Baby name lists · Updated May 2026

Names with unexpected meanings

The ones that mean "little wave" or "sea of bitterness" — names whose stories are stranger and richer than the name itself suggests.

40 namesMeaningsEtymology

40 meaning-rich names

Feminine variation of Claude · Feminine form of Claudius.

Scottish · crooked nose

Familiar

Girl

Cecilia

Feminine form of Cecil · blind

Uncommon

Girl

Leah

Hebrew · weary, grieved

Familiar

Boy

Tristan

Celtic · noise or sorrowful

Uncommon

Unisex

Kennedy

Irish · misshapen head

Hebrew · feller, hewer

Uncommon

Boy

Jabez

Hebrew · Means "sorrow" in Hebrew.

Hebrew · From the Hebrew name קְצִיעָה (Qetsiʿa) meaning "cassia, cinnamon", from the nam

Rare

Boy

Saul

Hebrew · asked for, prayed for

Uncommon

Girl

Brenna

Feminine form of Brennan · Possibly a variant of Brenda or a feminine form of Brennan.

Spanish · Spanish diminutive of Dolores.

English · place of the cow sheds

Uncommon

Unisex

Campbell

Scottish · From a Scottish surname meaning "crooked mouth" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and be

Italian and Spanish from German · Italian and Spanish form of Irmhild.

Uncommon

Boy

Orson

Latin and English · bear

Rare

Girl

Rue

Botanical names or word name · From the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek ῥυτή

Rare

Girl

Delilah

Hebrew or Arabic · delicate, weak, languishing

Uncommon

Boy

Draven

Modern invented name · From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).

English and Irish from French · From an English surname derived from Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful frien

Rare

Girl

Brea

Spelling variation of Bria or short form of Breana · strong, virtuous and honorable

Irish · Anglicized form of Ciarán.

Uncommon

Girl

Bronwyn

Welsh · Variant of Bronwen used in the English-speaking world (especially Australia and

Rare

Boy

Aidan

Irish · Anglicized form of Aodhán.

Uncommon

Girl

Nydia

Latin · Used by British author Edward Bulwer-Lytton for a blind flower-seller in his nov

Hebrew · holder of the heel

Familiar

Girl

Rebecca

Hebrew · join, tie, snare

Familiar

Boy

Duncan

Scottish · dark warrior

Uncommon

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