Unusual Baby Names for the Interesting Kids of the World

Updated September 15, 2021
Close-up of multi-ethnic parents kissing son -

Your baby is the most special thing in the universe and needs a deserving name that makes them stand out in a sea of adorable tots. If you are searching for the perfect yet unusual baby name, the possibilities are endless. Use your creative thinking and your unique loves and interests to come up with a baby name that sets your infant apart from the rest.

Unusual Baby Names From Around the Globe

Look to darling names from different corners of the globe for baby name inspiration. While some names might be common in other countries, they will sound unique rolling off your tongue.

Unique Female Names Stemming From Various Countries and Cultures

Unusual Baby names

These baby names for girls are likely heard infrequently, but they are simply stunning when they are said.

  • Cosima (Greek)
  • Ewige (French)
  • Fia (Portuguese)
  • Isolde (Ireland)
  • Niamh (Ireland)
  • Paloma (Spain)
  • Phionah (Uganda)
  • Rumi (Japan)
  • Salima (Uganda)
  • Saskia (Dutch)
  • Sonali (Bangladesh)

Unique Male Names Stemming From Various Countries and Cultures

Give your son a name that is packed with meaning. Choose a name from your culture or heritage or other cultures that might set him apart from a sea of Matts and Mikes.

  • Apollo (Greece)
  • Arkin (Norway)
  • Crispin (Latin)
  • Hyatt (England)
  • Kendy (Dominican Republic)
  • Martine (Uganda)
  • Nester (Greece)
  • Vaughn (Welsh)

Fabulous and Unique Names for Future Foodies

If you love food, turn to some of your favorite dishes and ingredients for your baby naming inspiration.

  • Anise - (female) Name of a spice
  • Amandine - (female) refers to a culinary term that means to garnish with almonds
  • Cassia - (female) Means cinnamon in Greek
  • Bartlett - (male) Type of pear
  • Kobe - (male) Type of beef and name of famous basketball great Kobe Bryant
  • Magdalena - (female) Small sponge cake
  • Nori - (female) type of seaweed
  • Quince - (gender-neutral) Type of fruit
  • Rye - (gender-neutral) Type of bread
  • Saffron - (female) Name of a spice
  • Waldorf - (male) Type of salad

Unusual Baby Names With a Nod to Nature

Baby lying among flowers

To arrive at the perfect and unique name for your child, stop and look around you. What do you see, smell, hear and experience in the natural world? The nature around us inspires so many beautiful names. Does one of them make you swoon? It might be just the unusual name you are looking for.

Female Names That Stem From the Natural World

These nature-inspired baby girl names are as pretty as a rose and as sweet as honey. They are different, full of meaning, and make excellent choices for precious bundles of joy.

  • Bindi - (From the Noongar language) Means "butterfly"
  • Bryony - (Latin) Means to sprout or stems from a climbing vine plant
  • Delta - Southern meaning, referring to a river
  • Eira - (Welsh) Means "snow"
  • Fleur - (French) Means "flower"
  • Gaia - (Greek) Means "earth"
  • Linnea - (Swedish) Means "lime tree"
  • Lotus - (Greek) Means "lotus flower" or "dream-like"
  • Maple - (English) Name of a tree
  • Narcissa - (Greek) Means "daffodil"
  • Nova - (Hopi- Native American) Means "butterfly chaser"
  • Wren - Name of a songbird

Male Names That Stem From the Natural World

He is the center of your earth, so why not give him a name that pays homage to exactly that?

  • Adair - (Gaelic) Means "from the oak tree ford"
  • Addix - Refers to a white antelope that hails from the Sahara desert
  • Aster - (Greek) Means "star"
  • Bentley - (English) Means "a field covered in bent grass"
  • Birk - (Scottish) Means "birth tree"
  • Colm - (Gaelic) Means "dove"
  • Conall - (Gaelic) Means "wolf"
  • Ember - (English) Means "smoldering fire"
  • Fraser - (Scottish or French) Means "strawberry"
  • Lynx - Name of an animal
  • Orion - (Greek) Means "rising sky"

Interesting Baby Names Derived From Various Places on Earth

Is there somewhere in the world that you hold dear? Perhaps a visit or stint in a city or town has made a tremendous impact on the course of your life. Names inspired by places make for unusual but beautiful monikers for babies.

Male Baby Names Inspired by Places

Cute Indian baby

Babies with these locale-inspired names are certainly lucky little lads to have such meaningful monikers.

  • Adairi (India)
  • Boston (Massachussettes)
  • Cairo (Egypt)
  • Chandler (Arizona)
  • Essex (England)
  • Hamilton (New Zealand)
  • Houston (Texas)
  • Memphis (Tennessee)
  • Wellington (New Zealand)

Female Baby Names Inspired by Places

The baby girl names are almost as jaw-droppingly lovely as the places that inspired them.

  • Abilene (Texas)
  • Acadia (Maine)
  • Imola (Italy)
  • Ireland
  • Holland
  • Langley (Virginia)
  • Loha (India)
  • Morinda (India)
  • Odessa (Ukraine)
  • Valencia (Spain)

Precious Pop Culture-Inspired Baby Names

Think about your favorite characters, shows, films, and artists. Do any of them have characters with unique names that might be up your baby-naming alley?

  • Adonis - (male) Son of rapper Drake
  • Aslan - (male) Name of the lion in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
  • Banks - (female) Name of actress Hillary Duff's daughter
  • Britta - (female) Name of a character in the television series Community
  • Bran - (male) Character on Game of Thrones
  • Fitz - (male) Name of character on Pride & Prejudice
  • Fox - (male) Main character in the television series The X-Files
  • Hugo - (male) Name of a character on the television show Lost
  • Juno - (female) Main character in the movie Juno
  • Kalinda - (female) Inspired by a character on The Good Wife
  • Kima - (female) Inspired by the hit television show The Wire
  • Maeby - (female) Character on the television show Arrested Development
  • Olly - (male) Name of a character in Everything, Everything
  • Rey - (female) Character in Star Wars movies
  • Rue - (female) Character in The Hunger Games
  • Sansa - (female) Name of leading character on Game of Thrones

Considerations for Choosing an Unusual Baby Name

Choosing an inspiring and unique name for your baby is an excellent option for new parents. Still, even when you have carefully selected a name, there are some considerations to pay attention to. Do your research. Ensure that the name you have decided to gift your infant is not offensive to people from other cultures. Furthermore, make sure the name is unusual and not simply strange. Whatever you choose will be your kid's name for the entirety of their lives. With unique names, consider middle names that are more common, giving kids a choice as to what to go by when they reach adulthood.

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Unusual Baby Names for the Interesting Kids of the World