultural, unisex name which means “healer” and “born in the morning”.

Related: 75+ gender-neutral baby names

Unique baby names that start with B

Baldwin

Meaning “brave friend” in German, and perfect for fans of James Baldwin.

Bronwyn

Like Brontë, another fave, we endorse any name that sounds like it came from Wuthering Heights.

Bear

Once-unlikely animal name both cuddly and strong, gaining real traction.

Bishop

Of English origin, meaning “guardian”.

Blue

Queen Bey may have started a trend with hue-themed names, and we are all for it.

Booker

Future wordsmith? Or English origin, this name means “scribe”.

Unique baby names that start with C

Cassia

A feminine take on newly-trendy Cassius and Cassian, with a spicy meaning (from Latin, meaning “cinnamon”).

Colson

Derived from the name Nicholas, this name means “People of Victory”.

Cora

A pretty name of Greek origin meaning “fair”.

Cordelia

A water-themed name meaning “daughter of the sea”.Anne of Green Gables fans will like this name as well.

Calloway

A classic, unisex name that may be a fit for fans of jazz music (the late Cab Calloway was an American jazz singer, dancer, bandleader, and actor).

Castial

This powerful, Biblical name means “Shield of God” or “My cover is God”.

Clover

A lucky name for your little one; reminiscent of lush, green fields.

Unique baby names that start with D

Darcy

Hello, Jane Austen fans, this one’s for you.

Dion

A gender-neutral name used most recently in the Netflix show, “Raising Dion”.

Declan

This Irish, Godly name means “man of prayer” or “full of goodness”.

Dallas

Just a cool name, especially if you’re from Texas.

Danika

Of Danish origin, this sweet name means “morning star”.

Dyland

A spin-off of the popular name, “Dylan”, which has become popular for as a boy name and a girl name in recent years.

Dov

Of Hebrew origin, Dov means “bear”.

Unique baby names that start with E

Ellington

Jazz fans will be reminded of Duke Ellington, but this is also just a cool name on its own.

Emil

The male take on Emily is finally seeing new light.

Esme

Multiple meanings and they’re all lovely: “beloved”, “esteemed” and “emerald”.

Emine

This trustworthy name means “one you can trust and believe”.

Ezra

Meaning “helper” in Hebrew.

Unique baby names that start with F

Faye

This sweet, old-fashioned name is slowly climbing in the popular name charts.

Fisher

Obviously a great name for fishing enthusiasts, it also just sounds cool.

Fleur

Say it with a French accent as this is the ultimate flower name of French origin.

Freya

In Norse mythology, Freya was the Goddess of Love and Fertility.

Fabian

Of Latin origin, this “bean grower” meaning has been used by Shakespeare.

Foster

Of English origin, meaning “one who keeps the forest”.

Unique baby names that start with G

Gracia

Of Spanish origin, meaning “favor” or “blessing”.

Greer

This Scottish name means “watchful” or “guardian” and sounds cool for a boy or girl

Gulliver

Naturally, Gulliver’s Travels comes to mind with this adventurous name.

Gage

This wealthy names means “money lender” in Old English.

Gohan

This Japanese name is great for sushi lovers, as it means “cooked rice”.

Unique baby names that start with H

Hadley

This pretty yet uncommon name is of English origin meaning “heather field”.

Horatio

An ancient name made famous by Shakespeare, only to drop off the popular name list in the 1500s. Bring it back?

Harlyn

A unisex name with a nice ring to it, meaning “army land”.

Honor

You already know the meaning and it’s a pretty special one.

Huma

Originating from a Persian myth, this name means “lucky bird”.

Unique baby names that start with I

Ina

A Welsh name first heard in the 5th century. Foodies know and love it, thanks to cookbook author Ina Garten.

Ivo

An unusual, catchy name of German, Irish and Dutch origin meaning “archer”.

Iago

Of Spanish origin, this name means “supplanter”.

Idina

A certain Disney princess (who voiced “Elsa”) has this name, but it’s far from popular.

Idris

Same goes for a British actor Idris Elba, though I hope this one makes a resurgence.

Unique baby names that start with J

Jenson

This Scandinavian name has a lovely, soft tone to it. Meaning “son of Jan”.

Juliette

Made popular by Shakespeare, we love this French spelling.

Jago

this name is derived Jacob, from Cornish origin.

Jett

I mean, this is just a cool, unused name, plain and simple.

Jabari

From Swahili, meaning “brave one”.

Unique baby names that start with K

Keira

An Anglicized name meaning “little dark one” (similar to Ciara and Kira).

Kit

What a spunky yet simple unisex name (I’m thinking “Game of Thrones” actor Kit Harington and the American Girl doll, Kit Kittredge).

Koa

Of Hawaiian origin meaning “warrior” and “brave one”. Typically used for boys, I like this as a girls’ name, too.

Kian

Of Gaelic Irish origin meaning “ancient”.

Karys

This lovely Welsh name means “love”.

Unique baby names that start with L

Leon

Roar! Of Latin origin meaning “lion”.

Ledger

A twist on the German Ledger, meaning “people” and “spear”.

Lilia

A twist on popular Lily, meaning, you guessed it, “lily”.

Lucinda

Meaning “light”, if you want a more formal name than Lucy.

Laith

Make up your own meaning as this name doesn’t really have one, but is derived from Arabic and Scottish Gaelic.

Lennox

Meaning “with many elm trees” which is great if you like trees, but also Annie Lennox.

Unique baby names that start with M

Maia

A new spelling and twist on an old classic (Maya).

Matson

If you like Matthew, Matson is an unusual take on a classic name.

Marisol

A bright and cheerful name of Spanish origin meaning “sun and sea”.

Marlowe

A cool name meaning “driftwood”, this one is quickly becoming a celebrity favorite.

Maverick

This cool name means “independent; nonconformist”, so they will surely think for themselves!

Maude

A fierce name meaning “powerful battler” and one of the coolest one syllable monikers out there.

Millicent

This old-fashioned name comes with a pretty adorable nickname; “Millie”.

Unique baby names that start with N

Niamh

An Irish name meaning “bright” and “radiant”; variations include Neve and Nieve.

Nova

For the celestial-minded, a Nova is a star that suddenly releases a huge burst of energy, temporarily becoming extraordinarily bright.

November

An underused, unisex month-themed name.

Neve

*see Niamh above.

Nadir

in Arabic, this name means “precious”.

Unique baby names that start with O

Olympia

A favorite of Serena Williams, this name is of Greek origin meaning “from Mount Olympus”.

Omari

Of Hebrew origin meaning “Speaker” or “Chief”, and in Swahili, meaning “God is exalted”.

Orson

Meaning “bear” in Latin, it’s hard not to think of the famous director, Orson Welles.

Otto

Of German origin meaning “wealth” and “prosperity”.

Odin

The name of the Norse god of art, culture, wisdom and law.

Unique baby names that start with P

Petra

A strong, Greek name meaning “rock”, this is also the feminized version of Peter.

Pascal

Typically given to boys, this French name means “of the Passover/Easter”.

Phinneas

Of English and Egyptian origin meaning “the Nubian”, these days you might think of singer Billie Eilish’s brother and fellow bandmate.

Poppy

A floral name that doesn’t get more fun.

Pacey

Of Latin origin meaning “peace”.

Unique baby names that start with Q

Quincy

This unisex name of English origin has a royal ring to it, don’t you think?

Qamar

In Arabic, this name means “moon”.

Quenby

Of Scandinavian decent, this name means “womanly”.

Quinn

There are various meaning of this name, but the best one is definitely “living with royalty”.

Quan

In Chinese, this means Goddess of Compassion.

Unique baby names that start with R

Rhys

Always ready to go, this name of Welsh origin means “enthusiasm”.

Rafferty

Of Irish origin, your child will be successful with a name that means “prosperity wielder”.

Ramona

Beverly Cleary fans will love this one, a classic, old-fashioned name that’s slowly making a comeback.

Renata

Operatic name of Latin origin which means “rebirth”.

Renn

Means “reborn, little prosperous one”.

Rubin

From Hebrew, meaning “see, a son”.

Romy

A lighthearted, fun “nickname-name” that doesn’t need a formal name to back it up.

Roscoe

For those that love the outdoors, this woodsy name of Norse origin means “deer forest”.

Rowan

Increasingly seen as a unisex name, this means “little redhead” and is of Scottish and Irish origin.

Rocco

Take a break from baby name decisions with this Italian and German origin meaning “rest”.

Unique baby names that start with S

Sabine

Of French origin, more commonly seen as Sabina.

Sasha

This unisex name is of Russian origin and typically seen as a nickname for Alexander orAlexandra.

Saffron

This “spicy” name of English origin means “a type of crocus” (the expensive orange spice,Saffron, comes from this flower).

Sinead

Meaning “God is gracious” and of Hebrew and Irish origin.

Silas

A name that means “of the forest” foreshadows a lot of camping and outdoor time!

Serafina

Of Hebrew origin meaning “burning ones”, I like this twist on the more classic Sara.

Shalia

This name is so unusual it doesn’t have an origin, but safe to say it’s a variation of other girl names that begin with “Sha”.

Shepherd

This name means “Guardian of the sheep” and also has a cool built-in nickname: Shep.

Unique baby names that start with T

Teddy

From Old English, meaning “wealthy protector”, “brave people” and “God’s gift”. Often seen as a nickname for Theodore.

Tempest

Of Old English origin meaning “stormy” or “turbulent”.

Teo

Of Spanish origin meaning “gift of God”. I also like this as a more unusual take on Theo.

Talia

Meaning “dew of Heaven” this ethereal name is of Hebrew origin.

True

This one may begin to see a comeback thanks to Khloe Kardashian.

Unique baby names that start with U

Ulani

This happy-sounding name is of Hawaiian origin and means “cheerful”.

Uma

This ancient name means “tranquility” and “splendor” in Sanskrit.

Ulysses

Another ancient name of Latin origin meaning “wounded in the thigh”.

Uday

To “materialize” (into this air?)

Ugo

The Italian variant of Hugo, meaning “intelligent”.

Unique baby names that start with V

Vaughn

This unisex name of English origin means “small” but there is nothing tiny about this cool, dignified name.

Vera

An old-fashioned name that is very slowly making a comeback. Get it while the getting’s good!

Virgil

This ancient, literary name is of Latin origin and means “staff bearer”.

Viviana

A twist on the more classic Vivian.

Vivica

This strong, powerful name means “war fortress” and is of Scandinavian and Old German origin.

Unique baby names that start with W

Wade

Perfect for those on the move, this unisex name means “to go” and is of Anglo-Saxon English origin.

Wells

This pretty name of English origin signifies “spring”.

Willow

Meaning “freedom” and “willow tree” of English origin. A pretty, whimsical name.

Winslow

An “old man’s name” that has come a long way. Meaning “friend’s hill” and of Old English origin.

Wynn

This unisex name means “friend” and is a lovely one indeed.

Wren

Like you might suspect, this name means “small bird” and is of English origin.

Unique baby names that start with X

Xen

Meaning “form of Buddhism”this zen-like name works for either gender.

Xander

Of Greek origin meaning “defender of men”.

Xena

From Xenia, meaning “hospitable” and “welcoming”.

Xia

This Chinese name means “glow of the sunset or sunrise”. How pretty.

Xanthe

Of Greek origin, meaning “yellow” or “fair”.

Unique baby names that start with Y

Yael

Also spelled Jael, this Hebrew name sets a spiritual tone, meaning “to ascend”.

Yardley

Meaning “fenced meadow”.

Yair

Another Biblical name, this means “He will enlighten”.

Yoel

In Hebrew, this means “Jehovah is the Lord”.

Yuvan

A young prince in Sanskrit.

Unique baby names that start with Z

Zeren

This name is so unusual it belongs to a very specific animal breed, the Mongolian Gazelle.

Zia

Of Latin and Arabic origin meaning “light” or “splendor”.

Ziggy

Adorable nickname for Zigmund or a fun unisex nickname-name on its own.

Zion

A setting in the Bible, this name means “highest point” in Hebrew.

Zora

Early risers will love this name which means “dawn” and is of Slavic origin.

A version of this story was originally published on Nov. 8. 2021. It has been updated.