Weird names for babies come from all sorts of naming traditions and languages but the one thing they have in common is that they are all uncommon and often surprising. Weird names for boys and girls are simply names that have gone out of fashion or new additions that have yet to appeal to a wide swath of parents.
We decided to uncover the weird names parents are using today to better understand the trends, or lack thereof, around these uncommon names. If you are looking for weird names to try with your baby or simply curious about what people are getting up to with their offsprings’ names, you have come to the right place!
Check Out These Weird Names!
Weird Names for Girls
Let’s kick things off with weird names for girls. These names might have been popular once upon a time in Europe, but they have never been popular in the US.
More Names for Girls
Here are a couple of Greek gems that seem like weird names today but were once commonplace.
- Cassiopeia – From Greek, belonging to the mythological mother who became a constellation.
- Ione – Also from Greek, meaning “a violet stone”
Names for Girls Continued
Well, it’s all Greek to us because we have a few more weird names that come from the language to share with you.
- Io – From Greek mythology and the name of the largest moon of Jupiter.
- Circe – Another name from Greek mythology, the daughter of Helios who was a sorceress
More Strangeness
Let’s turn our attention to some Irish and Celtic names that seem weird to many of us today.
- Caoimhe – From Irish and Scottish tradition, pronounced “kee-va,” meaning “beautiful”
- Africa – From Celtic origins, meaning “pleasant”
More Names for Girls
Let’s take a look at some more weird Irish names for girls that are virtually unheard in the US today.
- Aoife – An Irish name steeped in legend, meaning “radiant”
- Boudicca – An ancient Celtic name, meaning “victory”
More Uncommon Names
Okay, a couple more Irish names to share with you before we move on!
- Vevina – Gaelic, meaning “sweet lady”
- Neala – An Irish name, meaning “cloud”
More Strange Names
We kicked this list off with a a German name and it’s time to look at some more weird names that originated in the language.
- Minka – From German, a diminutive form of Wilhelmina, meaning “resolute protector”
- Elke – From German, a form of Adelheid, meaning “noble”
More Weird Names with German Origins
Let’s look at some even stranger German names for girls for a little longer. The Germanic languages contributed so much to the English we speak today, but you might not know that from these names!
- Evchen – A German name from Hebrew, related to Eve, meaning “life”
- Mechtilde – Another German name, a less attractive form of Matilda, meaning “battle-mighty”
Even More Weird Names with German Origins
Do these weird names have you craving pretzels or do you want to say Auf Wiedersehen!? Let’s take a gander a couple more of these strange German names.
- Reinhilda – The German people got the beautiful name Regina from Latin and somehow turned it into Reinhilda, a name that also means “queen”
- Ziska – Another time the German language chewed up a Latin name and spit it out is with Ziska which is a form of Frances, meaning “free man”
More Odd Names for Girls
Let’s take a look at some weird names that originated in Latin. Buckle up!
- Orinthia – From Latin, meaning “to stir the mind”
- Dulcibella – From Latin, meaning “sweet”
More Weird Names for Girls from Latin
What else does the mother language have for us? Let’s take a look at some more strange Latin names for girls.
- Prunella – This name is actually related to prunes! Prunella comes from Latin, meaning “small plum”
- Semiramide – Pronounced Seh-mi-RAH-me-de, this appellation from Latin and Assyrian belonged to the most influential Queen of Assyria (Semiramis), the name means “highest heaven”
More Names for Girls
Here are some unsung Italian names that should sound rather strange to contemporary parents.
- Ginevra – From Italian, a popular name in Italy today but basically unknown in the US, meaning “white shadow”
- Fiorella – From Italian, meaning “little flower”
More Weird Names with Italian Origins
The Italian language seems to have a knack for taking Latin names and making them sound so much more romantic and over-the-top. Let’s look at some more Italian names for girls.
- Bambalina – A big Italian name that means “little girl”
- Romanadia – An Italian name from Latin, meaning “a Roman”
Strange Names for Girls
Let’s check in with another language, Spanish, to find other weird names.
- Leocadia – From Spanish, meaning “splendid brightness”
- Delma – From Spanish and German, meaning “noble protector”
Even More Weird Names from Spanish
Weren’t those strange names from Spanish fun? Let’s look at some more weird names for girls that you likely will never hear in the US.
- Bertunga – Somehow, this Spanish name is a form of the German name Robert, meaning “bright fame”
- Laurentena – If you ever looked at the name Laura and thought to yourself, “My, that’s awfully plain,” Laurentena is the Spanish alternative you need! It’s a form of Laura and means “bay laurel”
More Weird Names
Check out some more weird names for girls from Spanish!
- Bautista – From Spanish and Latin, meaning “the baptized one”
- Socorra – From Spanish, meaning “one who helps,” referring to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Perpetuo Socorro)
Even More Names for Girls
Let’s move on to some names with French origins that you have likely never heard.
- Gervasia – From French, meaning “skilled with a spear”
- Genobeba – From French, meaning “tribe woman”
More Weird Names for Girls from French
You have likely never heard the following French names which are very weird and not too terribly popular in the US today.
- Edwige – The French form of the German name Hedwig, meaning “war”
- Pomeline – A rare French name that means “small apple”
Unisex Weird Names
Here are some unisex names that can be used for both boys and girls. Don’t worry! They’re still weird names!
- Lowen – Of Cornish origin, meaning “joy”
- Schuyler – From Dutch, meaning “scholar”
More Unisex Names
Here are more gender-neutral names that take a walk on the wild side.
- Lael – From Hebrew, meaning “belonging to God”
- Aris – From Greek, meaning “to harvest”
RELATED: 25 Super Fresh Unisex Nature Baby Names for 2021
Even More Unisex Weird Names
Let’s take a look at some other unisex names that are rather odd. First up, one from ancient Greece!
- Halycon – A Greek nature name, meaning “kingfisher bird”
- Yarrow – An English botanical name for a wild herb, meaning “rough stream”
We’re Not Done with These Weird Names for Boys and Girls
Let’s take a look at more weird names that will work for both boys and girls. A Cornish favorite is up first!
- Veryan – A name of a scenic Cornish village on the Roseland Peninsula, Veryan refers to a saint, meaning “to bring together”
- Lorca – A unisex Spanish name originated as a name of a Spanish place, a province of Navarre
More Gender-Neutral Names
Here are a couple additional gender-neutral weird names for you to consider.
- Tenzin – A Tibetan name, meaning “holder of the teaching”
- Tully – An Irish name, meaning “flood,” “peaceful,” and “hill”
Weird Names for Boys
Now, let’s discuss some weird names for boys that you have probably never encountered.
- Gatlin – From Old English, meaning “wandering man”
- Jaziel – From Hebrew, meaning “allotted by God”
More Weird Names for Boys
Here are a couple of weird names from the Greek tradition.
- Kester – Originating in Greek, meaning “carrier of Christ”
- Eustace – An English name from Greek, meaning “fruitful”
More Weird Names for Boys from Greek
Let’s take a look at more Greek head scratchers.
- Lafcadio – A Greek place-name referring to the island of Lefkada, and could mean “white” as a reference to the white rocks of the cape or pebbles on the beach
- Nikostratos – A name of Greek origin, related to the winged Greek goddess of victory, meaning “army of victory”
Weird Names for Boys from Latin
Let’s switch gears to appellations with Latin origins. Here are some weird names that seem unlikely choices for baby boys born today.
- Bonaventure – While it can be a route to get you the desirable nickname Bo, Bonaventure is a lot of name! It has Latin origins and means “good fortune”
- Felinus – Love cats? This could be the perfect option for you as this Latin name means “cat-like”
More Weird Names for Boys from Latin
We’re keeping it odd with more weird names form Latin. Who would have thought?
- Timaeus – A Latin name adopted from Greek roots, meaning “honor”
- Tullio – From the Roman clan name, Tullius, meaning “flood” and “peaceful”
Even More Weird Names for Boys
Here are some more uncommon names for boys both from Latin origins.
- Hadrian – From Latin, meaning “dark hair”
- Maro – From Latin, meaning “of Mars”
Strange Names for Boys
Check out these even stranger names for boys.
- Pinchas – From Hebrew, meaning “dark skin”
- Ubaldo – From Italian and German origins, meaning “bold heart and mind”
More Weird Names for Boys from Hebrew
Their are more weird names from Hebrew scattered around this list, but we wanted to focus on a few strange ones for a moment.
- Adonijah – A name for boys that belongs to one of King David’s sons in the Old Testament, meaning “my Lord is Yahweh”
- Chazaiah – An obscure biblical name that has yet to be discovered by many parents, meaning “God has seen”
Let’s Look at More Unique Hebrew Names for Boys
Those were fun, right? Let’s check out even more weird names from Hebrew!
- Eliphalet – Probably the only elephantine name on this weird names list, Eliphalet means “God has judged”
- Habakkuk – Name of a minor prophet from the Old Testament, meaning “embrace”
More Odd Names for Boys
Here are some more weird names that you might want to skip on.
- Wadd – From Arabic or Malay origin, meaning “beloved”
- Royce – From English, meaning “son of the king”
Stranger Names
Here are some more names for boys that aren’t all that bad!
- Ozias – From Greek, meaning “salvation”
- Balthazar – A Phoenician name, meaning “Baal protects the King”
More Weird Names
More fun yet weird names for boys.
- Monty – From French, a shortened form of Montague or Montgomery
- Elihu – From Hebrew, meaning “Jehovah is God”
More Weird Names for Boys from French
Monty was a fun one! Let’s take a look at some more weird names from French origins.
- Arhambault – A French name of Teutonic origin, related to Archibald, and meaning “truly brave”
- Apollinaire – Another French name that starts with A, Apollonaire means “of Apollo”
Uncommon Names for Boys
These next two names are actually gender-neutral but we more commonly associate them with boys.
- Yarden – From Hebrew, meaning “to flow down”
- Perrin – From Greek, a form of Peter or Perry, meaning “little Peter”
More Strange Names for Boys
These next two names were popular in the US over 100 years ago but are nowhere to be found today.
- Adlai – From Hebrew, meaning “God is just”
- Anatole – From Greek, meaning “from the east”
Weird Names for Boys from Spanish
Let’s spice things up with these weird names for boys in Spanish.
- Estamoslao – A Spanish name that shares roots with the Germanic and Slavic name Stanislav, meaning “glorious one”
- Godofredo – Somehow, this name is a Spanish form of an English/French name that brings us Geoffrey, meaning “pledged to peace”
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Weird Names for Boys
Here are a couple of funny-sounding names to put a cap on this list.
- Gower – From Welsh, meaning “pure”
- Finlo – A Manx name, meaning “fair Lugh”
There you go! What did you think of these offbeat names? We hope you enjoyed these curiosities. We would love to know if any of these appellations appealed to you and if you would consider using any of them for your child. Please let us know by dropping us a comment.