Unique short girl names
115. Alba
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Sunrise
116. Bibi
Origin: Irish
Meaning: The exalted one
117. Cleo
Origin: English
Meaning: Glory
118. Coco
Origin: French
Meaning: Victorious
119. Demi
Origin: French
Meaning: Half or small
120. Dot
Origin: English
Meaning: Gift of God
121. Etta
Origin: English, Italian
Meaning: Little rose
122. Fifi
Origin: Hebrew, French
Meaning: God gives
123. Gaia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: The Earth
124. Gia
Origin: Italian
Meaning: God is gracious
125. Hebe
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Youth
126. Hera
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Hero, warrior
127. Ines
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Pure
128. Iona
129. Joy
Origin: English
Meaning: Contentment
130. June
131. Juno
132. Kiki
133. Lacy
134. Leni
135. Lula
136. Lumi
137. Mara
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Bitter
138. Nala
139. Nell
Origin: English
Meaning: Light or bright
140. Nina
141. Noa
142. Opal
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Precious gem
143. Posy
Origin: English
Meaning: Flowers
144. Rae
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Dark bird
145. Raya
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Friend
146. Remi (or Remy)
Origin: French
Meaning: Rower
147. Rita
Origin: Spanish, Italian
Meaning: Pearl
148. Romy (originally a diminutive of Rosemary)
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Dew of the sea
149. Rois
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Rose flower
150. Rumi
151. Suki
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: Beloved
152. Tara
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Star
153. Tess
Origin: English
Meaning: Harvest
154. Tula
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Balance
155. Vita
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Life
156. Vivi
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Lively
157. Zola
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Piece of earth
What Mumsnetters say about unique short girl names
"Love Alba.” - Mumsnet user, sunglassesonthetable
“Nina - short, easy to spell, a lovely name and underused.” - Mumsnet user, BeaLola
“Suki? Lovely, I have known a couple over the years. I teach, not in conventional education, and come across hundreds of pupils each year, so can still assure you it's unusual.” - Mumsnet user, FlutterbButterfly
“Love Tara. It was on our shortlist. As was Mara.” - Mumsnet user, Jericha
“Tess for me - poetic/romantic with a kind of underused classic feel (thanks to the Hardy novel).” - Mumsnet user, IamnotwhouthinkIam
Unique short boy names
158. Abel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Breath
159. Ace
160. Adi
161. Ari
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Lion or eagle
162. Axel
Origin: German
Meaning: Father of peace
163. Bear
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Bear
164. Beck
Origin: English
Meaning: Stream
165. Bram
166. Cain
167. Cian
168. Cole
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Coal
169. Cove
170. Cruz
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: Cross
171. Elio
Origin: Italian, Spanish
Meaning: Sun
172. Elis
173. Enzo
174. Fox
175. Gabe
176. Hero
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Protector
177. Ivan
Origin: Slavic, Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
178. Jago
179. Jax
180. Jay
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Jaybird
181. Jett
Origin: English
Meaning: Jet black
182. Jost
Origin: German
Meaning: Just, upright
183. Keir
Origin: Scottish, Irish
Meaning: Dark or black
184. Knox
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Round hill
185. Kofi
Origin: Akan (Ghanaian)
Meaning: Born on Friday
.186. Lars
187. Leif
Origin: Scandinavian, Old Norse
Meaning: Descendant, heir
188. Ludo
189. Mack
190. Moss
191. Nash
Origin: Old English
Meaning: By the ash tree
192. Nino
193. Reed
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Red-haired
194. Ren
Origin: Chinese
Meaning: Benevolent
195. Saul
196. Tate
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Cheerful
197. Troy
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Foot soldier
198. Yari
Origin: Japanese, Persian, Italian, Hebrew
Meaning: Spear, friendship or gold
199. Zane
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Handsome
200. Zeke
What Mumsnetters say about unique short boy names
“I know an Ari - he's from Naples and pronounces it to rhyme with Harry.” - Mumsnet user, msmatcha
“I know a couple of little Enzos. One is Enzo as a full name, one it is short for Lorenzo.” - Mumsnet user, cherryassam
“Zeke’s nicely unusual.” - Mumsnet user, Luredbyapomegranate
How to choose a short name
Consider the sound and pronunciation and opt for a name that has a pleasing sound and rolls off the tongue easily (really important when shouting it for the fifth time at the playground).
Short names can still be meaningful so look for one with a meaning that resonates with you and your family.
Love nature and wildlife? Euan (or Ewan) means ‘born of the yew tree’ while Ava means ‘bird’. Or how about Leo (which means lion), Wren (after the bird) or Rafe which has Scandinavian roots and means ‘counsel of the wolf’?
Choose your favourite flower, such as Rose, Rosa, Lily or Laurie (Laurel) - and for more inspiration, check out the top flower names for girls and boys.
Find inspiration in jewels including Jade and Ruby.
Try saying the name aloud with your preferred middle name and, of course, your surname.
Write down your name options together - you’ll be filling in a lot of forms on behalf of your child in the years to come so make sure your preferred first name works well with the rest of your baby’s full name.
Check the initials for all your names together and make sure they don’t spell anything potentially embarrassing.
Consider cultural significance and explore names from your own cultural background or heritage.
Decide whether you prefer a timeless classic or a trendy name. Short names can offer a historic nod or can reflect current naming trends. Some do both!
If you already have children, consider how their names will sound together. There’s no rule book saying siblings must have matching names but it’s a good idea to consider how they sound alongside each other.
What is a cool short name?
A cool short name is one that works well with lots of surnames, sounds classy, chic and memorable and has a cool meaning. When choosing the coolest short names from our list, we made sure to choose one that Mumsnetters rated too.
We think that a cool, short popular name for baby boys is Jude. Let’s face it, any name with a Beatles connection is a winner, and then there’s the delectable Jude Law for a celebrity namesake. Currently at number 40 in the current ONS chart, having climbed 13 places since the previous year, it isn’t overused - and it’s well loved by parents on our Baby Names forum. “I have a Jude and receive nothing but compliments. I still adore his name,” says Mumsnet user, Cbeebiesrehab
For girls, you can’t go far wrong with Lara - a short, melodic name which entered the top 100 ONS baby names list in 2021. It even has its very own theme tune - as explained by Mumsnet user, Orphlids: “Love the name Lara. And the beautiful piece of music, ‘Lara’s Theme,’ from Dr Zhivago.”
What are rare short names?
According to our research, rare short names are names that are well outside the ONS top 100 list and other top name lists. This means that you’re less likely to meet other babies with the same name at your nearest playgroup or nursery.
We think a cool unique name for baby girls is Cleo, which was traditionally short for Cleopatra but is now an accepted standalone name. It means ‘glory’ which is pretty fabulous, we’re sure you’d agree, and it’s safely outside the top 100 list - although it is well-liked by Mumsnetters including lionseggs, who says: “Love Cleo. Baby name envy.”
For boys, we’re keen on Axel which is a strong, unusual name (although it’s steadily rising in popularity). Mumsnetter HouseofGods explains why she chose it, saying: “DH mentioned it in passing while I was pregnant and I was like ‘Oh, it's cool’ and then we just went from there.” It was also the name Little Mix singer (and self-confessed Mumsnetter) Perrie Edwards gave to her son, who was born in 2021 so it’s 100% popstar-approved.
About the author
Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her DP.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby. By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.