Unlikely Baby Names That Are Quickly Gaining Popularity

Get ready to meet more baby Foxes and Maples.

Let’s be honest: unique baby names have the tendency to be a little odd. After all, they’re rare and different, but that’s what makes them so special.

So with that being said, we really shouldn’t be that surprised that some unique names are quickly gaining popularity among parents.

In particular, Nameberry reports that there are quite a few unlikely Biblical, word, animal, and place names that are picking up steam.

So if you think the name you’ve chosen for your little one is 100% original, you might want to check this list first.  

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Some of the names trending in popularity include Fox, Baker and Enoch for boys, and Reign, Maple and Artemis for girls.

While these names might sound odd on their own, it actually makes perfect sense why they’re trending.

Fox, for instance, has the ever-appealing “x” ending, which gives it a cool factor parents love. Plus, the fact that animal names are commonly used as nicknames, and nicknames as first names has always been a big trend, Fox is not as unusual of a choice as you’d think.

Last year, the name rose in popularity by 65%. 

And as for Baker and Enoch? They’re both on the rise because they are a fresh take on common occupational and Biblical names such as Hunter and Noah. Nameberry notes that Baker is up 81% this year and Enoch is now one of the fastest-rising boys’ names, sitting at No. 320 on the site’s charts.

Whether you’re looking for a name that is ‘cool’, ‘cute’, ‘pretty’, or ‘unique’, our Baby Name Generator is here to inspire you. Discover the meaning of your favourite name, browse the 100 most popular baby girl names and baby boy names in England and Wales, or let our Random Name Generator throw up an unusual suggestion. 

Before You Go

Pride 2017: 13 Baby Names Inspired By The LGBT Community
1. Harvey(01 of13)
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Harvey Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
2. Gilbert(02 of13)
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Gilbert Baker, an openly gay artist and civil rights activist, designed the Rainbow Flag in 1978. The flag has since become a prominent symbol to the gay community around the world.
3. Sylvia(03 of13)
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Sylvia Rivera was an American gay liberation and transgender activist and self-identified drag queen. She was a founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance.
4. Ellen(04 of13)
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Ellen Page is a Canadian actress who came out in 2014, and has since spoken openly about the double standards around LGBT actors in Hollywood, she said: "Now I’m gay, I can’t play a straight person?!”
5. Martina(05 of13)
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Martina Navratilova is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach. In 2005, Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005. In 2000, she was the recipient of National Equality Award from the USA's largest gay and lesbian activist/lobbying group for her campaigning.
6. Audre(06 of13)
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Audre Lorde was a African-American writer, feminist, poet and civil-rights activist. She took part in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 and used her theory of difference to establish the fight for gay rights. She quickly became the best known out-of-the-closet Black radical lesbian feminist.
7. Ian(07 of13)
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Sir Ian McKellen is an actor and the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He is one of the founding members of Stonewall UK, along with John Miskelly and Michael Cashman.
8. Keegan(08 of13)
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Keegan Hirst is Britain's first openly gay rugby player who came out in August 2015.
9. Laverne(09 of13)
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Laverne Cox is an American actress on the hit Netflix series 'Orange is the New Black'. Cox has made history as being the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy award in an acting role and to be on the cover of Time magazine.
10. Edie(10 of13)
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Edie Windsor is an American LGBT rights activist and former technology manager at IBM. She was the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court of the United States, which successfully overturned Section 3 of the Defence of Marriage Act, considered a landmark legal victory for same-sex marriage.
11. Bayard(11 of13)
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Bayard Rustin is best known for his work with Martin Luther King in the civil right's movement, but in the 1970s, he became a public advocate on behalf of gay and lesbian causes as well.
12. Ruby(12 of13)
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Ruby Rose is an Australian model, DJ, recording artist, actress and television presenter. She has spoken openly, and extensively, about her sexuality and identifying as gender fluid.
13. Larry(13 of13)
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Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist.