By Anna Gracia of TheSnarkyReviewer.com
Tired of signing up little Caitlin/Catelynne/Kaitlin/Katelyn or little Bentley for their baby yoga class, only to discover all the other Katelynnes and Bentleys in their class?
Behold, the next generation of baby names that are guaranteed to be so unique, your child will never again have to suffer through being identified by his/her first name + last initial.
(Note: all names below are genderless, of course.)
Cumin
Sage was so last year. With this name, your baby can spend her entire life correcting people on the pronunciation! (It’s coo-min.)
Ancient Grain
Why be bound to just quinoa or couscous? Name your baby after all the ancient grains! Plus, this has the benefit of stretching the name into three syllables, giving it the perfect cadence when you need to call him in from riding his balance bike.
Avocado
Food names are always popular, of course, but Avocado lets people know immediately that you are of the millennial generation and your child will never dine at an Applebee’s.
W
With the increasing popularity of single letter names like Tee and Zee, why not choose a more unique letter? This way there will be no confusion about the spelling of your child’s name.
Udon
Looking for something a little more…ethnic, without blatantly appropriating culture? Show your worldliness with a baby named after the popular Japanese noodle dish.
Shark
Why name your child after a lesser land mammal when you could name him after the king of the ocean? Sharks are intelligent and fierce — just like your perfect child.
Eclipse
With any luck, your baby was conceived during a solar or lunar eclipse, giving this name double meaning!
Liturgy
For the more religiously inclined, this baby name will celebrate your devotion to the church, while simultaneously displaying your knowledge of all the parts of the service.
Deroda
Neveah shouldn’t be the only name to originate from spelling a word backwards. Why not reverse the word “adored” to come up with this totally original, completely meaningful baby name?
Jiu Jitsu
Unlike yoga and pilates, this exercise form hasn’t suffered from over-popularity…yet. By naming your little one Jiu Jitsu, he can be ahead of the curve and will never suffer the embarrassment of being one of three Namastes in his class.
Viscount
Royal names are always popular, but this stands out from the crowd by virtue of the fact that no one can pronounce it (The “s” is silent.) You can even teach your little one to adopt a Madonna-type accent to really sell the British feel!
Oneofakind
Now that the name Unique and its various spellings having hit the mainstream, this one-of-a-kind name is, literally, Oneofakind. There will be no mistaking your child for anyone else, ever again.
This list is, of course, by no means exclusive. There’s a whole world of food, household items, and random adjectives out there to inspire you when naming your precious little bundle of perfection. So go, and find the word that helps you declare to other parents that you, and you alone, are the master of baby naming.
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About the Author
Anna Gracia is a writer in San Francisco. She is working on her debut novel, a cringe-inducing novel about navigating the complex relationships of young adulthood. You can read her thoughts on recent movies at her blog, TheSnarkyReviewer.com, or follow her on Twitter (@hapasareasian).