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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Unusual baby names

35 replies

TerraForma · 23/09/2017 15:11

Hi all, my partner and I are expecting and aren't sure of names yet. We don't know baby's gender yet, so are trying to come up with names for both.
We don't want anything extremely common, and it doesn't even need to be English, it can be a name from anywhere. What suggestions do you have?
So far we have
Aoife (EE-FA) and Elai, but I prefer both as middle names.

OP posts:
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daisypond · 23/09/2017 15:19

I think Aoife is quite common. I know a few. (I'm in London). Not heard of Elai. You could look at the least common baby names lists someone has just posted, where fewer than 50 babies were called these names.

Crowdo · 23/09/2017 15:20

Atala

TerraForma · 23/09/2017 15:29

Where I am, I've never met or heard of anyone called Aoife and I'm originally from Nottingham and now in North Yorkshire. The name is Irish.

OP posts:
TidyDancer · 23/09/2017 15:31

Agree Aoife is quite commonly heard now. Never heard it used by anyone who isn't Irish though.

Mammysin · 23/09/2017 15:34

Saoirse ( Seersha) Irish for freedom
Dara ( dar (as in dark) - ah Irish for Oak

daisypond · 23/09/2017 15:35

Yep, Aoife is Irish. The ones I know have at least one parent who is of Irish origin, or in one case a grandparent.

CherriesInTheSnow · 23/09/2017 15:36

I really like Fia or Fiadh (Irish for wild/wild deer) but liked Faye better in the end. I still think it's lovely though :)

ChocolateCrunch · 23/09/2017 15:36

Eleri
Saskia
Cora
Willa

CherriesInTheSnow · 23/09/2017 15:38

I also love Anouk which is quite unusual. As well as Astrid.

daisypond · 23/09/2017 16:04

I know a few Saskias, as well, but all are teenagers. I was surprised to see it's not in the 100 most common girls' names for babies. Astrid is mentioned quite often on these boards, so that will be rising in popularity. How about Merle? (French/Scottish/Irish for blackbird), but it is a real name. I've never met a single one, and only know of the actress Merle Oberon.

BikeRunSki · 23/09/2017 16:08

Amos
Eliezer
Jabez

Zillah
Kerenza
Jacinth

Cagliostro · 23/09/2017 16:09

Astrid will be one of DD2's middle names :)

If a boy she would be Taliesin as DH has Welsh heritage. Just love it!

EssentialHummus · 23/09/2017 16:10

I really like Merle ^. I think Israeli names may also be a good shout if you want something unusual but easy to pronounce.

Skyllo30 · 23/09/2017 16:11

Aoife is more common outside of Ireland now, one of The Saturdays named her child that. It's very popular in Ireland/those of Irish heritage.

ememem84 · 23/09/2017 16:16

I wanted to call ds (due imminently) Winter or Hedley or Snowden or Helier. All very traditional names here. Dh vetoed all of them. I'm still toying with Thorin but we'll probably go for something more traditional.

countycouncil · 23/09/2017 16:17

Wren
Marley

Smoliver · 23/09/2017 17:03

If you like Irish names there's...

Niahm/Neve
Fiadh/Fia
Clodagh (pronounced Clo-Dah)
Ailbhe (pronounced Al-va)
Emer
Moira

AgentCooper · 23/09/2017 17:09

I know quite a few Aoifes but them I'm Glaswegian with Irish background.

One name I heard recently that I thought was amazing was Fiammetta (Italian for little flame) or Fiamma (flame). Don't know if it sounds awful to Italian ears - lots of Italians I know are perplexed by the current love of Arabella here as they think it's a real old lady name.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 23/09/2017 18:03

Anais
Inga
Estelle/a
Caroline
Lucia
Kim
Zetta
Opal

DuggeeHugs · 23/09/2017 20:10

I'll second Anouk - lovely name!

Keychanges · 23/09/2017 20:21

Myrtle is a really unusual girl's name. Only know of one person with that name.

manicinsomniac · 23/09/2017 22:22

You've got quite a wide brief there. There's an awful lot of relatively unusual names.

Random selection:
Angelica, Astrid, Alyona, Amberley, Bronte, Bryony, Bronwen, Blair, Clarissa, Cassandra, Cerys, Camryn, Daphne, Danika, Delphi, Devon, Elianne, Effie, Eilidh, Everley, Fleur, Faith, Fira, Fallon, Georgette, Giovanna, Gloria, Genesis, Henrietta, Honor, Halima, Hadley, Ingrid, Irma, Iona, Inaya, Jocelyn, Juliet, Jocasta, Jessamy, Katerina, Karensa, Karizma, Kiki, Lorelai, Larissa, Lana, Livia, Miranda, Miriam, Mala, Mika, Natasha, Noelle, Nyah, Noa, Octavia, Ottillle, Odette, Ocean, Paloma, Pandora, Piryanka, Pepper, Quinn, Queenie, Rosalind, Ruth, Robina, Rowena, Sorrell, Susannah, Safiya, Saffron, Thalia, Theodora, Tamika, Taryn, Ursula, Una, Ulrika, Viola, Vanessa, Vashti, Venice, Winifred, Wilhemina, Wanda, Wren, Xanthe, Xenia, Xanthippe, Zia, Zeryn, Zillah

Adrian, Alisdair, Braxton, Brody, Christian, Crispin, Diego, Django, Ezra, Elias, Fergus, Fraser, Gareth, Gregory, Hamish, Hector, Inigo, Igor, Jesse, Joachim, Kester, Kenneth, Lachlan, Lawrence, Malachi, Merlin, Noel, Nikita, Orson, Obadiah, Patrick, Porter, Quentin, Quinn, Robin, Ruaridh, Solomon, Storm, Titus, Talon, Ulysses, Valiant, Victor, Wolf, Wilkie, Xavier, Xander, Yorrick, Yves, Zebediah, Zechariah

Tealdeal747 · 23/09/2017 22:36

Eldon
Elwood
Malachi
Kai

Emer
Aurelia
Aphra
Caoimhe
Ailish

Twoevils · 23/09/2017 22:45

Iola, pronounced Eye-ola or in Welsh it is ee-yoh-la

Ojoj1974 · 23/09/2017 23:51

My favourite names if j were to have another child...
Boy- Sholto
Girl- Saoirse

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