For most parents, naming their baby is something that requires careful consideration. If you’ve always known what you wanted to name your baby and your partner agrees, that’s great! But for the vast majority of families, you get the umpteenth argument about which names are okay, which are okay, and which are okay, but we hate that nickname…you get the idea. As parenting editors, we report on a ton of baby name trends. Here are the baby names we love but don’t use (and why). Who knows? Maybe the perfect nickname for your baby is on this list.
When my husband and I were pregnant with our first child, I brought him the list of baby names I had saved in my notes app and slowly added to it over the years (we all do that, right?) . I said each one out loud and he let me know if he liked it or not, while I jokingly divided the list into categories: yes, maybe, no, and even a dislike (sorry Julian). After clearing the backlog, we did some research together and after several months of discussion we settled on Cooper. We love the sound of it. It’s very unique and we’ve never seen a child with this name, but familiar enough that no one will have trouble pronouncing or spelling it. It’s just…that. For every perfect “one,” there are plenty of really good names that are pretty close to that one. So, here are the baby names we love but have never used to pick from.
01alfred
I am desperate I named my son Alfred (after a great uncle who died when he was 11) and called him Alfie, but my husband was so like, “You don’t give birth to a 95 Year old British man, no. This is still my favorite boy’s name. —Samantha Darby, Senior Editor, Lifestyle
02Aurelia
I love the ancient Roman name, which means “golden” in Latin, which makes for a fun nickname for you, “Goldie.” I like that it’s pretty like names like Amalia and Ava, but less common. — Sarah Aswell, deputy news and community editor
03austin
If we have a little girl, we plan to name her Austin. It’s my husband’s middle name and we thought it would be cool for a little girl (I totally want to nickname her “Ozzie”). We happened to have a boy, but unfortunately I didn’t have little Ozzie. Sometimes I still wonder what it would be like four years later if we named our son Austin. —Katie McPherson, associate editor, Lifestyle
04beryl
I love this old-fashioned British name – especially because one of my heroes, the adventurer Beryl Markham, also had this nickname. It was very close to my youngest daughter’s name, but we ultimately couldn’t get over how it sounded like the object “bucket.” So, that’s her middle name. — Sarah Aswell, deputy news and community editor
05Elliot
I would name my son Elliot if my husband liked it too, no doubt about it. We just don’t agree on that, but that’s okay. The name we chose was more suitable for our boy. —Katie McPherson, associate editor, Lifestyle
06Eloise
I love Héloïse very much. It has such great literary qualities and sounds so sweet and energetic to a little girl. My husband is just not a fan (although he adores Louisa) but all three of my daughters are addicted Eloise books, so we can at least hear about it more often. —Samantha Darby, Senior Editor, Lifestyle
07Lawrence
I like the sound of this name. Yes, Larry is a terrible nickname, but this baby boy should be named Laurie (I got you) little women Lovers nod! ). Alas, we have two girls. — Sarah Aswell, deputy news and community editor
08lake
I love this name for any gender, but especially boys. It has that classic Blake feel but is less common and a little more natural and crunchy. Sadly, my husband said, “What the hell were you thinking?” — Sarah Aswell, deputy news and community editor
09Louisa
Louisa and our third daughter were our top contenders, but ultimately, we already had Lucy and decided they sounded too similar. It’s so traditional and cute but feels unique and fun. —Samantha Darby, Senior Editor, Lifestyle
10Lucinda
This was a runner-up for my child’s name, but when she arrived we decided another option would be a better fit. I’ve always liked it, though, and it was shortened nicely to Lucy. Plus, it’s a great “you’re in big trouble now, Buster” type name to shout around the yard. — Kelly Fairblot, Executive Editor
11Nora
If we have a little girl, I want to name her Nora. My mom’s best friend is Nora, and she has never met my child. Plus, I love how old-fashioned yet modern it is. — Kate Auletta, Editor-in-Chief
12Perry
Another cool name for a girl because apparently they are my weakness. If we had a daughter we would definitely choose Austin as her name, but Perry was also in the running for a while. —Katie McPherson, associate editor, Lifestyle
13Remy
I’ve always liked the name Remi for girls. It feels feminine, a little brave, a little unisex—it has it all. We have a son and earned a different name in the boys column, but I think we need a major renaissance in the world of Ramis. —Katie McPherson, associate editor, Lifestyle
14Ripley
Why don’t I name my kid after that awesome main character in the movie? alien Franchise? Ripley is one of my all-time favorite characters and I love the name. Unfortunately, I already named a cat Ripley and my husband doesn’t want us to name our children after a dead cat. Go do the math. — Sarah Aswell, deputy news and community editor
15sassafras tree
It’s just a middle name, but I fully believe that middle names can and should be absolutely ridiculous. Sassafras is a very personal name, and it also happens to be the name of my childhood cat. My husband vetoed it. — Jamie Kenney, deputy news and entertainment editor
16Sawyer
Between it’s a surname and total suffocation The adventures of tom sawyer When I was growing up, I took this for granted. In fact, during the first ultrasound, we agreed that Sawyer was a girl. But when we actually found out we were having a girl, my husband said it didn’t feel right. —Julie Sprankles, associate editor, Lifestyle
No. 17sufen
It’s my Dutch grandmother’s maiden name, and I thought it sounded super cool, androgynous, and fun. My husband doesn’t. In fact, I think my entire family has feelings for it, but I still think it would be a solid name with a cute built-in nickname of “Phin” or “Finn.” —Julie Sprankles, associate editor, Lifestyle
18swing
Maybe it’s because MTV veejay Sway Calloway was a fixture when I was growing up, but I’ve developed a deep attachment to the name. In fact, if we had one child, it would probably be a strong contender for a third. —Julie Sprankles, associate editor, Lifestyle
No. 19Theon
Is this the name of one of them? game of Thrones‘The most hated villain? Yes. But it’s also 1. a real name (with roots in Greek and Old French), and 2. so cool. My husband again said no. — Jamie Kenney, deputy news and entertainment editor
20Wilder
If we had a third child, this gender-neutral name would be locked and loaded. We finally decided to stop at two, and I low-key wish I could use it for one of my kids because I still love it so much. —Julie Sprankles, associate editor, Lifestyle
When it comes to naming your baby, you probably have a list of names you think of that come back to you from time to time. But there is no doubt that the name you choose will be a perfect fit for your child.
