There are several places to hunt for that perfect unusual baby name, from history to literature to pop culture. Fortunately, most of these places to search exist online.
Many people look to history to provide unique baby names, but historically popular names go in and out of vogue. Many baby names from the past are already too common, but a search of online indexes can provide a wealth of unique and unusual baby names for boys and girls.
Look to the Presidents for American Baby Names
Believe it or not, one of the most fertile grounds for finding unusual baby names is among the U.S. Presidents, First Ladies and First Children. There are many unusual and unique baby names to be found in the White House. The Internet Public Library maintains a list of the U.S. Presidents. Each president's name links to a short biography where wives' and children's names can be found.
Yes, there have been many a John and George, but among the presidents and their wives there have also been the following:
- Warren
- Abigail
- Chester
- Florence
- Gerald
- Frances
- Ulysses
- Ida
For some truly unusual baby boy names, there's also:
- Gamaliel
- Woodrow
- Quincy
- Josiah
- Millard
- Spence
Some other unusual baby girl names are:
- Nan
- Fanny
- Octavia
- Ethel
- Eliza
- Lavinia
Any list of historical names is a potential source of unusual baby names. Reviewing Civil War records, letters in archives, or any of the historical documents found on major university archives websites can provide baby name leads.
Literature and Pop Culture Contain Some of the Best Baby Names
Everyone had a favorite book or story growing up. Whatever that story was, revisit it and see if any of the names are especially memorable or meaningful. Another option is to revisit favorite literature anthologies. The table of contents or index of any anthology will provide a fertile hunting ground for the perfect unusual baby name.
Alternately, browse an online literary index. Literary History maintains several literary indexes on one website. Each index has a bibliography or a list of author names linked to their biographies. They're all potential sources for unique baby names. Consider:
- Djuna
- Amiri
- Zora
- Mina
- Rocio
Here are a few names chosen from the index of The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction:
- Maurice
- Seidel
- Parke
- Ambroise
If none of the names in literature seem quite right, try looking through Real Names of Celebrities at The Celebrity Almanac. Here's a small sampling of potential unusual baby names found there (bonus points for naming the celebrity!):
- Ferdinand
- Matilda
- Decian
- Rona
- Cherilyn
- Bartley
- Walden
- Elias
Find Unique Baby Names in Unexpected Places
Unusual baby names are easier to find than most people realize. It just takes a little creative searching. Online resources like these make quick work of finding unusual names from pop culture, literature and history. Many university libraries now have parts of their archives posted online, so unique baby names are as close as the nearest university archives website. All it takes to find the perfect baby name is a little hunting around in some unexpected places.
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