You’re going to live with your child’s name for a long time, so you want it to be one that you love. Check out these creative options to help your little one feel like an original.
Many of these names can also be used as middle names for boys and girls, or to create a unique combination.
1. Nature-Inspired Names
If you love walks through botanical gardens or spend your weekends camping, consider giving your baby a name inspired by Mother Nature. These creative names are a good way to show your child that they can find inspiration in nature no matter where they live.
Trees, flowers and birds are the basis for many of these unique baby names. These names can be unisex or gender specific depending on your preference.
For example, the name Spruce is inspired by the evergreen coniferous tree and can be used for both boys and girls. The name Flora comes from the flower and is also a feminine form of the 14th-century saint, Fleur of Issendolus. The songbird Wren is a petite bird that has a big voice and can be used for both boys and girls. Other great nature-inspired names include Sage, Clay, and Heath.
2. Words
Creative names convey imagination, which is a crucial element for children. They can invoke images of passionate artists wielding their paintbrushes, writers penning enchanting stories, and musicians crafting mesmerizing melodies. As a bonus, many of these names are unisex, so they provide gender-neutral options for all parents.
When choosing a name for your kids business, it’s important to think long-term. Your business may expand to include new services or products, so you need a name that will work with future growth. There are also known and recognized cuban names for girls that you might want to consider.
A clever name can give your business a sense of ingenuity and intelligence that sets it apart from competitors. Try using rhyming words or creating a word-play to find eye-catching and memorable names for your kids business. For example, Roblox is a combination of “robot” and “block”, which captures the premise of the business as a place for users to create their own worlds.
3. Colors
Colors are a vital part of a child’s developing knowledge. They help children learn about the world around them, and they also teach them to categorize objects based on size, shape, and name.
Color names have become very popular over the past few years, especially after Beyonce and Jay-Z named their daughter Blue Ivy. This unisex color name has since risen in popularity, as has Azure, which conjures up images of oceans and skies.
To help kids understand the different shades of colors, you can play games like the categories game, where each child takes turns picking a card and naming something that is typically that color (“Does this apple have a yellow stem?”). You can also show them paint samples from a local paint store so they can see how the shade changes as more color is added to white.
4. Seasons
When deciding on a unique baby name, some parents want to go beyond the typical names of Elizabeth, Sophia, and Liam. Instead, they might look for a name inspired by nature, a color, a word, or a season.
Autumn, a popular fall name, is one example of a seasonal baby name. Willow is another tree-inspired name that is unisex and has a timeless quality.
Marigold is a flower that blooms in the spring, and it’s also the name of an actress and royal relative. Other spring-inspired names include Emerald and Orchid, which are both great options for girls. Then there’s Autumn, a popular girl’s name that entered the top 100 in the 1990s and was the daughter-in-law of Princess Anne.
5. Gemstones
Gemstones are prized for their durability and beauty. They have been associated with certain elements, such as love, health, and wisdom. A gemstone business name can reflect these values and create a memorable brand.
The sparkling name Coralie is a beautiful choice for a girl, as is the blue-green gem Opal, which symbolizes purity and trust. The gem Chrysoberyl is another unique option.
You can also take inspiration from your little one’s birthstone, such as Sapphire, which is the September birthstone. Or opt for the deep-blue gem Lapis lazuli, which is named after the Persian word for snow and is believed to protect against envy. The gender-neutral name Onyx is a stylish pick and includes the trendy letter X. You can even choose the light-blue crystal Quartz, or its variant Ocean Jasper, to give your baby a bright and sparkly name.
6. Animals
When a kid has a new stuffed animal, they often name it based on something in their daily lives. This can include food, clothing items and toys. For example, if a girl loves a particular flavor of Perry Perry sauce, she may name her stuffed animal after it.
Many stuffed animals come in pairs, so it’s common to find names that suggest these friends get along well together. These paired names are fun to play with and can include clever twists on the species’ names like Mika Coonington for a classy raccoon or Miss Tipsy Cat Bose for an adventurous cat.
The beauty of nature provides a wide variety of creative baby names, but many traditional choices have animal-inspired meanings too. Check out our full list of animal names for more options. And remember to practice saying these names with your child to make sure it fits right.
7. Books
From a young age, children learn to value their names. They love to see them on their belongings and in books they read together. They are likely to write their names first as squiggles and then later in more legible forms.
Whether they honor cultural backgrounds or the memories of ancestors, many kids’ names carry meanings and stories with them. One book that explains the significance of names is Dorothy Astoria’s The Name Book: Over 10,000 Names and Their Meanings, which delves into the possible spiritual implications of classic and contemporary names.
Try using a series of bottle caps with a child’s letter on each for a fun alphabet game. Invite them to pinch the caps and put them in name order, a great way to reinforce beginning letter sounds! Then they can play a name-related memory game.
8. Presidents & First Ladies
The names of presidents and first ladies offer a rich tapestry of possibilities for a creative baby name. For boys, consider Tazewell Tyler, John Tyler’s son, or the names of presidential pets like Peter Pan (Calvin Coolidge’s dog), Tom Kitten or Grits (JFK’s cat).
Parents often think about their children’s future employability when choosing their sons’ names, which may explain why you see so many Johns and Michaels in one family. But, experts hope that as we make progress toward gender equity, parents will start to move beyond the conventional and choose more creative names for their daughters too.
Other interesting options for girls include Louisa Catherine Johnson, the wife of John Quincy Adams; or Lucretia Rudolph, another First Lady with an interesting middle name. Double names are also a popular naming convention, which could allow you to honor two female relatives or even your own mother’s maiden name.
9. Asian & African American Names
A baby’s name is a way of imparting hope for a life brimming with creativity and imagination. Names that evoke the creative spirit conjure images of passionate artists wielding their paintbrushes, writers crafting enchanting stories and musicians creating mesmerizing melodies.
As a distinct African American cultural practice, unique names became increasingly popular among Black Americans as they embraced their African and West Indie roots during the 1950s and 1960s. This was in contrast to previous naming patterns, which were heavily influenced by European and English names.
Some parents use unique names to draw symbolic boundaries with African Americans. For example, one father chose the cultural name Ahadu to distinguish his son from the negative stereotypes associated with many African American names (Chacko & Gebre, 2017).
10. Comic Book Characters
Comic book characters are a great source of creative names, evoking an imaginative world that kids can get lost in. These names are also fun and playful, suggesting a magazine that is fun to read and a great fit for a family publication. Names like Froooo and Zokuzo are whimsical, whereas Little Double and Wonder Pumpkin evoke a sense of adventure, perfect for magazines that aim to educate children through exciting experiences. Domatron’s search engine can help you find the right names for your kid-themed publications.