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Rare Baby Names

Rare baby names are the genuinely uncommon ones — for parents who want a name their child rarely, if ever, has to share.

466 names · 212 boys · 242 girls · 12 unisex · Updated Oct 2026

If the idea of your child being one of three in their class puts you off, rare names are your aisle. These are the uncommon picks that still feel like real, rooted names.

This collection gathers scarce, distinctive names from many origins, each with a genuine meaning. Browse by gender, or sort alphabetically to dig past the familiar.

Browse rare baby names

Filter by gender, re-sort, and tap any name for its full meaning, origin, and popularity.

addilyn

From a Germanic name that was derived from the element adal meaning "noble" (Proto-Germanic * aþalaz )

GirlEnglish, Germanic
Traits:Modern/Noble/Trendy

alaiya

Means "high, lofty, sublime" in Arabic, from the root علا ( ʿalā ) meaning "to be high"

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

alden

From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine

BoyEnglish
Traits:Blessing/Surnames/Rare

alexa

Meaning unknown, possibly of Luwian or Hittite origin

GirlEnglish, Latin
Traits:Royal/Warrior/Bold

alexandria

Meaning unknown, possibly of Luwian or Hittite origin

GirlEnglish, Latin
Traits:Royal/Warrior/Bold

alonzo

American variant of Alonso, the Spanish form of Alfonso, from Germanic elements meaning "noble and ready"

BoyEnglish
Traits:Rare/Classic/Timeless

alvin

Derived from the Old English elements ælf "elf" and wine "friend"

BoyEnglish, French
Traits:Historical/Surnames/Vintage

alys

From the Old French name Aalis, a short form of Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name Adalheidis (see Adelaide )

GirlEnglish, French
Traits:Rare/Short/Elegant

alyssia

From the Old French name Aalis, a short form of Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name Adalheidis (see Adelaide )

GirlEnglish, French
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

amoura

Apparently a modern coinage based on Latin amor meaning "love"

GirlEnglish, Latin
Traits:Modern/Love/Trendy

anora

Honor or grace

GirlLatin, English
Traits:Rare/Virtue/Unique

antony

Variant of Anthony, the English form of the Roman family name Antonius, of uncertain Etruscan origin

BoyEnglish
Traits:Rare/Classic/Timeless

anwen

very beautiful

GirlIrish, English
Traits:Traditional/Rare/Beauty

arden

From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high"

UnisexEnglish
Traits:Unisex/Surnames/Gender Neutral

arlen

Meaning unknown, possibly from a surname

BoyEnglish
Traits:Surnames/Rare/Classic

ashlyn

Combination of Ashley and the popular name suffix lyn

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

ashlynn

Combination of Ashley and the popular name suffix lyn

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

aviana

Probably an elaboration of Ava 1, influenced by names such as Ariana

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Animal/Trendy

avianna

Probably an elaboration of Ava 1, influenced by names such as Ariana

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Animal/Trendy

bailee

From an English surname derived from Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Surnames/Trendy

baylee

From an English surname derived from Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Surnames/Trendy

beauden

Elaboration of French beau "beautiful" using the popular phonetic suffix den, found in such names as Hayden and Aidan

BoyEnglish, French
Traits:Modern/Beauty/Trendy

blessing

From the English word blessing, of Old English origin

UnisexEnglish
Traits:Unisex/Blessing/Gender Neutral

boston

From the American city of Boston in Massachusetts, itself named after a town in Lincolnshire, England

BoyEnglish
Traits:Gem/Rare/Classic

braelyn

A name created in the early 1990s, using the popular name suffix lyn

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

braelynn

A name created in the early 1990s, using the popular name suffix lyn

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

braylen

An invented name, using the same sounds found in names such as Braden and Jalen

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

braylon

An invented name, using the same sounds found in names such as Braden and Jalen

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

bridger

From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Surnames/Trendy

bristol

From the name of the city of Bristol in southwestern England that means "the site of the bridge"

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

brock

From an English surname that was derived from Old English brocc meaning "badger"

BoyEnglish
Traits:Surnames/Rare/Classic

brother

Sibling, kin

BoyEnglish
Traits:Unique/Rare/Modern

brynleigh

Combination of Bryn and the popular phonetic suffix lee

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Surnames/Trendy

buddy

From the English word meaning "friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word brother

BoyEnglish
Traits:Rare/Classic/Timeless

cadence

From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow"

GirlEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

capri

From the name of the picturesque Italian island of Capri

GirlEnglish, Latin
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

carly

From Old French Charles le Magne meaning " Charles the Great"

GirlEnglish, French
Traits:Royal/Rare/Elegant

caspian

Of the Caspian Sea or from Qazvin

BoyLatin, English
Traits:Literary/Nature/Water

cecelia

Variant of Cecilia, the Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, from caecus meaning "blind"

GirlEnglish
Traits:Rare/Classic/Timeless

charli

From Old French Charles le Magne meaning " Charles the Great"

GirlEnglish, French
Traits:Royal/Rare/Elegant

chelsea

From the name of a district in London, originally meaning "landing place for chalk or limestone", derived from Old English cealc "chalk, limestone, plaster" and hyð "port, landing place"

GirlEnglish
Traits:Musical/Rare/Classic

cheyenne

Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers"

GirlEnglish
Traits:Blessing/Color/Rare

chosen

From the English word, the past participle of choose, a word derived from Old English ceosan

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

chozen

From the English word, the past participle of choose, a word derived from Old English ceosan

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Trendy/Rare

clyde

From the name of the River Clyde in Scotland, from Cumbric Clud, which is of uncertain origin

BoyEnglish
Traits:Blessing/Water/Nature

corbin

From a French surname that was derived from corbeau "raven", originally denoting a person who had dark hair

BoyEnglish, French
Traits:Animal/Dark/Surnames

cosmo

From the Greek name Κοσμᾶς (Kosmas), which was derived from κόσμος (kosmos) meaning "order, world, universe"

BoyEnglish, Latin
Traits:Saint/Religious/Rare

cove

From the English vocabulary word cove, which refers to a small coastal inlet

UnisexEnglish
Traits:Unisex/Cute/Gender Neutral

cree

From the name of a Native American tribe of central Canada

UnisexEnglish, French
Traits:Unisex/Gender Neutral/Rare

creed

From the English word creed meaning "set of beliefs", ultimately from Latin credo meaning "to believe"

BoyEnglish, Latin
Traits:Classic/Rare/Timeless

crue

Either from a surname that was derived from the English town of Crewe (from Old Welsh criu meaning "weir" ), or from the English vocabulary word for a group of people

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Surnames/Trendy

curtis

From an English surname that originally meant "courteous" in Old French

BoyEnglish, French
Traits:Surnames/Rare/Elegant

dalton

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English

BoyEnglish
Traits:Nature/Place/Surnames

dane

From an English surname that was either a variant of the surname Dean or else an ethnic name referring to a person from Denmark

BoyEnglish
Traits:Surnames/Rare/Short

darren

The meaning of this name is not known for certain

BoyEnglish, Irish
Traits:Blessing/Surnames/Rare

darwin

From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name Deorwine

BoyEnglish
Traits:Blessing/Surnames/Rare

dash

Probably inspired by the English word dash meaning "run, sprint"

BoyEnglish
Traits:Modern/Cute/Trendy

davis

From the English surname Davis, which was derived from the given name David

BoyEnglish
Traits:Blessing/Surnames/Rare

dax

From an English surname, which was derived either from the town of Dax in France or from the Old English given name Dæcca (of unknown meaning)

BoyEnglish
Traits:Blessing/Place/Surnames

dereck

From the older English name Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of Theodoric

BoyEnglish, Germanic
Traits:Rare/Classic/Timeless

Page 1 of 8 · 466 names total

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