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

Choosing the name for an expected baby is tons of fun, and if you're like me, you are probably considering not so common baby names. Your child will be an individual, so having a name that is common may make him blend in with the crowd a little bit. While choosing a name that isn't heard too often is great, selecting a name that is way out there may cause confusion and well, just sound silly! Instead, consider some of the not so common baby names that aren't too off the wall and you'll score a winner. Here are 11 to consider:

1 Carter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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.

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Comments

Danielle @tami lauer scone that is the best name ever!
briana i am going to name my future son tyce and my daughter elana
Judy Mine are Tamsin and Angus. Both traditional (Tamsin is Cornish, Angus Scottish) but unusual.
Marsa aleni doesn't mean anything in greek, although there is the name eleni (eh-len-ee) but it doesn't actually mean anything, it's just a variation of elena
Ashlea My son's name is Joel! I love that there aren't too many Joel's and that it is a simple, boy name.
Jess My daughter is Aleni Rose. Pronounced "uh-len-ee" (you'd be surprised at how it can get butchered sometimes) Aleni means "sweet" in Greek (we're not Greek though). It fits my daughter's personality perfectly and is the balance of beautiful and unique without being strange that I wanted. For as uncommon as her name is, we've met 2 other girls locally named Aleni. I tried for strong and unique for my son, Dylan Michael, but just about everyone named their child Dylan in 2004. At least one of my kids doesn't have a half dozen friends with the same name ;)
Susan I have a cat named Grayson...
Isabella I like them all except for Brice. it's like price.
Tami My daughter's name is Miracle Hope, it totally fits her!
Rudi My name is Ruah not too many women have that name. It is very old and very unusual.
wendy Iris, Isabella, Issac my future children...
ChaosLovesAnarchy well my sons name is Destery Jay.. and if I were to have a girl I was really heart set on the name Ivy-Rayne (Ivy-Rain).. but then I came to realize that if I were to combined my husband father and step fathers middle names: Jay, Lee, and dale, I could come up with Jaydalee and then my own little twist by going with Jaydalee-Ann.. so since I couldn't decide that's why our creator had to give me a son because I was so emotionally torn between the 2 names. lol
Jenn Our daughter's name is Hazel Grace. It matches her perfectly. I love the old names becomming popular again and the uniqeness to them.
Denver My name is Denver. Yes, I am a girl :) I love the uniqueness of my name, and when I became pregnant 14 yrs ago, I chose the name Walker, for my son :) I love our names.
Kata My baby is Jude Robert. He's 15 months now and I just love his name.
Shanaya I love Jude and Lila!!
Lauren_H I really like some of these names~ especially Iris. I love cute unique names!
Sheridan This is so so so much better! Unique, unusual names that aren't made up or misspelt! This list is the reason I can't tolerate names like Brayden or Neveah - if you want to give your child a unique name, there are thousands to choose from that are beautiful! Iris was my grandmother, and I will definitely incorporate her name into my daughter's if I have one. I also love names such as Cecily, Theodora and Phoebe, all of which are uncommon but none of which are chavvy :)
Peaches Love the names Carter and Bryce
Jora My name Is Jora. it means autumn rain or loud outgoing. verrrry uncommon. but I do love mieko.
Ashlee I love carter as a girls name!
Andriel My name is Andriel like ginger ale but i do like iris and Carter
Danielle I plan to name my future daughter, Iris. Loved seeing it on here. I have also always loved the names Jude and Carter (Jude after the Beatles song) really adore this list!
Chelsea If I had a son it would be down to either Ryder or Colter. But for a girl I like Karliah.
Zozo My lil girl is called coral and every one say that it\'s a lovey name
- Denise @Zozo It is a pretty name. :)
Ali رووووووعه
Sloan I always get compliments on my name! If it wasn't already mine, I would probably name my future child Sloan, too.
Midnight @Ginger - I quite like Carpenter for a name!
iris My name is Iris :)
analise This baby is so beautiful
Darby My name haha
Sophie Violet Beauregard is from lemony snickets series...
- Neecey @Sophie May Baker, No - she's from Roald Dahl's book! You're thinking of Violet Baudelaire who is in The series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Ginger He is called carter !
Ginger Woohoo my son is called carpenter and he is 12.
Jolene83 Most of those names listed in the article are common.
splashhhh Maeve oooo if i ever have a girl Ill name her maeve its cute
- autum @splashhhh sadly I know a woman named Maeve, and her personality has ruined the name for me
msknowitall Our girls are, Piper & Presley (no, not after Charmed or Elvis) ; )
- Shanaya @msknowitall I love the name Presley!!
Amanda Joel is very common name here in Sweden :))
Violet My name is Violet! I'm so happy my name actually turned up somewhere.
- zlati @Violet Phoenix ...I have already decided to name my next cat Violet...so pretty..!!
Josette I love the name Sienna Miller chose for her daughter: Marlowe 😊

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