When Your Favorite Name is *Too Popular* 😱
Don't worry, we can help
Earlier this week I did an Ask Me Anything on Instagram and the most popular question was “What are names like [insert popular/trendy name here]?”
Parents worried that Luna, Henry, or Josephine are too common were reaching out in search of rarer alternatives — names that strike the same chord but aren’t as ubiquitous.
It’s a good question — maybe someone close to you used your longtime favorite, Oliver, or there are two girls down the street called Amelia. Or perhaps you just don’t want to use a Top 10 name.
This week, the Nameberry team has been hard at work compiling unique substitutes for the top names. We have lists of Names Like… dozens of popular names, each with 50+ uncommon alternatives.
So for that mom who was interested in names like Luna, may I suggest a fellow celestial name like Lyra? Or another Lu- name like Lula or Lumi?
To the parent who wanted names like Henry, I offer Harris and Harvey, Brady and Remy.
And for those in search of names like Josephine, consider Delphine, Coralie, and Marcella.
Basically, Anything Can Be a Middle Name
I know a family who gave their third child the middle name Moonlight. And I’ll never forget my high school classmate whose middle name is Bean (adorable 🥺).
Even my personal list of potential middle names is filled with many an unconventional choice — how cute would it be to have Anemone, Saffron, or Cameo as a middle? These days, anything goes!
Celebrities and Berries alike have used unique middle names for their children — think Tempest, Wildflower, and Whimsy — and this trend is just getting started.
Need inspiration for yourself? This week on the blog, we’re sharing our favorite bold middle names used on real-life babies. ⬇️
Expose Your Crush
The Newest Names on Nameberry
The influencer baby name that has the internet ablaze 🦘
The story behind this presidential hopeful’s name 🗳
Fascinated by this Nahautl name 🐆
An author name with lots of literary cred 📚
This name feels made up, but it’s a real place name 🐂
More fun things
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You heard it here first: Nicknames for babies have never been cooler 😎
My latest correct celebrity baby name prediction 👏
How many kids would you have to have to use all of your top names? I’d have seven 😳
As a MASSIVE fan of His Dark Materials, if I ever have a daughter, I'm naming her Lyra
I have 2 grandchildren with odd names; Alexavier Micaden (sounds just like it's spelled) & Koliatra KaLeigh ( her first name sounds like Coal-e-ó-tra and her middle name sounds like KayLee)ç I have 5 other grandchildren but their names look and sound just like they are; Malakai Lee , Amias Addison Dean, Sean Patrick, Dean Harter Nathaniel, & Leonardo Benjamin Cain. I helped to name Alex, Koliatra, Dean, & and Leonardo.