Choosing a name for the new arrival can be both a blessing and a curse. Some people have names picked out for years while others can be downright stumped. There can be a lot of pressure placed on expectant parents to not only to pick a name that is unique and interesting, but to consider many other factors: family members wanting to be namesakes, fear of a name being too popular (or not popular enough), or even the child being bullied because of a particular name. With all that to think about, it's a wonder that new parents can settle on a name at all!
Fortunately, when it comes to naming our little ones, we can receive inspiration from just about anywhere! Many couples love to pick unusual names but no group is better at picking unique names than celebrities - a trend that has been going on for several decades. And while some of these names aren't particularly beautiful sounding (Apple, Sir and Seven just to name a few), there are many names that are unique but gorgeous sounding too – so much so that you’ll want to consider using your favorite for your own new bundle of joy! Here are 25 beautiful baby names that are totally steal-worthy.
25 Violet
With two high profile celebs like Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, it is a wonder they strayed from the celebrity trend of unusual baby names – we are so glad they did – and named their daughter this gorgeous and feminine name!
Origin of the name Violet is from the Old French 'Violette', a diminutive form of 'Viole', which is derived from the Latin viola (a violet). The name has been in use since the Middle Ages but did not become common until the middle of the 19th century when the use of flower names came into style.
When we think of this name, we think of grace and beauty as well as love and compassion. This name has also appeared in Shakespeare in the form of Viola, in the comedy Twelfth Night.
24 Odin
Nick Carter and Lauren Kitt Carter gave their son the name Odin – an absolutely adorable name! The name is from Norse mythology. Highest of the Norse gods; he presided over art and wisdom, war, and death. Odin is the name of the supreme Norse god of art, culture, wisdom and law who was handsome, charming, and eloquent.
I love this name because it is sort of a cross between Logan and Aidan, two other strong sounding but cute names. I imagine Odin being cute for a baby boy but also strong sounding when he grows into adulthood. This name is unique and follows the unique baby name celeb trend but has a classier ring to it. Nick and Lauren score points for this name in my books.
23 River
River (son of Jamie and Juliette Oliver) is a place name and has fluctuated in popularity over the years. The word is of Latin origin, for 'ripa' meaning bank of a river to 'riparius' and then in the Norse-Anglo-Saxon was morphed into the spelling we know today.
A variation on this name is Rivers and has been used in Shakespeare. In King Henry the Sixth, Part III' , there is a Lord Rivers, brother to Lady Grey and King Richard III there is an Earl Rivers, brother to King Edward's Queen.
Although Jamie and Juliette named their son River, I have also heard it used as a girl’s name as well. When I think of a child with this name, I think of them roaming the forest, jumping over streams and just wistfully enjoying life.
22 Valentina
When Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle named their daughter Valentina, it swiftly rose in popularity, but to a small degree still remains unique. This girl's name is often pronounced ‘val-en-TEE-nah’. From the Latin origin, and the meaning of Valentina is "strong, healthy" and is the feminine form of Valentine, which is of course a saint's name. In other origins, the name means “brave”.
What I like about the name Valentina is that it is a revival of an older name that represents strength in a feminine context. We don’t often hear soft, feminine sounding names mean ‘strong’ or ‘brave’ and I appreciate that this name fosters ‘girl power’ to those who carry it. It is unique but offers a sense a class to any little girl who is lucky enough to have this beautiful name.
21 Sienna
I have always been a fan of this name and was delighted when Poppy Harlow and Sinisa Babcic announced this name for their daughter. The baby name Sienna of Italian origin means ‘reddish brown clay’. I know, that doesn’t seem too exciting a meaning for this baby name but there is something beautiful sounding about it. When I hear the name, I think of a long walk on the beach on the Italian cost line. This name also reminds me of Sierra which means 'saw' in Spanish or 'dark' in its Irish form.
English Actress Sienna Miller also bares this name and we remember her most from the movie American Sniper. If you like Sienna, you could also consider similar names which include Seana, Seanna, Sein, Seina, Siene.
20 Jordana
Where are all you 90s kids at? Remember the sitcom Home Improvement with oldest brother Brad? Well ‘Brad’ grew up got married and has 3 children! Jordana is the name of Zachery Ty Bryan and Carly Bryan’s 3rd daughter. She has two older twin sisters named Taylor and Gemma.
Jordana is of course derived from Jordan but is also Spanish baby name. In Spanish, the meaning of the name Jordana is ‘down flowing’ but going further back, this name was originally the Hebrew ‘yarden’ representing the River Jordan. The name is that of the chief river of Palestine, in which Jesus was baptized. Jordan originated as a given name in the Middle Ages and has since climbed the ranks, continuing to be popular to this day. I think the female version Jordana is a beautiful variation of this name.
19 Forest
Everyone remembers Forrest Gump or how about Forest Whitaker? The name forest has declined in popularity over the past few decades but seems to make making a comeback. Since Teresa Pamler and Mark Webber named their son Forest back in December, it has climbed the charts in popularity. And with a middle name like Sage, it’s clear that Forest’s parents have a thing for nature-based names. The combination is both unique and wistful sounding.
I think the name Forest is beautiful sounding, offering and adventure-like unique ring to it, that any child would love. The word is derived from the latin word ‘foris’ (meaning outside) and later transformed to ‘forestis silva’ (outside woods) before eventually adopted by the Old French and transformed into the English word we know today. Variations include spelling it with one ‘r’ or two.
18 Auden
Pronounced ‘Aw-den’, the name Auden is very unique sounding and reminds me of Odin and Aidan. It is named for Kelsey and Kayte Grammer’s son and is associated with the English poet W.H. Auden, who has been admired for his ability to write poems in nearly every imaginable verse form and mimic other writers.
The name Auden also holds the meaning 'old friend', which is derived from Old English. With these two associations, I love the name because it is original but not too over the top. Auden sure follows the celeb unique baby naming trend, but not in a way that is overpowering.
17 Lily
When Nicky Hilton and James Rothschild named their baby daughter Lily, I was overjoyed because it is such a beautiful name. The name Lily comes from ancient Greek and Hebrew is obviously derived from the place name for flower. A Lily is a symbol of purity in Christianity and is often seen around Easter. Lily’s middle name is Grace and I think the combination of Lily Grace is inspiring and beautiful!
Lily can also be a short version of Lillian and Elizabeth, so in effect it has been in use for centuries but grew in popularity in the early 21st century when it rose to be one of the top 100 names in 2002. In the last decade, the name became extremely popular in Northern Ireland, in particular. Well-known Lilys include actress Lily Tomlin who played the voice of Ms. Frizzle on The Magic School Bus and more recently the character Frankie on the popular series Grace and Frankie.
16 Daisy
Another flower name, Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis named their daughter Daisy. Daisy is a gorgeous name for a baby girl and has been in use since the Victorian Era, when the use of flower names was increasingly popular. The name Daisy in English comes from the old English ‘Day’s eye’. It is also a translation of the French Marguerite, and used as a pet form of Margaret. The use of Daisy in the chorus of the song A Bicycle Built For Two (circa 1892) made the name Daisy famous.
This name has a modern sassy flare to it: Daisy has been used for literary characters such as Daisy Miller, the title character of the novella by Henry James, and for television characters such as Daisy Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. And of course the very short, cut-off jeans shorts are named Daisy Dukes after this character.
15 Bianka
With a spelling variation of ‘Bianca’, Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa gave this name to their third daughter born back in December. The name Bianka is an Italian baby name, given to match the other 2 girls who also have names of Italian origin. In Italian, the meaning of the name Bianca is ‘white’ or ‘shining’. The French version of this name is 'Blanche'.
Bianca first appeared in North America in 1917 but has been around as an English name since the Elizabethan Era as the name of a Shakespearean character in Taming of The Shrew. It is estimated that 1 in 1,432 baby girls in the United States were given this name last year - making this a pretty unique female name. The name Bianca, however, peaked in popularity 27 years ago in 1990 as 86 out of the top 100 baby names. The spelling of Bianka (with a “k”) is even rarer.
14 Story
This incredibly unique name was given by Jenna Elfman to her first son, Story Elias, born back in 2007. The word ‘story’ is derived from the word ‘history’ based on the latin word ‘historia’. It was later transformed to the Anglo-Norse-French ‘estorie’, finally becoming the English ‘history’ or shorter ‘story’. In the 1500s the definition of story became “narrative of fictitious events meant to entertain”.
I like this name because of its uniqueness and originality. It has a nice ring to it and I could also see this name being unisex, offering another option for parents who admire gender neutral names like Taylor and Blake. Believe it or not, this name also sounds great in a shorter form as well. I absolutely love the abbreviations: Tori/Tory or Stor.
13 Rainbow
Holly Madison (known for her E! hit television series Girl Next Door and her relationship with Hugh Hefner) named her daughter this unique and intriguing name back in 2013. She definitely has followed the celebrity trend for unique baby names but this one (although very boho sounding) stood out to me in a charming way.
The word means almost exactly what is says. It was derived from the old-English word “regnboga”; 'regn' meaning 'rain' and 'boga' meaning 'bow'. (Can you imagine the arch shape an arrow might make when flying through the air?) The name was eventually transformed overtime to the way we see it today.
What I like most about this name is that you can abbreviate it to the name Rain, a name that is slightly more used but still pretty unique. Rainbows have so much history and mythology attached, stemming from many different cultures that I can’t help but be intrigued by the name. They represent luck and divine connection, just to name a few.
12 Lourdes
Madonna started the trend of unique baby names – she was doing it long before it was popular among celebrities. This became apparent after naming her daughter Lourdes back in 1996, when she was in a relationship with Carlos Leon. The origin of the name Lourdes is a transferred use of a place-name meaning "craggy slope." Lourdes, a town in southwestern France, was popularized as a given name after St. Bernadette experienced visions of the Virgin Mary there in 1858.
The most interesting thing about this name is perhaps the different way it can be pronounced. In Spanish it is pronounced “LAW-dez” and in French pronounced “Loorde”. I particularly love the way it sounds in Spanish, with the two syllables following together off the tongue. It has a unique charm about it with a hint of elegance.
11 Journey
Journey is of course a word name and is the name of one of Jenna Jameson and Tito Ortiz’s twin boys (the other twin’s name is Jesse). I love the name Journey because it is another original yet strong sounding name and could be used for either a boy or girl.
Journey is derived from Latin ‘diurnus’, eventually transforming into the old French ‘journee’ and eventually into the way we spell it today. Journey is defined as "a defined course of traveling; one's path in life," from Old French journee "day's work or travel" and from Vulgar Latin diurnum "day," a noun use of the phrase "of one day". This could be a great name idea if you love the name “Jay” or “J” but want a unique sounding longer name to accompany the abbreviation.
10 Indiana
Of all the states, the second-most famous Affleck went with Indiana- and I love it. The name Indiana (given by Casey Affleck to his first son back in 2004) is of Native American origin and means ‘land of the Indians’.
I love this name because it reminds me of adventure! It is known for its appearance as the lead character’s name in the film Indiana Jones played by Harrison Ford. How much more iconic can you get? The name grew in popularity among other western style names such as Dakota and Montana in the 1980s but remains to be on the more unique side today. It is a great name for a baby boy or girl.
9 Honor
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren named their daughter Honor back in 2008 and it struck the hearts of many. It appears that choosing your child's name by the qualities you'd like them to possess is a good move! Honor even won her first award in 2009, winning the Teen Choice Award for Celebrity Baby.
The name Honor is a virtue name (like Hope or Grace). Honor’s middle name is Marie and I love the combination of those two names together. The name Honor is derived from the Latin word ‘honoris’, meaning esteem, integrity, dignity. This name was used by the Puritans but has never been popular in North America, having never made it to the top 1000 baby names. This name is also held by British actor Honor Blackman remembered for her role in the British television series The Avengers.
8 Future
When Ciara and rapper Future named their son Future, a lot of us rolled our eyes at the irony of naming your child Future when you already have the name. And although Ciara and Future don’t have the best relationship (she is currently suing him for child support) I truly love the name – this name is wonderful and has a lot of character.
Future is a word based name, derived from the Latin 'futurus' which means “to grow” or “become”. It was later transformed into Old-French and then Middle English and gradually evolved into the word we use today. The name Future represents hope. A child with this name would represent the potential he or she has in the world – and the beauty of that meaning is overwhelmingly inspirational.
7 Everest
If your dad is George Lucas, you're bound to have an epic name – like the name of the tallest mountain on the planet! This is the name of Lucas and Melody Hobson’s son, born in 2013.
This name is very similar to the name Everett – an old variant of Evered, a name derived from the Old English Eoforheard (brave as a wild boar), which is a compounding of the elements eofor (a wild boar) and heard (strong, brave, hearty). It is no wonder the world’s highest peak shares this time with a meaning like that! This name could be used for both a boy or girl who is feisty and ready to take on life! It also comes with a cute nickname: Ev, or Evie for a girl. Variations of Everest include Everett, Everist, Everitt, Everritt.
6 Denim
You probably recently heard through the grapevine of social media that Toni Braxton’s son Diezel has been cured of Autism? Well she has another older son, sporting a particularly unique name: Denim. It’s a name that has a very contemporary ring to it.
Denim was born in 2001 and was Braxton’s first son. The name originated in the late 17th century in France as a word to describe a sort of serge from the manufacturing town of Nimes. But in its modern origin, it means strong fabric. I think it’s a wonderful metaphor: that a child with this name is cut from a strong cloth. If you don’t like the spelling because it is too close to the jean-type fabric, you could use one of these spelling variations such as Denham and Denym.