11 Not-so-common Baby Names That Are Thankfully Not Strange ...

1. Carter

One of my very favorite not so common baby names is Carter. It's usually heard as a surname, but it certainly works as a first name. It has a strong sound to it and it will really give the person who dons the name a strong sense of presence. This is one of those names that sounds great for a baby, a child and an adult. Oh, and FYI, I would use this as a name for a boy, though you could certainly use it for a girl if you like.

2. Violet

Do you remember Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Well, the first time I heard that name when I was a little girl watching the Gene Wilder version of the movie (Willy Wonka), I fell in love with the name Violet. It's not so out there, but it certainly isn't a name that you hear every day. It is sweet, short and has a definite feminine edge. Plus, being named after a flower as lovely as the Violet has to be fantastic.

3. Joel

I love the name Joel. I know that it's certainly a name that you have heard of before, but it isn't one of those names that you will call out and 20 little boys will turn their heads. If I were to have another boy, Joel would be a definite contender. And, to make this name even cooler than it already is, the name would be after my favorite Piano Man, Billy Joel (what can I say, I'm a Long Island girl!)

4. Maeve

Pronounced Mayv, this is a traditional Celtic name for a girl. A few years ago, we took a trip to Ireland and the name printed on a women's tag at a grocery store was Maeve. I instantly fell in love with the name. It is beautiful, it has strong Irish roots and you can be sure that you won't be hearing tons of this name in the schoolyard.

5. Jude

Again, this is another name for a boy that has certainly been heard before (Jude Law anyone?), but it isn't heard so often that you're like, "Not ANOTHER Jude!" Of course, being the Beatles lover that I am, if I ever had a little boy that I named Jude, it would totally be after the song. How cool would it be to be named after one of the greatest Beatles songs ever written?

6. Iris

This is another flower-turned-girl-name, and I think it's great. It is quirky, unexpected and if the little girl who has this name is anything like the flower, she will certainly be showy and have a strong personality.

7. Connell

Can you tell that I have a strong Irish heritage? The name Connell is usually used as an Irish surname, however, I happen to think that it is a great first name. It's not so far off the beaten path, and it certainly isn't heard often. It has a great ring to it.

8. Grayson

Grayson doesn't have a cool meaning, but that doesn't really take away from it. This is a really nice name that just rolls off of the tongue. The name comes from English and isn't heard of very often. It's a name that sounds nice and isn't very common without being too strange.

9. Lila

This is a really simple and pretty name that you don't hear of very often. It's a name with Persian decent that means lilac tree. It's a cool twist on the flower turned names thing that has been mentioned previously. Instead of naming your child right after a flower, you now have the option of taking a cool twist on a preexisting idea.

10. Ryder

This is a really cute unisex name that isn't too common. You may hear of a Ryder here and there, but usually it's as a last name. This can be a really cute name whether you have a boy or a girl and either way it will be a little uncommon.

11. Brice

Here is another simple and strong name. Brice means strong and is a name that comes from The Middle Ages. The name Brice is more commonly spelled Bryce, but either spelling isn't really too common. So you have the added bonus of different spellings!

A name defines you. Chose a name for your baby that isn't so common, yet isn't too UNcommon. What names are you considering?

This article was written in collaboration with editor Lydia Sheehan.