Querky or alternative names - see my list of options

What about Dio?
Lars
Pantera?

There are some nasty comments on this thread, sorry OP, not sure what's drawn them out them out this evening, it's not even a full moon.

There's some great names on your list. I love Kaia, Wren, Robyn and Khari, and Xanthe actually.
Boys I like Patrick, Zakk and Corey
Have you considered Xander?

A stupid spelling of Zack doesn’t make it “quirky”

You could always use one of your more "out there" names as a middle name so your child can choose to use it later if they want. For boys I also like Asa, Silas and Inigo.

My DD is one of these ^ ☺️ lots of compliments. Mine isn't on here but is a lot more out there (mythology) than some of these but many compliments and I love it, have never wanted to change it

Hi MotherofRabbits, I think the problem is that whatever you might think you're asking for on the Baby Names board, what you're going to get is people's brutally frank opinions on those names.
It's actually quite useful if you want to know what your friends are probably really thinking when they say 'ow wow, um great, that's unusual' and so on. It's less helpful if what you're looking for is actually 'aw hun that's fab, I called mine Balonz, you call your bubba whatever you want.'

In the country where I live you would probably not be allowed to register your child as Zero or Styx because they're undignified and disrespectful to the child. Quirky is fine, but if you cross a particular line it's not fair on your baby.

You should add one more name to your “lovely” list- Fart.
Judging by 90% of your name choices you will love it!:)

LOL a child named Zero. Can you imagine?! Just becouse you like quirky doesn’t mean your child would… most of the names - utter nonsense.
One or two are ok and normal enough

How could you call your child Zero? It’s like saying your child is nothing, worthless!

Some of them are not as yooneek as you seem to think, some are truly awful

Tabitha is lovely though

I like the idea of Phoenix but it feels like a big name to have to live up to

There's interesting and classy 'quirky', and then there's a bit naff 'quirky'. I think you have a few of both on your list.

GIRLS:
nova - I used to like, but is a bit 'teen mom' (as in the TV show, not a dig at teenage mums!)
piper - Pretty. Not that quirky though.
raven - It's okay, would only suit a certain type of person I think. I can't see it on a blonde haired blue eyed girly-girl, for example.
Harlow - Marlowe is much nicer and rarer and not a town in Essex
Elara - Not quirky, will blend into an ocean of 'el' names. Elowen is much prettier and classier
robyn - pretty. Not that unusual though if that's what you're going for. I know several.
xanthe - This name is very popular with Mumsnet! Not my taste, but nothing wrong with it
saxon - This is really bad. Saxon? Like Anglo-Saxon? Why?
lexie - Very, very popular and not at all quirky
wren - Gaining in popularity but a nice name. Very sweet.
kimberley - A bit dated.
zero - Zero? I wouldn't name a child this. Of all the numbers, 0? Like... Nothing. It's a bit sad.
khari - Is it pronounced like Carrie? If so, nice, but I prefer Carrie spelling.
iris - Very pretty but again, pretty popular
kaia - Nice. Popular in certain cultures. I know a lot of Turkish Kaias (but they're male)
tabitha - My daughter's name so I love it. Best one by far

BOYS:
zakk - Zach is okay. Zack is also fine. Xakk is an awful spelling!
Harrison - Not rare or quirky
Lincoln - It's okay.
falcon - No! No! No! Falcon???
corey - No, very 90s.
phoenix - No, very 90s
jaxon - No, very chavvy
rex - No. I know 3 babies named Rex
Angus - Nice
hamish - Fine
blaze - No, a bit chavvy. Blaise is better.
ace - No! It sounds like a jokey nickname
brandon - probably the least quirky name I've ever heard
wolf - So many babies recently named Wolf, Fox, Bear
zeppelin - Like... The thing?? The flying object? Why?
Zio - a bit nothingey
Balthazar - Cool, bold, biblical
styx - pronounced like sticks? Again, why?
toby - Another very un-quirky name
patrick - Nice, not quirky
cooper - Fine, not quirky.

I don't like your boy's list much. The girls list is so much better!

Are you a big fan of classic rock? Saxon, Zeppelin, Styx, Cooper (Alice cooper) Angus (Young, ACDC)… all I think of when I see your list is 80s hair metal

I wouldn't go with Styx, because while it looks objectively fine, it sounds like Sticks and has a rather dark meaning in mythology.

But most of the others are pretty usable. I like the mix of eras as well - Iris alongside Kimberley and Harlow, Angus alongside Corey and Ace. Not sure Zeppelin will catch on, but Zep is quite sweet.

I wish we could pick our own names so parents didn’t have to experiment with our identities

Styx is the name of a local shitty snooker/nightclub here.

I like most of them, and can’t be too unusual because I know some of them!

No to zero or khari, not keen on Jaxon or Brandon prefer Blake to Blaze I feel like Ace may feel a bit of a twat introducing himself (probably due to red dwarf) no to zeppelin or styx, sound like drummers in a band.

May depend on your surname for the rest.

I live in a rural town in the highlands and teach kids with 8 of the names off your list, including Piper and several Zakk, Zac, Zack variations, so they're not all that quirky or unusual.

Which are your favourites OP?

It's a varied list, some quirky, some not.
Think about meanings a bit - Styx or Zero, for example, aren't very nice in their meaning / inference.

As someone with a name that people struggle to spell and pronounce, I'd say go for pronunciation that is intuitive & straightforward spelling.
It is tiresome to receive constantly misspelled correspondence (honestly my schools couldn't even get it right) & to be unable to say your name without someone saying "oh, that's unusual". I shortened it at 14 to a common nickname & that's what everyone calls me.

I think Zero and Styx have very odd connotations for most people. They'd raise eyebrows but not in a good way.

An associate of mine is called Zephryn which is pretty unusual (female).

But if you have a tattoo that’s something you’ve chosen for yourself. And people still get them removed / covered up because they regret them.

That’s not the same thing as being named Styx and then having to change your name to William by deed poll when you’re 18 because you’ve had enough.

You’re not making the choice for yourself. You’re making it for someone else. And that doesn’t mean all names need to be a top 10 name. But you do need to think about the implications of what you choose if you want to go against social conventions.

Please don’t call your child Zero! 🤣

You sound terribly proud of yourself OP

Agreed that it sounds like a roll call for a 90s teen movie! Seriously, especially the boys with Patrick and Cooper in there alongside - STYX!

Hahahaha! Buffy come back, all is forgiven!

Seriously - I love Xanthe, and Angus and Hamish are fab.

If the name raises eyebrows, don’t use it. Why on earth would you saddle a child with a name that will raise eyebrows for the rest of their life?!

You’re naming an actual person, not a pet.