Baby Name Guides

Every list here gives the origin and the etymological meaning of each name, and each guide covers the trade-off that particular style of name brings with it — what popularity actually costs, how far is too far with a rare name, whether a nature name will still fit at forty.

Browse by style

• Popular Baby NamesFamiliar, widely-used names — and an honest look at what popularity actually costs and buys.
• Unique and Uncommon Baby NamesRare names that are still real names — with a practical test for how far is too far.
• Gender-Neutral Baby NamesNames that work for any child — including which ones are genuinely balanced and which are drifting.
• Vintage and Old-Fashioned Baby NamesNames from your great-grandparents' generation, and the hundred-year rule that explains why they are back.
• Nature Baby NamesNames from plants, weather, landscape and birds — and how to keep them from tipping into twee.
• Short Baby NamesOne and two syllable names that need no nickname — and why they pair well with long surnames.

Once you have a list

Collecting names is the easy part. Choosing between fifteen of them is where most people stall, because ranking a long list at once is genuinely difficult — and re-reading it does not help.

That is where we come in: you compare names, pick the one you prefer, and a winner or a ranked shortlist falls out of it. Read which game suits your list, or our guide to narrowing a name list down.